Title: Leviathan

Author: Scott Westerfeld / Illustrations by Keith Thompson

Genre: YA (Steampunk)

Publisher:Simon and Schuster’s Children/Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: 1 Oct 2009/ 6 Oct 2009
Hardcover: 448 pages

Stand Alone or series: First in a planned trilogy

Summary: Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever

Why did I read the Book: Well, there was the cover which I love. Then, the premise which I thought intriguing. THEN Sarah Rees Brennan started raving about the book. Also I heard that Mark had LOVED it. THEN, there was the wicked book trailer:

How could I not read this?

Review:

Summer 1914. Europe is on the brink of war. On June 28, Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungary’s throne and his wife, Sophie, are murdered by Serbian revolutionaries and this one event is the catalyst to the ensuing sequence of alliances that eventually led to what became known as World War I. To one side, German and Austria also known as Clankers for their countries’ reliance on machines; to the other, Britain and its allies, known as Darwinists for their biotech.

On that same June night, Ferdinand and Sophie’s 15 year old son Aleksander goes on the run from his own people. His father was the presumed heir to the throne but Alek himself has no right to it: his mother was a commoner whom his father married for love under the condition that their descendents were not permitted to be in line for succession. Still, Alek’s very existence may become an issue for the reigning monarch and he has to go. With the help of two of his father’s trusted allies who know of a secret that can tip the diplomatic balance, they take one of their Walkers and attempt to cross the country to Switzerland.

On the other end of the spectrum, Deryn is a girl pretending to be a boy so she can pursue her dream to become a member of the British Air Force. On her first day of training, an accident occurs and she ends up joining the crew of the Leviathan, Britian’s most famous airship in their secret mission across Europe taking scientist Dr Barlow and a mysterious crate all the way to the Ottoman Empire, a Clanker nation.

The chapters – two at a time –alternate between Alek and Deryn and their solo adventures, leading building up to the inevitable moment where both storylines will collide into one.

And now, I take a step back from the self-possessed reviewer to say that:

Whoa! Leviathan is SO wicked cool!

I can attest that all the hype is justified. The book is a non-stop action story, with an incredibly imaginative steampunkish world-building, two very sympathetic protagonists and amazing illustrations and I loved every minute of it.

Leviathan is set in an alternate history Europe (for example, all the facts about Ferdinand and Sophie were true and their murder did lead to the Great War but they never had a child named Alek.) and the war against nations is also a war of technologies or ideologies based on those technologies. The Clankers use huge machines that are almost within the realm of possibility. But really , the Darwinist’s creation are mind blowing: in this world, Darwin was also the person to discover DNA and as early as the 19th century, Britian was already deep into genetic creations. It is hard to describe exactly how it works but Leviathan, for example is a huge, crewed, flying WHALE fuelled by hydrogen-farting bacteria living in its stomach!

Premise and world-building aside, the two kids, Alek and Deryn are what make Leviathan stand out for me, as I am always on the look-out for great characters. They each are immersed in their own culture and have their views about Clankers x Darwinists and it is through their eyes that questionings about each side are raised and they both come out as sympathetic. I was especially concerned about the ethic issues of using living creatures like the Darwinists do and I was happy to see it addressed even if not necessarily in depth. I was left with the certainty that those issues will come into play as the series progress.

The difference between Alek and Deryn come not only from their background but also from their upbringing. Alek, of course has been tutored by the best people in Europe and there is this one great scene where he goes to buy a newspaper and realises that even though he can speak several languages including Latin, he could hardly communicate about day to day affairs with his own people. The more time Alek spends on the run, the more he realises and notices different realities.He is a stuffy member of aristocracy and behaves like one. It is in his posture, his actions, the way he speaks. In some ways, Deryn who is a girl, behaves much more like a boy than Alek does.

As for Deryn, I absolutely loved her and her stance on what she could or could not do. The mere fact that she is girl could not, would not stand between her and her skills as an airman. (I will refrain from commenting on the fact that she embarks in this cross-dressing adventure with the amen from her family and no one makes a point about pesky things like for example: what happens when she gets her period, or her breasts start to develop? What then? I am hoping this will come into play later in the series). But I truly loved her, especially her sense of humour. There is this one scene when she is flying a Huxley (a balloon type of flying object which is in fact, a medusa) and she felt so exhilarated that she wanted to make a speech:

“Hey, all you sods, I can fly and you can’t! A natural airman, in case you haven’t noticed. And in conclusion, I’d like to add that I’m a girl and you can all get stuffed!”

I loved when they finally met and how they fought for what they believed in – they cannot really trust each other at first given how they are in opposite sides but soon, they must learn to work together, and I can’t help but to wonder (and hope) that perhaps their own story will mimic that of Alek’s parents.

The only thing marginally negative I have to say about this whole experience is that the book ends with far too many unanswered questions, a minor cliff-hanger and the sequel Behemoth, is not out until October 2010!

As Deryn would say: Holy Barking spiders!

Notable Quotes/ Parts: No review of this book can be complete without a mention to the illustrations by Keith Thompson. There are 50 of them in the book and they are AMAZING and complement the story perfectly.These are a couple from the author’s website

Alek and a Walker

Deryn and the Huxley

Verdict: Great story and world-building, sympathetic, belieavable characters and beautifully illustrated . I highly recommend this to YA and adults alike.

Rating: 9 – Damn near perfection

Reading Next: Triumff by Dan Abnett

Welcome to stop #12 on Kristin Cashore’s “Getting to know the characters of Fire” Blog Tour!

If you haven’t heard of young adult sensation author Kristin Cashore, you must have been living under a rock for the past year. Her debut novel, Graceling took the fantasy world by storm (both adult and young adult alike), shortlisted and winner of many prestigious awards. We loved Graceling and its prequel/companion novel Fire was one of our most highly anticipated books of 2009.

About the Book:

She is the last of her kind…

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

Not only did Fire manage to live up to the hype surrounding its release – it managed to surpass it, earning five starred reviews, as well as a 9/10 rating here on The Book Smugglers.

When we were invited to host a day of the Fire book tour, naturally we were ecstatic. Today, we are proud to introduce you to THREE fantastic new characters (some of our favorites from the book, in fact):

Musa, Mila, and Neel are just three of Fire’s extensive guard; they spend their days stopping people from killing her. Musa, calm and reliable, is in charge of the others. Mila is… well, she’s reliable, too, but perhaps a bit distracted these days… and Neel is a steady, comforting presence who can always be called upon to produce handkerchiefs in an emergency.

You’re intrigued, aren’t you? Well, it gets better. You can check out a full, 40 page excerpt from Fire below.

The Excerpt:

Fire by Kristin Cashore

The Countdown Widget:

And, of course…

THE GIVEAWAY:

We are offering ONE autographed copy of Fire to a lucky winner! The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada only. In order to enter, simply leave a comment here telling us who your favorite young adult novel heroine is.

Also, we’ll be awarding EXTRA ENTRIES for the following:

+1 for twittering a link to this contest and including the hashtag #firetour (please tell us you did so in an extra comment for it to count)
+1 for embedding the FIRE eBook sampler on your blog with a link to this contest (please tell us you did so in an extra comment for it to count)
+1 for embedding the countdown widget on your blog with a link to this contest (please tell us you did so in an extra comment for it to count)

FOR EXAMPLE: If you have entered the contest, twittered the topic, embedded the eBook sampler and the countdown widget on your blog (including links to this post), you should have left us FOUR COMMENTS here (one per action). Voila, you have been entered four times into the contest.

Other multiple entries that do not follow the rules specified above will be disqualified. If you have done all the embedding and linking and tweeting, but have only left us with one comment, you will only be entered one time into the giveaway – so don’t shortchange yourself!

The contest will run until October 3rd at 11:59 PM. We will randomly select and announce our winner on October 4th. Good Luck!

Title: Fire

Author: Kristin Cashore

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Dial (US) / Gollancz (UK)
Publication Date: October 2009 (US) / September 2009 (UK)
Hardcover: 480 pages

Stand alone or series: Fire is the prequel/companion novel to Graceling, but can be read as a stand alone novel (as Graceling also can be read as a stand alone).

Why did I read this book: I loved Ms. Cashore’s debut novel and the first book of this planned trilogy, Graceling. In fact, Fire was one of my most highly anticipated reads of this fall!

Summary: (from amazon.com)
She is the last of her kind…

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

Review:

When I started reading Fire, I was a bit confused – the story does not take place in the world of the Seven Kingdoms, home of Katsa and Po of Graceling. Rather, Fire’s tale is set in a different realm altogether, called the Dells. There are no gracelings here, no gifted youngsters whose singular skills are betrayed by their mismatched eyes. But the Dells have magic of their own in abundance. It is a land of monsters – creatures in the same shape as normal animals, but in vibrant, impossible colors, and of breathtaking beauty. These monsters are so impossibly beautiful, in fact, that humans around them are completely without logic; the monsters have the ability to dazzle, confound, and even control the minds of their prey.

Fire, named for her shimmering mane of hair, is the last of her kind; she is a human monster, and therefore the most dangerous of them all. Fire’s unparalleled beauty is also her curse, for all those who look on her – human or animal alike – long to possess her, to woo her, to love her, to kill her. The animal monsters are drawn to her, threatening to rip her apart should her head scarf slip and a strand of brilliant hair fall out of place, and they are always looming outside her rooms when her monthly courses strike and they are drawn to the scent of her monster blood. And Fire’s skills as a human monster are the most powerful and dangerous of them all, for she can read and change the minds of people around her, making them act against their own volition, should she desire it. Her father was the last King’s advisor, a cruel human monster named Cansrel who abused his beauty and power by bending everyone to his will and whim, encouraging depravity in the King and discontent in the kingdom – and his legacy of hate and fear is one that Fire struggles to live down. When war looms ominously on the horizon and mysterious assassinations begin, Fire’s talents are enlisted by the young King Nash and his brother Brigan, and Fire finds she cannot refuse. Leaving her peaceful but stifling life in the Dells for the first time, hungry for adventure, Fire travels with Brigan’s army to an exciting but dangerous fate.

I found myself literally holding my breath when I began Fire; I had high expectations after Graceling, and when glowing reviews began to surface around the blogosphere these expectations were raised even higher. And, amidst all the hype and nervous trepidation, I can add my own voice to the ever-growing chorus of praise – because Fire unquestionably, unfalteringly delivers. Fire is a completely different novel than Graceling – an even better novel, at that.

The premise for Fire, I’ll admit, sounds trite. A beautiful magical heroine so gorgeous everyone that looks upon her desires her – come on now, my inner skeptic raged, how can that really be a curse? It certainly sounded like contrived Mary Sue territory, or at least that was my impression when I read the blurb of the novel. But, I truly needn’t have worried because Ms. Cashore uses her heroines hard, pits them against impossible situations, and in her brilliant, sadistic way, she shows them no mercy. Fire’s gifts as a human monster, her gorgeous locks of hair, her Professor X-like powers of persuasion – these actually are horrible burdens to bear, as shown in the novel. Fire’s beauty is so great that some who see her will force themselves upon her in a desire to possess her; her namesake hair attracts death and destruction from other animal monsters in her wake; and she has suffered so much in her young life, scarred and ravaged as her body is, that she has decided she will never have children, for she would never bestow her curse upon another.

Even more devastating than her beauty, however, is Fire’s ability to read minds and alter peoples’ behaviors. Terrified she will become like her truly monstrous father Cansrel if she uses really ever tries to use her powers over others, Fire initially refuses to use her powers to influence people, even with war looming and the fate of the kingdom in her hands. Like Katsa before her (or technically, after her), Fire has been gifted with extraordinary talents that inspire terrible fear and distrust. While Katsa’s grace enabled her to kill and to survive against all odds, Fire’s talents are less physical but explore even more deadly emotional vulnerabilities – rather than killing people with her hands, Fire can control people’s minds, stealing their deepest secrets, subverting them against their will. And she is so terrified of crossing this line, and by a dark secret in her past, that she refuses to use her powers in this way. This fear and Fire’s lack of trust in herself, along with her constant need to cover herself (physically in layers of drab clothing to hide her terrible beauty, emotionally as she cringes from confrontation or drawing attention to herself), are ingrained into every facet of Fire’s character. There is nothing Mary Sue about her – for all her trials are haunting and concrete. For all Fire’s power and beauty, she is a lonely, even disenfranchised, outcast. Never safe, never truly accepted, and never able to truly be herself, Fire still is an incredibly sympathetic character because we readers see her struggles firsthand and feel her despair at how different she is from the humans around her.

In many ways, I found Fire to be a much more compelling and fleshed out character than Katsa ever was – less forceful and clinical as Katsa was in Graceling, Fire is a mass of introspective emotions, and all the more endearing because of it. Besides Fire, the other characters were also more dimensioned than those in Graceling – Archer and Brigan were my two favorite standouts, in their very different ways. There’s also a familiar face in this book – a young boy with two different colored eyes and a disquieting influence on people – that readers of Graceling may be looking forward to seeing again.

In terms of plotting and world-building, Fire also excels in every way above its predecessor. There’s action aplenty in this novel, just as there was in Graceling, but rather than relying solely on fight scenes or a traveling quest story driving the action, Fire is a much more nuanced novel. There is a brewing war, and much journeying across different landscapes, but there’s also political machinations and a subtle murder/overthrow scheme that comes together slowly over the course of the novel. Ms. Cashore has clearly grown as a writer, and this is reflected in the more subtle, skillful plot, as well as in her standout characters. Also, I think the emotional angle of Fire, the romance subplot in particular, was fabulously done here – much more believable and compelling than that of Graceling.

Finally, I should say something about how thrilled I am that in both Graceling and Fire, Ms. Cashore gives young girls heroines that do NOT inevitably end up at the altar, get married, pop out babies, and live happily ever after in domestic bliss. In the era of Twilight, with girls pegging their entire sense of self-worth on someone else’s love for them, Ms. Cashore provides a strong female alternative. Challenging the accepted roles for women in young adult literature, Fire is a woman that wants children but will not have them, and like Katsa she resists and refuses marriage – and yet both women find acceptance, happiness, and yes, even love. I can get on board with that. These characters remind me of Tamora Pierce’s Alanna, Patricia Wrede’s Cimorene, Garth Nix’s Sabriel, Robin McKinley’s Aerin & Harry – favorite heroines of my childhood that were physically and emotionally powerful, intelligent, independent, and inspiring. Ms. Cashore’s Fire, as well as Katsa, certainly are worthy of a place on this list and a new brand of heroine for a younger generation.

Additional Thoughts: Stick around as later today we will be hosting a stop on Kristin Cashore’s Fire Blog Book Tour – complete with an excerpt from the book, and a chance to win an autographed copy of Fire!

Verdict: As with many of the hapless characters in this book, I fell in love with Ms. Cashore’s Fire at first sight, dazzled by its beautiful prose, its lush world building, its subtle and complex plot lines, and its heady characters. I absolutely loved Fire, and it is one of my favorite reads of the year. Absolutely recommended to all.

Rating: 9 Damn Near Perfection

Reading Next: Ark by Stephen Baxter

September 26 – October 3 marks Banned Books Week 2009. It’s a week during which we celebrate our rights of intellectual freedom – our freedom to read, express, and explore ideas, even if such ideas are “unorthodox or unpopular.” Every year, the American Library Association takes the last week of September to sponsor BBW, to raise awareness of censorship, and to celebrate the educators, librarians, and readers who have fought against book banning.

We Book Smugglers are taking this week to celebrate our intellectual freedoms, because we believe in the ALA’s message and disagree with censorship and bigotry.

Here’s a list of the Books Banned & Challenged in 2008-2009, which include:

A
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part?Time Indian.
Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless Me, Ultima.
Anonymous. Go Ask Alice.
Avi. The Fighting Ground.

B
Bailey, Jacqui, and Jan McCafferty. Sex, Puberty, and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up.
Barron, T. A. The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy.
Berendt, John. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story.
Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.
Brannen, Sarah. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding.

C
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Colfer, Eoin. The Supernaturalist.
Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier. My Brother Sam Is Dead.
Comfort, Alex. The Joy of Sex.
Cox, Elizabeth. Night Talk.
Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs.

D
de Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland. King & King.
Drill, Esther. Deal With It!: A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL.
Dubberley, Emily. Sex for Busy People: The Art of the Quickie for Lovers on the Go.

F
Follett, Ken. Pillars of the Earth.

G
Gardner, John C. Grendel.
Green, John. Looking for Alaska.
Grove, Vicki. The Starplace.

H
Harding, Kat. The Lesbian Kama Sutra.
Harris, Robie H. It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health. Hartinger, Brent. The Geography Club.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Day After Tomorrow.
Holmes, Melisa, and Trish Hutchison. Hang?ups, Hook?ups, and Holding Out: Stuff You Need to Know about Your Body, Sex, and Dating.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.

J
Jackson, Jon A. Dead Folks.
Jahn-Clough, Lisa. Me, Penelope.

K
Kaysen, Susanna. Girl, Interrupted.

L
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.
Lockhart, E. The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them.

M
Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Mason, Bobbie Ann. In Country.
Meyer, Stephenie H. Twilight Series.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye.
Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels.
Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops.
Myracle, Lauren. ttfn.
Myracle, Lauren. ttyl.

N
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Alice on Her Way.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Whispers from the Dead.

O
Oh, Minya. Bling Bling: Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels.

P
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper.
Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass.

R
Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs and Full?Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.
Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three.
Riley, Andy. The Book of Bunny Suicides: Little Fluffy Rabbits Who Just Don’t Want to Live Anymore.

S
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye.
Schreier, Alta. Vamos a Cuba (A Visit to Cuba).
Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones.
Seierstad, Åsne. The Bookseller of Kabul.
Silverstein, Charles, and Felice Picano. The Joy of Gay Sex.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep: A Novel.
Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand.
Stroud, Jonathan. The Golem’s Eye.
Stroud, Jonathan. Ptolemy’s Gate.

T
Tarbox, Katherine. A Girl’s Life Online.
Taylor, Mildred D. The Land.
Tucker, Todd. Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan.
Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

W
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple.

Z
Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States.

(Items in RED denote books we have read)

Here’s the list of the top 10 most frequently banned books of 2008.

Other items of note – you might want to check out the opinion piece that was in the Wall Street Journal last Friday, in which Mr. Mitchell Muncy argues that “censorship” is no longer present in the United States, and that Banned Books Week is in itself a form of censorship against concerned parents who seek to protect what their children read. He also argues that in the age of amazon, even if books are “banned” they are easily available with the click of the mouse.

Once you’re good and riled up over that, check out author Ellen Hopkins’s response post at her blog. Ellen Hopkins is the bestselling author of young adult novels Crank and Glass (which are about a young girl’s addiction to crystal meth) and was recently banned from speaking at a middle school in Oklahoma.

And for more information, take a look at the most recent statistics concerning book banning in the United States, by year and by reason (click to enlarge):

Then go forth and check out other bloggers who are celebrating Banned Books Week:
Angie of Angieville
Karen of Karen Mahoney
Katie(babs) of Babbling About Books, And More!

And finally, we leave you with a particularly memorable, and hilarious audio clip from Field of Dreams. You’ll remember the PTA scene? I think Annie Kinsella says it best:

Annie Kinsella: They’re talking about banning books again! Really subversive books, like “The Wizard of Oz”…”the Diary of Anne Frank”…

And of course:

Annie Kinsella: At least he’s not a book burner, you Nazi cow.

Title: Demon Forged

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkley
Publishing Date: October 6, 2009
Paperback: 432 pages

Stand Alone or series: 5th full length novel in the Guardian series (8th if you count the 3 novelas). The books are written such that one could theoretically read them as stand alone novels, but I would highly recommend reading at least the full-length novels in succession to minimize confusion, and to get a better sense of the overall universe and continuity.This link will take you to our reviews of previous books as well as an interview and articles from the author.

Summary: Four centuries ago, Irena and Alejandro would have succumbed to the need smoldering between them — if a demon and a monstrous bargain hadn’t shattered the possibility of love. Torn apart by shame, Irena avoided Alejandro for centuries — until a vampire’s call for help throws her into his arms again.

Alejandro can control fire, but he’s never been able to control — or quench — the flames between him and Irena. And he knows Irena, hardened by her hatred for demonkind, will never accept that he now works at a demon’s behest. But even as he fights for a second chance, a shocking betrayal and a deadly prophecy shake the foundations of the Guardian universe, and all Hell threatens to break loose…

Why did I read the book: I am a devoted fan of this series. I read every single word written by Meljean Brook and I love all of them. I could have book babies with this series, that’s how much I love it.

Review:

Wow. I don’t even know where to start. This series is SO consistently good, this book is SO amazing (I want to have book babies with it). I feel like screaming from the top of my lungs: WORLD! READ THIS, ENJOY THIS!!!

_____________

Picking up where Demon Bound left off, the Guardians are working on the Prophecy that predicts that Belial will rise whilst at the same time trying to fight the Nephilim and assorted Demons. A few of the Guardians are still trying to come to grips with the news that Michael, the Doyen, is one of the Grigori, half human, half demon, son of Belial himself. As Demon Forged starts, two Guardians, Alejandro and Irena, are in Rome to meet with a vampire called Deacon and help him to get rid of a Nosferatu. They end up finding a nest of the creatures and an entrapped Guardian, Rosalia. They release the woman and destroy the nosferati and take Deacon with them to SI, which end up being a Very Big Mistake. The Nephilim, the Grigori, the vampires and the Guardians are all entangled in the ages long fight between Belial, Anaria and Lucifer for supremacy in hell and the story arc which started in Demon Angel and expanded in Demon Bound, reaches The Point of No Return: now it is only a matter of time (or two more books) until the climax of this fascinating, stupendous story.

Demon Forged is equal parts Romance, equal parts Big Picture plot. Alejandro and Irena’s story is central but completely connected with the overall story arc. We have seen Irena and Alejandro in Demon Bound and we knew that they had a Big History (very much reminiscent of Hugh and Lilith’s story) between them. We also knew that their Gifts are somewhat complementary: she is a Forger, he controls Fire. Or in the words of Alejandro she is a hammer, he is a sword. Irena is also the oldest Guardian after Michael, the Doyen and Alejandro was a much young Guardian who once trained with her. They were attracted to each other from the get go and became friends very soon but something went awry and they drifted apart.

Basically, these two have spent 400 years loving each other but being stuck in a complex web of shame and pride that prevented them from getting together ever since Irena had to strike a bargain to save Alejandro’s life. The one thing that you need to know about Irena is that she is uncompromising when it comes to Demons – shoot first, ask questions later, it’s her motto and that is one of the reasons why the need to strike a bargain with one of them is so abhorrent to her. Plus, the very nature of the bargain was horrible in itself. But ultimately, the mater of the fact is this: neither has fought to keep what they had and centuries went by before they come to realise how much time they lost. But there are undercurrents and they have a strong foundation in which to build their relationship.

It is a constant battle for Alejandro between his need and his will. She is so old as to be set in her ways and the need to change, to adapt, to be more flexible, to be able to see the big picture is paramount to her development as a character and a person. It is only when faced with the hope that maybe her relationship with her Olek (Alejandro in her mother tongue) is not an impossibility anymore that she starts to re-think her reactions. This is really great because one cannot happen without the other. The very fact that Irena opens up to Olek again points to the beginnings of change. It comes from love, it comes from hope, it comes from everything that is happening around her. To remain stale, unchanged by her environment would be unrealistic. Similarly, Olek’s need is ignited by the hope he is given by Irena.

They are SO perfect together. Alejandro is another dreamy hero but Irena, Irena is such an extraordinary female protagonist. I accept that I tend to concentrate a lot on the heroes but this has been changing over the past months and I have to say that Meljean Brook writes some of the best, most empowered, women. Independent, strong, capable, they are all of this and more.

Once again, Meljean Brook awes me with the details she infuses her story with. It is the red shoes that people wear, or the way Olek touches his chin, or how Irena decides which language to speak. For example, when they first started working together, when Irena was training Olek she spoke in Russian and he replied in Spanish. After the Incident with the Bargain, Irena only ever speaks French with him because she has to think before she says anything as French is not her mother tongue. The cadence of their respective accents were so very real too.

I have a lot of respect for an author who respects the reader back. Meljean Brook never has her characters behaving like retards. The stakes are extremely high (we are talking about the fate of the world here, after all) and the author plays accordingly, never backing off. In fact the overall story has an UF feel because of that.

We are also back to the discussion about Fate X Free will, a discussion that has increased tenfold with the addiction of the seer Khavi to their ranks. Every action has a meaning and they fall into place. The fighting sequences were superb and again, I need to point out how visual Meljean Brook can be, it is very easy to picture all of it . I loved the sequence where all Guardians make a stand – I am not saying how and why, but it is kick-ass. With each of the Guardians fighting to the best of their abilities and Gifts lead by no other than Jake. It is great how all characters from previous books have a role to play.

Michael appears quite a lot in Demon Forged and we have a good measure of who he is as we are given more glimpses of his past and what the future holds for him, thanks to Khavi. We also learn who his heroine is and I am glad that it is someone we already know – and for a long time. My heart broke a bit for Michael in this book as he becomes more and more human to my eyes. There is also the beginning of a secondary romance between Deacon and Rosalia – the seed is there, planted and I can’t wait to read their story next in Demon Blood. I predict a LOT of angst, which is one of Meljean Brook’s signatures. She sure likes to beat her characters around.

Ultimately Demon Forged is a well-balanced combination of romance and UF elements which knocked my socks off. I have said this before and I say it again: if you are not reading this series you are totally missing out.

I kept thinking, whilst I read it, that Meljean Brook’s strength lies on her carefully orchestrated writing and characters – the latter being like musicians that are deftly conducted by their maestro. The result is like music to my ears – of the highest caliber.

When all is said and done I can’t think of a single thing that I did not like about Demon Forged. I suppose I could mention that there is some info dump about previous events in the series, but this happened early in the book and it actually helped me to get my bearings again. But this is from a strictly intellectual point of view – emotionally speaking, I was enraptured by the story: I laughed, I cried (a lot, the epilogue made me sob), I was anxious about Alejandro and Irena getting together (Oh, the angst, it slays me), I was nervous about everything to the point where I was actually shaking when the grand finale came. And you better be prepared for it too, I had heard that the ending was major but I had no idea how Big and Twisted it was going be. If you like to read the ending first , I urge you not to, this time.

I will just say this, Demon Forged is to this series what The Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars – a dark, bleak instalment where Huge Things happen by the end. But when push comes to shove and people are asked which of the Star Wars movie is their favourite, Empire Strikes Back is usually their answer as it is mine. Alejandro and Irena are now my favourite couple in the series and Demon Forged has become not only my favourite Guardian book but also one of my top 3 books of 2009.

Ever since I read Demon Angel, I thought that this series was excellent. With Demon Forged it has just become outstanding. Yes, it is THAT good.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: There are so many that I love. All of the interactions between Alejandro and Irena and between Irena and Taylor; the scenes with Colin and Savi; the scenes with Khavi (hey, I have a new crush) and Michael.

Meljean Brook has a couple of excerpts here and here. They are pretty good.

Verdict: Another fantastic, outstanding entry in my favourite PNR series. Meljean Brook can do no wrong in my book , she always delivers top notch writing, amazing romance and an overall story arc that matters. I wish all books I read would make me react like this. Demon Forged is one of my top 3 reads of 2009.

Rating: 10

Reading next: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Giveaway details:

We are giving away one copy of the book. To enter, leave a comment here telling us which is your favorite character in the series so far. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until Saturday October 3rd at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

Howdy fellows! How is everybody this Sunday? Good? Good.

Getting straight down to business then.

Giveaway winners:

The two winners of the Ariel prize packs are:

Kate (comment #54)
Jenny N (comment #34)

Congratulations! Please send us your snail mail address (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com), and we’ll get your winnings out to you as soon as possible! Thanks again to all who participated.

This Week On The Book Smugglers

On Monday, Ana will review and have a giveaway of Demon Forged by Meljean Brook, the 8th (or the 5th full length) installment in the Guardian series. A hint: this may have just been catapulted to Ana’s top 3 reads of 2009.

On Tuesday, it is our turn to host Kristin Cashore in her Fire Blog Book Tour where each blog on the tour introduces a character from Fire. Thea will also be reviewing the book, which is a prequel to Graceling, later that day.

On Wednesday, Ana reviews the highly anticipated Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Leviathan is an alternate history, steampunk, fantasy novel and it is every bit as good as expected.

On Thursday, Thea reviews post-apocalyptic novel, Ark by Stephen Baxter, the sequel to Flood, one of her favorite reads of the year. Will the sequel live up to the expectations?

On Friday, we will have a special Double Joint day: first we review the much talked about Soulless by Gail Carriger and later that day, the Fantasy novel, Triumff by Dan Abnett.

Finally, on Saturday we are back with another entry in our brand new feature, On The Boob Tube where we talk about our favorite TV moments of the past week.

Other Cool Announcements & Goings On:

Last week we were invited to guest blog at Temple Library Reviews, helping out our buddy Harry whilst he is occupied with life, the universe and everything else. On Tuesday we talked about our Pile of Shame (aka our TBR piles) and on Friday we decided that we did not like the Emmys and proceeded to give out our own awards, the Smugglies.

We are delighted to say that next Friday, Ana will be a guest blogger over at the Borders’s True Romance blog with a post about Genre Reading and Romance. Make sure to stop by and say hi!

The Story Siren resumed posting YA Connection, a weekly feature with links to posts all over the YA blogs about features, reviews, interviews, giveaways, etc. You can check it out here

Linnea Sinclair’s next in the Dock 5 Universe, has a cover! We can’t wait to read it given as how we are total fangirls of her books:

OUT OF OPTIONS…Devin Guthrie can’t forget Captain Makaiden Griggs even though it’s been two years since she was in his family’s employ. A Guthrie does not fall in love with a mere shuttle pilot. Going against his wealthy family’s wishes isn’t an option—not with the Empire in political upheaval, much of it caused by Devin’s renegade older brother, Admiral Philip Guthrie. The Guthries must solidify their standing—financially, politically and socially—or risk losing it all. But when the Guthrie heir—Devin’s nineteen-year old nephew— goes missing, Devin’s loyalty to his family’s values is put to the test. And suddenly the unthinkable becomes the only option available: Devin must break the rules and risk allying himself with the one woman he could never forget—and was forbidden to love.”

Aaaaand that is it from us today!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

You may have noticed by now how much we love books and reading. What you probably don’t know is that we love TV shows about just as much. We are both huge couch potatoes and each of us follow quite a few shows each. So, we thought why not a new feature, in which we talk about all those water cooler moments of the past week’s episodes, raving about the good, ranting about the bad?

Thus On The Boob Tube With The Book Smugglers was born:

This Saturday, and every Saturday for the duration of the TV season, we bring you a brand spankin’ new feature:

(don’t we love the banner that Kmont created for us? Yes, do. Yes.We.Do)

For the Week of September 20 – 26:

Thea’s Favorites:

Entourage: Lloyd’s Speech to Drama
Entourage is a show completely devoid of depth or emotional intelligence, and the way women are portrayed on the show is ridiculous (case in point: Ashley. OF COURSE the way out of that relationship is to make her CRAZY! God forbid she actually just doesn’t want to be with Eric), but it’s fun too. Lloyd’s speech to keep Drama, because he believes in you Johnny Drama!, was awesome.

House: Superman, Infidelity, the RAP
House’s two hour season premiere was freaking awesome. It was different than anything we’ve seen on the show before, and I love that there are consequences for House, and that he’s completely clean. His “mentorship” to his talkative and idolizing roommate, when he takes “Superman” out to get him happy, the whole hot german lady thing, the cool friendship between House and his doctor (and the others in the asylum) and of course, the talent show rap…it was all awesome. House is changed. And I think it’s a very good – much NEEDED! – thing. I actually stopped watching House consistently because the repetitiveness was getting boring…but the looney bin brought me back, and I’m stoked to see what happens this season. (And if the promos are any accurate measure, it looks like we’re in for some ch-ch-ch-changes)

Castle: The Apology
I love Castle. Yeah, it’s cheesy and completely unrealistic – but that’s all part of its charm. And Nathan Fillion is at his charming, hilarious best in the season opener. I loved the poker game, Beckitt’s horrible Russian accent, and ultimately, Castle’s Apology. Because girls sometimes just want to hear you cut the bullshit and just say SORRY. I love the duo of Castle and Beckitt. LOVE.

Modern Family: Hey, they’re one big family!
So far, Modern Family seems like it will be a fun, funny show. I liked how it all came together in the end, with this big, strange, and well…modern, family. Al Bundy for the win!

Glee: Tina, Less Rachel, Football, and DRAMA
Glee is my favorite new show right now (not really much of a contest there), and this week’s episode was surprisingly touching and dramatic. I’m really over the Ring on It song (why is this song having a resurgence all of a sudden??? Please don’t say because of Kanye. Please.), but I loved Kurt in this episode, coming up big for the football team, the dancing on the line of scrimmage, the admission that Kurt is gay to his father. And holy crap, how much do you hate the cheerleader bitch and Will’s wife? GAAH! Also, liked Will standing up for Tina and giving her the West Side Story solo over Rachel. I love Rachel’s character, but others need a chance to shine too, right?

FlashForward: Meh

The pilot for FlashForward was basically what the promos have advertised. The CG was pretty bad, I thought!? Am I alone in this? The burning buildings of downtown LA looked pretty low quality, but maybe that’s just me being a snob. Joseph Fiennes, aka Ralph’s bro and the dude who played Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, does a pretty good American accent, though he’s really hamming it up in the episode. Meh. Like Penny from LOST as his wife (when she was having her FF and said she was with another man whom she’d never seen before, I was SOOOOO hoping it would be Desmond saying to her “I told you I’d find you, Penny!” LOLOLOLOL no? Ok. I’m a dork). My concern for the show is, what exactly is its endgame?? This is based on a book, and once the characters all figure out what exactly happened…then what? It’s like Twin Peaks – once you know who killed Laura Palmer, it’s all over. We’ll see.

The Office: DWIGHT
Ohmygod this episode was HILARIOUS! The cheese platter, Toby and Dwight teaming up to investigate Darryl’s worker’s comp. claim, Darryl’s SISTER!, Michael betraying Jim but then getting his back…and best of all, DWIGHT’S FACE AT THE END!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This show is so. freaking. brilliant.

Community: Senor Chang & Mr. Chase
I can’t help but feel like Joel McHale is a giant douchebag in real life. Maybe that’s not fair, but he gives off a totally douchey vibe, reinforced by his character in Community. But hey, I genuinely loved it when he got up to present that ‘vaguely homophobic, anti-Israel’ spanish presentation with Chevy Chase. And Senor Chang, el chino tigre! Even though his speech is one we’ve seen on countless promos, he cracks me the eff up. Awesome.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Road Trip!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This episode more than makes up for the slightly disappointing season opener. HILARIOUS. The Italian Market with “Gypsies” all over the place, Charlie never having eaten a pear and then eating the whole thing (stem, stickers included), Sweet Dee getting wasted and staring, singing to the poor hitchhiker, telling him the gay porn he’s gonna have to do to make it in Hollywood with his sweet young body (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL)…oh my god it’s beautiful. The gang of COURSE makes it back right to where they started, and what better way to start out the day than with a few more beers? I love this show so much.

Ana’s Favorites:

Mad Men: Joan and her husband. Don’s mad skillz, the chopped foot

This show drives me mental but this last episode was not so out there. Or maybe I am finally getting used to it. Then again, maybe not because I felt positively murderous towards Joan’s scumbag of a husband. She is awesome but it is so sad that she is saddled up with that one. I loved Don’s meeting with Conrad Hilton as he had another chance to show off his mad marketing skills. But not as much as I loved how Don stepped up to take care of his daughter’s fears – he is starting to become a real father, perhaps (because honestly how much does Betty suck as a mother?) . Best moment of the episode though goes to that scene where the British guy from the main office gets his foot chopped off and blood splutters all over the place. That was so awesome.

Castle: the apology

I love this show: as Thea says it is completely cheesy and unrealistic but it is impossible not to love it. I adore Castle but really this episode was all about Beckitt – her inability to deal with the way Castle dealt with her secret; the Russian accent and finally the amazing final scene where she lays bare her soul. And then he comes back just to say “I am sorry”. I had a huge smile on face after that. I am SO on board of this ship.

House: the entire freaking episode.

House keeps surprising me. Every time I think I am done with the show, they pull me right back in by subverting their very formula and it works every single time. After an spectacular season finale I was a bit worried that they would drop the ball, but honestly within the first 3 minutes of this episode I was hailing Hugh Laurie as a God of Acting once again. I started to cry and cried many times before the episode was over. I did think some things over the top and perhaps maybe too easy but ultimately it was all worth so that I could hear House saying : “I need help”. Now he is clean, I want to see how he deals with life. I hope he continues with therapy though, I loved his interactions with his doctor.

Glee: “Sue “C” s it” and Teenage Drama

When I started watching Glee I thought it was going to be all fruity loopsy with all the dancing and singing. But soon it was clear that some Major Drama would be part of it too. From Will’s marital problems to each of the kid’s issues. This episode sees Finn finding out that his girlfriend is pregnant and Kurt coming out to his father and the repercussions of those made for some great tv. I freaking hate the Cheerleader Girlfriend and Will’s wife. Really. They simply can not get away with what they are planning. Now, my favorite character has to be Coach Sue , OMG how wrong is that woman? I love her TV spot though, I was laughing so hard.

Supernatural – a rant

Ok, so does anyone else finds it completely stupid and moronic that San and Dean decided to take some time off each other right now, you know with the perky business of IMPENDING APOCALYPSE and all that jazz? I am not really a fan of this whole story arc anyway (I much preffered the Monster of the Week style episodes) but this is just plain silly. Sam is doing my head in with all his woe- is-me persona. I know, I know what else is new right? But hey, at least the Dean and Castiel dynamics worked and my heart did a little bit of breaking when Dean said that he was happy without Sam. And then Lucifer shows up and tells Sam that he is his true vessel and I was all like Oh noes. Really? Whyyyyyyyyyy?

Favourite Dean-One-Liner: “You were wasted by a Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel?” (because Cas was killed by the archangel Raphael).

The Office – the entire episode

From the opening with Michael asking Oscar if he needed to have a safe word for his colonoscopy, to Dwight and Toby’s antics, to Jim’s heartbreaking moment with Michael (aww he didn’t want to lose the Jim, Pam and the baby) to the ending with Dwight going mental over Jim’s promotion. This was another winner. I have much fun with The Office.

Community – Senor Chang

Meh. I am not sure I want to keep watching this to be honest. I think this show TRIES to be quirky and “wrong” like the Office but hummm..it is not really succeeding so far. I do like the Indian guy though the Chinese teacher who teaches Spanish was hilarious. But yeah, I think I will watch another week , then make my mind up.

And that is all from us this week. What about you? Any favorite TV moments you wanna share?

Title: The Declaration

Author: Gemma Malley

Genre: YA

Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK & USA)
Publishing Date: May 2008 (UK)/ August 2008 (USA)
Paperback: 320 pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in a two book duology.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
It’s the year 2140 and Longevity drugs have all but eradicated old age. A never-aging society can’t sustain population growth, however…which means Anna should never have been born. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. The facility is full of boys and girls whose parents chose to have kids—called surpluses—despite a law forbidding them from doing so. These children are raised as servants, and brought up to believe they must atone for their very existence. Then one day a boy named Peter appears at the Hall, bringing with him news of the world outside, a place where people are starting to say that Longevity is bad, and that maybe people shouldn’t live forever. Peter begs Anna to escape with him, but Anna’s not sure who to trust: the strange new boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale, or the familiar walls of Grange Hall and the head mistress who has controlled her every waking thought?

Chilling, poignant, and endlessly though-provoking, The Declaration is a powerful debut that will have readers agonizing over Anna’s fate until the very last page.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Ana: The Declaration has been on my radar for quite a while now, as I see it in every book shop I go to and I had it in my hands numerous times before I actually bought it. The funny thing is: I was purely attracted to the combination of Title and Cover and had no idea that it was a dystopian story (bad Ana)! As soon as I realised what it was about, I enlisted Thea to read it as well, given how she is the Dystopian fiction expert around these areas. Bearing in mind that I haven’t read a lot of dystopian fiction, I did enjoy The Declaration, only not as much as I thought I would. I love the premise, I love the thought-provoking issues that it raises but the writing was a let-down, unfortunately.

Thea: The Declaration is a book I probably never would have heard of if it wasn’t for Ana. It’s a British book from a British author, and I hadn’t seen it in a single bookstore here (as it’s also a few years old, I probably would not have heard of it online either). BUT, when Ana sent me the link to the title, I was instantly hooked. In a dystopian future where all illness is cured, and the secret to immortality has been discovered, what could possibly be wrong in the world? Well…overpopulation. When no one gets sick or dies, procreation is taboo – and those disgusting, resource-wasting children that are born are deemed Surpluses, who must be Dealt with. This is the premise of The Declaration, and I was chomping at the bit. And you know what? Though the writing isn’t of the caliber of other YA dystopianists like, say, Lois Lowry, The Declaration is a damn fine, thought-provoking book. And I really, truly enjoyed it.

On The Plot: In the 22nd Century, with the advance of genetics and stem cell research all the diseases have been cured and the secret to longevity discovered. Human beings no longer die and the entire world is populated with people who live forever, if they take the drug supplied by the governments. In the beginning, people carried on having children but soon the world’s resources proved to be not enough and thus, reproduction was banned. Citizens must sing the Declaration in which they agree not to have children unless they choose to Opt Out – a life for another: the Child will be Legal and given the longevity drug and one of the parents will follow the natural course of life and eventually die. However, some people choose to have both longevity and children and those are seeing as criminals and the children are Surpluses who are eventually taken from their parents.

Surplus Anna is one of them. A 15 year old girl who lives in Grange Hall, a place where Surpluses are taught that their very existence are a crime against Mother Nature unless they learn to be Valuable Assets. She believes that her parents are Irresponsible Criminals and that she must atone for their Sin. She does so by being the perfect indoctrinated good Surplus who Knows Her Place. A Surplus become a Valuable Assets by knowing how to Behave and Bow to Legals in every situation.

But one day, a boy named Peter enters Grange Hall and Anna’s life and he brings her a present: a surname and a history. She learns she is Anna Covey and that her parents always wanted her and that there is a whole world out there with an Underground Movement. Peter invites Anna to escape Grange Hall but can they do it?

Ana: The Declaration has a very interesting and thought-provoking premise: that one day science will be so evolved that no one will ever die. Even though there hasn’t been an apocalypse per se, humanity stands on the brink of one, as the worlds resources are so depleted in order to keep everybody alive. The main idea of this book goes far beyond a simple dichotomy between science and nature with the inversion of these conceptions as ideals: in a totally warped frame of mind, everybody thinks and deeply believes that living forever is what nature intended and procreation is against its laws. And it doesn’t take long to happen either, this complete acceptance and brainwash which raises questions about human’s fear of dying for example.

In that sense, this book is brilliant in its bleakness in portraying humans and even more so in the portrayal of the Surpluses who have been brainwashed so deeply as to embrace their lives without ever . One of the bleakest passages I have ever read is the one where Anna narrates how every night in the girls’ dormitory, the children have time to play a game in which one of them is chosen to be a Surplus, who willingly will suffer any number of humiliations that another child, playing as a Legal can think of inflicting.

Anna’s existence is one of routine and that is only broken by one shred of defiance in the form of a diary she keeps hidden. Until Peter comes along and throws her world upside down. Soon, she is not able to deny any longer that her life is nothing more than a bunch of lies starting with the one she believed above all: that her parents were selfish, self-indulgence people with a complete disregard against the world.

My enjoyment of such interesting story and premise was marred by the writing though. The prose relies far too much in telling than showing with stilted sentences and a lot of info dump. One can argue that the stiffness of the writing is an apt format to relay the stiffness of Anna’s life but it did not come across to me as a choice but rather as the writer’s style and one that did not appeal to me.

I also thought the pacing was a bit too uneven with a slow start with a lot of information being relayed and then all of a sudden things pick up in a whirlwind towards the ending when the book takes a turn into a thriller. I much preferred the latter part of the book and had glimpses of a really great novel even if some of the events were a little bit too conveniently placed in order to tidy up the plot.

The outcome, to me, is a book that does not quite live up to the great premise. It is not a bad book by any means but it could have a been a much better one.

Now, a word from the house expert:

Thea: Ok, truth be told, I do have to agree with Ana concerning the writing style. Though Ms. Malley has some wonderful ideas and a premise that is pure gold from a dystopian-afficionado’s standpoint, there is a lack of grace, of subtlety or metaphor when it comes to the writing. Alternating between Anna’s occasional journal entries (which unfortunately do read as slightly juvenile) and a third person limited narrative, there were altogether too many data-dumpy sections (i.e. “I am a Surplus. That means I don’t deserve to live because the Declaration that was enacted in 2076 said that all babies are wrong and stealing from Mother Nature, etc, etc, etc”), lacking any writerly finesse. Instead of being revealed gradually throughout the story, these plot details were explained in the plot by Anna’s journal or her repetitive inner dialogue.

That all said, these weaknesses were minor in the overall effect of the novel. The premise, as I’ve mentioned above, is superb. Ms. Malley takes the ultimate mortal dream of immortality, seizes it with both hands…and she turns it into a grotesque parody of everything we as humans hold dear. We often dream about finding the Cure for cancer, for AIDS, for any number of human ailments and diseases – but the ultimate “illness,” our ultimate human flaw is our very mortality. Once that has been cured, everyone should be blissfully happy, right? As Ms. Malley explores the dream of living forever, she shows how terrifying such a goal actually is – governments start to actually care about the environment because they are the ones who will be stuck with the Earth forever; poorer countries are cut out of energy deals in exchange for Longevity (the drug that enables humans to live forever, so long as it is regularly taken); and, of course, youth is anathema – change is bad, stability in the hands of those who have been in power for generations is paramount. The human condition is revealed to be one of selfish power hunger, which isn’t too far off.

Ms. Malley has a keen eye for cause and effect, and she explores the repercussions of living forever and reveals each of these factors beautifully as the story progresses. AND she also leaves a lot of room for the sequel in the series by some nice foreshadowing techniques. Ms. Malley’s world in The Declaration does not exist in some static bubble, as she does indirectly poses the question: Where do Longevity drugs come from in the first place? Stem cells are alluded to, as well as a thriving black market for the best drugs – because Longevity has its drawbacks on the appearance of the human body. Also, the question I kept asking myself was WHY were Surpluses taken care of and so indoctrinated? The reasons posed in the book do not quite seem sufficient to cover the significant monetary and time costs of raising them and brainwashing them. There has to be some other reason for keeping Surpluses, and I think it has nefarious roots that will be examined further in the next book…

Not only was the world building impeccably detailed and realistically grounded, but the plotting of the novel itself is fantastic. Unlike Ana, I do not think the book dragged in the slightest – rather, it started slow, mimicking Surplus Anna’s mechanical, brainwashed existence in the home. When Anna “awakens” from good-Surplus-zombie mode, she is angry – and simultaneously, the book ratchets up the action, danger, and drama. I thought the ending was extremely dramatic. Yes, things do ultimately wrap up a little too conveniently for Anna and Peter, but at such an unspeakable high cost, I was fine with it. In fact, I loved it.

On The Characters:

Ana:Except for Anna, I wasn’t overly impressed with the characters. In fact, writing this review only a few days after I finished the book, I am having a hard time remembering them – never a good sign. Anna for the most part was a believable character – someone who was deep into the system, so completely indoctrinated, almost being the poster-child for the Surplus who Know Their Place. However, there is still a shred of humanity in Anna – can it be truly wiped away? – in the small, tentative ways in which she keeps her memory of the time she spent working outside as a maid and the in the diary she keeps hidden. There is a great dichotomy that is the heart of the problem: even though what she writes is basic repetitious propaganda, she the very fact that she writes and keeps the diary goes against what she is writing about. In that sense, there was deep down, a seed that needed only some water in order to grow: and that came from Peter.

Peter was a rather one-dimensional character, too good to be true and unwavering in his dedication to Anna – or to his idea of Anna. I thought it was bit unbelievable that he got himself sent to Grange Hall on purpose because he dreamt about having a friend. On the same note, the villain, Mrs Pincet was so Evil and Devious as to be almost boring. I was glad to see a sign that there was more to her but that came far too late. AND saw the twist coming from a mile away.

The character that stood out the most for me was Sheila. The girl who was born a Legal and by a mistake, was stripped of her status and sent to Grange Hall. Her arc was chilling and very well done.

Thea: As with the plotting and worldbuilding, I found the main characters of The Declaration to be just as well-written. Anna, the sometimes narrator and protagonist of the story, begins The Declaration as the best Surplus in Grange Hall. She’s dedicated to her role in life as an unworthy detractor from humanity, and will work as hard as she can to work off her unforgivable sin of being born. I loved that at the beginning of the book, and for much of the story, Anna is not rebellious or questioning at all – she’s firmly indoctrinated in the role she has been assigned as a worthless Surplus. Even when Peter arrives at Grange Hall with his truths about the outside world and Anna’s parents, she refuses to believe him, so brainwashed is she. And isn’t that how it would be? Prisoners that become so used to their cells, they do not feel safe in the outside world; slaves who have been told they are worthless for so long come to believe they are less than their masters. I liked that Anna was resistant to the idea of change, and though I do appreciate that ultimately she did come around to believing in Peter (and in herself), even if it was a bit hasty a transformation for my tastes. Still, even when Anna believes that she might be able to find her family and live on the outside a full life, her narrative is tinged with self doubt and believable reluctance.

As for Peter, he’s more of the traditional hero you expect in these dystopian young adult novels – he’s the firebrand that longs to stick it to The Man, the rebel that won’t stop until the Declaration is torn down and Surpluses seen as the people they are. He’s passionate and emotional, contrasting with Anna’s meekness, and it makes for a great dynamic. The relationship between these two characters might be predictable (of course they fall in love), and again a bit rushed for my tastes, but it still worked even if it lacked the emotional subtleties I so desperately wanted.

The other characters varied in their effectiveness. Of the secondary cast, Anna’s mother and father were fantastic, heartbreaking additions to the story, and of the children in Grange Hall, Sheila I think was convincingly drawn. A girl who has insisted since being brought to Grange that she is a Legal, that her parents Opted Out of the Declaration , her transformation is a chilling one and probably one of the best written in the book. Then of course, there are the villain characters – in particular, Mrs. Pincet. She’s predictably Evil (yes, capital “E”). There’s a bit of explanation towards the end for why she is so soullessly cruel, but even that feels somewhat forced. There is potential with her character though, so I’m hoping for a little more delicacy and depth in the next book.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Ana: The Declaration is not quite what I hoped it would be – it may well be that, because I am not that keen on dystopian novels, it did not engage me completely. Still, The Declaration is a pretty good book overall, and with a kick-ass ending. It almost makes me want to read the sequel.

Thea: The Declaration has its considerable strengths, as well as unforgettable weaknesses. But the overall effect, in my opinion, was a positive one. Yes, the writing was prosaic and strained at times, but the ideas and the depth of Ms. Malley’s intriguing premise and incredibly realistic world building were enough in this reader’s opinion to offset the deficit. I enjoyed The Declaration, and I eagerly look forward to reading The Resistance.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

11 January, 2140

My name is Anna.

My name is Anna and I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t exist.

But I do.

It’s not my fault I’m here. I didn’t ask to be born. But that doesn’t make it any better that I was. They caught me early, though, which bodes well. That’s what Mrs Pincent says, anyway. She’s the lady that runs Grange Hall. We call her House Matron. Grange Hall is where I live. Where people like me are brought up to be Useful – the ‘best of a bad situation’, Mrs Pincent says.

I don’t have another name. Not like Mrs Pincent does. Mrs Pincent’s name is Margaret Pincent. Some people call her Margaret, most people call her Mrs Pincent, and we call her House Matron. Lately I’ve started to call her Mrs Pincent too, although not to her face – I’m not stupid.

Legal people generally have at least two names, sometimes more. Not me, though. I’m just Anna. People like me don’t need more than one name, Mrs Pincent says. One is quite enough.

Actually, she doesn’t even like the name Anna – she told me she tried to change it when I first came here.
But I was an obstinate child, she says, and I wouldn’t answer to anything else, so in the end she gave up. I’m pleased – I like the name Anna, even though my parents gave me that name.

I hate my parents. They broke the Declaration and didn’t care about anyone else but themselves. They’re
in prison now. I don’t know where. None of us knows anything about our parents any more. Which is fine by me – I’d have nothing to say to them anyway.

None of the girls or boys here has more than one name. That’s one of the things that makes us different, Mrs Pincent says. Not the most important thing, of course – having one name is really just a detail. But sometimes it doesn’t feel like a detail. Sometimes I long for a second name, even a horrible one – I wouldn’t care what it was. One time I even asked Mrs Pincent if I could be Anna Pincent, to have her name after mine. But that made her really angry and she hit me hard across the head and took me off hot meals for a whole week. Mrs Larson, our Sewing Instructor, explained later that it had been an insult to suggest that someone like me could have Mrs Pincent’s name. As if she could be related to me.

Actually I do sort of have another name, but it’s a pre-name, not an after-name. And everyone here has got the same one, so it doesn’t really feel like a name. On the list that Mrs Pincent carries around with her, I’m down as:

Surplus Anna.

But really, it’s more of a description than a name. We’re all Surpluses at Grange Hall. Surplus to requirements. Surplus to capacity.

You can read a full excerpt of Chapter 1 online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: Book 2 in this duology, titled The Resistance continues Anna’s and Peter’s story.

The year is 2140. Having escaped the horrors of Grange Hall, Peter and Anna are living freely on the Outside, trying hard to lead normal lives, but unable to leave the terror of the Declaration—and their experiences as surpluses—completely behind them. Peter is determined to infiltrate Pharma Corporation, which claims to have a new drug in the works; “Longevity+” will not just stop the ravages of old age, it is rumored to reverse the aging process. But what Peter and Anna discover behind the walls of Pharma is so nightmarish it makes the prison of their childhood seem like a sanctuary: for in order to supply Pharma with the building blocks for Longevity+, scientists will need to harvest it from the young. Shocking, controversial, and frighteningly topical, this sequel to Gemma Malley’s stellar debut novel, The Declaration, will take the conversation about ethics and science to the next level.

You can read an excerpt from The Resistance online HERE.

Rating:

Ana: 6 – Good. Recommended with reservations

Thea: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Triumff by Dan Abnett

Welcome to another Guest Dare – the September edition. For those new to the feature, our Guest Dare is a monthly endeavor in which we invite an unsuspecting victim to read a book totally outside of their comfort zone. You can read all previous Dare posts here.

This month’s daree (yes, we believe just totally made this word up) is Lusty Reader. Her book lusting (a trait we share) and the fact that she is totally a Very Cool blogger (who is funny, entertaining and writes very insightful reviews) has put her under our radar. (She also introduced us to “The Shiz My Boyfriend Says”. Seriously, you need to read these. But do not read whilst drinking and/or eating – you might spill and/or choke. You have been warned) . One day Ana was unsuspectingly doing her Twitter rounds when she read that LR had never read a Graphic Novel in her life and that was cause for an instant-dare and ergo, here we are.

Lusty reader, ladies and gentlemen:
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Title: Fables Vol.1 – Legends in Exile

Author: Bill Willingham, Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton

Genre: Graphic Novel (Fantasy)

Publisher: Vertigo
Publishing Date: September 2002
Paperback: 128 pages

Stand alone or series: First volume in the Fables comics; collects issues 1-5.

Summary: (from Vertigo)
Who Killed Rose Red?
In Fabletown, where fairy tale legends live alongside regular New Yorkers, the question is all anyone can talk about. But only the Big Bad Wolf can actually solve the case–and, along with Rose’s sister Snow White, keep the Fabletown community from coming apart at the seams.

Why did we recommend this book: it started when we both read this first volume and loved it. . Thea went on to read every single one of them (there are 12 so far) and continues to follow all the monthlies as well. Ana (aka The Lazy Smuggler) has only read up to volume 4 so far. But what matters is this: we luuurves it.

Lusty Reader’s Review:

Since we may not know each other too well, dear Book Smuggler readers, I thought I would start off my guest dare post by sharing a secret. Secret sharing is a great way to make new bff’s, I have a picture in my mind of us all in a giggling gaggle at a slumber party – I have dibs on the My Little Pony sleeping bag! So, gather round, it’s confession time…Even Thea and Ana don’t know this, which might have made the dare even better.

I always thought a “graphic novel” was a sex book. Like erotica. Or illustrated Kama Sutra books. Because like in movies and stuff they are rated R for graphic scenes, right? This equaled sex to me. I have had a lusty mind for a long time I guess.

I was so sure of this my whole life I always made a wide berth around the “graphic” section of any bookstore so I wouldn’t be seen near “those sex books.” I couldn’t believe that they had a sex section! Out in the open! With a big sign! Shocking. My heart already beats faster in embarrassment and anxiety when I am in the romance novel section, heaven forbid I get too close to those graphic sex books!

When I started poking around book blogland earlier this year I finally realized what graphic novels really were.

Phew, it felt good to get that off my chest!

This confession illustrates *snicker, pun intended* that I know absolutely nothing about graphic novels. I mean, can I even call them comic books? Or is that a negative connotation thing, like bodice rippers vs romance novels? The last comic book I ever read was Archie when I was a kid in the 90s. I say this all so you can take it as an official disclaimer since my hosts here are winners of Best Graphic Novel Review blog – whereas I have no clue what I’m talking about.

Hence the guest dare! Chatting on twitter Ana discovered I had never read a graphic novel and quickly made sure she would change that, so since I always listen to what the Book Smugglers tell me to do, here I am!

Reading Fables Vol. 1 Legends in Exile was a totally new experience for me. Starting off, I was a bit distracted – I read all the words, but skipped the pictures, or studied all the details in the pictures, but glossed over the dialogue. My eyes were darting in every direction, trying to take it all in at once, afraid I was missing something, like Where’s Waldo’s hat, or scroll, or glasses. But the longer I read the more adjusted I became and began to really appreciate the artistry in the illustrations as well as the skill the writers need to have to only be able to write dialogue, but still communicate enough to the reader. The pairing is such a unique way to follow a story and I found myself really enjoying it!

One reason why is because I love retellings or new twists on fairytales. The Fables series follows a number of well known fairytale characters and legends from folklore as they live in exile in New York City. They were driven from their respective kingdoms, magical woods, and all their lands by The Adversary (whose drawings were so frightening I physically shuddered when we finally got to see what they looked like) and so are now all living in a clandestine community known as Fabletown in the Big Apple.

Those who cannot blend in with the mundanes (aka humans) live at The Farm in upstate New York. This is an example of the depths of the world building, there is so much back-story to their escape from the Adversary, how their relationships have evolved over time, and we learn so much in just the first few pages. More about how Fabletown’s community and government is set up, how some were able to escape with their riches and some weren’t, and what rituals, rules about old grudges, and traditions they have developed to keep everyone together.

One upcoming tradition is the annual Remembrance Day ball in memory of their Homelands. This year it’s not just a ball, it’s a deadline to find a murderer. Hard partying Rose Red’s apartment was found trashed, covered in blood, and she was no where to be found. Suspecting the worst, her sister, Snow White (Director of Operations) and Bigby Wolf (of Fabletown’s Security Office) team up to find the killer.

These were the two characters we followed the most and I loved both of them, especially rugged Bigby. He is the perfect tortured, rough-around-the-edges hero just begging for the right woman to come along and fix him with her love. There is the slightest, teensiest, tinyest, vaguest suggestion of a romantic undercurrent between him and Snow White, which tickled my fancy, but was certainly not enough to fulfill my usual romance preferences!

The pacing, plot twists, and the big reveal are awesome, it doesn’t feel drawn out at all. And while I guessed a little bit about what happened, the way the clues are shown and later explained is super fun and keeps you on your toes.

The best part for me was all the characters we met along the way: a pissed off Pinocchio trapped in a little boy’s body, but after 300 years is horny as hell, a troubled marriage between Beauty and the Beast, several divorced Prince Charmings, a fencing Cinderella, and a Little Pig who escapes from The Farm upstate. How they evolved in Fabletown was my absolute favorite, was such a cool “what happened after they lived happily ever after” way of imagining their stories.

I did enjoy having the visual side of the story as well, but I will say that all the female characters were drawn in bit too much of a “va-va voom” way for me, like a Jessica Rabbit or something. I know so many of these fairy tale women were SUPPOSED to be gorgeous and what not, but they were uber sexy in the comic book.

Overall I am so glad I made my first foray into the graphic novel world and would recommend Fables Vol. 1 to anyone who likes a good whodunit and retellings of classic fairytales.

And it helped me make a new friend on the DC metro. The colors and pages are so splashy they drew a lot of attention on my commute to work. The nerdy, 20-something guy with glasses I was sitting next to kept sneaking peeks and he finally asked me what I was reading. When I flipped the cover, his eyes lit up as he proclaimed his love for the series. He thought we had a lot in common and recommended the book he had open on his lap – H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, definitely not my usual cup of tea either!

But I will absolutely be reading more graphic novels in the future. Even though they are not sex books I’ve already added The Surrogates to my TBR so I can read it before the movie comes out!

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Needless to say, we are delighted that LR liked Fables and will try other Graphic Novels. And hey Lusty, if you liked the romantic dynamics between Snow and Bigby you might want to keep reading this series. It only gets better. Like, REALLY, really good. *ninja*

Next on the Guest Dare: Kati of Katidom reads her first Steampunk Novel: Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassoti!

Until next month!

In anticipation for the release of the long awaited Elegy Beach, Steven Boyett’s much loved fantasy-post-apocalyptic tale Ariel has been re-released. And, after reading and enjoying Ariel, we’ve decided to hold a giveaway!

More About the Book:

At four-thirty one Saturday afternoon the laws of physics as we know them underwent a change. Electronic devices, cars, industries stopped. The lights went out. Any technology more complicated than a lever or pulley simply wouldn’t work. A new set of rules took its place—laws that could only be called magic. Ninety-nine percent of humanity has simply vanished. Cities lie abandoned. Supernatural creatures wander the silenced achievements of a halted civilization.

Pete Garey has survived the Change and its ensuing chaos. He wanders the southeastern United States, scavenging, lying low. Learning. One day he makes an unexpected friend: a smartassed unicorn with serious attitude. Pete names her Ariel and teaches her how to talk, how to read, and how to survive in a world in which a unicorn horn has become a highly prized commodity.

When they learn that there is a price quite literally on Ariel’s head, the two unlikely companions set out from Atlanta to Manhattan to confront the sorcerer who wants her horn. And so begins a haunting, epic, and surprisingly funny journey through the remnants of a halted civilization in a desolated world.

Book Website (including chapter excerpts, audio excerpts, interactive maps, forums, and author info): www.arielbook.com

About the Author:

Steven R. Boyett has written novels, short stories, comic books, feature films, essays, and reviews. As a DJ he has played clubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Reno, as well as at Burning Man. He produces three of the world’s most popular music podcasts (Podrunner, Podrunner: Intervals, and Groovelectric), and was among the first people to make a living in that medium.

As owner of Sneaker Press Boyett published poetry chapbooks by Carrie Etter and the late Nancy Lambert. He has also been a martial-arts instructor, paper marbler, advertising copywriter, editor, typesetter, and proofreader. He designs websites, plays the didgeridoo, and composes electronic music. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, composer Maureen Halderson, and their two parrots.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

We are offering up TWO prize packs today, which each include an autographed copy of Ariel along with bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here, naming your favorite post-apocalypse book/movie/comic/whatever.

The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until Saturday September 26th at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

Also, while you’re at it – you can sign up for ANOTHER chance to win a brand spankin’ new autographed copy of Ariel over at author Steven Boyett’s blog. He’s currently running a contest, calling for the rattiest, water-damaged, duct-taped, broken copies of Ariel. The person with the gankiest copy will win! The contest has been extended until September 25! You can find out the entry details HERE.