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 Shadow Reader (McKenzie Lewis #1)- Sandy Williams

McKenzie Lewis has an ability sought by both the Court Fae (variation spelling on 'fey' used in this book) and the Rebels: she can track fey based on the 'shadows' they leave behind. In the human world, McKenzie is trying to finish her English degree and get on with her life, but the fae have other plans for her. She has been working for the fae king for years and has been in love with his sword master, Kyol, for just as long. However, she is tracked down and kidnapped by the rebel fae who want to unseat the corrupt king and put one of their own on the throne. To do this, they need McKenzie's talents to find and gain control over the hidden portals in their world. McKenzie must decide who she can trust and whether or not her affections for Kyol can be replaced by the rugged rebel leader, Aren. Aren teaches her the forbidden fae language and opens her eyes to the corruption of the Court. The fighting begins to claim lives, both mortal and fae and McKenzie's decision could be the single thing that decides the outcome of the war.

Overall Merit: Let me start by saying, this is the perfect example of a misleading cover. I don't think McKenzie so much as touches a sword in the entire novel, in fact she spends most of her time getting injured and rescued by people who can actually use a weapon properly. This book did not gain points with me because to be honest, I didn't understand McKenzie's powers very well and from what I saw of them, they didn't seem very useful. The story was not that interesting or well thought out. Plus, it was totally predictable. I mean it wasn't an awful book or anything, but there wasn't even any good romance to make it better. Score- 6

Characters: I apologize in advance because this is going to turn into a rant about character names. McKenzie. What the bloody hell? If you must use a horrible spelling of the name, don't put random capitals in the  middle of it, it's distracting. What's wrong with Mckenzie, or Mackenzie? Personally, I prefer the vowel before the 'ck' it looks prettier and makes the name less irritating. McKenzie is a bad name in general, but Williams makes it worse with the pretentious spelling. I mean I've seen much worse names, but that's only because I can't pronounce them. To add to that, I didn't really like McKenzie very much, she didn't have much of a personality. Sure, she kept trying to escape from the Rebels and blah, blah, blah, but she didn't do all that much. She was a space filler, not a character. The two love interests weren't interesting either, Aren was ok, but Kyol was meh. I mean all the characters were just kind of flat. Score- 5

Blush Factor: I don't like love triangles at the best of times, however this one didn't bother me so much. Then again, that might have to do with the fact that the characters were all way too boring for me to care what happened to/with them. Aren was a bad boy, but not really and then Kyol was supposed to be a stoic, deadly swordsman, but again not really. McKenzie eventually chooses Aren, sorry to spoil it, but it was pretty predictable. Score- 6

Structure: This was actually a first person novel, which was somewhat surprising since that doesn't show up often in this genre. Nonetheless, the narrator (McKenzie) was not interesting enough to make me enjoy her perspective. It followed linear story structure and well there were virtually no plot twists. Then there was some weird stuff going on with humans who hunted faeries and I got confused. The weird relationship with technology didn't fly that well for me either. I wasn't convinced that the fae were actually fae, there wasn't anything very faerie-like about them at all. Williams did not ground her mythos well enough for the world. Also, what the hell are the weird electrical impulses that seem to run through fae skin? I was confused and not very pleased with the structure of this world. Score- 4

Plot: In one word: predictable. There wasn't much of a plot and the plot that was there wasn't interesting. I was pretty bored throughout the novel--thank Rhiannon it was short. Seriously though, nothing new happened here. McKenzie was kidnapped a bunch of times, there was a pathetic attempt at a battle at the end. Some sort of convoluted plot was concocted. Even the romantic tension fell flat. This book sort of had potential, but it definitely wasn't worth the money I spent buying it. Score- 4

Vervain says: "Human technology weakens fae magic."

The Bone Doll's Twin (The Tamir Triad #1)- Lynn Flewelling

For centuries, warrior queens protected the land of Skala until the king Erius usurped his younger sister's throne and brought plague and drought upon the land. To make matters worse, the enemy kingdom of Plenimar drains Skala dry. The king fights to ensure that his son and heir is the next to take the throne and to do this, any females born to the royal line have all perished by 'mysterious' means. All except his sister's daughter who was given male form by dark magic to protect her until the time she can ascend the throne. The child, Tobin grows to manhood, ignorant of his true identity and haunted by the demon spirit of the twin whose body he stole. Only, Tobin's father, two wizards, and a forest witch know the truth of his identity and they will have to be enough to protect him until he can stand on his own as the queen of Skala.

Overall Merit: This book is beautiful. I loved this book and read it without stopping for three hours until I was finished. Tobin is a haunting yet bewitching character and your heart bleeds for him as you see him struggle to fit a male mold even though instinctively he wants to play with dolls. Then there is the issue of his deranged mother and the hideous doll she carries around with her that binds the spirit of her child's murdered twin.  The magic is dark and deliciously twisted and the characters are fascinating. Flewelling has created a fantastical story with unique magic. Score- 11.5

Characters: Tobin is wonderful as is his friend Ki, who shows up a bit later in the story. The camaraderie they share is touching and I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with them. Even the antagonists have depth here. The king is a cruel and twisted man, who still has affection for his mad sister even though if he knew the truth of the children she bore he would have executed the girl without a thought. Lhel is creepy, but in a good way, I get a very New Orleans witchdoctor feel from her, which is something I've never gotten in epic fantasy before. The other wizards are interesting I suppose, kind of generic, but perhaps they play a greater role later on in the series. Score- 10

Blush Factor: There is a bit of explicit content here, but I wouldn't exactly call it romance. Score: N/A

Structure: I am not a fan of prophecies in general. However, this novel did something different in that the prophecy had already occurred and it was lack of fulfillment that was causing a problem. Props for that, it didn't make me wince the way most prophecy books do. This was primarily through Tobin's perspective, but it also took a side plot to Lhel and the wizard Arkoniel, which was interesting enough, and I look forward to seeing how that plays out in the next books. Score-10

Plot: The plot didn't progress a ton in this book, but I didn't expect it to. A first in a trilogy is to set the stage, introduce the characters, etc. Flewelling did an excellent job with all the necessary components and I am half-dying waiting for the next books to come in the mail. True the content is a bit twisted and grotesque so if that isn't your thing, too bad, read this book anyway. I got a good feel for the characters and the story kept a good pace. Loved this book, so happy I finally decided to read it. Score-11

Vervain Says: "The reason Tobin's twin haunts him is because the body/soul was not disposed of properly."

The Fairy Godmother- Mercedes Lackey

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, everyone has a role to play, whether it be that of a normal peasant or noble, or something more important. This role is determined by a force called the Tradition. Once the Tradition decides that a person is useful or important, magic will culminate around said person and push them on a path toward their inevitable destiny. However, sometimes the logistics don't always work out correctly. Elena was supposed to be a "Cinderella" in her world. She has the evil stepmother and sisters to boot, but as luck would have it, the prince of her kingdom is eleven and not a viable candidate. So instead, she finds herself apprenticed to the fairy godmother of her kingdom and is poised to take over her position as soon as she learns how to control and use the magic that the Tradition has bestowed upon her.

Overall Merit: This was a fluffy book. It was fun to read and I did enjoy the world that Lackey created. This was my first Mercedes Lackey book so I don't know a whole lot about her writing style. To sum it up in one word: cute. The book was cutesy and headed for an inevitable happy ending, which I guess is to be expected in a world governed by fairytales. It wasn't anything so amazing, but I liked the concept of the world and it was a quick read. If you're looking for intense, well-written fantasy/characters/plot then this probably isn't your book, but I mean it was a very light read--'beachy' if you will (not that I know so much about beaches, Unseelie is sadly deficient)--so I finished it in a few hours. The main gripe I had was the romance. This romantic sequence pissed me off/confused me to the extreme. More on that in 'Blush Factor'. Score- 7

Characters: Not a whole lot of substance here. As I said, the characters weren't very well-written. I didn't get any real emotion from anyone and I didn't particularly care about Alexander or Elena. They weren't annoying characters, which always buys some points in my book, but they were flat. Elena was ho-hum not that interesting and her personality wasn't there. She never expressed any real emotion--same issue with Alexander. Sure, Lackey told me he was annoyed/wanted to throttle Elena, but she didn't show me his frustration. The other characters were basically sketches, thrown in to help the plot along, but they literally had no personality or were so stereotypical that they may as well have been stick figures. Score- 5

Blush Factor: *SPOILERS* Don't even get me started. This was one of the worst romances I have ever seen. First off, you knew that Elena and Alexander were going to get together as soon as she drags him away from his quest to 'punish' him. Then, he tries to sexually assault her, which I find is never conducive to any sort of kind feelings. After, when he becomes more civil, they start having freaky shared sex dreams and somehow along the lines end up falling in love. And finally, out of the blue he asks her if she's been having the same dreams as him and then when she says yes they go up to his rooms and have a weird variation of sex. What the Hell? Score- 3

Structure: I really did like the world, which is why I give some kudos to this book. I liked the pseudo fairytale setting and the magical rules of the world. Lackey gave good definition to her magic and the rules governing the world, which was amenable since so many writers neglect to do that. The story wove in and out of Elena's and Alexander's perspectives, which was standard, but I wished there had been more definition when the perspectives jumped. I got a line break and that was it, just a formatting issue, but still something to note. If you do decide to check out the book, do it for the world structure. Score- 8

Plot: I mean there was a plot, it wasn't a very good plot, but it was a plot all the same. I hated the ending, it was extremely rushed. It felt like Lackey was trying to avoid major conflict, realized that was impossible, and ended up putting it in at the end and sweeping it under the carpet as quickly as she could. The premise was decent, not super strong, but not awful either. Lackey could have done something much more interesting with the world. There really wasn't enough conflict. Elena mastered her magic in what felt like moments, Alexander was helped by fairies, and the final 'epic' battle was over in a few pages. No one died. Everyone lived happily ever after, even though the message that Lackey kept driving home in the book was that it didn't work like that. Score- 6

Vervain Says: "Fairy Godmothers are responsible for quest giving, testing heros, and keeping magic from running amok."

Foxmask- Juliet Marillier

This is a companion book to Wolfskin, however this novel can stand alone just fine. It is the story of young Creidhe, a talented weaver who follows her best friend and love interest Thorvald on a quest to find his father who was banished from the Light Isles in disgrace. Thorvald and his friend Sam set out in Sam's fishing boat and Creidhe stows away in the hold--she is convinced that Thorvald needs her even if he refuses her help. Sounds like a healthy relationship, I know. Anyway so per maritime tradition, they get caught in a storm and wind up on another island, where the people are living in terror of the Unspoken (a mysterious people, desperate to find their missing seer called the Foxmask). Thorvald and Sam are put to work to "earn" the supplies they will need to repair the ship. Creidhe, on the other hand, is taken away to stay with the other women in isolation. However, evil is brewing as "The Hunt" approaches and the men are determined to find the missing Foxmask before another sacrifice is made.

Overall Merit: I didn't love this book as I found the premise confusing. It took me a while to actually wrap my head around the whole Foxmask concept and  I found some of Creidhe's inaction to be slightly out of character. The romance was also a bit disconcerting and while I enjoy Marillier's writing as a general rule, this was not one of her stronger books. Score- 6

Characters- I don't know if the author intended for the male protagonist (Thorvald) to be so utterly irritating. I did not like him at all and I think she tried to make him somewhat sympathetic, but I could not make myself like him. Creidhe was muddled, sometimes her voice was clear and other times she sounded like a different person entirely. By the end she also started to irritate me. The main antagonist, the chief of the Long Knife People, got to be annoying as well, he was too cliched suave villain stereotype. Definitely not Marillier's best characters. Score-5

Blush Factor- This was definitely PG-13 (I'm going off the fact that they let Breaking Dawn slide through those cracks), there was a sex scene between Creidhe and an unexpected character. However, in terms of the quality of the romance, I found the sequencing frustrating. True, people are often dense in terms of feelings, but Creidhe was literally beating Thorvald over the head with a valentine. It annoyed me. There was an unexpected plot twist, which helped make up for it a little bit, but even then, this new relationship was creepy and based purely on physical attraction. Score-6

Structure- The structure was linear, switching perspectives between Thorvald and Creidhe. It was easy to follow, but as always I find myself more enamored with one perspective over the other. While I didn't love either narrators, Creidhe was definitely more interesting. The writing was succinct and crisp as expected from Marillier. Score-8

Plot- It was definitely original, there was no lack of creativity in the world or the story, but at some places it seemed very forced and there were some things that didn't quite do it for me in terms of "suspending my disbelief". One such example is the protocol followed for the Foxmask, I didn't quite buy the whole leg breaking, eye gouging bit. Either way, points for creativity. Score-8

In summation, I'd only suggest reading this book if you read Wolfskin first and feel compelled to follow the world a little bit more. Otherwise, probably not worth your time. You'd be much better off with any of Marillier's other books.