Book Review: My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: My Calamity Jane
Series: The Lady Janies, #3
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: June 2, 2020
Length: 544 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Welcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.

JANE (a genuine hero-eene)

Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.

FRANK (*wolf whistle*)
Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .

ANNIE (get your gun!)
Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do, she can do better.

A HAIRY SITUATION
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

The Lady Janies books are quickly becoming my go-to cheer-me-up reads… and the 3rd in the series, My Calamity Jane, absolutely hits the spot!

In this cheeky, silly reimagining of Wild West legends, Wild Bill Hickok’s traveling show is highly entertaining, super popular… and a front for a band of garou (werewolf) hunters. Calamity Jane herself is a 17-year-old who’s an ace at performing tricks with a bullwhip, and she’s also devoted to Wild Bill, who gave her a family when she had nowhere else to turn. Bill’s son Frank is Jane’s brother and best friend, and the tight-knit band travels from town to town, putting on great shows and dealing with garous who threaten public safety.

Things take a turn for the terrible when Jane is bitten during an attempt to bring down the garou Alpha, and their lives only get more complicated from there. Between fast-talker Annie Oakley insisting on joining their crew and the persistent attentions of a young woman reporter (who goes incognito as a young man, because writing just ain’t a career path for a woman, doncha know), Jane and the gang have to move and think fast… and their lives get even more dangerous once Jane decides to run off to Deadwood in pursuit of a rumored garou cure.

Ah, this book is fun! Lots of familiar names and places pop up — but if you’re like me, it’s helpful to keep Wikipedia handy too. I never watched the Deadwood TV series (although now I’m tempted!), and had only passing familiarity with most of these real-life people — so looking into their stories was a huge boost while reading My Calamity Jane.

Note: I do have a vague recollection of listening to some of the songs from the musical Annie, Get Your Gun as a child. Does anyone — besides devoted theater kids — still know this show? Parts of it looks really offensive, based on looking at the movie trailer, so I kind of hope not. Anyway, I digress…

The writing in My Calamity Jane, as in the other Lady Janies, is funny, tongue-in-cheek, and quite silly. The narrators pop in to comment throughout, which is always good for a laugh.

“Mama!” Annie turned around, horrified. “He’s near forty years old! He’s ancient”—(at this point, your faithful and likewise ancient narrators die inside)—“and he’s already married.”

The werewolf storyline fits surprisingly well within a Western setting, and the main villain of the piece offers some clever surprises (plus lots of sneering and manipulation). Even the portrayal of henchmen and lackeys is funny.

Jack McCall straightened his spine (although your narrators don’t know how he did it, considering we are pretty sure he was spineless).

The story includes a couple of quirky love stories, as well as shoot-’em-up action sequences and some familiar-sounding rivalry.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself. She put on her sweetest smile. “Anything you can do, Mr. Butler,” she said, “I can do better.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can.”

While the page count might seem a little much at the outset, trust me — it moves quickly. Even when we get the sadder moments of learning the characters’ backstories and childhood traumas, we’re never more than a page or two away from an exchange to lighten the mood.

“Oh, no,” gasped Winnie. “Oh, no, no, no. A story like this takes time.”

Frank drew out his pocket watch. “You’ve got, like, two hours.”

Jane snorted. “That’s loads of time. A person could write a whole book in two hours.” (To which we, as the narrators, say no. A person can’t. And now we’re crying a little.)

Plain and simple, My Calamity Jane is a hoot, just like the rest of the books in the series. The Lady Janies all work as stand-alones (or at least, the ones I’ve read so far do). So, if the Wild West isn’t necessarily your thing, but you’re a Jane Eyre fan, start with My Plain Jane, or if you love Tudor history, pick up My Lady Jane. You get the point — pick one that appeals to you, see if you like the approach, and then give the rest a try!

For me, I’m ready to dive into the Mary books!

And I’ll close with the words of Calamity Jane… just because she makes me laugh:

“Frank! Get the lead out! Annie! Get your gun!”

28Jul2024

Book Review: Against the Darkness (In Every Generation, #3) by Kendare Blake

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Against the Darkness
Series: In Every Generation, #3
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: April 9, 2024
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

This epic finale to the The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake ( Three Dark Crowns ) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team.

Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

Sure, she has her new Scooby Gang, plus the help of her mom, Willow; Watcher, Spike; and even the brooding-but-hot Hunter of Thrace. But even though they have a master plan (obviously), the gang is more fragmented than ever.

So maybe it really is up to Frankie—and Frankie alone—to stand against the darkness. With Jake’s wild werewolf brother back in town, Dark Willow threatening to return, and the Darkness preparing for the final stage of their attack, now is not a great time to wallow in teen angst. After all, she’s the Slayer. It’s time to slay.

The In Every Generation trilogy feels like a gift for Buffy fans… and it’s been one that I’ve been very happy to unwrap. But now we reach the end: Book #3, Against the Darkness, wraps up the escalating danger with an action-packed finale, while keeping the spotlight shining on the new and old Buffyverse characters (and all their quippiness).

Frankie pointed through the windshield to the park below as Sam ran past the base of the green, sloping hill, screaming as he was tailed by three vampires. Jake wasn’t far behind, and as he passed, he turned to the car and shouted.

“Frankie! Get your slayer butt down here!”

“Well.” Frankie opened her door. “I guess that’s the signal.”

“It was so subtle; are you sure?” Sigmund asked, deadpan.

Over the course of the trilogy, Frankie Rosenberg has been developing her slayer powers. The world’s first slayer-witch, Frankie is a second generation Scoobie, just trying to get through high school, hang out with her mom Willow, keep an eye on best friend/werewolf Jake, and (oh yeah) try not to get killed by the Big Bad of the month.

With Spike as her Watcher, Willow and Oz as the wise elders, and a new batch of Scoobies to train and patrol with, Frankie slowly starts building her confidence, even while desperately missing her aunt Buffy, who is currently trapped in a prison dimension along with rest of the slayers. Well, except for those slayers who’ve joined the Darkness, whose purpose is not obvious to the good guys until it’s almost too late.

This trilogy is oodles of fun. Yes, the focus is on the newer generation, but Willow, Oz, and Spike get plenty of time to shine too, and there are other visits from old favorites that are a delight. (There’s even a shout-out to Miss Kitty Fantastico, which is just… awesome.) Meanwhile, author Kendare Blake wholeheartedly embraces the vibe, capturing both nostalgic references and the overall Buffy way of speaking in a way that’s pure joy to read.

Lots of fun details and craziness ensues. Gotta love the lacrosse werewolves! (It’s a thing — read the book to find out more.)

“Are you all right, Frankie?”

“Sure, why? Did I stop smiling? I didn’t think I stopped smiling.” She tried to smile again, but it wouldn’t stick.

Willow peered around the gymnasium. “Seems like a shame to destroy another high school,” she said to Oz. “This one is so nice.”

“Buffy, look out!” Willow pointed as a bat-winged demon swooped overhead. Buffy and Frankie ducked, and Willow used her magic to zap it out of the sky.

“Thanks, Will.” Buffy looked at her. “Home for not even two seconds, and already it’s work, work, work.”

If you’re a Buffy fan, please do yourself a favor and read this adorable trilogy. It’s such a treat to be back in the world of slayers, demons, witches, and hellmouths. I didn’t expect to love the new characters as much as I did, but Frankie is amazing, and so is the rest of her crew… and needless to say, spending time with the original gang is a total blast.

I’m sad to see the trilogy come to an end, but I’ve enjoyed every moment with these books. I think I hear a Buffy rewatch calling my name…

5Jul2024

Book Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: My Plain Jane
Series: The Lady Janies, #2
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: June 26, 2018
Length: 447 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Long live the Lady Janies! Which are, for those wondering, a series of silly, imaginative books that turn history and classic fiction inside out and upside down. I adored My Lady Jane, the first book in the series, and finally picked up #2, My Plain Jane… and had a smashing good time reading it.

Poor Jane Eyre, an impoverished orphan who has endured a cruel aunt, hard years of cold and starvation at the awful Lowood school, and seems destined for a life as a governess — really the only option available for a young woman of her circumstances. It’ll be sad to leave her good friend Charlotte Brontë behind when she leaves Lowood, but Jane is ready to start the next chapter of her life — and fortunately, her best best friend Helen Burns can go with her. Helen is a ghost, you see, and Jane has the rare gift of seeing and communicating with ghosts.

When Alexander Blackwood, an agent of the Royal Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits, arrives at Lowood to dispense with a troublesome ghost, he recognizes Jane as a fellow Seer, and tries to recruit her for the Society. Jane is determined to stick to her plan of becoming a governess, but Charlotte is intrigued. She spends her days writing and dreaming of excitement, and she wants more than anything to join the Society too.

Once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall for her governess gig and meets her employer, Mr. Rochester, her priorities start to shift. It’s not just devotion to her student that keeps her at Thornfield — Mr. Rochester is dreamy… despite being kind of rude, broody, and much older than Jane. (The authors take a great deal of delight in mentioning Mr. Rochester’s… um… maturity… at every opportunity.)

Mr. Rochester, due to age, was falling farther behind.

Hijinks ensue. You don’t really want to know the details, do you? Let’s just say, there are ghosts and ghostly possessions, a madwoman in the attic who may not be what she seems, sword fights, getting lost on the moors, and royal confrontations, among other adventures.

My Plain Jane is oodles of fun, and so very, very silly. The writing sparkles with good-natured wit and sly humor. I lost track of how many times it’s mentioned that Jane is plain… it gets ridiculously funny after a while.

Here are just a few little tastes of My Plain Jane:

“I assure you, sir, I am no one worth noting,” she said, although this did nothing to stop his obvious noting of her in his notebook.

From the ad for a governess that Jane finds:

WANTED: A GOVERNESS FOR ONE ADORABLE CHILD.

THE YOUNG LADE IN QUESTION SHOULD BE AT LEAST EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WELL EDUCATED, PROFICIENT IN THE PIANOFORTE, ABLE TO CONJUGATE LATIN VERBS, AND WELL VERSED IN CLASSIC LITERATURE. MOREOVER IT IS PREFERRED THAT SAID YOUNG LADY HAVE A CHEERY DISPOSITION, ROSY CHEEKS, AND ABSOLUTELY NO WARTS. SHE SHOULD BE AMENABLE TO PLAYING GAMES (ALL SORTS).

Everything turned out exactly as Charlotte had planned. (Just kidding. As skilled as Charlotte was at concocting wild-but-ingenious schemes, they almost never turned out as she planned. Remember this for future reference, dear reader.)

She threw the door open, propriety be darned. But right before she did, she made sure her nightgown was buttoned all the way up, because propriety shouldn’t be totally darned.

(Reader, your narrators understand Jane has fallen for Mr. Rochester rather quickly. The reasons for this could be threefold: first, it was pre-Victorian England, and courtships could last the length of an egg timer. Second, Jane’s lack of experience with men. And third, Jane’s perception of men, which was gleaned mostly from books and art that tended to glorify tall, dark, and brooding ones. The broodier the better. And Mr. Rochester was among the broodiest.)

Finding the intersections between Jane Eyre (the classic novel) and the antics of Jane Eyre and Charlotte Brontë as characters makes My Plain Jane extra fun. The plot itself is entertaining, and it’s cute to see all the ways in which (fictional) Charlotte uses her (fictional) friend Jane’s escapades as fodder for her work-in-progress novel (working title Jane Frere), which will of course become the (real) classic novel Jane Eyre.

As it’s been a few years since I last read Jane Eyre, I’m sure there are references and lines in My Plain Jane that went right past me. Still, I had a great time reading this book. I loved it maybe a smidge less than My Lady Jane (so awesome!!), but still thought it was clever and enjoyable, and a great way to spend a few summer days.

I’m looking forward to the next Lady Janie book, My Calamity Jane — I’ll aim to start it a bit later this summer, and I’m extra excited to get to the next book after that (which is actually a Mary book) — My Contrary Mary, about Mary, Queen of Scots. How great does that sound? After which, there are still two more books to look forward to… and given how much I’ve enjoyed the Lady Janies so far, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up reading them all.

31Mar2024

Book Review: Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L. C. Rosen

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)
Author: L. C. Rosen
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 30, 2018
Length: 385 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Riverdale meets Love, Simon in this modern, fresh, YA debut about an unapologetically queer teen working to uncover a blackmailer threatening him back into the closet.

Jack has a lot of sex–and he’s not ashamed of it. While he’s sometimes ostracized, and gossip constantly rages about his sex life, Jack always believes that “it could be worse.”

But then, the worse unexpectedly strikes: When Jack starts writing a teen sex advice column for an online site, he begins to receive creepy and threatening love letters that attempt to force Jack to curb his sexuality and personality. Now it’s up to Jack and his best friends to uncover the stalker–before their love becomes dangerous.

Ground-breaking and page-turning, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) celebrates the freedom to be oneself, especially in the face of adversity.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is a book sure to set book-banners’ hair on fire… which is just one indication that this is a book that absolutely should be available to teen readers. Yes, it’s extremely frank about sex — and I’m sure that there are plenty of teen readers who’d absolutely benefit from the novel’s fresh, positive approach.

Jack is a high school boy who loves sex, isn’t interested in a relationship (at least, not for now), believes in consent, communication, and positivity, and isn’t crazy about how much his alleged sexual antics become the fodder for school gossip. He has good friends he can count on, is happy to be out of the closet and enjoys the various boys he hooks up with, and overall, has a pretty good life.

Everything changes when he starts receiving creepy notes in his school locker, which at first seem to be secret admirer messages but quickly turn into creepy, threatening, stalker-y demands. Jack’s confidence and sense of safety are on the line, as the stalker threatens not just him, but his friends and his mother, and it seems as though the only way to protect everyone is to give into the stalker’s demands… and sacrifice his true self along the way.

Meanwhile, Jack’s best friend Jenna convinces him to write a sex advice column for her blog, and he’s soon dispensing sex and life advice that’s personal and informative — but his school principal, among others, wants him to cease and desist, and even insists that Jack’s column and personal appearance are to blame for the stalker’s fixation.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) contrasts the tension and fear of the stalker plotline with the joy that otherwise defines Jack’s life. As such, it’s highly readable, entertaining, and emotional, and once I started, I didn’t want to stop until I finished.

Jack’s advice columns are explicit, in that they provide clear, detailed accounts of sexual encounters that help Jack answer questions or explain various situations. Jack’s actual sexual encounters are presented less explicitly — we see before and after, but aren’t actually in the room during. For my own reading experience — an adult reading a YA novel — I was perhaps a tad uncomfortable with that much detail about teen sex… but I’m not the target demographic for this book, so that really is irrelevant. What I think really matters is that there are probably many teens who will feel seen and heard after reading this book, and who may gain some important new pieces of information and things to consider — and to me, that makes this book an important one to keep accessible for a teen audience.

I’ll wrap up by sharing the author’s statement on attempts to ban Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts). It’s far more eloquent than anything I could say myself, and absolutely conveys why this book matters.

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26Jan2024

Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: I Must Betray You
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: February 1, 2022
Length: 321 pages
Genre: Young adult / historical fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.

I picked up I Must Betray You with some trepidation. Reading a YA historical novel set during the last days of the Ceaușescu regime would not typically have been a go-to choice for me, but because this is my book group’s pick for the month, I decided to commit and give it a try. I’m glad I did.

I Must Betray You is a stark, brutal story of repression, cruelty and suffering, as experienced by 17-year-old Cristian. Cristian is a smart, kind teen living in Bucharest, worn down by the daily suffering and deprivation of life under the Ceaușescus. There’s little food, unreliable water and electricity, and constant fear. Anyone and everyone could be an informer. There are no secrets; there is no safety.

As told through Cristian’s experiences, it’s a terrifying life, and even the small moments of friendship, family connection, and potential romance are weighted down by fear: Can he trust the person he’s speaking with? Who else is listening? Can he believe what he hears?

Cristian’s life falls apart when he’s forced into an informer role. If he complies, his ailing grandfather will be given medicine. If not? Well, as bad as things are for his family, they can get much worse.

Without giving too much away, I Must Betray You follows Cristian through the darkest of days and up through the revolution that overthrew the Ceaușescu regime in 1989. Cristian’s experiences are harsh, scary, and awful to read about, and given the ambiguousness of the book’s opening, it’s very much an open question throughout whether he’ll survive.

I appreciate the storytelling and sensitivity that the author brings to this harsh narrative. The chapters are very short and sharp, and as each ended, I wanted to know more. This is a hard book to put down once started.

For me, the collapse of communist regimes in the late 1980s is something that doesn’t feel like long-ago history, but even so, I really didn’t know much specifically about Romania and what the Romanian people suffered through on a daily basis. I Must Betray You is eye-opening. I can only wonder how this book is received by its target audience of contemporary teens — are they aware of this period of history, and do they connect with the characters and events?

I Must Betray You is powerful and clearly very well researched. Somehow, I can’t quite bring myself to give it 5-stars — possibly because it feels like there’s so much exposition throughout, occasionally at the expense of the characters’ development. Pieces of the outcome (again, trying to avoid giving away details) feel unlikely too me, perhaps a tad too optimistic about survival given the realities of what happened in Romania at the time.

Overall, I Must Betray is a compelling, intense read, and I’m glad I had the experience. I’ve only read one book by this author previously (Out of the Easy, which I didn’t completely love). I think I’d like to read more, although my impression is that her work tends to be about very dark subjects, so I’ll likely hold off for a bit.

If you have any interest in an in-depth look at this traumatic, terrible chapter of history, I recommend I Must Betray You.

If you’ve read other books by Ruta Sepetys, please let me know your recommendations!

21Jan2024

Book Review: One Girl in All the World (In Every Generation, #2) by Kendare Blake

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: One Girl in All the World
Series: In Every Generation
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: January 31, 2023
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake takes us back to the demon capital of the world in this highly anticipated sequel to In Every Generation, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Frankie Rosenberg is coming to terms with the fact that she’s the newest slayer, but that doesn’t mean she has it all figured out just yet. She and her friends are still reeling from the deadly attack on the annual slayer retreat—and the new revelation that some slayers may still be alive. She’s got her own Scooby Gang, but sometimes feels more on the outside than ever. She throws herself into training with her mom, the great witch Willow, and her new Watcher, Spike, but they’ve got demons of their own to contend with (both of the real and metaphorical variety). Buffy made it look easy, but being a slayer is hard—and lonely.

But Frankie doesn’t have time to wander through Sunnydale Cemetery singing about her new responsibilities. With news of Buffy’s possible demise, Demons are making their way back to Sunnydale in droves, called by a Hellmouth that is starting to reawaken. And then an oracle brings news of a new Evil brewing…something called The Darkness. Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie?

With a satisfying blend of fresh and familiar, humor and (stakes through the) heart, One Girl In All The World is a breathtaking continuation of the series that Booklist calls “a worthy successor to the Slayer stories” (Starred Review on In Every Generation).

One Girl in All the World is book two in a trilogy — and I’m happy to say that this second book neatly avoids the middle book doldrums, instead raising the stakes (ha!) and providing a fast-paced plot that also includes terrific character moments and plenty of Buffy-esque quips.

One Girl picks up shortly after the events of In Every Generation. Frankie (Willow’s teen daughter) is now more settled into her new role as a slayer, with her very own band of Scoobies to accompany her on patrol and into and out of assorted shenanigans. Although they defeated the Big Bad of the moment in book 1, more badness is on the way.

Specifically, something is calling demons back to the Sunnydale Hellmouth, especially its “greatest hits” — demons who’ve battled there before, back in Buffy’s day, seem especially drawn to the town. Frankie’s nightly patrol battles are escalating, and some disturbingly familiar demons raise all sorts of havoc.

One Girl continues the through-line of the missing Slayers. An explosion at a Slayer gathering apparently killed all Slayers, resulting in Frankie being called, but in One Girl, we learn that many survived, but ended up in alternate dimensions. The Scoobies are desperate to find Buffy, Faith, Andrew, and the rest, but also have to contend with a new threat from a decidedly unexpected direction.

Plus, there’s high school drama involving relationships, friendships, identity, parents, and sneaking out after curfew. The danger is real, but so is the cuteness.

What elevates these books above more standard high school supernatural fare are the character moments. We get to spend time with the younger generation — Frankie and friends — but also get plenty of Willow, Oz, and (be still, my heart) Spike.

Spike walked through the streets of New Sunnydale, carrying a box of cinnamon shortbread. Thursday night. Poetry club meeting. His turn to bring the cookies.

As Frankie’s Watcher, playing the part of school librarian, Spike wears a face glamoured to make him appear in his 40s plus lots of tweed (even though we know his black t-shirts and leather duster are close at hand whenever he needs them).

After all, he was still the Big Bad, still able to beat down the worst of whatever the Hellmouth threw at him. And to prove it, that night he’d traded the tweed for a pair of jeans and a black sweater. Let these poetry ladies get a taste of who they were really dealing with. Someone dangerous. Someone damaged. Someone who had killed, and would kill still more, and would never get the blood off his hands.

But then again, maybe he would, if he put in enough hours teaching the kiddies how to use reference databases and the importance of proper shelving.

There are lots of terrific callbacks to Buffy incidents, characters, and baddies, as well as sweeter moments when we’re reminded of how important Buffy’s circle of friends and family always were.

Having an all-powerful witch as a mother offers some benefits to Frankie, and she certainly doesn’t have to hide her Slayer duties — but conflicts do naturally arise. Can you even ground a Slayer? Who’s going to go out and slay if Frankie is grounded?

“Grounded!” Willow declared. “So, so grounded.” And to drive home the point, she snapped her fingers, and Frankie’s door slammed shut on its own. “So that’ll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo!” Willow shouted from the other side.

“Mom,” Frankie growled. “I still don’t know what that means!”

“Neither. Did. She,” Willow said mystifyingly, and Frankie heard her footsteps walk away down the hall.

Willow gets a bit more action in this second book than in the first, and I felt as though more of the “real” Willow came through this time around. Spike is, of course, glorious and wonderful to be around at all times, and it’s especially delightful to see him deal with being perceived as an “old” librarian when he still feels like a 20-something rebel bad boy.

I think I actually enjoyed One Girl in All the World even more than In Every Generation (which I liked a lot). The 3rd and final book in the trilogy, Against the Darkness, will be released in April, and I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.

This trilogy is a great treat for Buffy fans. If you miss hanging out with Slayers, Scoobies, and assorted demons, check out these books!

27Dec2023

Book Review: Emmett by L. C. Rosen

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Emmett
Author: L. C. Rosen
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: November 7, 2023
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

A modern-day gay YA Emma, with the spikey social critique of Austen plus the lush over-the-top romance of Bridgerton.

Emmett Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence and had lived nearly eighteen years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.

Emmett knows he’s blessed. And because of that, he tries to give back: from charity work to letting the often irritating Georgia sit at his table at lunch, he knows it’s important to be nice. And recently, he’s found a new way of giving: matchmaking. He set up his best friend Taylor with her new boyfriend and it’s gone perfectly. So when his occasional friend-with-benefits Harrison starts saying he wants a boyfriend (something Emmett definitely does NOT want to be), he decides to try and find Harrison the perfect man at Highbury Academy, the candy-colored private school they attend just outside Los Angeles.

Emmett’s childhood friend, Miles, thinks finding a boyfriend for a guy you sleep with is a bad idea. But Miles is straight, and Emmett says this is gay life – your friends, your lovers, your boyfriends – they all come from the same very small pool. That’s why Emmett doesn’t date – to keep things clean. He knows the human brain isn’t done developing until twenty-five, so any relationship he enters into before then would inevitably end in a breakup, in loss. And he’s seen what loss can do. His mother died four years ago and his dad hasn’t been the same since.

But the lines Emmett tries to draw are more porous than he thinks, and as he tries to find Harrison the perfect match, he learns that gifted as he may be, maybe he has no idea what he’s doing when it comes to love.

Modern and very gay, with a charmingly conceited lead who is convinced he knows it all, and the occasional reference to the classic movie Clueless, Emmett brings you lush romance all while exploring the complexities of queer culture—where your lovers and friends are sometimes the same person, but the person you fall in love with might be a total surprise.

Emmett by L. C. Rosen is the Emma retelling I never knew I needed!

In this contemporary, young adult, gender-flipped, and (as the synopsis states) “very gay” version of Jane Austen’s classic, our main character is Emmett Woodhouse — an attractive high school senior attending a fancy, expensive private school, living a life of comfort and privilege, but also dedicated to giving back, getting involved, and — above all — being nice.

Ever since losing his mother to cancer four years earlier, Emmett has lived alone with his over-protective father, whose hypochondriac tendencies and endless worry about Emmett’s health have gotten worse and worse over time. After seeing the effects of loss and heartbreak up close, Emmett has decided that romance is not for him. His mother once told him that people’s brains don’t fully develop until age 25, so his policy is to avoid relationships until then. That doesn’t mean he can’t have sex, though — physical pleasure is importance for one’s well-being, making it easier to keep up with the niceness.

Emmett is opinionated and a busybody, but has convinced himself of the rightness of his actions. Sure, he enjoys fooling around with Harrison, but since Harrison wants a boyfriend — and Emmett is clearly not going to be it — the nicest thing he can do is find Harrison someone worthy. Not that Robert guy, who Emmett is sure is beneath Harrison. Maybe the hot cheerleader with thousands of social media followers?

Ah, Emmett is a total delight, start to finish. I won’t delve too deeply into the details — there’s so much joy in just following the story and seeing where it goes. I love a good Austen retelling that’s not afraid to bend the story just enough to make sense in a contemporary setting. Emmett succeeds wonderfully at keeping the bones of the Emma story, but fitting it into a modern teen setting and giving the characters motivations and feelings that feel right.

The author gives Emmett deeper layers than I usually attribute to Austen’s Emma. Here, we see clearly how strongly affected Emmett is by his mother’s death; it’s the behind-the-scenes reason for so much of what he does and how he thinks, and it ties the story together in some really beautiful ways.

Author L. C. Rosen (who also writes adult fiction as Lev AC Rosen) proves yet again what a gifted writer he is. Emmett’s story is terrific, the infusion of Austen themes is subtle enough to be recognizable yet not feel like we’re being hit over the head with it, and even knowing the major beats of an Emma story, Emmett still delivers surprises, twists, and plenty of delight.

Emma is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels — I’ve read the original several times, and have watched at least 3 or 4 adaptations. In fact, my only difficulty with reading Emmett is how ingrained the character of Emma is in my mind, so that I often had to stop and remind myself that I was reading about a teen boy, not Emma herself.

Overall, I loved every bit of Emmett. The characters are terrific, the storytelling is a great piece of entertainment, and the writing hooked me from the very first page. I’d say Emmett is a must-read!

6Dec2023

Book Review: In Every Generation by Kendare Blake

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: In Every Generation
Series: In Every Generation, #1
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: January 4, 2022
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

A new Slayer for a new generation…

Frankie Rosenberg is passionate about the environment, a sophomore at New Sunnydale High School, and the daughter of the most powerful witch in Sunnydale history. Her mom, Willow, is slowly teaching her magic on the condition that she use it to better the world. But Frankie’s happily quiet life is upended when new girl Hailey shows up with news that the annual Slayer convention has been the target of an attack, and all the Slayers—including Buffy, Faith, and Hailey’s older sister Vi—might be dead. That means it’s time for this generation’s Slayer to be born.

But being the first ever Slayer-Witch means learning how to wield a stake while trying to control her budding powers. With the help of Hailey, a werewolf named Jake, and a hot but nerdy sage demon, Frankie must become the Slayer, prevent the Hellmouth from opening again, and find out what happened to her Aunt Buffy, before she’s next.

Get ready for a whole new story within the world of Buffy!

The first in an all-new series by New York Times best-selling author Kendare Blake continues the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer featuring the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

After listening to the terrific original-cast audiobook production Slayers last month, I was primed to want more Buffyverse… and turned to In Every Generation, a book that’s been sitting on my shelf for over a year.

The first in a trilogy, In Every Generation takes place 16 years or so after Sunnydale collapsed into a sinkhole and sealed up the Hellmouth, when Buffy defeated the First and saved the world. (She tends to do that.)

As In Every Generation opens, Frankie Rosenberg, daughter of Willow, is a mildly-powered witch (mainly, she’s good at spells that help with recycling) attending New Sunnydale High along with her best friend Jake, a werewolf whose uncle Oz is his parent-figure. Life is as normal as it can be in Sunnydale, until Frankie is knocked off her feet by a powerful force.

Coming to, she learns that an explosion seems to have wiped out every last Slayer, all of whom were gathered for one of their regular meet-ups… and Frankie has apparently been called as the new Slayer, something that hasn’t happened since Willow used the power of the Scythe to turn all potentials into slayers so many years ago.

The Sunnydale group — Frankie, Jake, Oz, and Willow — are frantic, as they hear from Xander that it looks like no Slayers survived the blast. Spike returns with Hailey, younger sister of slayer Vi, who is among the missing and presumed dead Slayers. Who attacked the Slayers, and why?

Meanwhile, vampires and demons are turning up in greater numbers than usual, as word spreads about the elimination of the Slayers, and the forces of evil are drawn back to the Hellmouth, hoping to reopen it once again. As Frankie starts training as a Slayer, under the guidance of Spike, her new Watcher, it’s clear that a brand new Scooby gang will be needed to keep the vampires and bad guys under control. But Frankie is well aware that she’s no Buffy, and worries that she’ll never be good enough to try to fill her shoes.

In Every Generation is an exciting new addition to the world of Buffy, and gives us tastes of beloved characters (Willow, Oz, Spike) while introducing and focusing on a new generation. Frankie is a fun character, with some of a younger Willow’s nervousness and self-doubt, and it’s terrific seeing her grow into her Slayer powers.

Willow doesn’t necessarily come across as very Willow-y. It’s explained that she stopped doing magic after the destruction of Sunnydale (or Spikesplosion, as Frankie and Jake call it), but she still has power, and starts to allow it back into her life when Frankie is in danger. Spike is always fabulous — here, in order to give him access to his new slayer-in-training as well as all the books, he poses as the new school librarian (magicked into tweed and an older face courtesy of Willow), which is rather a hoot. (The high school kids do comment on the boring old librarian’s black fingernails, but otherwise seem just as oblivious as Buffy’s schoolmates were back in the day).

“Ow,” Frankie said. “You know this isn’t fair. Buffy never had to train with a glamoured-old, librarian-cosplaying vampire.”

“That’s true,” said Jake. “She had to train with an actually-old, librarian-dressing librarian. Who can’t beat that?”

The storytelling occasionally skews a little young for my taste — on the younger side of YA — and the simplistic writing style reflects that. Still, there are some cute, quippy moments that almost bring back the joy of a Buffy episode, or as close as something that isn’t really Buffy can get.

” […] Last time I checked, slayers don’t usually leave messages in entrails and remove hearts to take as trophies. Unless something’s changed?”

“Nope.” Willow shook her head. “Heart collection still frowned upon.”

I was entertained enough by In Every Generation to want to keep going. Up next in the series is One Girl in All the World (currently available), and the trilogy’s 3rd volume, Against the Darkness, will be released next spring.

Despite my quibbles with some elements of In Every Generation, it’s still fun to visit Sunnydale, Spike, and the new gang of Scoobies. Of course, what I mainly want to do now is launch into a full-scale Buffy rewatch!

16Sep2023

Book Review: Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Woke Up Like This
Author: Amy Lea
Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio
Publication date: September 5, 2023
Length: 300 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Free – Kindle First Reads
Rating:

Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side.

Either they’ve lost their minds or they’ve been drop-kicked into adulthood, forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves. With each other as their only constant, Charlotte and Renner discover all that’s changed in the time they’ve missed. Charlotte also learns there’s more to Renner than irritating-jock charm, and that reaching the next milestone isn’t as important as what happens in between.

Navigating a series of adventures and a confounding new normal, Charlotte and Renner will do whatever it takes to find a way back to seventeen. But when―and if―they do, what then?

If you loved the movies 13 Going on 30 or 17 Again, you’ll probably love Woke Up Like This. Or… you’ll have no patience for it, because you’ve seen it all before.

In Woke Up Like This, Charlotte is an over-achieving high school senior who needs to plan and control every single element of her life. As graduation approaches, she’s determined to make prom and all the other senior milestones absolutely perfect, even though her demanding nature drives everyone else crazy – – especially J. T. Renner, whom Char has hated since freshman year, and who seems to seemingly swoop in and beat her at everything, even stealing away the senior class presidency that she supposedly had on lock.

But what are high school nemeses except a romance waiting to happen? After a random accident while decorating the gym for prom, Char and J. T. end up somehow transported thirteen years into the future. Suddenly, they wake up in bed — together — at age 30, with no idea how they got there, what their lives are supposed to be like, and biggest puzzle of all, why on earth are they apparently in a serious relationship?

Going from hating each others’ guts to pretending to be engaged and in love at their bachelor/bachelorette party is not easy. Determined to get back to their real lives, they have only one another to count on, and as they struggle to figure out what’s happened and how to fix it, they realize that neither is exactly as expected… and that there might be actual feelings brewing underneath all that loathing.

Woke Up Like This goes by quickly, but it’s such a surface-level look at both high school life and adulthood that it makes little impression. Teen Char is truly unlikable. Yes, we learn more about why she behaves the way she does, but it’s hard to believe that J. T. could have harbored feelings for her all along when her behavior is so awful most of the time.

The emphasis on the perfect prom strikes me as weirdly out of date.

And now, here it is. The best day of a teenager’s life, after years of anticipating, commiserating, and meticulously planning.

Everything about Char’s attitude toward prom and senior week set my nerves on edge. The constant harping on how these weeks represent the peak of their lives feels like a throwback to 1980s teen rom-coms.

To be fair, I was already not loving the book when a scene in which Char’s bag breaks and her tampons spill all over the school hall is depicted as excruciatingly humiliating. Really? In this day and age? That so doesn’t align with what I knew of contemporary high school life via my kids. But who knows, maybe Char lives in a Twilight Zone suburb where biology and bodies are still sources of shame. (That wasn’t my impression though… and I realize I’m totally overthinking this one scene.)

Ultimately, too much of the plot of Woke Up Like this feels trite and been-there, done-that. Char and J. T. don’t seem to learn much from their time in their 30-year-old lives — yes, Char gains some insights into friendships and appreciating family, but there’s still a pretty astonishing lack of maturity once (spoiler!) they make it back into their teen lives.

I picked up Woke Up Like This because it was a free First Reads choice and I’m always interested to see what books are being promoted by Mindy’s Book Studio. Maybe I was just the wrong audience for this YA romance, but to me, it really didn’t offer anything new or different from tons of other teen dramedies.

1Sep2023

Book Review: A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Scatter of Light
Author: Malinda Lo
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 4, 2022
Length: 325 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Award-winning author Malinda Lo returns to the Bay Area with another masterful coming-of-queer-age story, this time set against the backdrop of the first major Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage. And almost sixty years after the end of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Lo’s new novel also offers a glimpse into Lily and Kath’s lives since 1955.

Aria Tang West was looking forward to a summer on Martha’s Vineyard with her best friends—one last round of sand and sun before college. But after a graduation party goes wrong, Aria’s parents exile her to California to stay with her grandmother, artist Joan West. Aria expects boredom, but what she finds is Steph Nichols, her grandmother’s gardener. Soon, Aria is second-guessing who she is and what she wants to be, and a summer that once seemed lost becomes unforgettable—for Aria, her family, and the working-class queer community Steph introduces her to. It’s the kind of summer that changes a life forever.

After absolutely loving Last Night at the Telegraph Club, I was excited to read author Malinda Lo’s next novel, which promises (per the synopsis) a more contemporary story plus more about Lily and Kath, whose love story was so powerful in Telegraph. Sadly, A Scatter of Light lacks the impact of the previous book and felt like quite a let-down.

In A Scatter of Light, main character Aria plans to spend her summer partying with her best friends before starting college at MIT in the fall. When a boy she hooks up with shares nude photos of her online, she’s the one who gets blamed and shamed. Suddenly, her invitations from her friends’ families are revoked, and her parents decide she’ll spend the summer with her grandmother Joan in California.

Aria loves Joan, but she’s resentful at her friends’ betrayal, as well as the fact that her divorced parents — her father a writer, her mother an opera singer who’s mostly absent from Aria’s life — seem to be punishing her for something outside of her control. Joan is an artist and a free-spirit who lives in a lovely, airy cottage in a rural Marin setting, but Aria will have absolutely nothing to do there.

Until… she arrives at Joan’s, and meets Steph, a young woman just a few years older than Aria who does gardening work for Joan. Aria feels an immediate spark around Steph and doesn’t understand why. She’s straight… isn’t she? Running into Steph again soon afterward, she begins meeting some of Steph’s friends, and soon is included in their social circle. Aria ends up spending the summer with this group of lesbians, attending music festivals and the annual Dyke March, and although Steph is in a long-term relationship, it seems clear that Aria’s attraction to her is returned.

Set in 2013, the timeframe has a backdrop of the legalization of gay marriage. For Aria, this means that the possibilities she sees are both new and much more open than they were previously. Ultimately, though, I’m not sure how much this element truly matters. The novel is about Aria, her family dynamics, and her intense crush on Steph — it’s very much about Aria’s internal world, and there’s very little that seems to cross her consciousness that isn’t about herself or her feelings.

I really wanted to love this book, but couldn’t. Aria is selfish in many ways, especially in her pursuit of Steph, who she knows from the outset isn’t available. It’s a positive for Aria that this summer helps her understand who she is, but the cheating element is a huge turn-off, as is the fact that even when there’s a crisis with Joan, Aria can’t seem to shift her focus away from Steph.

It was a little difficult to understand Aria’s interests and passions as well. She’s headed for MIT and her academic passion is astronomy. She spends the summer sorting through her late grandfather’s academic records, including VCR tapes of his astronomy lectures. At the same time, she reconnects with her artistic side, with Joan’s encouragement, and begins painting for the first time in years. There seems to be an attempt to meld her artistic and scientific sides through imagery and thoughts about light, but none of this really gelled for me.

The synopsis and blurbing for this book do it no favors, promising that we’ll see Kath and Lily… which really only happens through information shared by Aria’s mother’s cousin, not by seeing them in person. Yes, it’s a “glimpse”, as stated, but I expected… more? Something else? There seemed little point in including them specifically, rather than addressing the social dynamic via new characters.

All that being said, A Scatter of Light is a fast read that held my attention, but overall, I found too much of the plot — as well as Aria herself — frustrating or troubling.