Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Seraphina (Seraphina #1)
Author: Rachel Hartman
Released: July 10, 2012
Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 467 (hardcover)

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

"Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life."

EPIC. FANTASY. DRAGONS. Awesome!

Fans of epic fantasy: looking for the story that can compare to the fantastical worlds of say, Graceling or Eragon?. This is it, booknerds. This is that book that meets your high demands of:

• dragons
• a medieval/Renaissance setting
• long and foreign-sounding names 
• enough historical background to fill a textbook
• a trillion bajillion characters
• royal/political intrigue

I had you at the dragons, didn't I?

Seraphina takes place in that oh-so-familiar medieval fantasy world, yet manages to be both deeply original and interesting. But the dragons of this world have a unique twist: they are highly intelligent. In this world, dragons are the leaders of mathematical and scientific advances.  However, their rational, mechanical minds are completely incapable of understanding human emotion and art. At the beginning of our story, the dragons and humans have been bound by a peace treaty with the kingdom of Goredd for 40 years. Dragons have been taking form as humans in order to walk among the people and study their perplexing ways, but an intense hatred for dragons still lives among humans. Meanwhile, Seraphina Dombegh is a seemingly impossible monstrosity: half-human, half dragon. After spending a lifetime hiding her secret, she joins the royal court as a musician and gets herself wrapped in a draconion/royal murder mystery, along with the curious Prince Kiggs. As the political plots thicken, Seraphina is dragged into a situation where the two sides she belongs to, the dragons and the humans, are pitted against each other. 

The setting of this book is absolutely fabulous. I'm pretty much blown away at Rachel Hartman's world-building in her debut (DEBUT!) novel. The kingdom of Goredd and the surrounding kingdoms of this fictional world come to life as if they actually exist, because the amount of detail put into this book is amazing. Fictional neighbourhoods, religions, holidays and cultures all pop out of the book as if they're coming into existence right before our eyes. 

Same with the mythology; the dragonlore is fresh and unique and fleshed out. Instead of being the animalistic beasts they usually are, these dragons are logical, highly intelligent, and to be honest, a heck of a lot more interesting than their counterparts. The other characters are similarly unique: Princess Glisselda is giggly but regal, Orma is an imperfect (but improving) father figure, and Kiggs is sharp and highly likable. 

Seraphina, on the other hand, I found hard to connect to at first. I don't really know what it was that made her seem so generic to me. Perhaps it was the fact that she is so similar to so many "strong" female YA characters: because she's so protective of her half-dragon self, she appears closed off and prickly and lonely. A very Katniss-like character (forgive me for the comparison) that feels a little overdone. BUT, as the book went on, Seraphina grew on me a lot and I found that her character definitely made sense for her predicament. I could empathize with her loneliness, plus, she's more likable once she begins making friends with Kiggs, Glisselda, Lars, etc. As this is going to be the first in a series, there's a lot of room for character growth, and hopefully by the end, Seraphina will be a little more sympathy-worthy but just as badass.

Rachel Hartman's debut novel is fantastically fantastical and wonderfully unique, and I'm sure that future books in the series will reveal an all-in-all epic and wonderfully crafted story. 

My Rating:

                    

4.5 Brains.

Recommended if:

-you are a fan of epic fantasy (comme moi!)

-you liked Graceling or similar books set in a medieval/Renaissance time
-you like a little bit of mystery
-you have a thing for dragon/monster/mythical creature mythology

P.S. School started. Less time to blog. Less time to read. More time to study. I is confuzzled and sad.

P.P.S. If you have read Seraphina already (ONLY IF YOU'VE READ IT!) and haven't checked out the Seraphina Wiki yet, do! It's pretty fantabulous. 

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss 
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Released: December 2, 2010
Genre: YA contemporary
Pages: 372 (first edition hardcover)

Publisher: Dutton Books

"Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?"

This is one of those books that makes you happy. Unbelievably happy. It's adorable and sweet,  honest and relatable, witty and hilarious, and accomplishes the incredible feat of being both realistic and enchanting at the same time. In other words, je l'adore. 

(That's "I love it" en Francais. Already knew? Okay. Just checking.)

Please, please, please do yourself a favour and don't wrinkle your nose at Anna simply because it' sounds like "shallow teen chick lit". Granted, the synopsis can induce a little eye-rolling: American girl Anna Oliphant is dreading being sent to boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school. ("As if anyone would complain about Paris!" I hear you exclaiming. Patience, grasshopper.) Luckily, she quickly makes a few inviting friends, including the oh-so-gorgeous Étienne St. Clair, a British-French-American boy with a super swoon-inducing English accent. But here's the kicker: he has a girlfriend. ("Didn't see that one coming," you say sarcastically. Oh, just keep reading.) Despite this unfortunate fact, Anna can't help but fall in love with St. Clair, and she can't be sure, but he may be falling in love with her too. With a never-ending number of obstacles in their way, will the romantic city of Paris be enough to bring Anna and St. Clair together?

I can hear the skeptics scoffing now. But give up not, my friends! Anna and the French Kiss is certainly not shallow, and simply too adorable to miss out on.

The Characters:

Anna Olipihant, be my best friend, please? Stephanie Perkins has written an absolutely lovable female protagonist. Anna is a unique and interesting character, but is incredibly easy to relate to as a teenager: she's tightly-knit with her best friend, she crushes on cute boys, and she has a passion for something she loves, which in Anna's case, is film. She's intelligent and funny, but she also has flaws, making her a totally likable character. But my favourite thing about Anna is the way I could relate to her. Starting school in a  foreign country with no friends, Anna's predicament is awkward and sorta lonely. Not to mention her serious friend/family/love life problems later in the book. All in all, Anna's problems are so reminiscent of the average person's that it's simply impossible not to love her.

And oh my gosh, St. Clair. St. Clair St. Clair St. Clair. If I want Anna to be my best friend, I want to marry St. Clair. He' s everything a girl could wish for in a guy: charming, funny, intelligent. Plus the English accent. That helps too.

  

Yes, St. Clair is totally swoon-worthy.

                                                           

But the best part? He's flawed. Yes, this seemingly perfect boy has some definite problems: problems with his family, with his girlfriend, and especially with his fears. And while St. Clair is just a little bit too perfect to be real, his flaws make him a fleshed-out, relatable, and even more fantastic character.

Apart from Anna and St. Clair, all of the characters are great. The charming Parisian personalities; the quirky best friends, Meredith, Rashmi and Josh; even the despicable popular kids who we all love to hate. Every single character in this book contributes to making it so...real. 

The Paris:

And The City of Light is where the magic begins. 

I didn't think it was possible for anybody to make me want to visit Paris more, but Stephanie Perkins has done it. The way Paris is painted in this novel is absolutely magical: the cobblestone streets, the charming European cafes, the River Seine at night, reflecting the lights of the city. Throughout the book, Anna and St. Clair discover the beauty of this gorgeous city, and it was incredible to discover it with them. The Eiffel Tower. L'Arc de Triomphe. Notre Dame. The Pantheon. The movie theatres. The bookstores. The entire time, I felt like Paris was unfolding in front of me just as much as it was for Anna and St. Clair. 

v

Oui, it's truly magical.

And OH MY GOSH THE FOOD. As Anna and St. Clair discovered the magic of delicious French food, I practically died. French bread. Macarons. Gateaux. Tartes. 

Stephanie Perkins! I love her and hate her for it at the same time.

The Romance:

Of course the romance is the focus of this entire book, and in my opinion, it's done wonderfully. It begins as a friendship, which is what makes Anna and St. Clair's feelings for each other more meaningful. They don't get where they want to without problems. LOTS OF THEM. Jealous friends, jealous girlfriends, family issues, and bad communication. But that was, you guessed it, my favourite part. 

Anna and the French Kiss is completely honest about the nature of both life and love: it's not smooth and romantic all the time. Both  life and love are incredibly infuriating, awkward, and full of ups and downs. It's flawed. But it's that, the perfect imperfection, that makes Anna and St. Clair's relationship and story so real, and so much more worth it in the end.

My Rating:

5 Brains.

Recommended for:

-making you laugh.

-making you swoon.

-making you smile. 

End note:

I love ze comments! Tell me what you think.

Next time on Books Equal Brains! Reviews:

Well, that's a secret. *Flips hair*

(*cough cough* The Scorpio Races *cough cough*.)

Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the previous four books in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Released: May 5. 2009
Genre: fantasy, adventure
Pages: 381

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Rating: 9 (Awesome!)

"All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.


While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.


In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate."

The last installment in a series always makes me emotional. Like really emotional. Sometimes I start to tear up in the middle of the book, not even because of the story, but because of the knowledge that this will be the last time I share an adventure with the characters.

But I did not expect The Last Olympian to get me emotional. 

Don't get me wrong. I truly did enjoy the first four books in the Percy Jackson series; I loved the twists on Greek mythology, the sidesplitting humour, and the fast-paced, monster-filled adventures. Before The Last Olympian, I always thought, it's just a series I read for fun, right? No emotional attachment to the characters here.

But I don't think I ever realized how much I loved this series until I read the final book. And trust me, I got emotional.

The Last Olympian was truly a great finale for the Percy Jackson series. It's definitely my favourite book of the series, along with The Lightning Thief.

The problem I always had with the earlier Percy Jackson books was that the characters just felt sort of two-dimensional to me. It's especially common in middle-grade and children's novels, but it's not necessarily fatal to the books. A lot of the time, books for younger readers are plot and humour driven, so the story can still be fun to read, even if the characters are not as fleshed out as they could be. This is how I felt about the Percy Jackson books in the beginning. The original story lines and the hilarious dialogue always made up for the lack of character depth. 

As the series went on, this improved. And The Last Olympian definitely surprised me.
There was character development!  It was amazing! As Rick Riordan revealed the mysterious pasts of several characters, I found myself understanding and learning to love characters I had never liked before. Even Annabeth, who I had always thought of as a "meh" character, grew on me as Riordan revealed glimpses of her past. 

This novel is quite a bit darker than the previous ones, and that lead to the exploration of serious themes: death, betrayal, guilt. This only added to the development of the characters and the depth of the story itself.

Naturally, as the last book in a series about an impending God/Titan/Demigod war, the vast majority of the book is battle. Riordan also has dozens of loose ends to tie up, so there are a lot of flashback scenes. However, there is rarely a boring moment. Riordan's imagination, the fast-paced plot, and Percy's lasting humour add up to a fantastic finale for a fantastic series.

And now I have to get my hands on The Lost Hero ...