Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
Stand Alone
Young Adult, 336 pages
Published October 13, 2009 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena

Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine. -goodreads.com

Girl in the Arena sounded like a fun jaunt of a read when I first heard what it was about. A kickass heroine: Check. Fight Club-esque future: Check. Arranged marriage: Check. I'm always up for a kickass heroine, anytime and anyday. And my reading choices have been gravitating towards dystopian books lately. I just can't get enough. Complicated and dreaded arranged marriages always add up to lots of yummy drama and tangled romances. I was definately in. But Girl in the Arena was surprisingly different from what I was expecting. There wasn't much violence inside the book. I figured there would be many bloody gladiator matches, but in fact most of the matches only lasted a short time and ended before the blood could begin. Lyn was less kickass, more of a normal but strong young woman. And the book centered more on the repercussions of and the relationships inside the Glad culture.

The Glad culture is all Lyn has ever known. Her mother unknowingly married her father before she knew he was a part of one of the underground Glad groups, when the gladiator fights weren't established yet. Then a mega company, Caesar's, bought the group and started the official gladiator fights. Caesar's began to lay down rules for the gladiators and their families to abide by. One of these rules was that gladiator wives can only marry gladiators and that they can only marry seven times. Lyn's mother is up to her seventh husband, Tommy. When Tommy loses a fight (and his life) and his opponent takes her dowry bracelet, which means Lyn must marry him by Glad rules, Lyn decides she has had enough of these rules that govern her life for her. She challenges her would-be husband to a gladiator match, a fight to the death.

Girl in the Arena follows a parallel world that is very similar to ours. However, there are significant changes that make all the difference. In Lyn's world, people have accepted the Gladiator culture. The Glad families are kept at an arm's length from all the 'normal' people, warily regarded as perpetually violent and prone to using fists over democracy. But the gladiator fights have been made legal almost around the entire world. I feel like gladiator fights could be accepted in our world. I don't, however, believe that no one would challenge these fights even after they have been legalized. There would have been protests abounding. Opponents wouldn't go down without a fight. I also had some problems with the fact that stampedes and rushing the field were a common thing at these fights, even when people died as a result. Now if the government is the same, then they would definately investigate such things and strengthen railings, or something.

The world of Girl in the Arena is also a world where women, at least Glad women, have lost almost all of their rights. They have a hard time making money on their own. Gladiator men don't want their women off working; they want them at home like a good housewife, making them look good and helping them relax. Glad women in training go to a special college, where they learn these 'skills'. I think the contrast between these women and Lyn is what really made her stand out. She didn't want that for her life, but she didn't know how to tell her mother that the Glad life isn't the one she wants. Lyn is breathtakingly honest, especially with herself. She tells you the way she sees the world, no ribbons and bows pasted on top to make it easier to look at. The relationship between Lyn and her mother, Alison, was heartbreaking, so it was naturally the most interesting part of the book for me. Alison is the polar opposite of Lyn; she can't be alone, she must be composed and beautiful at all time, she depends on others to provide. I know many people who are like Alison, afraid of loneliness, so I could imagine many women being swept into the Glad culture for that reason.

Lise Haines writes gorgeously. She holds your attention because her prose follows Lyn's thought process. At times it's choppy, but only in the times when the action is fast-paced and many things are holding Lyn's attention. The only problem I had was that instead of quotions, Lise Haines used dashes. This was extremely irritating at first, especially for the grammar freak inside me, but I eventually got swept up in the story and ignored it.

I happen to love the cover for Girl in the Arena. I know some people have complained because Lyn undoubtedly has a full head of hair on the cover, while in the book she goes bald for most of the book. I think the cover is beautiful and (I'm ashamed to admit it!) is one of the reasons I bought the book. I also really enjoy the book trailer I posted at the top of the post. It's silly and completely unlike the book, but I think it has probably drawn some people to read it.

Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce.

Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce.
Third in a Quartet, Following the Circle of Magic Quartet
Young Adult-Fantasy, 384 pages
Published March 1, 2003 by Scholastic Paperbacks

Readers who have followed the fortunes of Daja and her foster siblings in Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens sequences will not be disappointed by this continuation of Daja's adventures as a smith-mage. As her foster siblings Sandry and Briar struggle with their reluctant apprentices (Magic Steps, Street Magic), Daja and her teacher, Frostpine, settle into the northern Namorn city of Kugisko for a restful winter break. Not surprisingly, their illusions are promptly shattered, as Daja discovers that the twin daughters of her host have "ambient magic." As the discovering-mage, Daja is obliged to teach the fidgety girls the rudiments of magic. Meanwhile, Kugisko seems to have fallen into the hands of a ruthless arsonist, and Daja is determined to help her new firefighting friend, Bennat Ladradun, get to the bottom of the mystery. -goodreads.com

As much as I love/adore/obsess over Tamora Pierce's works, I would be lying if I said that the Circle of Magic series was my favorite. Tortall will always hold a special place in my heart, and it may be because I read Alanna: The First Adventure befor the Circle of Magic quarter. It seems to be that those who read the Circle of Magic first like those better, and vice versa. I wasn't even planning on writing a review for Cold Fire because I didn't write a review for any of the other books, which annoys me (I like to go in order), and because I don't know of anyone who hasn't at least heard of Tamora Pierce that would be reading a book blog. But after I finished this book, I felt compelled to write a review for this one. Because it has to be my favorite of all seven books so far in the Circle of Magic and Circle Opens quartets. I must say that I was completely taken aback by Cold Fire and my own love for it. Daja is for sure, without a doubt, my least favorite among the four mages. Sandry has heart and loyalty, not too mention loves clothing which isn't often seen in Tammy's books. Tris is a spitfire, with wild hair and a wild personality. Briar is the lovable thief with the cute backwards thinking. But Daja... Daja is just kind of there. And Boring with a Capital B.

The Circle Opens quartet follows each of the respective mages while they take their own travels around the world. They haven't seen each other in a while, although they have their teachers along for the ride. Daja and Frostpine have been travelling up north, but they are stuck in the island nation of Kugisko for the long winter. They are staying with a close friend of Frostpine's family. Daja's plan for quiet and hardworking days alone is ruined when she notices that the family's twins have magic. Now she must teach them to meditate and center their magic, and she must find them the right teachers that teach their special brand of magic. Another problem that is ruining her peace is the fires slowly burning up the city, where most of the houses are made from wood. Because her special magic deals with fire, Daja feels she must help in any way she can. A crew of firefighters has been set up by a middle-aged man, who instantly connects with Daja. They both have a respect for fire, while they know that fire can hurt in the worst ways. When Daja learns that the fires are deliberatly being started, the friendship begins to strain while Daja searches for the truth.

When I read the inside flap, I could easily guess who the mysterious arsonist was. It was as plain as day. And Tamora Pierce doesn't try to make this a mystery; she straight out tells you who the person is that is burning these homes up. This makes this book fantastic, because instead of trying to sneakily plant clues that the reader can sniff out from a mile away, she gives an even greater gift in between the pages: understanding. Tamora Pierce gets in to the mind of the arsonist. A few of the chapters are from their perspective, and from this perspective, we learn. We learn that the driving force behind the arsonist's motivations can not be pinpointed into exactly one moment of their life. It is the accumulation of their whole life story, from one tragic moment to the next. I could understand how this person was hanging in between the balance of good and evil and was tipped too far one way. They are necessarily Evil!, and yet they are. There is a fine balance of sympathy and anger at this character. At some points, I almost felt that this wasn't their fault, but then you see that they enjoy this burning and murdering of people. It is a thought-provoking look at criminals who commit unspeakable crimes and the death penalty. In Kugisko, the sentence for arson is to be burned alive. Daja is torn, just like I was, between what could be right and what isn't. The ending sequence is powerful, where Daja makes a decision, of a kind.

The one thing I can't stand about the Circle of Magic stories is the characterization. I feel like, through the eyes of their friends, each has a distinct personality. But when we get to this character's book, we never see this personality. All the characters are mushed into one giant character, who acts the same and likes the same things. Like Tris is supposed to be the one who flies off the handle; that is her characteristic. However in every book, each character has so many moments where they get worked up over some injustic and have to tell someone off. Umm, no. That's not allowed, okay. Not in my world. If someone is calm, I understand they won't be calm all the time. But they aren't all going to chew someone out all the time, either. One thing that Tamora Pierce does fantastically, especially in the Circle Opens, is her worldbuilding. I want to pack up and move to Kugisko. Who cares about a few little fires? They have channels of ice between their islands that they can SKATE on to travel! How amazing and imaginative is that! That's what I love about Tammy.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike.
First in a Series
Young Adult-Fantasy, 294 pages
Published May 5, 2009 by HarperTeen

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever. -goodreads.com

Confession time: I love fairies. I have since I was five years old, popping in my grandma's old Thumbelina movie over and over again. I probably will still love them when I'm eighty and have those creepy old figurines of them in my house, right next to my angel and Precious Moments collections. So it was a no-brainer that I would pick up this book, especially after my friends yammered on about it and especially after all the good things I have heard about it on the internet. How many Top Books of 2009 lists did it make? Probably hundreds, but I don't have enough time to read all of those and count. Wings hit all the right buttons for me. The only thing that bothered me was that pesky Stephanie Meyer quote on the front. If I have to pick up another book with "Recommended for fans of Twilight" or "Yadda Yadda Yay Book! -Stephanie Meyer" on the front, I will scream. (Who am I kidding, there will be tons more of those) If I were a new author, I would be ticked if I saw that on my beautiful cover. I know, I know. Whatever gets the book to sell to the most people, but still. What does Wings have in common with Twilight except a love triangle and a theme of fantastical creatures? Yeah, that's never been done before.

As the story begins, Laurel has had enough of changes. First she was forced to leave her old town and the only house she has ever known to pursue her dad's dream of owning a bookstore. Then her parents sign her up for public school, after previously homeschooled her, so she can socialize. But there are more changes coming that turn her world inside out. Wings begin to sprout out of her back. Having no idea who to turn to, she confides in a new friend she has been growing close to at school. With his help, she dicovers the truth: she is a fairy. Laurel has a hard time accepting this fact, and the fact that she belongs with the fairies that live around the land her family used to live on. The land that Laurel's family is about to sell. Laurel must choose a side before things turn deadly and spin out of her control forever.

From the first chapter in, I was more than a little disappointed in the protagonist Laurel. She was a delicate flower sort of heroine. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly touch that hunk of meat and those cookies. I'll just stick to my half of a fruit chunk over here." Gag me with a spoon. I feel like waif-like vegetarian girls are covered way too much in literature, because they are 'interesting and different'. I just want a heroine to devour a double cheeseburger and not feel guilty about it. I hear enough at my school, full of "I'll just take one" sticks, to instantly get annoyed at this type of personality. However I immediately became happier when I learned that being a flower fairy, she was actually eating some of her own kind, like a meat-eating human would be. *Annoyance Gone* From then on, Laurel was hard to hate. Even though she is Stunningly.Beautiful., she is a fairy in a human's shell. She is to be pitied because she doesn't even know which race she fits into, the humans who she was raised by or the fairies of which she was born. And she isn't too stupid to live. She rather ingeniously gets herself and others out of a few scrapes.

Laurel also has a love triangle to manage as well. A poor dear child. Achingly gorgeous, two boys, waifer thin. How does she handle it? But the love triangle seemed like an obvious choice. Nothing has been decided yet, so I'm not spoiling you! However once your read the book, I think you will agree. David is the best friend. He and Laurel had a connection from the beginning of school. He stuck by her side when she revealed her wings secret. He finds her 'deformity' beautiful and is accepting. Tamani is a fellow fairy; he guides Laurel as well as answers all her fey questions. David is like a bland vanilla pudding: okay when you have a sweet tooth and will do in a pinch. But the pages come alive when Tamani is introduced. He makes hearts race and have that touch of destiny about it. He and Laurel may have been meant to be together forever. Tamani is the creme de la creme.

Wings has the perfect amount of thrills, love, mystery, and fairies to keep my coming back for more. But Miley Cyrus playing Laurel in the movie adaption? Yuck. My friends are willing to give her a chance, but I'm holding out to see how she does in The Last Song. We shall see.

Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell.

Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell.
First in a Trilogy
Young Adult, 448 pages
Published January 6, 2005 by Simon Pulse

Who was Sorahb?
Stories are told of a hero who will come to Farsala's aid when the need is greatest. But for thousands of years the prosperous land of Farsala has felt no such need, as it has enjoyed the peace that comes from being both feared and respected.

Now a new enemy approaches Farsala's borders, one that neither fears nor respects its name and legend. But the rulers of Farsala still believe that they can beat any opponent.

Three young people are less sure of Farsala's invincibility. Jiaan, Soraya, and Kavi see Time's Wheel turning, with Farsala headed toward the Flames of Destruction. What they cannot see is how inextricably their lives are linked to Farsala's fate -- until it's too late.

In Fall of a Kingdom, the first volume of the Farsala Trilogy, Hilari Bell introduces readers to a world of honor, danger, and magic in this spellbinding tale of self-discovery.

This trilogy came highly recommended by Tamora Pierce, who is one of my all-time favorite authors, and my brother, who I almost always listen to in the area of books except when he is totally wrong. Tamora Pierce has listed this book on one of her recommended reading lists (and yes, I do stalk those when I'm bored). I was a little hesitant when I read the excerpt because, while I do love fantasy, I don't always enjoy worlds where the author makes up half of the worlds and the culture is just so out there. With all the 'Time's Wheel turning...' and Sorahb business, it raised some eyebrows for me. But I'm glad I decided to go ahead and read this anyway; I was pleasantly surprised. Fall of a Kingdom takes place in the land of Farsala, where the people have more or less prospered in their flawed system for many years. An ancient tale tells that when the land is in danger, an old hero will be reborn to save it. The people have not needed this hero, and the story had become more of a myth than fact. But then comes talk of a new enemy, the Hrum who have been sweeping through other countries and quickly destroying them. The Hrum are just and fair, giving the common people the same rights as anyone else. The current ruling class in Farsala, the deghans, are the complete opposite. They take what they can, anyway they can, and spit on the peasants who work for them.

The story switches between the stories of Jiaan- the illegitimate child of deghan who is treated like a peasant, Kavi-a traveling tradesman who finds himself helping the Hrum and the deghans, and Soraya- a young noble woman with enough spirit to take on the whole Hrum army herself. The characters are so well done that I think they may have been my favorite part of this whole book. They are not static or flat in anyway. I could see their motivations, insecurities, and flaws which were very believable. Jiaan I connected with quickly; the only thing he wants is to be accepted by his father, to be shown a hint of pride or emotion from him. He follows his father everywhere like a poor little puppy, begging for affection. He definately touched my heartstrings. Soraya was the fiery deghass, who didn't make excuses for herself and did what she had to do to survive. Her perspective of the story is always filled with peasant-hating comments that made her more realistic, as we are told throughout the whole story that deghans are stuck-up jerks. I was thrown back in forth between hating and loving her, which is where I think I was supposed to be. I may have I ended up loving her the most by the end of the first book, and I'm not even done with the series! Her story shows the promise of growth, which is very exciting. Kavi was complex as well because he wants the best for the common people, the everyday people like him, and he is constantly torn between who would be better as caretakers for them: the Hrum or deghans. He is a simple man, who doesn't know much about politics, and like most peasants is kept in the dark about such things. His hesistation about what was the right thing made me confused about what the right thing to do was as well. There is no clear cut choice between the Hrum and the deghans.

The beginning dragged a little. The action to a while took awhile to completely set itself up. We have a faux-kidnapping, but it wasn't that exciting. Also, there is no dictionary to explain the words, and the reader is just thrust into this world without any explanation. I was extrememly confused when I started reading as to what a 'djinn' was and who ranked higher, a gahn or a deghan/deghass. Eventually that all worked itself out, and from then on the story flowed well. The action was tense and exciting, with just the right amount of pause when the perspective was switched. It didn't feel choppy to have three different main characters. I give this my Tin Heart stamp of approval and recommendation.

Also, did anyone else completely fail at NaNoWriMo? I did. Better luck next year, right? I hope so.

The Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee.

The Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee
Wold Tower, Wolf Star, Wolf Queen, Wolf Wing

All her life, Claidi has endured hardship in the House, where she must obey a spoiled princess. Then a golden stranger arrives, living proof of a world beyond the House walls. Claidi risks all to free the charming prisoner and accompanies him across the Waste toward his faraway home. It is a difficult yet marvelous journey, and all the while Claidi is at the side of a man she could come to love. That is, until they reach his home . . . and the Wolf Tower. -from goodreads.com

The Claidi Journals are not new in the slightest. The first book was published sometime in 2001. Nor are they considered classics, so to review about them is a little strange. However, I just finished the fourth book (which was published in 2003) a few days ago. But I thought what the heck! These books needed a little more love, because they rock! The Claidi Journals follows the life of Claidi, a servent living a harsh life in a house catering the nobles. She doesn't know what life lies beyond this House, other than a desert that the nobles say is filled with death. But one day, Claidi gets a chance to find out for herself what really is out there. And she takes it. This is where her journal begins.

My absolute favorite thing about these books is the character of Claidi. She is just so different from any heroine that I have encountered before in a book, and I love Tanith Lee for that. While my favorite books include butt-kicking won't-stop-for-anything types of heroines that know exactly what they are doing and execute it amazingly, it's hard for me to connect with those types of girls. People like that don't really exist in the world (at least, no one I know). Claidi could be me; she could be my friends; she could realistically be a part of our world. Most of the time she has no idea what the hack is happening to her. She doesn't come out with amazing karate chops that stun her attackers instantly when people are kidnapping her. She just goes along with it, panicking and trying (and failing) to find out what is happening to her. She attempts to fight back, but fails because she has no experience in fighting. The intricate plots of sinister people, even the people she loves who come up with plans to save her, baffle her. She humorously records all that is happening but is the last one to figure out what is going on. I love that because I am usually very slow on the uptake as well; I can relate.

The Wolf books are filled with many twists and turns, which Claidi writes dutifully in her little journal but never fully understands until much later. Because confusing things happen constantly but the narrator can't explain them very well, you as a reader have a hard time understanding what actually is happening. Many times I didn't understand what has occured even after Claidi figures it out. And she is supposed to be the slow one! I had to go back and reread the passages to puzzle it out. Tanith Lee creates her own world, with its own people, laws, and religions within these books, and some of these are very strange and hard to imagine. Sometimes when someone gives an explaination to Claidi's questions, the explaination is too confusing for her to understand so she just gives up and writes a vague answer. This can leave a lot of Why?s left over in your head when you finish the books. Claidi is bailed out by the strangest thing, and when she gets an answer as to why, it really doesn't make sense. It just seems like the author made up something to save Claidi. The Whys are always followed by a Because, but sometimes the Becauses need to be explained as well and they're aren't.

The Claidi Journals might possibly be my favorite books to reread. There are so many plot twists, that when I read them again I forget about so many little things. Almost everything surprises me again, even though I have already read it. I highly recommend these to fans of fantasy, who don't mind a crazy adventure in a made-up land which may or may not make complete sense all the time. Sometimes you just have to accept that something happened, and leave it at that.