Sylvia left her childhood home to avoid revealing a secret that she instinctively knew her watchful grandmother would not accept. Now, years later, she returns to help her grandmother bury her grandfather. Though she plans to leave again as soon as possible, she finds herself drawn once more into the same tangle she fled before, only this time she is unable to extricate herself. The mysteries of the wood behind her grandmother's house, the secrets of her past, and the secrets of those she's known her entire life all become entangled with tradition and the world of the fairy, threatening to reveal the truth she's held close all these years and risking the well being of those she loves.
Impression: I loved Solstice Wood. Though written in a style that is unusual for McKillip, the writing still retained her ability to draw you into the story. Not as poetic as most her books, it still had its own kind of poetry that was expressed in the story itself rather than in the way it was written. McKillip also chose to use several different characters to tell the story rather than remaining in Sylvia's perspective throughout the novel, and yet the story remains Sylvia's. And yet, it also belonged to the other characters, who were all touched in some way by the pull between tradition and the wonder of the unknown. Rich description made the story easy to "see", and I am a reader who loves to just sit back and immerse myself in the vision of the author rather than be forced to create my own ideas of a story's sights and sounds and smells.
I did suspect part of the ending before I came to the conclusion, but this actually did not detract from the story at all. The plot was solid, the ending still had its twists, and waiting to see if the other characters would realize what I knew as a reader was part of the enjoyment. McKillip has a way of making you care about her characters, ALL her characters. While I wouldn't say that Solstice Wood is my favorite McKillip book, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
A fire has ravaged the capital city of Morenia, destroying much of the city itself, introducing a new and deadly disease, and sucking up its resources. In a desperate bid to save his people, King Halaravilli has borrowed an outrageous sum from the church and agreed to terms that will strangle his ability to rule should he fail to pay his debt. At the same time, the mysterious and powerful Fellowship is placing demands on the king that he dare not ignore if he's to make a bid for power within the cabal. In an attempt to find the funds he will need to placate the church and the Fellowship, protect his people, as well as to secure his bloodline on the throne, the King goes to Liantine to make a bid for the hand of their princess and her dowry, taking several from his court, including Ranita, with him. In Liantine, Ranita must aid her king while she herself falls under the spell of a group of players who can teach her secrets of the glasswrights. An impossible bid for a part of the silk trade becomes Ranita's and Halaravilli's hope, but they must break the stranglehold of the Liantine silk guild to succeed.
Impression:The Glasswrights' Journeyman is, so far, the best in the series. There are 2 more books that follow it, but of the 3 I've read so far, this one drew me in and kept me in despite the distraction of another book I want to really get into. In fact, I've already begun book 4 because of how well Journeyman held my attention. I'll probably end up reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Glasswrights' Test at the same time since I really want to continue the Glasswrights' journey in spite of being very drawn to the other book. And this is a good, and rare, thing.
Journeyman comes alive primarily in the plot. There's tension and conflict that draws the reader along, making you want to read more. Klasky vividly draws out the characters and the new land of Liantine and its culture. Reading the book didn’t force me to work at filling in any gaps; I was able to sit back and enjoy. The political plotting was intricate, yet clear and understandable -- important for reader like me who can find politics (fictional and otherwise) confusing and boring. The characters are full and rich, with well drawn motivations and the setting lush and deep. It was a very pleasant surprise after my disappointment with the previous book. I highly recommend this book as a good read, and, if you're reading the first book and debating the second, you could go to book 3 without book 2, but there are details from book 2 that are important, so I suggest reading through the whole series. Book 3 will more than make up for anything you may find lacking in book 2. Besides, I've found I'm in the minority as regards to book 2 anyway. ;)
Ranita Glasswright is taken hostage by King Hal's traitor brother and dragged across the ocean to his mother's kingdom, now ruled by his uncle. King Sin Hazar has plans for war, plans that include gathering the children of Amanth into his "Little Army." Ranita, along with her Touched friend, Mair, attempt escape, hoping to tell their king of Sin Hazar's plan, only to be captured when Rani must heal an injury she received during the attempt. Meanwhile, King Hal must watch his back as he fights his council and attempts to save Rani and Mair.
Impression: It took a little time for this book to really capture my interest for some reason. The writing wasn't much different than the previous novel in the series, but I just couldn’t seem to get caught up in the story. The opening was okay, but the middle seemed to drag for me. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't a good payoff for muddling through the middle either -- it gets good and intense, then is over in a flash. In fact, the resolution was too easy. I did enjoy the writing itself, but the story needed something more. So, for me, not a bad book, per se, but not the best, and not as good as the first in the series. Hopefully the third in the series will be better.
When Rani tries to save the crown prince and he ends up dead instead, her entire life is thrown into turmoil. Her guild is disbanded, its buildings razed, its lands salted, and the guild members imprisoned. Her family is arrested and killed as traitors. Forced to find her way alone through the streets, she tries to discover the truth of what happened and who is really responsible for the prince's death. To save herself and her king, she transforms herself, changing caste as she needs, until she makes it into the king's household and into the heart of the betrayal that awaits him.
Impression: I really enjoyed this book. Rani is young, but the author still gets even the adult reader caught up in her life and circumstances, and does so without losing that inexperienced child quality that Rani should have. I always find it fascinating when an author can keep me intrigued even when it seems the books is more appropriate to a younger aged reader because of the age of the main character. Klasky even manages to keep that whininess youngsters can get when things aren't working out for them without making it annoying to me as a reader. The culture she's created is rich and diverse, and well defined without the author resorting to long, drawn out explanations (which has annoyed me in other books). The twists and turns in the story kept me interested, and the writing was smooth and vivid. I wouldn’t say the book was deep, but it's a quick, enjoyable read, and sometimes that's all I need. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Dirk has always known he was different. Living with his grandmother, he has a near perfect life with the beach, surfing, and a red-and-white 1955 Pontiac convertible. But to keep this peace, Dirk believes he must hide what makes him different. He searches for ways to fit in and yet never can. Then, in a night of magic and ghosts, he discovers his past and how love is always right, no matter what form it takes.
Impression: I have to admit, this one had me almost crying and I think is my favorite of the series. In Baby Be-Bop, we are told the story of Dirk, a character who we met in book one, and got to know a little better in book 2, then left behind as Block explored the lives of the children in the unique family she has created for this series. She returns to him and through his story shows how the past is part of what makes us who we are and the importance of self-acceptance and love. From the story she weaves here, we can clearly see how he became the man we see in the earlier books.
While her use of her world's magic is as heavy handed as it was in the past book (and more obvious than in the first 3 books), it is actually much better intertwined through the story, thus making it far more believable. It's also helpful that Block didn't use coincidence as a major part of the plotline for this particular book. It's very well written and a very touching story. While I haven't been too sure about the previous four books, I do recommend Baby Be-Bop. Which makes it a very good thing that it can easily be read without having read any of the previous books in the series.
Angel Juan decides to go to New York City to think, to discover more of who he is, and leaves Witch Baby behind, saying they need the time apart. Torn and lost without him, Witch Baby follows and searches for him in the vast wilderness of N.Y.C. While there, she meets the ghost of her "almost grandfather," discovers a whole different kind of magic that brings the past into the present, and faces one of the many dangers a large city like New York poses for young people.
Impression:Missing Angel Juan took another surprising turn in how it was written - it's the first book in the series written in first person. For the first chapter or so, I felt a little off, having become used to Bolt's third person style for the book. Beyond that, I felt kind of ambivalent about the story. While well written in Bolt's unusual style, the magic she's imbued her world with became far more obvious. And I found it more than a little unlikely that any parent would let a child under 18 run off to New York over the holidays alone, and the number of coincidences that occurred to bring Witch Baby and Angel Juan back together were just a little too much. Once coincidence, sure, two maybe. But in a city as large as N.Y., even that is pushing it, and in Missing Angel Juan, Bolt pushed that number right of the edge of believability. The heavy handed use of "magic" also threw me since the magic of the previous four books has been a lot more subtle. However, despite this, the story was relatively enjoyable. It had more of a fairy tale feel than the previous books. If Bolt hadn't stepped so far out of the usual boundaries for the book, I think I would have enjoyed it much more.
With Weetzie Bat and company off shooting another movie, their children are left to their own devices under the care a friend, Coyote. While they are gone, Witch Baby has fallen into a melancholy and her "almost-sister," Cherokee, goes to Coyote to ask for help in cheering her up. She makes Witch Baby a pair of wings from feathers he has the wind bring in and she gifts them to Witch Baby at her birthday party. Then Angel Juan reappears, having return from Mexico, and the foursome - Angel Juan, Witch Baby, Raphael and Angel Juan - form a band called The Goat Guys. They practice but their first show is a disaster. In an attempt to fix it, Cherokee makes more gifts and soon the band is more successful than they ever dreamed. But they find the temptations of success hard to resist and soon Cherokee and Witch Baby are more unhappy than when they had no success at all.
Impression: This was the hardest of the three books so far to keep focused on. As a result, it took 3 or 4 days to read instead of getting through it in one night. The story is a warning against growing up too fast, too early, and the temptations that surround teenagers in today's world. In the end, the children in the book discover that these things do not make them happy and return back to a more peaceful and fulfilling lifestyle. It remains to be seen if this return to what was before the sex and drugs and rock 'n roll fame has an impact on the youngster - for that I'll need to read future stories, but in this book it was almost too . . . naive. The implication to me was that you can go back and everything will return to what it once was, but this is very rarely a true thing.
Block's writing remained the imaginative delight it has been, with her creative phrasing and unique names, but the story itself needed a little more at the ending. Something to show that scars can remain from such things. Without it, her warning is weak at best, and not to be taken seriously at worst. The theme is good, and a story that gives such a warning is a good idea in an era where it's almost expected that young people will be involved in such things, but it's useless if there's no reason to give that warning meaningful consideration.
Unknown to everyone except My Secret Agent Lover Man and Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby is the daughter of My Secret Agent Lover Man and a mysterious woman who is a part of the "Jayne Mansfield Club." While watching her family celebrate the successful completion of another movie, Witch Baby sees that everyone is paired except her, even the dogs, Slinkster Dog an Go-Go Girl, and she begins to ask the question, "What time are we upon and where do I belong?" From that day on she embarks on a journey to find where she belongs. She meets a young man who could be her love, until he's taken from the country by immigration; is a stowaway to meet Duck's family; and searches the City of Angels to find her place. She works through her feelings of alienation and explores the "darker" side of herself on her way to creating her own sense of "What time she is upon and where she belongs."
Impression: I think I enjoyed Witch Baby more than Weetzie Bat. The story felt fuller and delved a bit deeper into the characters, even though it was only a few pages longer than the previous book. I love how Block covers the "important" issues of most teens in a whimsical way with a bit of magic and a bit of seriousness thrown in. It was easier to see the theme of this book, which was also nice. I like the way she approaches the themes and the imaginative quality of these books so far. The style takes a little getting used to, but it's a very creative way of using language, so that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Weetzie Bat is given three a genie in a bottle by a friend's grandmother and makes 3 wishes: for her friend to find his Duck, for her to find her Secret Agent Lover Man, and for them to all have a house to live in. She gets exactly what she wishes for, but finds even wishes fulfilled have obstacles to overcome on the way to Happily Ever After.
Impression: This first book of Dangerous Angels was a quick and satisfying read. And I do mean quick: 45 minutes. Even so, Weetzie Bat was not what I expected. These books were recommended by a friend, but I wasn't expecting a y. a. book - not to say y. a. books are bad since I do read others, just that it wasn't what I expected. And while I call it a y. a. book, it has the sense of being more between y. a. and adult as it explores issues that some parents may not want the lower end of the y. a. audience exposed to (though I'll more than likely either get my 15 year old a copy or let her read this one when I'm done).
Block writes in a light, quick voice, but uses language in unexpected ways. Her description fell just a little short for me, though this wasn't that much of a problem since the book is set in contemporary L.A., but her other imagery is wonderful and evocative. It'll be interesting to follow Weetzie and her family - Dirk, Duck, My Secret Agent Lover Man, Witch Baby, and Cherokee Bat through the remaining 4 books in this omnibus. The books are definitely unique: growing up L.A. in a series of modern day fables with magical genies and contemporary issues. I probably never could have written anything like this, but it does make me wish I had thought of it. ;)
