The Library called again, another book for me to pick up, yesterday I picked up three, and I renewed another, pretty soon my collection of books from the Library will  topple off my book shelf and kill me in my sleep. Fitting way to go, as I am a librarian :)

BUT before I can dive in, I needed to finish the book I was reading before my two weeks o’doom, an ARC of a fun little retelling of the Trojan War set on the High School Football Field :

Troy High
by Shana Norris

When I was at BEA, I picked up the ARC of Troy High, which looked cute and fluffy, I finished it last night, and I have to say, while it was both cute and fluffy, it was also smart, and well written. The allusions to the Trojan War were done perfectly, it was a pretty straight on retelling, but the connection didn’t overpower the story, I KNOW the story of the Trojan War, but I still wanted to know what happened in this story, I didn’t assume that since I knew a bit of the Iliad that this one could be written off as predictable.

The character of Cassie was well developed and while there were the stereotypical HS characters (pretty cheerleader, jealous football player, outcast…) it’s interesting to think of how these stereotypes can be applied to historical and literacy works like the Iliad, if Helen of Troy was alive now it’s not a big leap to assume she would be a popular cheerleader.

It was a good read for the mood I have been in, dealing with a Death in the family, my brain couldn’t handle anything too intense or drama filled, but I also can’t read something that is completely devoid of intelligence. This was a perfect fit, a smart, fun, quick read that shows that High School isn’t all that different than War at times…

After finishing this book I read the author’s notes and noticed she mentioned being inspired by Robin McKinley, and Patricia C. Wrede, and it really shows. If you enjoy the works of McKinley and Wrede you will surely enjoy this book. It has some of the light-hearted fun of “Dealing with Dragons” in the relations between the main character, Creel, and the dragons…as well showing the Dragons’ quirky personalities. A very solid fantasy for YA and Middle Readers (and Librarians who love sassy main characters and dragons)

“Even though it looks to be a hefty book, I found it a quick read, mostly because it was a bit addicting, the characters were interesting, no real deep characterization here the characters often represent one thing… though I liked seeing Elizabeth through other people’s eyes, and then through her own thoughts..how everyone thought she was perfect, or bland and really she was forcing herself to be perfect. There is nothing really new here, the themes of keeping up appearances, What is friendship, social/family pressures, not judging people, being true to yourself…add in backstabbing “friends”, an outsider looking in, unrequited love, falling for someone not in the same social class…and mix it all together with pretty dresses, Hey I like pretty dresses. So again, like the other posts mentioned if you are a Gossip Girl fan this book will be right up your alley. I found it an entertaining way to spend my evening.”

“I just finished listening to the audio book in my car (voiced by the woman who does the voice of Misty on Pokemon) and I really enjoyed it. It’s a cute little book, with a bit of bite in the form of a non-sappy and non-glittery Fairy Godmother in training. The narrator’s voice held the right emotion, but it was a bit too cute and perky when fit with this confused and sometimes sarcastic lead character. The book has several laugh out loud moments, plenty of wit and creativity (the names of the characters are wonderful for example “Twisted Ankle” “Frantic Search” “Lemon Droppings”) Overall a fun read (or listen) for those who enjoy fairy tales with a twist. If you enjoy this book I would also recommend Patricia C. Wrede’s “Enchanted Forest Chronicles ” to continue your fractured fairy tale fix.”

“Hale has a lovely writing style and the ability to create characters you can really rally behind. Ani’s tranformation from shy and insignificant to regal was not done in a cliche way, and she remained true to her character (her slightly anxious character) all the way through. I enjoy introspective characters and Hale is excellent at creating them. Do not pass off Hale’s work as “Princess Fluff” as all of her YA and Middle Reader novels have a rich writing style, moral conflicts, and even a dose of ugliness (murders, battles, abandonment) that keeps her books feeling real, despite the magical elements. ”

“I was looking for something interesting to listen to as an audiobook for a road trip and picked up “The Case of the Missing Marquess” expecting it to be something I would enjoy: I love mysteries and YA fiction….and the main character is Sherlock Holme’s sister, what could be better? Well, less detail for one thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love descriptive text, and since this is a historical fiction book you know there will be details about the times, the clothing, the cities…usually I love that, but in this case it often wasn’t “descriptive text”, it was more like long lists. (“She saw this, that, this, that, another one of those, this, that, this, this, that, and him” “I felt this, this, this, this, a bit of this, but mostly that.” ) Nancy Spinger I accuse you of using too many adjectives, and bogging down a plot that was actually interesting. I think this book would have been better if I had read it, not listened to it, so I will try the next in the series in print.