"Never-Contented Things" by Sarah Porter

Never-Contented Things is a dark YA fantasy novel by Sarah Porter. And, when I say "dark" I do not mean that there is an evil faerie prince in the story who falls in love with a human heroine. Porter's faeries are creatures of nightmares and pure evil. They are utterly devoid of feeling, and are more akin to the folk stories about them, heartless beings who steal human children in the night and replace them with counterfeit changelings.

Our main characters are Ksenia and Joshua, two foster kids growing up in a small American town, who very soon will be separated because Ksenia is about to turn 18. That is until Joshua makes a deal with faeries and gets both of them spirited away into Nowhere.

I have seen quite a few negative reviews by readers who received advanced copies of the book from the publisher. I honestly do not understand that. I loved this book. The plot was unexpected, dark, interesting and wholly unlike the cookie-cutter YA fantasy that is being churned out by the publishing industry nowadays.

The story felt like an allegory for being stuck in a dark abusive relationship, or a situation you cannot get out of. Ksenia, for all intents and purposes, is dead to her friends and foster parents. But she is very much alive and suspended in a parallel world of faerie where she is kept by Josh and his twisted obsession for her. She feels powerless in this situation because she is vulnerable. She was hurt and abused as a young girl, and is starved for love and affection. She also has an appallingly low self-esteem and feels utterly undeserving of love. Josh, under the guise of saving both of them, robs her of her ability to make choices for herself. This is a startlingly accurate description of how a dominating abuser might be justifying the way he treats his partner.

Ksenia starts finding her way to who she is only when Lexi appears. Lexi is the one who truly loves her in a completely unselfish and genuine way. She does not see Ksenia as someone broken and requiring constant care. Lexi's ability to precisely voice her feelings, set boundaries and allow others and herself to make choices, fascinates me. There is a lot I can learn from her.

Overall, I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars. I took my time reading it and I enjoyed every minute. An e-ARC was provided to me by NetGalley.

The Classics Challenge: Reading an Australian Classic

Continuing my efforts to incorporate more classics into my reading, in February I picked up an Australian classic called My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin. The novel is considered to be semi-autobiographical in nature and is set in the late 19th - early 20th century in the South-East of Australia. The main character is a seventeen year old girl named Sybylla. She is head-strong and unruly, she is also vivacious and a tomboy. I definitely appreciated the author's stance on women's place in society, her desire to break away from the expected role of wife and mother, and her rebellion against the proper look and behavior for a young woman.

There were, however, other aspects of the novel that I did not enjoy as much. For example, for all her yearning for independence in life, Sybylla is for the most part shallow and immature. She is utterly insecure and has such a low self-esteem that no matter how many young men shower her with attention, she still professes to be ugly and undesirable. Her behavior towards Harold is odd to say the least. She flirts with him, and then goes out of her way to try to make him jealous simply because she wants him to exhibit his passion and admiration for her. In the end, she hurts him over and over again, the person who truly loves her. I do understand her desire to be independent, but I don't think asserting one's independence lies through hurting those who care for her.

In the end I rated this book at 2 out of 5 stars. I am glad I read it, but the heroine definitely did not live up to my expectations.

"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren

Lab Girl is a deeply moving, personal, at times heartbreaking and always candid memoir and account of one woman's love for science. This small non-fiction book contains some of the most lyrical passages devoted to plant life I have ever read. Jahren candidly talks about her struggle to make meaningful personal connections, devotes pages to efforts of getting her mental illness under control, and always warmly talks about Bill, her fellow scientist and life-long friend and lab brother.

I loved the way she described her pregnancy, childbirth and being a mother. Those pages are filled with the wonder of unconditional, immeasurable love and the horror of the accompanying deepest insecurities and fear. Jahren is an amazing writer. To pull off such a book, which is largely about her life-long fascination and study of trees and other plants, is nothing short of amazing.

She also delves into the intricacies of obtaining scarce grant funding, and the challenges female scientists face in a male-dominated field. This is the first book I've read where a real-life scientist talks about her curiosity-driven research and all the attendant difficulties. Since her work has no military application and does not pursue any pharmaceutical breakthroughs, her ability to secure research funding was unbelievably limited. I loved this book, the writing, the message. It all felt genuine and heartfelt. 5 out 5 stars.

"The Winter of the Witch" by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch is book 3 in Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. I read and reviewed the first book The Bear and the Nightingale on this blog over a year ago. Having now read the entire trilogy, I can confidently say that this is one of my favorite fantasy series. The trilogy is based on Russian fairy tales and folklore, and is set in the 14th century Muscovy. The main character Vasilissa (or Vasya) comes from the line of women who are able to see pagan spirits and deities, which gradually weaken as the Christian faith becomes more dominant throughout Russia. Vasya is certain that the old beliefs can co-exist with the new ones in harmony. However, not everyone considers her views and unusual abilities to be harmless.

The last book in my opinion was perfect. All the various plot lines were brought together and tied nicely off. The historic setting, which frankly was vague in the first two books, became crystal clear. And the Battle at Kulikovo, whose historic significance is in the unification of Russia under the banner of Moscow, was the perfect way to bring all of Russia (its saints, warriors and pagan spirits) together in fight for independence from the Tartar yoke. The way Vasya and Morozko's relationship evolved was also satisfying to me as a reader. And even the demise of the evil priest came about in a meaningful way. I highly recommend the entire trilogy. It was clearly well thought-out, has an elaborate and polished plot line and interesting characters. I personally am already planning a re-read of the series. 5 out 5 stars.

The Classics Challenge: "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

In an effort to start working on my goals of reading more classics this year, in January I picked up Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The book was originally published in 1903 so this will satisfy my challenge to read a classic published between 1900 and 1969. The story is about the life and adventures of a dog named Buck. He is a crossbreed between a Saint Bernard and a shepherd, whose early years were spent leading a leisurely life in Santa Clara Valley, CA, on the estate of a wealthy local judge. Buck’s life changes dramatically when one day he is kidnapped and transported up North to be a working sled dog as the gold rush strikes the Klondike region of Canada.

The book relates the hardships Buck goes through and the lessons he learns along the way. Some parts of the book describe the brutality of the life on the trail in vivid detail. Life was hard for both men and animals, and not all humans had the talent to understand and bond with dogs. The reckless and the careless are mercilessly punished by “the wild” – the nature and the hardships of climate and living conditions. For Buck, the return to the wild and getting in touch with his animal nature is a slow process, but one he masters brilliantly. In addition, the book shows a beautiful bond a man and an animal can forge under the hardest of circumstances.

I ended up really enjoying this short book and would highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Slayer" by Kiersten White

I decided to read Slayer by Kiersten White because the cover claims the book is “from the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I was a huge Buffy fan back in the day. Watched the series from the very first episode when it released in 1997. The book is set in the same world, but Buffy is not the main character.  Instead, we follow Nina and her sister Artemis, who live with the remnants of the Watchers’ Council in a castle outside of Dublin.

I would say the world felt more like that of the spin-off show Angel, where you know Buffy is in it doing her thing, but this is a different story. I have seen some not so positive reviews from Buffy fans, but personally I loved the book. I thought the pacing, the banter, the setting were all on point. Perhaps since I’ve read so many disappointing YA novels lately, it was not hard for Slayer to clear the bar set so low. But I truly do think Kiersten White did a great job with this book. If you are a Buffy fan, and in particular, if you also enjoyed the spin-off show Angel, I would definitely give it a go. Five out of five stars for me. Can’t wait for book 2!

"This is Our Story" by Ashley Elston

This is Our Story is a YA mystery set in a small Louisiana town. Five teenagers, spoiled rich boys and high school seniors, host a party at a hunting lodge, and in the morning one of them is found dead, shot with his own hunting rifle. None of the other four admits to shooting Grant Perkins and all of them decide to stick together and deny having seen anything.

The story is narrated by Kate Marino, another high school senior who interns at the prosecutor's office and works for the official who gets the case. Kate has a personal stake in the case, as for weeks leading up to his death, Grant had been texting with Kate and they seemed to have a real connection.

This book is a real page turner with a lot of twists in the plot. Nothing is as it seems. I was at the edge of my seat while reading pretty much the entire time. If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, I definitely recommend this one. It is a quick read that kept me guessing until the very end. 5 out of 5 stars.