Review: A Monster Calls by: Patrick Ness

          Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls is the heartbreaking story of Conor and how he copes with loss and loneliness.  Ness has created a dialogue between characters that is incredibly realistic.  He is able to capture the naivete of a young child but also show the maturity and strength that Conor possesses while coping with traumatic events in his life.  Conor is alone and ostracized by his peers, pushed to the side by his family, and the one person who he depends on does not have the strength to take care of him anymore.  He is forced to grow up, forced to find his own strength, forced to deal with the Monster inside.

          The adults in Ness's book are also complex, we see them from the perspective of Conor, in that case many of them are cold and too busy to bother comforting him.  But in some we see another side, and incredibly painful sadness which in Conor's presence is masked to show strength but comes off as coldness and indifference.  There are so many levels of love and strength within Ness's book and the understanding between the characters (or at times, lack of) is so realistic that it made my heart hurt.  The fear and sadness that a child feels when lonely, and those same emotions felt by adults that must keep them inside to hold everything together.  The conversations between Conor and the adults around him hit very close to home.  They are raw and the tone of them, from the words on the page to the echo of those words in my mind, is so perfect, so awkwardly sad, but perfect. 

          And than there is the Monster.  I will not say too much about him other than he is not what I expected, but the concept of the Monster is so perfect, so honest, almost awful, but completely understandable.  Ness is awesome.  This is definitely a book that surprised me, it was nothing like what I imagined it to be but wonderful none the less.  Ness has a voice that is worth reading, an instant favorite it my book!

Review: Strands of Bronze and Gold by: Jane Nickerson

          Jane Nickerson's Strands of Bronze and Gold is a beautiful retelling of the classic fairy tale Bluebeard.  I originally heard of Nickerson's lovely book from Misty of BookRatMisty on youtube, someone that I wholeheartedly trust in terms of fairytale(esque) reads!   I had never heard of the fairytale of Bluebeard and it was her recommendation to NOT read the original fairytale before reading Nickerson's book.  And I completely agree!  Nickerson's retelling stays very close to the original fairy tale.  In fact the basic outline is exactly the same (but there are added twist and turns, a unique southern spin, and her beautiful language to embellish the story).  To read the original fairytale would giveaway the plot and ending. Although, I did read Perault's and the Grimm brothers versions right after for good measure. :)

          In Strands of Bronze and Gold we follow the beautiful sixteen
year old Sophia who is staying with her godfather Monsieur Bernard De Cressac at his estate, Wyndriven Abbey, in Mississippi.  Monsieur De Cressac has always had a fondness for Sophia and after her fathers unfortunate death, Sophia went to visit her godfather in hopes that he would love her so much that he would eventually choose to not only take care over her but also extend his home and wealth to her struggling siblings as well.  And this is where the story begins.

          The plot itself is predictable, even without reading or knowing the tale of Bluebeard, but Nickerson is still able to provide the reader with elements of surprise with how actions are carried out within the story.  There were a few issues i had with the story, one in particular.  There is a historical aspect added to this classic fairytale, Nickerson decided to weave the history of southern slavery and plantations into the story.  However, I felt disappointed that it did not play a bigger part within the plot.  Sophia has this wishy washy kind of compassion for the house slaves, and there is a lot of emphasis on the underground railroad.  So as I was reading I kept thinking that the underground railroad would play a part in this journey that Sophia is on, but nothing happened with it!! It would have added SO much the plot had it been incorporated, and I totally thought it was going to happen, but after all that emphasis the house slaves and the underground railroad are kind of pushed to the back burner until everything is wrapped up in a neat bow at the end.  

          On another note Nickerson's book seems to be a nod to Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca (which I love!).  Monsieur De Cressac's guilt, his pacing, the large estate, Sophia's wondering of the grounds,  her dependency on him and neediness, the dedicated and somewhat looney maid, ahh there was so much Rebecca in there, it was too much awesomeness.

           In terms of my overall impression of the book, I liked it.  It was a nice quick (very quick), fun read to escape in.  You can tell that Nickerson is a visual person, a person that loves beautiful things, a large portion of the book is dedicated to detailed descriptions of of the ornate and luxurious gowns Sophia wears and the lavish rooms (especially Sophia's, her room sounds like a dream!) that make up Wyndriven Abbey.  As a character Sophia is not particularly likeable, at least not in my opinion, and I didn't really buy her as a person that had experienced poverty before her extended stay at Wyndriven Abbey, but nonetheless she was fun to read about. 

          Nickerson is coming out with another book, The Mirk and Midnight Hour, on March 11 of this year and it sounds absolutely delicious.  A girl named Violet, a laudanum addicted mother, and the Civil War, yes please! I think her first book was good, I enjoy her writing style and her creative vision, and I think her next book will only be better!  I will most definitely be keeping Nickerson in mind for my 2014 reads.