Beastly

There are so many retellings of classic fairy tales out there that sometimes it can be hard to find the good ones. Beauty and the Beast has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first saw the Disney movie as a child (a headstrong heroine who loves books, that's totally my think) and Alex Flinn's Beastly, a modern retelling of the story has to be one of the best I've ever read, right up there with Robin McKinley's Beauty.

The story is about spoiled, arrogant and rude popular boy, Kyle Kingsbury, who one day decides to play a prank on the wrong girl, a witch, and ends up cursed to be as beastly on the outside as he is in the inside. In order to break the spell he must find someone to love him in spite of his ugliness, who he must love in return and for that love to be sealed with a kiss. After many failed attempts, including browsing Myspace, he meets Lindy, a girl with a love for books and a kind spirit. He sets off to try and win her heart and in turn break the spell.

This was a quick read for me, only about two and a half hours, but I loved every minute of it. To see this classic story set in a modern city with all the wonders of technology (computers, credit cards, the internet) while still having all the right magic touches (the full transformation, the mirror, the rose petals) was wonderful. It's literally like someone took the Disney movie and just set it in modern day New York instead of a peaceful little French town.

The characters were all extremely well-written, especially Kyle. In the beginning, you can't help but loathe this guy, we've all met one like him in school and probably despised him a little. He thinks he's all that, riding on his good looks and assuming that the world revolves around him because he thinks he's superior in some way. After his transformation, his personality changes drastically. His blind tutor, Will and the housekeeper, Magda, are his only companions for over a year and he splits his time between them, reading, and caring for the roses he's planted in his backyard. He learns to appreciate the simpler things in life. Lindy was exactly as she should have been. She didn't need to be Hollywood beautiful to win his heart, she was just beautiful on the inside and that was all that really mattered. When Kyle got past her physical appearance, which was fine just not spectacular, he found a real person and by doing so, he became a better person too.

The story is predictable but that's perfectly alright, it's a retelling after all and most people have heard the basic story before. I'd suggest this to anyone who likes fairy tales and GOOD fantasy relationships, ones that promote a healthy relationship. Ok, to be fair, the kidnapping isn't the best example, but he was saving her from her abusive father and gave her a better life. But it's their END relationship that's the one people should strive for.

Beastly - 5 out of 5 stars

Boneshaker

About a month ago when I couldn't come up with any new books I wanted to read, I started looking up steampunk novels, I figured if I like steampunk clothing, wouldn't books be even better? I found a nice list at http://www.sflare.com/archives/ten-steampunk-novels-you-ought-to-read/ and that helped get me into that genre. I'll post later about what I thought about some of the books on the list, but for now, here's a review on a random steampunk book I found in the lovely Gold Room (sci-fi and fantasy) at Powell's.

Boneshaker is a zombie steampunk novel by Cherie Priest, published in 2009. It's set around the Civil War era, in the city of Seattle which is half destroyed by a machine called the "Boneshaker" and whose after-effects left thousands of citizens as nothing more than mindless walking corpses. A giant wall seals off the contaminated part of town, letting it crumble and decay. On the other side of the wall, the widow of the man who created the "Boneshaker" is trying to raise her son Ezekiel until one day, the teen decides to go into the old city and look for evidence that would possibly prove his father's innocence.

I'll admit, it took me a little while to really get into this book but by the time I was halfway through, I couldn't put it down and ended up reading late into the night to finish it. The setting is dark and often times rather depressing, you can visualize how bleak and miserable that city is and it gets to you a little. I live near Seattle and I know how overcast and dreary the weather can be, so that just added to how I visualized the setting. Other than that, the story is well put together, with many fantastic adventure elements, like pirates, airships, underground tunnels and of course, rotting zombies who chase after the characters in mindless hordes, wanting only to tear them to shreds and only being stopped by the forceful removal of limbs or heads.

This is a nice combination of steampunk and zombies, it's not so technical that it makes your mind spin like some steampunk works, there's just enough for it to seem like sci-fi while not being over the top and unrealistic. I'd suggest this to anyone interested in steampunk books, this is a nice, gradual introduction into the genre, one that will hopefully leave readers eager to read more books like it.

Boneshaker - 4 out of 5 stars

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King

So my first book to review is one I finished a little while ago and this is more proof of my little WoW addiction. Being the lore-nut that I am, I picked up a copy of Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden the last time I hit up Powell's.

Usually, I'm a little skeptical about lore books (*cough cough Rhonin cough*) so I wasn't sure if I'd like this. My preconceptions were quickly laid aside as I got drawn into the tale of the fallen prince of Lordaeron. The prologue reminds you that of course this story isn't going to end happily, it's going to show you how a shining prince succumbs to darkness and becomes one of the most powerful and evil beings in all of Azeroth. After that, it dives right into Arthas' past, starting with childhood and continuing on through his years of training as a paladin, his relationship with the talented young Jaina Proudmoore, and eventually to the investigation of the Scourge which in turn sets him on the path to his future.

The novel is divided into three sections, the first is from Arthas' point of view (The Golden Boy) and it mostly details his childhood and the events that began to shape his future self; the second is from Jaina Proudmoore's point of view (The Bright Lady), following Arthas as he matures and embarks on his relationship with her and eventually the events that lead him to Northrend; the third and final section is from the eyes of the vengeful banshee queen, Lady Sylvannas (The Dark Lady) and details all the exploits of Arthas, the Death Knight and how he eventually took up the crown of the Lich King.

Lore enthusiasts like myself won't be disappointed, if you frequent the popular WoWWiki, you'll be glad to see many lore characters make appearances, such as Varian (before the big chin!), Uther, King Terenas, Muradin Bronzebeard, Taretha, Thrall (although a minor roll), and many others. All of these characters are brought to life very realistically by Ms. Golden, so that it becomes even more exciting if you come across something involving them in-game.

When judging this book, I have to look at it two ways. One, this is a lore book and lore books that are decent and actually draw you into them, seem to be few and far between. Two, as just a book, it will make no sense to someone who doesn't know anything about the Warcraft universe. As a lore book, this is absolutely fantastic, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the events that led up to the current expansion pack. It provides an in-depth look at the world of Azeroth, one that you won't get just by playing the game. As just a book, it's a good fantasy read, well-written, but probably a little hard to get into and understand who all the people are, where certain locations are, and to understand the total impact of the character's actions.

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King - 4.5 stars out of 5

Staring at the stacks of books around me...

I hoard books, I can't help it, it's just what I do. Something about being surrounded by good old-fashioned tomes of knowledge just appeals to the bookworm in me and makes me feel very much at home. However, it feels absolutely wrong to let these do nothing but collect dust, so my new goal is to read as many as I can and publish my reviews of them here.

I read very quickly and will read just about anything, so from fiction to non, sci-fi to gardening, this little night owl is open to it all. Let the reading begin!