Review of The Elite by Kiera Cass

I've talked a lot about how I'd been sort of reluctantly looking forward to this book. Reluctantly, because when I stop and analyze The Selection, it was a very flawed book. Unfortunately all of the flaws from the first book were only magnified in this book, and while it was still oddly readable, it left me with such a feeling of hollowness and frustration. I have long since accepted the fact that the premise of this series is gimmicky at best and downright stupid at worst, but that's kind of part of the charm for me. So why do I keep expecting something more from it?

The Selection has now been narrowed down to six girls, The Elite, who are now supposed to be really working and learning what it will mean to be a princess and eventually a queen. One of the points in favor of this series is that it acknowledges that, on some level, there is more to the job than wearing a nice dress and living happily ever after. This book delves a bit into political power and duty--I'll talk more about that later. To get back to my point, the premise has now shifted focus so that America should be competing in earnest, and not just going along for the ride while getting over a bad break-up. She should be putting her head on straight and making sure her heart is in the right place before committing to marriage to a major world leader. But that's not what America does, because America is a little girl who doesn't understand anything.

I'm not even going to touch on the fact that I have a problem with the love triangle and America's inability to decide between two boys, because that subplot is stupid and overdone and pointless as hell, so it goes without saying that I hate it. What I really want to get at is the ultimate question of: Do you want the throne or not? Because regardless of your feelings about the prince, whether you love him or just like him as a friend, what's really at stake here is enough power to slowly but steadily change your country. America does not understand this concept. She grew up in one of the lower classes, but she's only just now (now, at the worst possible moment) realizing that the caste system is brutal and unfair. What? I'm sorry, how did that basic fact escape your notice when you were freezing and eating lousy food?

But, alright, she has this epiphany that her country might have an unfair caste system. Guess what, sweetie? You're in a competition that would put you in an excellent position to help people. Yeah. You could become a princess and feed the poor and shelter the homeless and sow the seeds of change to make your country better. But this fact totally escapes America because she's all caught up in the romantic drama of whether or not she likes Maxon or just likes him. Or hates him. Whatever. Then, when Maxon appears to have betrayed her, she figures she wants to leave anyway, and tries to make a totally pointless grand gesture on live television. Maxon calls her out on this, too. He tells her, and I paraphrase a bit, yes we can and should change things, but for anything to work you have to be subtle, quiet, and not dumb as a bag of hair. And she is. Dumb, that is. Or at the very least, she's so naïve and so unworldly that she has no idea what to do with herself. It's sad.

The romance? I think it may have died for me, and I have no idea whether the third book will revive it or not. I didn't get the sense that any of these characters know who they are, let alone what they want, and I was deeply discomfited by the idea that all of this is going to culminate in a marriage. None of them are marriage ready.

So, to wrap this up, this book is a mess of characters that are becoming steadily less likable. At times it felt like it was trying to say something deep or important, but it chokes because it still just wants to be a soap opera teen drama. I'll read the final installment, but without much excitement. 3 stars.

Watch This! The Princess Bride

Our first movie of the month happens to rank among my all time favorite movies...ever. This is a movie which I can always watch, anytime, no matter my mood, and it will make me smile. Every time.

Like the book it was adapted from, the story of The Princess Bride is being told to a sick little boy by his Grandfather. The framing of the storybook gives you leave not to take the (rather absurd) story seriously, or at least not entirely seriously. Basically, Wesley is a farmhand who falls in love with Buttercup, a beautiful but air-headed girl. Wesley wants to make money for marriage, so he sets sail for distant lands, but his ship is captured along the way, and he is lost. And that is why Buttercup, concluding that she will never love again anyhow, becomes engaged to Prince Humperdinck, becoming the princess bride the title promised.

The delightfully silly story continues on with a kidnapping, sword fighting, battles of wit, and of course the infamous revenge story between Inigo Montoya and the six fingered man. The details make this movie the charming romp that it is, and of course you must watch it to appreciate that.

But since I'm including this in Romance Month, I am required to talk about the couple. Wesley and Buttercup have the simplest and most uncomplicated form of fairytale love there is to be had. They look at each other, and realize they're in love, and that's the end of that. Their journey to being together is fantastical in that it includes the overcoming of piracy and treachery and death. Most of the overcoming is done by Wesley, who is in all ways awesome--good at everything, persistent, and stubborn. Buttercup, on the otherhand, is intentionally useless. She is dumb and she is helpless, but she is pretty. He one credible trait is loyalty, and faith, in believing that Wesley will find a way to save her, always. And so, in this way, this is perhaps not my favorite story in terms of romance, despite the fact that it is a favorite movie.

I can't imagine there are that many people who haven't yet seen this movie--it's so much fun that it would be a crime not to see it.

On Girl Power: A Review of The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines

I'm a big, big fan of fairy tale retellings and sequels and so forth. So when I stumbled upon this fantasy series by Jim C. Hines I knew it was for me.

The Stepsister Scheme tells the story of what happens AFTER the so called happy ending of Cinderella's (named Danielle in this one) story. Danielle is still struggling to adapt to her new life as a princess, when her beloved husband is kidnapped and taken to Fairytown. Knowing that her stepsisters are behind his disappearance, Danielle is determined to rescue him personally. She teams up with Snow White (a sorceress) and Talia, aka Sleeping Beauty, and embarks on a journey to take back her happily ever after.

Positive Comments

Easily the most appealing aspect of this book is the girl power factor. Snow has some heavy duty magic, Talia is a fighting and weapons expert, and Danielle is no shrinking violet either. I enjoyed seeing Danielle try to come into her own, and learn not to be a helpless victim.

Hines implements plenty of whimsy, so this actually feels like a fairy story. There's sword fighting and curses, but there's also little gnomes and horses with wings. It's light and adorable, without being childish. At the same time, the tone of the story remains suspenseful, and has some grim moments as well. This isn't an easy balance to achieve, but I felt Hines pulled it off well.

Critical Comments

This is what I would call a plot driven adventure novel. The one downside is that there's a certain lack of emotional connection. Even as Danielle was searching for the love of her life, the most powerful emotion I ever felt from her was determination. When emotional moments are attempted, they fall short, in my opinion.

Recommendation

If you like twisted fairy tales, or fantasy in general, I would definitely recommend this own. It's light, fun, and entertaining. 4 stars.  

On Godstones: A Review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns is another one of those books that just kept getting recommended to me, and I kept putting off reading it because there are too many YAs in my pile already. I finally picked it up on a whim, and now I can say: Yes, you were all right, it's not half bad at all.

Elisa is the less attractive younger princess, the underdog princess if you will, who's one shining trait is that she was gifted with the Godstone--an extremely rare mystical gift. This means that she has some big an important task to complete, though she has no idea what, and she definitely doesn't feel up to the challenge. Elisa is married off to a foreign king in secret, and shuffled off to his kingdom where supposedly she'll be safer. Instead, she is swept up in a war, made an unlikely leader, and has her faith and her abilities tested again and again.

Positive Comments

The characterization of Elisa struck more than one cord with me. He lack of self confidence and general awkwardness could have made her pathetic, but instead they make her easier to like. She's also a stress eater...not just fat, not just unfortunately pudgy by genetic design, but a character who deals with stress by stuffing herself sick. Who among us doesn't know someone with that particular problem? Yet it rarely gets written about with such honesty, unless the book is specifically about eating disorders. So bravo, Rae Carson, for giving your fantasy heroine real life flaws.

I liked the plot and all of the fantasy elements it incorporated. The magic that's used is kept simple, which is nice because it means the author didn't have to info-dump in order to keep us informed. The reality of the Godstone creates an honest purpose for our heroine, as well as a dilemma as she struggles to identify what God wants from her.

I thought that the faith element of the book was very interesting. Interesting, for example, that a heroine with clear, indisputable proof of God's existence could still go through a crisis of faith. As a whole, the book handles the question of religion simplistically, but hints at a larger scope that I would like to see more of.

Critical Comments

I was a little disappointed by how Elisa's "marriage" was handled, and the characterization of the Alejandro overall. I say "marriage" in quotes because it is absolutely just a plot device that amounts to no human connection whatsoever. They never consummate their union (I guess that doesn't matter in this culture?), they never have more than a handful of interactions, and it's all pretty meaningless. It felt like the author just really wanted her heroine to be the queen, but also to remain a virgin and available for any romantic connections she may have planned for future books. It came across to me as contrived. Furthermore, it was disappointing because I really wanted to understand Alejandro's character better, but he sort of ends up as a secondary character at best.

Recommendation

This is a good young adult novel for those who prefer "classic" style fantasy. The heroine is highly sympathetic, the plot is engrossing, and the end will leave you wanting more. 4 stars.

Reading Penguin Goes to the Movies: Brave

The minute I saw a preview for Brave, I knew I would love it. I was so excited to see a Scottish princess added to the Disney pantheon.

Brave is, at it's core, the story of a rebellious teenager with a free spirit at odds with her position as a princess. Marida questions her mother's plans to turn her into the perfect queen, especially when she is told that she will soon be betrothed. When she encounters a witch, Marida asks for a spell that will change her mother--and thereby change her own fate.

The most wonderful thing about this story is that it didn't feel the need to stay inside the usual Disney princess box. There's no shoe-horned in love story. In fact, it's more of a mother/daughter tale than anything else, and the relationship is so true to life and so easy to relate to. I was very, very impressed by the fact that Disney gave Marida two loving and supportive parents (though her father is a little more wacky).

If you look at Disney's other portrayals of rebellious teenagers, you'll notice that the movie usually takes the teenager's side. We all felt like Ariel's dad overreacted when he destroyed her collections. We sympathized wholeheartedly when Jasmine refused an arranged marriage and wanted some time outside the palace. And didn't Cinderella have every right to rebel? Well, this movie does something a little different. It shows both sides of the argument so that we see that neither Marida nor her mother are entirely in the wrong. Sure, I wanted Marida to be allowed her freedom and for her mother to listen to her. But I also felt the mother's pain when Marida took her defiance to a hurtful level. Teenage girls do that--I know, because I was one just a few years ago. They hurt their parents in an effort to break free, and only after the fact do they realize that loving mothers are the most valuable guide you have in your life. That is what this movie is about.

Marida is awesome, because she knows archery and horseback riding and rock climbing. In a dress. Seriously fantastic.

The movie itself is beautiful in appearance, with it's green landscapes and towering waterfalls. The music sets the tone with it's celtic melody and soft feminine voices. Of course, in true to form Disney style, they did seem to feel the need to throw every Scottish thing they could think of into this movie. Clydesdales. Names like Angus and Hamish. Stone circles. Kilts. Haggis. But it's a kid's movie, and it's all in good fun.

I recommend this movie to all Disney fans and fantasy fans. And Highland fans. But most especially, I'd recommend it to mothers and daughters, because it's such a touching portrayal of that relationship. Happy watching, everyone!

On Dancing: A Review of Entwined by Heather Dixon

I think you're all vividly aware by now that I love fairy tale re-tellings. Well, Entwined is exactly that: a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. That wasn't a fairytale I was too familiar with, so I was really excited to read this one.

Azalea and her eleven sisters are miserable in mourning following their mother's death. They must stay inside, dress in black, and worst of all they are not permitted to dance. When they discover a secret passage in the castle, guarded by a man known as the Keeper, they are delighted at the opportunity to sneak away in the night to dance. But Azalea soon realizes that Keeper is more than what he seems, and starts to suspect that their secret might be a very dangerous one.

Positive Comments

Dixon nailed the big family atmosphere, spot on. I love how the sisters interact in this book, and the feeling of closeness between them. I really like how she portrayed their father, the King. He reminded me of the father from The Sound of Music--he's strict and seems cold, but it's only because he can't get past the pain of his wife's death. And he really likes rules and order. So the girls treat him more like their dictator than a beloved father. Watching him deal with that was pretty touching.

The mythology is well put together. It's darker than you might expect based on the blurb and cover, but to me that was a good thing. There are a lot of beautiful moments and several dark and scary moments. It's well balanced and well paced.

I loved the villain. He had dimension, development, and motivation: one of the more well written villains that I've seen.

Critical Comments

The characters blurred together for me. Azalea felt indistinct. She isn't extraordinarily clever or brave or smart or funny. He most defining traits are her love of dance and her responsibilities as an older sister. Her character development consists of trying to be more and more like her dearly departed mother, which is perfectly understandable. I guess I wish she had discovered a little more about herself while she was at it. The other sisters have very simple personalities that you can define in one or two words each--Bramble is snarky, Clover is shy, Delphinium is dramatic, Ivy is gluttonous...and I honestly can't remember anything about the others. In the authors defense, I don't think I could reasonably expect her to develop twelve daughters in one book. But I wish the older girls were more memorable.

The romance(s) are very simplified. It's a fairytale, so I can mostly excuse that. And the couples in question do at least spend time together prior to declaring everlasting love--it isn't quite Disney circa Snow White level of simplicity. I would have liked a bit more, though.

Recommendation

If you love fairytale re-tellings, this one is worth reading. As a fantasy book it's decent. As a romance it's mediocre. But if a family oriented fairytale is what you want, this is for you. 3 stars.