Review: Silver Phoenix

Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon
Find it at a local indie!

• Why I read it: Author's awesome Twitter presence, Chinese mythology
• Disclosure: From the library.

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.
But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.
Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.
It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

I always approach books by folks I follow on Twitter with more than a little trepidation.  I've usually heard so much about their writing process, and have seen the "man behind the curtain," if you will, that it takes away some of the joy of a good story.  Also, there's always that lingering question in the back of your mind.  What if it just plain sucks?

Well, thankfully, Silver Phoenix didn't suck.  At all.  Being the first full-on frontal fantasy I've read in awhile - the genre seems to have been almost entirely replaced by the paranormal - it took me awhile to find my stride.  Learning an entirely new world is always more difficult than learning one you almost know.  But as soon as I moved past the first few chapters, I was completely swept up in Cindy Pon's incredible world.  And a burning question sat on the tip of my tongue.  Why, exactly, isn't there more Chinese-inspired fantasy?  Or Asian-inspired fantasy in general?  The success of shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender (if you ignore the abomination of a movie) surely demonstrates that there's a market, right?  Who doesn't love reading about dragons and goddesses and places with names like the Palace of Fragrant Dreams?  Well.  I guess that's a post for another day, but I, for one, found it refreshing to read fantasy with nary an elf nor orc in sight.

Also, the food.  Oh my dear sweet goodness, the food.  Pon's descriptions border on pornographic for foodies like me, and I turned the last page wanting decent Chinese food SO FREAKING BAD.  (I'm still waiting, by the way.  All we have around here are really crummy Americanized buffets with Jello and chocolate pudding as the primary offerings.) 

Anyway, beyond just food, though that was definitely where it stood out the most, Pon's descriptions made this book for me.  Her prose and character development left a little more to be desired - (highlight to read spoiler) I was really, really pissed at how much Ai Ling wants to bring back Li Rong from the dead when that's obviously a stupid idea, and I felt like Zhong Ye's death was hugely anticlimactic - but honestly, I needed a good fantasy read so badly that I didn't really care.  Fantasy is rarely about the writing or characters, anyway.  Both were decent enough to give us a gorgeous world, and that's what really matters here.  I can't wait to return to it in Fury of the Phoenix!  Four out of five stars.

Debut Author Challenge 2011

For my second challenge choice - I'm still looking for suggestions, by the way! - I'm going to take the plunge and do the Debut Author Challenge, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren.  The idea always freaked me out, big time, because it's just...so...big.  And if you guys haven't noticed, I'm very, very shy.  (Hence the abrupt end to the vlogs.)  But it also looks like a lot of fun, and I'm excited!

If, by some chance, you live on the book blogging equivalent of the moon and haven't heard about the Debut Author Challenge, the goal is to read at least twelve YA and/or MG debuts (that's young adult and middle grade to the uninitiated).  It's a great way to welcome these authors to the neighborhood, if you will, and also to find the new "big" novels.  I have to wade all the way through Kristi's awesome list (which I'm super super thrilled to see lots of Twitter buddies' names on!), which you can find in my link to the challenge.  Anyway, like I said, still looking for other challenge ideas!  Pass 'em on, I'm game.While it really depends on what I have the cash to buy, find at the library, or swap with another blogger, here's my list so far.  I'll be adding and crossing them off as the year goes on, so here goes:

The Latte Rebellion, Sarah Jamila Stevenson.  (Check out my Waiting on Wednesday post!)
Across the Universe, Beth Revis.  (A definite WoW of the future.)
Wither, Lauren DeStefano.  (Another Waiting on Wednesday.)
Luminous, Dawn Metcalf
Teenie, Christopher Grant

Hope you'll join it with me!  I might need the emotional support when it comes to posting review links.

Waiting on Wednesdays: The Latte Rebellion

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme featuring pre-publication books we can't wait for, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.  Feel free to join in, and don't forget to leave your link on this week's Mr. Linky!  This week I'm waiting on...

...The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson.

Our philosophy is simple: Promote a latte-colored world! —from the Latte Rebellion Manifesto
When high school senior Asha Jamison gets called a "towel head" at a pool party, the racist insult gives Asha and her best friend Carey a great money-making idea for a post-graduation trip. They'll sell T-shirts promoting the Latte Rebellion, a club that raises awareness of mixed-race students.
Seemingly overnight, their "cause" goes viral and the T-shirts become a nationwide fad. As new chapters spring up from coast to coast, Asha realizes that her simple marketing plan has taken on a life of its own-and it's starting to ruin hers. Asha's once-stellar grades begin to slip, threatening her Ivy League dreams, and her friendship with Carey is hanging by a thread. And when the peaceful underground movement turns militant, Asha's school launches a disciplinary hearing.Facing expulsion, Asha must decide how much she's willing to risk for something she truly believes in.

In addition to being one of this year's PoC debuts that I'm planning to use for both the PoC Reading Challenge and the Debut Author Challenge (yay for double dipping!), this is a concept that's just genuinely interesting to me.  It's so easy for anything to go viral and get out of control in the days of Facebook and YouTube, and I love the idea of a story from the perspective of the person who started the trend.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?  Please leave your links and titles in the comments!

Review: Bleeding Violet

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Find it at a local indie!

• Why I read it: Too many recommendations to count, cover, Finland, biracial, pure effed-up factor
• Disclosure: Checked out a copy from the local library.

Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Remember when I said how excited I was to review this one?  Remember?  Well.  I lied.  This book is actually a pain in the rear end to review, because is just so darn weird.  And in my book in YA at the moment, with dozens and dozens and dozens of books that start to look exactly the same, weird = awesome.  This is the kind of book I'd recommend to my special friends, the ones who understand that just because I read a book about a girl who decides to paint the walls with her own blood does not mean I should be committed to a psych ward.  The ones who would understand the deep and indestructible bond that has been forged between me and Portero in this book and would fantasize about all the ways we'd prove our non-transy-pants-ness to Hanna, Wyatt, and the rest of the Porterenes when we move there.  Seriously, while I don't do "best-of" lists - there are just too many factors at play - if I had to do a "most memorable" list, this book would blow the competition out of the water.

The other reason I can't review a book like this?  Every time I start thinking of something bad to say about it, my brain counteracts it with wild admiration of Dia Reeves's bravery in writing this.  It's the Donnie Darko of the book world, violent, uncomfortable, just plain effed up.  Unlike Donnie Darko, it's also very sexy, which considering that nine out of ten challenged books were challenged for sexual content, is the more dangerous move on the part of the author.  I wouldn't exactly recommend that all sixteen-year-olds run around and be as crazy as Hanna by any means - it sure isn't a moral handbook - but it's utterly fresh in its daring, and the repressed rebel inside of me loved it.

Also, Finland!  A bicultural, biracial protagonist!  Love!  I finished reading this book, and even though she never even mentioned lefse I had to go have some.  And then I lamented the fact that we don't have a sauna.  I'm a Caucasian melting pot, and if there was one particular cultural identity I'd emphasize, it would absolutely be Finland, even though pigs will fly before I learn the language.  My vocabulary currently consists of two words.  Anyway, thank you Dia Reeves for giving that a shout-out in Hanna's character.  If I was the kind of person who said squee - which, of course, I'm not - I would totally be squeeing right now.

It's not the most well-written book I've read this year - that honor would probably go to The Book Thief or Jellicoe Road - but it's definitely one of the most wild, crazy, and fun.  Four and a half out of five stars.

New Crayons/Read This Week #5

I thought I'd shake it up a bit and not do the regular IMM post...seeing as both of the books I got this week were multicultural/PoC, I'm doing New Crayons, hosted by Color Online.  Two of my library holds came through, so I got...

...Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves.

Love can be a dangerous thing.... Hanna simply wants to be loved. With a head plagued by hallucinations, a medicine cabinet full of pills, and a closet stuffed with frilly, violet dresses, Hanna's tired of being the outcast, the weird girl, the freak. So she runs away to Portero, Texas in search of a new home.
But Portero is a stranger town than Hanna expects. As she tries to make a place for herself, she discovers dark secrets that would terrify any normal soul. Good thing for Hanna, she's far from normal. As this crazy girl meets an even crazier town, only two things are certain: Anything can happen and no one is safe.

Oh. My. Gosh.  I can't wait to review this one.  If there was a prize for the most screwed up YA novel of all time, Bleeding Violet would be the front-runner.  And just so we're clear, that makes it awesome - definitely one of my favorites this year.  I can't wait for Slice of Cherry!

Also, Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon.

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.
But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.
Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.
It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

Not sure how I feel about this one yet (I'm halfway through).  I'm really not a fan of the cover and undecided about the writing, but the worldbuilding is stunning.  Definitely worth another Oh. My. Gosh.

One thing I'd like to point out about these two is that neither of the covers are whitewashed.  Love.  Now, my captive audience, I want to hear about your New Crayons and anything else you received in your mailbox.  Please share in the comments! =)

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Read This Week

Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan (re-read)

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (re-read)

Epiworld by Tracey Morait

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves