YA Review: Victoria Marmot and the Meddling Goddess (Victoria Marmot #1) by Virginia McClain

Victoria Marmot and the Meddling Goddess (Victoria Marmot #1)
by Virginia McClain

Description:
Victoria Marmot is just an average teenage girl... if by "average" you mean an orphaned, multi-lingual, martial arts expert who owns her own home and may or may not have magical abilities.

When Vic is told her parents didn't die the way she thinks they did, her world is turned upside down and she's left with the task of finding out what really happened to them. But when her quest to uncover the truth reveals a massive conspiracy by a corrupt magical government, will her efforts save the world or take the whole universe down with her?


My Review:
This is the first in a series of books featuring Vic (aka Victoria Marmot).

One of the things I most enjoyed about this story was how Vic reacts to the weird stuff that is happening to her. I think best of these were her reactions to the Twilight-esque vampire/werewolf love interests. Then you add in the nods to the Harry Potter universe. Honestly, it’s a toss-up between which of the two worlds this story seems to be poking fun at the most. Obviously Twilight. But then again, when the headmaster Albert says, “Didn’t they tell you? Surely you’ve wondered how they learned it all!” you can’t quite keep from picturing Hagrid introducing magic to Harry for the first time.

I also enjoyed the way the narrator is introduced. Quite entertaining, though I did have to go back and re-read it once I began to understand what was happening. Clever.

On the other hand, the core plot of this story is a bit straightforward, despite its best efforts to tangle itself up in elements from the two series aforementioned. Without those entanglements, I am not sure I’d have enjoyed this too much on its own merits. Still, my impression is that these nods and references are in fact the main point of the story.

So yeah, Vic’s no-nonsense denial of the “stupid” and her unwillingness to fall into the standard paranormal romance female heroine role totally make this book worth reading. Having read Harry Potter, Twilight, and other shifter-type PNR books made this one all the more fun. I got the jokes. I saw the contradictions. All the things that bug folks about those worlds are embraced and then denied in this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story for what it is. I think fans of fantasy and the paranormal who are looking for a huge dose of sassy heroine are in for a treat. No trope is safe!

I received the review copy of this book via NetGalley.


About the Author:

Virginia McClain is an author who recently stopped daylighting as a Spanish teacher in Arizona and switched to writing full time in Winnipeg, Manitoba. When she's not writing she can often be found climbing to the top of large rocks, running on trails, backpacking, and generally engaging in any excuse to go play outside. Now that she has moved to the Great White North she will probably add snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and ice skating to her list of outdoor adventures, but as it's still warm out she'll start with canoeing (something she hasn't done in years) and see how it goes from there. She lives with her husband and their furry, canine companion Artemis.


Author Links:
Twitter @gwendamned
Goodreads Author Profile
Amazon Author Page

Review of the Movie Tie-in Audiobook: A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1) by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1)
by Madeleine L'Engle

Description:
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?


My Review:
First off, this was a decent story, but I'm not sure it all quite made sense. I also found it to be a little bit anticlimactic/convenient. Didn't read like a 50-year-old book, though. Far from it. I can see why they made it into a movie.

Overall, I'd recommend it to folks who enjoy youth adventures with a happy ending. Then again, I noticed the Quintet tag when posting this so I guess there's more to it.

As for the audio, I have a lot of comments on that.

The narrator (or the person advising her) chose to interpret the "sharp" voice of Mrs. Witch (Which?) as kind of a wavery, ghosty voice. That is not how I interpret sharp, and I must say, I missed most of what she said, even with the volume turned up. I wonder if this was based on how the character is channeled in the movie, rather than how described in the book. I haven't seen it yet, so I cannot say.

Also, I could have really done without the two forewords. I think I commented on it in Goodreads. The second one bled into the first chapter of the audio, so they didn't quite nail those transitions, and that made it difficult to figure out where the story actually began.

I listened to the movie themed audiobook from the library.

Steampunk YA Review: Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger

Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School #4)
by Gail Carriger


Description:

If one must flirt...flirt with danger.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sootie Soap nearby. She would rather thwart dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored.

Who can she trust? Royal werewolf dewan? Stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way. Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster.


My Review:
A very satisfying conclusion to the Finishing School series, though I do very much want more. The overall plot builds to this final installment, where Sophronia and friends must stop a plot no one seems willing to believe exists.

I strongly recommend it to folks who enjoyed the first few in the series. I recommend reading these in order and having them all at hand so you don’t have to pause between them (you won’t want to wait).

I borrowed the audiobook from the library.

-----

As this is the final in the series, I think it important to comment on the other two series set in this world. I suspect the Parasol Protectorate series picks up somewhere after this one, though likely with different characters. It is on my to-be-read list so I’m afraid I have no further insight on the matter.

That being said, I have read the Custard Protocol (books 1 and 2), and they most certainly occur after both aforementioned. These latest books use the same narrator whom I find delightful, and this provides a consistency I seek out when listening to a series. From checking the author’s website, I know more books are coming from that series, so I’m keeping a look out.


About the Author:



Photo by Vanessa Applegate

Gail Carriger writes comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance (and the sexy San Andreas Shifter series as G L Carriger). Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, and Supernatural Society series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in many languages and has over a dozen NYT bestsellers. She was once an archaeologist and is fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

Join the Chirrup for sneak peeks & giveaways! http://gailcarriger.com/chirrup

More links:
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Twitter @gailcarriger
Facebook

Romance Review: The Great Escape (Wynette, Texas #6) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The Great Escape (Wynette, Texas #6)
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Description:
Where do you run to when your life has fallen apart?

Lucy Jorik is a champ at never embarrassing the family she adores—not surprising since her mother is one of the most famous women in the world. But now Lucy has done just that. And on her wedding day, no less, to the most perfect man she's ever known.

Instead of saying "I do" to Mr. Irresistible, Lucy flees the church in an ill-fitting blue choir robe and hitches a ride on the back of a beat-up motorcycle plastered with offensive bumper stickers. She's flying into the unknown with a rough-looking, bad-tempered stranger who couldn't be more foreign to her privileged existence.

While the world searches for her, Lucy must search for herself, and she quickly realizes that her customary good manners are no defense against a man who's raised rudeness to an art form. Lucy needs to toughen up—and fast.

Her great escape takes her to his rambling beach house on a Great Lakes island. Here, she hopes to find a new direction . . . and unlock the secrets of this man who knows so much about her but reveals nothing about himself. As the hot summer days unfold amid scented breezes and sudden storms, she'll also encounter a beautiful, troubled beekeeper; a frightened young boy; a modern-day evil queen; and a passion that could change her life forever.

In this dazzling follow-up to her New York Times bestseller Call Me Irresistible, Susan Elizabeth Phillips tells the funny, touching, enchanting story of a young woman searching for her destiny . . . and of a damaged man who doesn't believe in second chances.


My Review:
Funny romance. Rambles a bit. Couple of side stories. Good narration.

I think what I enjoyed most about this story is Lucy’s descent into her alter ego. Her youthful looks aid her, but add all sorts of complications for her companion. This also touches on some deeper issues Lucy is experiencing, which adds a bit of depth to the story, but not until near the end.

As mentioned, there are side stories, and I enjoyed them pretty well, though it draws attention away from the heroine’s story. As for these, I connected more with the one about the neighbor kid and his mom than I did with the fitness guru. Both of the side stories included a romance.

Also, this book is part of a series, which I didn’t notice until after reading. I feel this explains the side stories and the set up for another romance that doesn’t resolve in this one. On the downside, I felt the ending was a bit of a letdown and somewhat hard to buy into.

Overall, I’d recommend this to folks who enjoy a bit of romance, some naughtiness, and a good dose of humor.

I purchased my copy of this book and would gladly read more from this author.


About the Author:

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is an international bestseller whose books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award. Among her other accomplishments, Susan created the sports romance.

Susan's newest book, FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT, is book #8 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS SERIES. The mass market paperback of FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT will be available June. 27, 2017.

In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.


Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabethPhillipsNovels

https://twitter.com/sepauthor

https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/

http://susanelizabethphillips.com/


Find more books by this author on Amazon!

Sci Fi Review: Earth Awakens (The First Formic War #3) by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston

Earth Awakens (The First Formic War #3)
by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston


Description:
The story of The First Formic War continues in Earth Awakens.

Nearly 100 years before the events of Orson Scott Card's bestselling novel Ender's Game, humans were just beginning to step off Earth and out into the Solar System. A thin web of ships in both asteroid belts; a few stations; a corporate settlement on Luna. No one had seen any sign of other space-faring races; everyone expected that First Contact, if it came, would happen in the future, in the empty reaches between the stars. Then a young navigator on a distant mining ship saw something moving too fast, heading directly for our sun.

When the alien ship screamed through the solar system, it disrupted communications between the far-flung human mining ships and supply stations, and between them and Earth. So Earth and Luna were unaware that they had been invaded until the ship pulled into Earth orbit, and began landing terra-forming crews in China. Politics and pride slowed the response on Earth, and on Luna, corporate power struggles seemed more urgent than distant deaths. But there are a few men and women who see that if Earth doesn't wake up and pull together, the planet could be lost.


My Review:
Exciting and politically charged conclusion to The First Formic War.

Ok, what I liked most in this were the thrills and the acts of heroism in the face of impossible odds. Then add in the excellent narration, consistent with the first two books, and the believable characters. I even found a soft spot for Lem in this, though it was hard earned.

This book wraps up the war in a satisfying way, but sets up for a trilogy that does not yet exist, as far as I can tell. I must say, I will be thrilled when it does.

Overall, excellent book, but it does have its fair share of politics, some of which might pique at a reader’s sense of fairness, in a not so pleasant way.

Anyhow, I seriously did not want this to end, even as I was rooting for the home team. Highly recommended for fans of Orson Scott Card and especially his Ender’s Saga.

I borrowed the audiobook from the library.


About Orson Scott Card:


Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts.

Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He recently began a longterm position as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University.

Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, and their youngest child, Zina Margaret.

Orson Scott Card Author Links:
www.hatrack.com
Twitter@orsonscottcard
Goodreads


About Aaron Johnston:


Aaron Johnston

Aaron Johnston is a New York Times bestselling author, comics writer, and film producer. He cowrote the novels Invasive Procedures, Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, Earth Awakens, and the other forthcoming Formic Wars novels with science-fiction legend Orson Scott Card.
He was also an associate producer on the movie Ender’s Game, wherein he makes a cameo appearance as an officer of the International Fleet. Blink and you’ll miss him.
Aaron’s comic credits include Ender in Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Formic Wars, League War, and Mazer in Prison, all for Marvel. His screenplay adaptations include Alvin Maker, Sarah: Woman of Genesis, The Multiple Man, Feed the Baby of Love, and others. His play Lifeloop, an adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s short story, was featured at Western Illinois University. A longtime stage improviser, Aaron is a former member of LA’s Improv Factory, Santa Clarita Improv, and the Garrens Comedy Troupe. He and his wife are the parents of four children.

Aaron Johnston Author Links:
http://www.aaronwjohnston.com/
http://www.twitter.com/AaronWJohnston
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55830.Aaron_Johnston