The End

Dear Imaginary Readers,

I am not delusional enough to think that anyone actually reads this blog regularly. However, if there is someone, I do apologize. That being said, I think it is time to bring The Unseelie Realm to a close. I will leave it up in case I decide to return--really though if anyone actually reads this blog leave me a comment or something so I know that you exist and/or are alive. Never fear, my blogging career has not completely ended. If you feel so inclined you can find my writing alive and well on the blog I am co-writing with Irritating Paramour. Here's the website: http://eyeforaneyepiece.wordpress.com so feel free to follow us! Nevertheless, I do warn you that Chromatic Aberration Everywhere is almost entirely different from The Unseelie Realm and therefore my writing style is drastically different as well. I'm much nicer there ;)! I wish you all the best and hope that you continue your pursuits into the fantasy and paranormal genres.

Snails and Puppydog Tails,

Adriana Ivy

Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood #1)- Juliet Marillier

In the woods of Transylvania live five sisters and their father. The second oldest, Jena spends her time exploring the forests and enjoying her freedom accompanied by her unusual pet frog. Inside the castle where the girls live is a portal to the magical Other Kingdom. Every full moon, the girls pass through the portal and dance through the night with the inhabitants of this world. Their visits are filled with joy up to the point that the eldest daughter, Tatiana, falls in love with one of the more dangerous inhabitants of the Other Kingdom. However, there is little at stake until when their father falls ill and their cousin Cezar comes in and takes control of the household while their father travels south to recover. Cezar tries to prevent the girls from returning to the Other Kingdom to partake in their monthly revelries. Jena will be tested to see if she can save her sister from the clutches of her dangerous paramour and if she can stave off Cezar until her father recovers and returns home.

Overall Merit: This book was filled with standard fairytale elements and the female protagonist was strong yet flawed at the same time--Marillier has a talent for these sorts of leads. The fairytale elements drew a good amount from mythology, but it seemed a bit muddled at times as if she couldn't decide which pantheon she wanted to draw from. The fairy world she crafted was vague, but I guess that was the point. For the most part, it was an enjoyable read even though it used the typical fairytale story structure, quests and true love included, as a crutch. There was a definite "Twelve Dancing Princesses"feel to the novel, but to name that the central thematic fairytale would be a fallacy due to the overwhelming amount of fairytales present. The main thing that bothered me about the story was that it seemed to convenient for the father to be sick and unable to communicate with his daughters, thus leaving an opening for Cezar to come in and take control.  Score-8

Characters: I understand that Jena was the main character, but it would have been nice to flesh out Tatiana and the other sisters a bit more. Tatiana was a moonstruck teenager and didn't progress past that--she didn't need to overcome anything to end up with Sorrow, all the work was done on his end. Jena's flaws were what made her strong, but when the big reveal about her love interest comes to pass, her response was confusing and out of character. Cezar would have been a better antagonist if his motives were more believable. I didn't buy that he was holding on to a grudge from so many years ago and that he still hadn't gained closure from a trauma that occurred so many years in the past. It's fine to have a vendetta or something like that, but the intensity of this one and the reasoning behind it did not   Score- 6

Blush Factor: Gogu and Jena were a cute couple, even with the whole enchanted frog thing going on. However, the Tatiana and Sorrow romantic arc seemed a bit forced. I wasn't getting any chemistry from that couple. I know that Marillier was trying to complicate the romantic arc for Jena and Gogu and make it more hard-won, but there were better ways to go about it. Both Gogu and Jena behaved in ways that were very uncharacteristic. There wasn't any major chemistry in the couplings, unlike in some of Marillier's other novels where the reader is rooting for the lovers the entire time. Not to say that the romantic aspect was bad or unsatisfying, there were just some aspects that were disappointing or unrealistic. Score- 7

Plot: There seemed to be a ton of different plot elements going on at the same time and while they all seemed to stick to the same story, I thought that having so many conflicts going on at the same time was incredibly distracting. The companion book, Cybele's Secret, had the same problem. Mariller had characters running around on quests right and left and trying to dodge Cezar at the same time. It was just way too much going on. None of the elements were inherently bad, but when put together in a slapdash manner it was confusing and disorienting. Score- 6


Structure: This was largely Jena's story and while it's fine to leave the supporting characters to be not as fleshed out, I felt there was an imbalance to the amount of backstory each one got. For example, we get a lot of information on Cezar, Gogu, and Tatiana (to a certain extent), but the other sisters are somewhat ignored as well as many of the other characters who seem thrown in there, but don't serve much of a purpose. As I mentioned earlier, my main issues with the story were the unrealistic aspects. I know that women were supposed to be married young during the approximate time-period of this story, but fifteen seemed a bit too young to me. Jena also didn't really act like a fifteen year old--she seemed to be more around seventeen. Score- 6

Vervain Says: If you liked Marillier's other books then you may as well go ahead and read this one too.

The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz #2)- L. Frank Baum

Hello non-existent readers! I am back from an extremely long hiatus--my sincerest apologies. It is only now that I have finished writing my infernal papers at University that I have the chance to read books again and share my oh so humble opinions. Shut up Vervain. Yea well right back at you. Sorry about that, she's a bit tetchy today. Nevertheless, I hope you are all having a lovely time with the return of the sun. I, for one, am displeased, but the weather does not seem to hold my opinion in very high regard. Anyway, I'll retreat to my library now and leave you with the following review:

My dear readers, if you have any knowledge about the Oz books that follow The Wonderful Wizard of Oz then you have my temporary respect and perhaps I shall let you live another day. L. Frank Baum--a horrible mortal I'm sure--actually wrote fourteen Oz books all of which I read in my childhood. Since it is summer and the pesky Seelies grow ever bolder, I picked it up again so that I could stay cloistered in my library. True, it is a children's book, but a classic nonetheless and I advise any fantasy readers to look to it for nostalgic value.

The story starts with a boy named Tip who is the ward of a wicked witch named Mombi. He hates his 'foster mother' (for lack of a better term) and decides to play a trick on her. Tip creates a man with a pumpkin for a head and sets him up to frighten Mombi. Mombi, of course isn't frightened and instead uses some of her 'life powder' to bring the man to life. The man is christened Jack Pumpkinhead. Later that night, Tip steals Mombi's life powder and brings a sawhorse to life so he can escape with Jack Pumpkinhead. As all good stories in Oz begin, they decide to run away to the Emerald City. They arrive in the City and all is well until a group of greedy and selfish girls armed with knitting needles invade the city and take over. Their leader, General Jinjur, declares herself queen and kicks out the Scarecrow (anyone who read the first book instead of just watching the movie will know that the Scarecrow was named king of the Emerald City after the Wizard left). The companions must travel through the land of Oz and seek help from the Tin Woodsman and eventually Glinda the Good to put the rightful ruler on the throne of the Emerald City.

Overall Merit:  The word I would use to describe this book, and all the books in the series is: charming. They are adorable and whimsical and although they are written for children (most likely Seelie children unfortunately) I still enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, there isn't a whole lot of action and the enjoyment relies heavily on suspension of disbelief, but it is still a wonderful read (no pun intended, this comment is aimed at someone who knows exactly who he is). I would highly encourage you to read the original Oz book if you haven't already. Score-7 (for sheer nostalgia/charm factor)

Characters: Oh this book. My non-existent feminist readers are going to hate this part of the review. However, I'll preface this by saying that fans of the movie might be disappointed to discover that Dorothy is not a character in this book, but never fear, she shows up later in the series. The main group of characters are just the right combination of quirky and lovable. Now for my feminist readers you will hate the depiction of General Jinjur and her army of foolish, vain girls. For my non feminist readers, you will hate them because they are annoying and stupid (let's keep in mind that this was written in 1904). Mombi was a standard one dimensional villain, in fact all the characters were one dimensional. But my dear readers, it's Oz be a little forgiving. I'm biased of course--these books were a major contributing factor to my childhood. However, when my father discovered that I was indulging in Seelie literature, I was beaten thoroughly. Score- 5 (I'm trying to be realistic)

Blush Factor: N/A

Plot: The plot was predictable, you knew what was going to happen from the very beginning although there was a surprising twist at the end. I won't spoil it for you since it does end up being a large factor in the subsequent books. However, if you are looking for something convoluted and intense you are reading the wrong thing. The plot may be sugarcoated, but it still makes you happy to read it just because it is so lighthearted, which makes it difficult to find fault in it. Score-5

Structure: This was lovely, there is no other way I can describe a return trip to Oz. While the characters weren't complex or conflicted, they were still very creative--I want to spend time with a Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug who spends his time making bad puns and acting better than everyone else. It is a goofy and silly book, but that is what makes it so enchanting. The world that Baum creates is both ridiculous and brilliant at the same time and that is a major factor in what makes the book so thoroughly enthralling. Score- 7

On a side note, I will be writing a guest post for Irritating Paramour's blog, which you can check out here: http://eyeforaneyepiece.wordpress.com. Be warned, his posts are dry as burnt toast, but I plan on adding a bit of butter to them, possibly jam too if he lets me. Until next time, which I promise will be soon!

Vervain Says: It had better be soon, Adriana, or I'll set fire to your skirts.

The Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles #1)- Melanie Rawn

How to begin with a summary of this book...

A millennium ago, Mageborns fled to a planet called Lenfell to escape persecution, but Lenfell was soon devastated by the Magewars. Magical factions battled against each other and unleashed horrific creatures called Wraithenbeasts. Centuries after the war, the world is recovering--the Mageborns are allowed to practice magic, but with severe constrictions and the tension between the classes has culminated in agonizing tension. The novel follows the story of three sisters, separated from each other as children, yet all powerful in their own right. They will fight against each other for power, all the while ignorant of the familial connection. In this female dominated society the men act as pawns to the strong-willed and petulant females, but the three sisters rise above the rest to assert positions of the highest authority.

Something like that. It was 900 pages and I only got through 3/4ths of it before giving up--cut me some slack.

Overall Merit: I am loathe to give up on a book, even when it's exorbitantly long like this one is, but in this case I couldn't bring myself to finish. I felt like I was reading a history textbook for the majority of the story and to be honest I didn't connect with any of the characters. The only reason I picked up this book was because it was highly recommended from several sources and I did like some of Rawn's other work, but this one was a disaster. I guess in theory it could have been a good story, but then again I have no idea, I didn't finish it. I mean this is especially saying something since my irritating paramour somehow roped me into reading the entire Fifty Shades trilogy (I'm debating whether I should post about those books or not even though they're not entirely relevant). Anyway, point being: I really did not like this book. It did have some merits, but I would not advise reading it. Score: 3

Characters: I hated all the characters. This was my biggest gripe with the book. Maybe it's because I am so not a feminist by any definition of the word (here comes the hate) anyway, but the women were obnoxious. The men weren't much better. I did not connect with a single character and even though the book kept switching perspective between primarily the three sisters Cailin, Sarra, and Glenin none of the perspectives were better than the others. Usually I can find at least one character to link with--I am currently reading Game of Thrones and I don't like all the characters, but at least some of them are palatable. Score- 2 (because there were actually characters)

Blush Factor: Sure there was awkward sex in this book in which it was considered kinky if the guy was on top. Best line ever: "'Damn Garon!' she raged weakly. 'Damn him to Geridon's Hell!' In that legendary location, men who were promiscuous, sexually importunate, or a bed sheet burden to the women who married them were condemned to the exquisite torment of a constant, total, eternally unrelieved erection." Essentially I've decided that Rawn is a man-hater, which I guess is cool, but come on she didn't cut them any slack. There was nothing romantic about anything in this book. Score- 0 I can't give a score to something that didn't exist. 

Plot: Convoluted and insane. I was being dragged from one place to another without a chance to catch my breath. This book was way too long and should have been divided into at least two novels--maybe it would have been less of a hassle to read that way. Anyway there were a million things going on at the same time and I had an extremely difficult time keeping all the plot threads straight in my head, which is why I gave up because it got to the point where I didn't even understand what was going on anymore. Score- 3

Structure: I don't have a problem with female dominated societies, in fact my favorite guilty pleasure books happen to be just that (check out the Black Jewels Trilogy if you have the time), but this was excessive. There was no love, no romance the men were literally treated either like chattel or they were ridiculed if they had any sort of status. I mean I understand this is sometimes common treatment for women in books, but it just felt so alien doing it to men and it didn't really add anything to the plot. I felt like Rawn had too many components in the book and if she had stuck to fewer oddities the story would have been more coherent and cohesive. Score- 3

Vervain Says: "I couldn't tell if this was Science-Fiction or Fantasy, I feel like that's a problem in and of itself. It's ok when there's genre crossover, but this one just confused me."