Black City

Publisher: Penguin (Putnam)
Pages: 373
Publication Date: November 13, 2012
Type: ARC, won

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war

In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong.

When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.

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Similarly to its fellow Breathless Read, Origin, Black City had a lot to love and a lot to hate.  There were a number of things I enjoyed, and a number of things that put a bit of a damper on my reading experience.

It certainly wasn't a bad read.  Some of the concepts were exceptionally unique; despite having many marks of a typical dystopian or vampire novel, Richards took a new spin on a lot of the classics, and I enjoyed watching her world unfold.  The treatment of the Darklings was strongly reminiscent of the Holocaust, but the differences between these two events raised quite a few moral questions.  Because the Darklings are a legitimate threat, does that in any way excuse the despicable treatment?  Do you want the walls to come down, knowing it could end in a human massacre?

There were also a few very genuine moments that touched me, quite unexpectedly.  Oftentimes these occurred between family members, which was perhaps even better; there aren't enough complex familial relationships in a lot of YA fiction today.

And, deep matters aside, one of the greatest things about Black City is that it's what reviewers like to call "intensely readable."  Despite the plot not really picking up until about two thirds of the way in, I never found myself bored.  I wanted to read on, wanted to unravel the mysteries and see what would happen next in this dark, horrifying world.  

Unfortunately, despite its readability, Black City was still a let down in more ways than one.  The writing could best be described as . . . amateur.  It's somewhat understandable, considering this is Richards's debut novel, and there's definitely potential--throughout the novel, there were the occasional flashes of brilliance.  But the overall quality of writing was lower than I expect from a published novel.  

And that leads to my second issue, which is that the characters simply weren't real or likable.  Both their dialogue and actions were awkward and cheesy, more like caricatures than three-dimensional, believable people.   Not even likable caricatures at that.  They were at turns bratty, petty, idiotic, cruel, and a bunch of other negative adjectives that I'm too lazy to list.  I don't mind flawed characters when it's acknowledged that they aren't exactly the greatest of people, but I was supposed to believe that these guys were just the shit, and I couldn't buy it.  

Despite my troubles with the characterization, if the romance--the main plot of the novel--had developed nicely, over a logical period of time, I might have learned to love them.  Unfortunately, the dreaded insta-love struck once again in the form of--wait for it--soul mates. (Soul mates, Blood Mates, close enough.)  The time-tested excuse for a complete lack of any real connection or chemistry.  At one point, Ash tries to give a dramatic speech about why he really loves Natalie, y'know, for her, and all he can come up with are her annoying/endearing physical habits, because there is absolutely nothing between them but mystical lust and pretty words.

While most of this review would seem to indicate a strong distaste for the novel, the fact of the matter is that, when it comes down to it, I enjoyed this book.  Some parts of it irritated me to no end, but it was a quick, entertaining read, and I know many will like it far more than I.  Three stars for enjoyment.

Frostbite

Publisher: Penguin (Razorbill)
Pages: 327
Publication Date: April 10, 2008
Type: Paperback, received as gift

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose... 

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. 

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...


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Some Reasons Why This Book Earned Me Glares From Nearly Every One of My Teachers in the Past Two Days, or, alternately, Some Reasons Why This Book is Absolutely Fantastic:


When the heroine acts like an asshole, people don't just brush it away!


When Rose acts stupidly, says something cruel, does something she most certainly shouldn't have, it isn't simply ignored, or excused.  People call her on it. Even better, she calls herself on it.  For once, a heroine who won't completely refuse to admit they've ever done wrong!  You can't believe how wonderful that was to see.


Also, while her words or actions are very frustrating at times, there is a reason, though it's only hinted at in this novel.  Part of it's just Rose and her fiery temper, but part of it's . . . not.


There are fascinating new characters!


Quite a few of them, actually, but the most notable being Tasha, Adrian, and Janine, Rose's mother.  I loved all of them in their own way; Tasha for her fiery independence so uncommon in Moroi, Adrian for being intriguingly assholian (as well as just plain intriguing), and Janine for being an emotionally stunted badass who still tries despite it all.  They were all wonderful additions to the cast, and I'm interested to see the roles they'll have in the rest of the series.


There are real, complex relationships!


There wasn't one relationship in this book that didn't ring true.  Not only Rose's relationships, but side relationships such as Lissa and Christian, Dimitri and Tasha, even Lissa and Adrian.  Many times, in YA fantasies or paranormals, I've seen "They're supernatural creatures!" or "It's not like our world!" used to dismiss ludicrously unrealistic relationships.  Not so with Vampire Academy.  Despite the heavy influence their supernatural world and origin has on this cast, their interactions and emotions are so brilliantly believable that I can't help but love them.

Holy character development, Batman!

Seriously.

There's our protagonist, Rose, who's come so far from the rebellious, impetuous teenager we first met at the beginning of Vampire Academy.  There was some growth in VA, but in Frostbite, it is a million times more extensive.  She emerges from this novel with a gravity and maturity that one could scarcely even glimpse in her younger self.  Yes, she's still a spirited, snarky teenager, but she is also more, and I love it.

However, Rose isn't the only one to see some fantastic character development.  There are a lot of characters that get expanded upon--in fact, I can think of very few that didn't see some development in this novel.  The most notable example, aside from our heroine, would most certainly be Mia.

Man, am I glad those VA fans were right.  Her characterization in VA was by far my biggest critique, and in Frostbite, Richelle Mead delivered, just as all the fans promised she would.  I don't want to spoil much, but I'll just say that Mia becomes far more than the flat schoolgirl antagonist, and it was a great thing to see.  I expect her character will be developed even further in the books to come.

And, perhaps best of all: The emotion.

I'm going to be frank here: it is very rarely that a non-contemporary novel makes me cry.

Even when characters die, it often just does not affect me in the same way; I may be distinctly sad, but it does not often touch me to the point of tears.

But while there was no sobbing or dramatic animal noises, at one point, I did tear up.  Because the emotion was so raw and genuine and painful that for a moment I was certain I'd lost someone, too.

That, above all else, is why I salute Mead for this novel.  

It's technically 4.5 stars, but I enjoyed this novel far too much not to round it to a 5.

The Immortal Rules

Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 485
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Type: E-galley from publisher, via NetGalley

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. 

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. 

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. 

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. 

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.


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I'm a bit mixed on this one.  There were some things that I really enjoyed, and some things that really, really irked me.


On the one hand, there were a lot of positives:  


I liked the honesty of it, that Allie wasn't worshiped as some perfect creature; she was flawed, very much so, and that was acknowledged.  


I liked the romance; I liked that our love interest wasn't even introduced for two hundred pages, and that they didn't spout any instant claims of undying love.  I felt as though they did have genuine chemistry. 


I liked Zeke, though I can't say he lists as one of my top Fictional Characters to Swoon Over.  He was sweet, and thoughtful, but not flawless.  


I liked that Allie could actually fight and take care of herself, unlike the large majority of YA heroines today.  In many situations, she was the one saving everyone's asses.  


I liked that the vampires in this story were actually evil bloodsuckers.  It was refreshing as hell.


And most of all, I liked how very easily I could picture it all.  Though a few scenes were particularly vivid, this entire book panned out before my eyes.  I could see it, hear it, almost feel it, if I really stretched my imagination.  Cheesy as it may sound, I felt as though I were there, watching it all unfold.  That made this a far more engrossing read than it otherwise might have been.


But there were also several things that I really disliked.  I disliked that Kanin was such a token figure, the wise old mentor.  Sometimes, once she'd left him, she'd remember things he'd said, and I'd just sit there and scratch my head and wonder how anyone could talk like that and take themselves seriously.  


For another, Ruth.  I hate that her character was so demonized.  While Allie may have kicked some ass, she was the only female character capable of holding her own.  Ruth? Ruth was not only completely helpless, but she was the cruel, nasty tormentor, the one that's clearly meant to be hated.  She had almost no redeeming qualities.  She was flatly awful until the very end.  There was so much mental hate directed toward her, and every time Allie considered killing her, I wanted to facepalm.  Why, why is it such a terrible thing to have a prominent, likable female character besides your heroine?


My problem with Ruth goes hand in hand with my last big problem: the villains.  They were evil.  They were just evil.  There was no spark of decency, not even an explanation.  Just villains being their typical villain selves.  Making devilish plans, doing terrible things, etc.  Personally, that made it far harder for me to be really impressed or horrified by them.  The most terrifying villains are the ones that I can understand. 

This book was enjoyable.  I liked the idea, I liked some of the characters, and for the most part, I liked the plot.  But there were a few factors that made it difficult for me to enjoy this as much as most readers have.  If you are a purist fan of vampires, and if you like badass heroines, then I would recommend this book to you, but I can't say that it really wowed me.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3, because I am sick and not feeling generous.