Historical Fiction Friday

I would like to give a special thanks to Ms. Dray for giving me a copy of Lily of the Nile. I am looking forward to this book. Check out the summary.

Summary:
In the aftermath of Alexandria's tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she's ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she's put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene's captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor's sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans...

Trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to honor her mother's lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?

I want it Wednesday

I saw this book in B&N and it caught my attention then I read some of the reviews on Amazon(don't do that cause I think some give away a few spoilers). Anyway, the book sounds cool.

Summary:
Fast-forward a generation. New Orleans, now called New 2, has been decimated by natural disaster. Nine prominent families have banded together to buy the city from the federal government; all that used to be New Orleans is now considered "beyond the rim," an area rumored to be riddled with supernatural beings and happenings. Enter Ari. Inexplicably abandoned by her mother soon after the city's fall, she is now a hardened 17-year-old living in Memphis. When she visits a sanitorium near the border where her mother spent her last days, her discoveries lead her deep into New 2. In search of information to help solve the puzzle of her origins, she soon realizes how intricately intertwined her fate is with that of the city and that it will be up to her to lift the curse that has plagued the women in her family for centuries. Darkness Becomes Her is part "Lightning Thief," part "Twilight," and part "Maximum Ride." Unfortunately, Keaton reveals the specifics of Ari's mother's delusion at the book's start, something if left uncovered until later would have packed a much greater punch. Yet, to write this title off as a predictable "been there, done that" experience doesn't do it justice either

Historical Fiction Challenge 1 down 9 to go!

Vixen tries to capture the excitement and the seediness of the 1920s. I think it successes in transporting the reader to a different era. The author uses slang from the time, which is a nice touch. However, something about the novel left me empty. I wanted more.

We have three young ladies in Vixen. Gloria is the super rich, very beautiful young woman who longs to become a flapper. She is engaged to a man she doesn't like and wants to experience the new social life of a flapper. Then we have Clara who is a woman with a past. She was a naughty girl and did some unspeakable things(for the 1920s), but she can't let anyone know what happened. Clara is determined to make a new life for herself. When she is shipped off to visit her cousin Clara she sees an opportunity to better her lot in life. Perhaps in a stuffy world filled with parties, stunning clothes and gossip Clara can finally change her life. The final friend is Lorraine. She isn't as pretty as her friend Gloria(who gets everything) and is often portrayed as the needy girl. In fact, Lorraine's mission in life is to become more like Gloria and she will do that no matter what. She would betray her best friend.

I'll be honest and say the only girl I was interested in was Clara. Her life seemed more interesting than Gloria(the poor little rich girl) or Lorraine(the needy girl). I would have been happy to read a book that focused only on Clara. The chapters alternate between the girls. The book is in third person narrative.

The Flappers series(first novel Vixen) reminds me of the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen, but without all the twists and turns and backstabbing. It lacked the dramatic flair that the Luxe series had, and maybe that is why I felt there was a void. I wanted more theatrics. I enjoyed Bright Young things, by Anna Godbersen a lot more than Vixen. Oddly enough Ms. Godbersen toned down the cattiness and produced a good novel about the 1920s. With Vixen I was expecting Ms. Larkin to go all out with the cattiness. I wanted the wow factor or the "oh my god" factor but that never really came. So to me it seemed like a mild mannered back stabbing story.

That's not to say the novel isn't good. I just thought the author could have hyped it up more. In fact, I did enjoy the novel for what it was. I think the author did an incredible job of capturing the time period. She did her research and it shows.

I think students who enjoyed The Luxe series may give this one a go, but just remember it is milder than Ms. Godbersen's series. For those who are looking for an enjoyable read about the 1920s then I think teens will like this book. The details are great.

Historical Fiction Friday

For this Friday I found Belle's Song. At first I thought it was a beauty and the beast type of story, but it is not. Check out the summary.

Summary:
When Belle meets Luke, son of an alchemist and Scribe to the famous poet Chaucer, she is determined to travel with him to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. She hopes for a miracle: that her father will walk again. She also hopes to atone for her own part in his accident. It is a time of unrest across the country and the young King Richard II is just hanging on to his throne. A malign character on the pilgrimage suspects Chaucer of treason and slowly winds Belle into a political intrigue. At the same time, the impulsive Belle is drawn towards both Luke and to Walter, the wealthy son of a Knight. But Walter himself is in love with Luke...As the uprising against the King starts to draw pace and the web of intrigue around Belle and Chaucer tightens, Belle and her friends must risk everything to save their country and themselves...

I want it Wednesday

Once again a cover had caught my attention. I though the cover to this comic was beautiful and I'm dying to get my hands on a copy.


Summary:
Lavishly illustrated in full color and based on the classic Chinese play Xixiang Ji by Wang Shifu, The History of the West Wing tells of the illicit romance between the daughter of a Chinese government official and the roaming scholar who seeks to win her hand. But before he can turn his attentions to his ladylove, the young man must win the heart of her mother! When it seems even heroic deeds in the face of murderous bandits will not please the strict matriarch, the young man goes off to become a civil servant. Will he return in time to marry his true love?

I want it Wednesday

I really enjoyed Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon and was excited to learn she was writing another fantasy novel. Well, the cover is out and it will be released in March 29, 2011. Those who enjoy fantasy novels with a little ethnic flavor will enjoy both novels by Ms. Pon.


Summary:

The Gods have abandoned Ai Ling.

Her mysterious power haunts her day and night, and she leaves home—with just the moon as her guide—overwhelmed by her memories and visions and an unbearable sense of dread. For Ai Ling knows that Chen Yong is vulnerable to corrupt enchantments from the under-world. How can she do nothing when she has the skill and power to fight at his side? A dream has told her where he is, the name of the ship he is traveling on, his destination. So she steals off and stows away on board.

The ocean voyage brings with it brutal danger, haunting revelations, and new friendships, but also the premonition of a very real and terrifying threat. Zhong Ye—the powerful sorcerer whom Ai Ling believed she had vanquished in the Palace of Fragrant Dreams—is trapped in Hell, neither alive nor dead. Can he reach from beyond the grave to reunite with Silver Phoenix and destroy Chen Yong? And destroy whatever chance Ai Ling has at happiness, at love?

In this sequel to the acclaimed novel Silver Phoenix, four lives are woven together and four destinies become one, now and forever.