Review: Tamsin

Title: Tamsin


Author: Peter S Beagle

Why I read it: There was a cat on the cover ^_^

Summary (from Goodreads) Arriving in the English countryside to live with her mother and new stepfather, Jenny has no interest in her surroundings, until she meets Tamsin. Since her death over 300 years ago, Tamsin has haunted the lonely estate without rest, trapped by a hidden trauma she can't remember, and a powerful evil even the spirits of night cannot name. To help her, Jenny must delve deeper into the dark world than any human has in hundreds of years, and face danger that will change her life forever.

Opinion: This was one of my favorite books as a teenager. I first read it when I was about fifteen and I've read it twice since. It's a story of friendship, adventure, danger, ghosts, and the lovely English countryside. Perfect for October!

Ratings
Girl Power: 5 (Jenny is a strong, realistic, narrator who makes for a charming protagonist who stirs up trouble as much as she gets out of it)
Writing Style: 4 (First person is difficult to pull of, but it worked here. Peter S. Beagle managed to balance a believable voice by having an (slightly) older Jenny looking back on the strange events of her adolescents.)
Plot: 5 (It's not just a ghost story. It's mysterious. Funny. Heart-wrenching. Jenny's struggle of self-discovery and adventure in a new country is nicely interwoven with the tragic and romantic storyline of the ghosts.  It sucked me in at fifteen and it still sucks me in today.)

Overall: 5

Overall: This is one of my favorite books. I think Peter S. Beagle is one of the most under-appreciated authors I've ever read. 

Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Title: The Girl Who Chased the Moon


Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Why I read it: The title caught my attention. Then I saw it took place in NC, my home state, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Summary (from Goodreads) Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Opinion: It kept me hooked. The characters were interesting, realistic, treatable, likable. I read half of the book in one sitting. However, it seemed like there were two stories here and they were very disconnected. One was a very realistic story of a middle-aged woman facing down her past, while the other was a girl discovering a vaguely-supernatural secret about a mysterious family.

Ratings
Girl Power: 4 (Both Emily and Julia are well-rounded, realistic women full of determination. They aren't heroes, but they certainly aren't damsels in distress)
Writing Style: 4
Plot: 3 (One storyline is entirely plausible, taking place in a world identical to our own. The other starts out in this world, then delves into the supernatural in a way that felt forced. Both plots were good, on their own, but together they seemed disjointed. There was also a little too much emphasis on the love stories for my taste (both heroines seem to end up pursued by genuine attractive guys despite their callousness towards them).
Overall:3.5

Review: Sally Lockhart: The Ruby in the Smoke

Title: The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart Mystery)

Author: Phillip Pullman

Summary (from Goodreads): “BEWARE THE SEVEN blessings . . . ” When she first utters these words, 16-year-old Sally Lockhart doesn’t know their meaning. But when an employee of her late father hears them, he dies of fear. Thus begins Sally’s terrifying journey into the seamy underworld of Victorian London, in search of clues to her father’s mysterious death.

Opinion: To me, Sally was very much a spunky female Sherlock Holmes. Except, her strength was less in detection and more in her cunning and drive. She isn't a 'goody two shoes' and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. In a time when women were held to certain standards, Sally makes her own standards. She took the story from an average mystery to a thrilling adventure that kept me turning the pages.

Ratings
Girl Power: 5 (Sally is clever, brave, and drives the story)
Writing Style: 3 (I read it a while ago and I remembered so little of the writing style, I looked up excerpts of it before writing this. It's simple, straight-forward with a poignant description here and there, but it's the story and the characters that are memorable, not the style)
Plot: 3 (The book markets itself and starts out reading like a mystery, but ends up being more of an adventure/thriller. The mystery is solved offstage by someone other than Sally, though Sally gets her moments to shine, rescue, and even kill.)
Overall: 3.5

This wasn't one of my favorite books and Sally wasn't one of my favorite heroines, but she was memorable with all the makings of a strong female character; she certainly deserves a spot on this blog.

Who are the 10 most powerful female characters of all time?

According to Flavorwire's list "10 of the Most Powerful Female Characters in Literature" we've got Katniss in fourth, The Wife of Bath (from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales) in third, Hermione in second, and Jane Eyre as our lovely winner. Not bad. But come on, there has to be more than 2 exceptional females created in all that was written since Chaucer. 

What about Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz? On that note, what about Elphaba from Wicked?







Here are some often overlooked heroines I think deserve to be included:

Addie from The Two Princesses of Bamarre. I hardly remember this book: I read it once when I was twelve. But I remember loving it (and there are several scenes I remember clearly, which I won't say specifically to avoid spoiling it for anyone who might want to read it). In a fantastical world of faeries and monsters, Addie takes it upon herself to set off on a perilous quest to find a cure for her dying sister. 

Heidi from Johanna Spyri's Heidi. Part of a literary classic, this girl was the first female character I remember relating to and wishing I could be like. She might not have saved the world, but she had her own adventures and made the best of them. 
 
Kitty Pryde from X-men. Ok, so maybe this isn't literary per say, but she deserves mentioning. She's feminine, witty, compassionate, clever, yet holds her ground in any fight: be it battle of strength, will, or mind. I read once that she was the inspiration for Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Morgaine from The Mists of Avalon. Marion Zimmer Bradley's version of the iconic Morgan le Fay is tough, cunning, and compassionate, refusing to be a pawn in anyone's game. She is flawed, yet heroic.

Pippi Longstocking. Adventurous, daring, spunky. What six year old didn't want to be best friends with this rambunctious girl who pushed the limits of society and always found a way to have fun. She's like the female equivalent of Peter Pan, only less menacing.


Who do you think deserves to make the list and why?

Review: What I saw and How I Lied

Title: What I saw and How I Lied


Author: Judy Blundell

Why I picked it up: Judy Blundell's Star Wars novels (the Jedi apprentice series, published under her pen name Jude Watson) were some of my favorite middle-grade novels growing up.

Summary (Goodreads): Murder and intrigue surround a girl in this mystery set in American in the aftermath of WWII. When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him . . . until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two.

Opinion: I think I had such high expectations for this one that I basically set myself up for disappointment. I love the author, but the main character was a little too "damsel in distress" for me at times, though she did have a tough streak. The plot itself was interesting and the setting was unique and fun to read about. It's a good, fun read, but nothing exceptional.

Ratings
Girl Power: 3.5 (Evie's a strong and likable protagonist, but she's a bit too easily swayed for my taste).
Writing Style: 4 (consistently good with a few gems here and there)
Plot: 4 (good, consistent, keeps you turning the pages)
Overall: 4

If you're looking for a historical mystery full of suspense with a touch of romance, give this a try.