Sea of Shadows -- Kelley Armstrong

I liked this book. Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian author, which is always exciting for me, and several of her books take place in Canadian settings! This one however, is not set in our world at all, but in another one where creatures of myth become real and the spirit world overflows into the realms of the living. Moria and Ashyn are twin sisters chosen for the roles of Keeper and Seeker. Every year they are sent to quiet the spirits of criminals who have been exiled into Forest of the Dead. Obviously given the name "Forest of the Dead" we can surmise that many of our exiled friends do not survive and their angry spirits are prowling around the forest waiting for the unwary. This time when Ashyn enters the forest to quiet the spirits, nothing goes as planned and events are put into motion that will change the girls lives forever! This book is another in a long string of easy- to- read, relatively exciting Young Adult novels that have sprung up recently. Armstrong perhaps takes things a little far with the types of monsters we encounter, zombies, ghosts, spirits and Thunder birds to name but four and we of course have love interests for both girls whose course runs anything but smoothly. And because we have two female protagonists, we get both a charming thief as well as a strong, silent nobleman. 

I have to say that this book has gotten some pretty stinky reviews on Goodreads, but I really didn't think it was bad at all. The plot moved quickly, there was lots of action and I quite liked the character development for both Moria and Ashyn. It will be interesting to see what happens in book two!

Enjoy!

The Brides of Rollrock Island - Margo Lanagan

This was another book where the premise had me hooked and itching to read! Throughout the book I found myself enjoying the book but not as engaged as I had thought I would be until the climax. For probably fifty pages I was so tense that I almost forgot to breath and at the end of the action I had to physically pull myself away for a little while to regroup and finish the book. Because it was just so intense. 

The books setting is a little reminiscent of The Scorpio Races` as in it`s set on a small isolated island where magic is a seamless part of the culture and the Selkies of legend come to life (Selkies are seals who are turned into women for those of you unfamiliar with the term). In this book however the character we begin with is not a plucky young woman determined to earn her place in the world, but is instead a young woman who is constantly on the outskirts of society, mocked by her peers for both her appearance as well as her unusual abilities. Her home life is no better with her mother a horrible harpy and her sisters little better. She spends her childhood and adolescence completely miserable, until she decides to finally use her powers. But young Misskaella doesn`t use her power to improve her life, she uses it to ruin the lives of the women of the island. She brings beautiful, obedient seal women out of the ocean to become brides to the men of Rollrock Island, effectively driving the indigenous women off. 

This book was a roller coaster! At first you are so angry with the townsfolk for the way they treat Misskaella, then you`re so angry with her for being such a horrible witch and living up to their expectations of her, and then your feelings and emotions continue to swing this way and that as you see the story from the perspective of different islanders over a period of several decades. 

Well worth a read! And if you are struggling in the beginning please push through! It is worth it!!

Enjoy!

Enchanted - Alethea Kontis

A lovely twisted fairy tale based largely on the tale of the frog prince, Sunday is the seventh daughter of Seven who is also the seventh daughter of a fairly unimaginative mother. Sunday is a writer, however since everything she writes about comes true she only writes about the past. She writes stories about her many brothers and sisters who are the characters from many familiar fairy tales. Sunday meets the frog grumble at a small pond in the forest near her house. Several times she kisses him without effect but one day after discovering how she really feels about him she kisses him after she has left to go home he changes and becomes a prince once more, however Sunday has no knowledge of the transformation and is heartbroken thinking that he has become fully frog and is gone forever. 

I really enjoyed how Kontis wove the different fairy tales around each other each one fitting perfectly with the one before it to create a really delightful storyline. Sunday and her sisters are each so different from each other a fit perfectly into the old adage of Monday's child is fair of face Tuesday's child is full of grace etc. Her mother's words always come true and her aunt's are fairy godmother's. For those who loved fairy tales as children this book will fit perfectly into your more adult reading list!

Enjoy!

The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

In The Scorpio Races Maggie Steifvater blends myth and magic with the modern world to create a really wonderful read. The story in  really interesting with the water horses of Irish legend coming to life on the tiny island of Thisby which is located, I would imagine, somewhere in the Atlantic. Stiefvater mixes magical elements with real life facts to make a believable story about flesh eating horses who emerge from the ocean each November to both terrify and enchant the locals. As the water horses (called Capaill Uisce by the natives of Thisby) surface each November brave and foolish riders try to capture them to use as mounts in the annual Scorpio Races.

The story is told from the perspective of two prospective competitors in the races. Kate who goes by Puck and Sean Kendrick. Sean is a returning participant who has won the races for a number of years running, Puck is racing out of desperation. Both desperately need to win the race, Sean to finally own his beloved water horse and Puck to save her family's home. If she races Puck will be the first girl ever to do so and she faces not just the challenge of finding and taming one of the incredibly dangerous Capaill Uisce (who happened to have killed and eaten her parents), but also the challenge of overcoming the discrimination of her neighbours.

There is of course a love story woven into The Scorpio Races, but refreshingly there is no love triangle and Puck's feelings for her love interest are clear and simple. It is a small part of the story, but does create a lovely side plot and make for an interesting end to the story.

All in all a very original read!
Enjoy!