Thursday, November 5, 2015

Female Heroes Unite! Book List

Do you want a book where females have a prominent role? Did some complex female characters? Check out this book list...




1) "Touch of Frost" by Jennifer Estep

In this series opener, Estep adapts Greek and Norse mythology to encompass contemporary teenage warriors training to duke out ancient rivalries.

Gwen Frost’s psychometry leaves her little in common with magically gifted Valkyrie, Spartan and Amazon students at Mythos Academy. When she survives a crime that renders a classmate dead in a pool of blood, she resolves to uncover the murderer, whom administrators readily conclude is an enemy serving an evil god seeking world domination. On a hunt for clues, Gwen demonstrates an aptitude for breaking and entering, blackmail and espionage, and leverages her gift of touch to descry secrets. Despite ingenious worldbuilding, Estep follows many common conventions: Gwen’s mother has recently died, and Gwen is the poor girl among rich kids at a new school where she hides in corners. Her blanching at nude statues or using overly childish aphorisms feels incongruous, given Gwen's casual attitude about the sex lives and illicit party habits of her peers; however, Gwen earns teen cred when she befriends a popular girl and asks out her crush. Fortune wildly favors her in some close calls with undecipherable foes, and, again following a popular paradigm, Gwen conveniently learns of her unique legacy at the very moment when she bravely steps into the big shoes her predecessors have left her.

Fast-paced, edgy and imaginative enough. (Urban fantasy. 12 & up)




2) "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

With an unflinching voice, Cath navigates the lonely road of her freshman year at college, untethered from her gregarious twin sister’s orbit and unsure whether her wild popularity as an author of fan fiction makes her more—or less—of a “real” writer.

The novel’s brilliance comes from Rowell’s reimagining of a coming-of-age story’s stock characters (the reclusive writer, the tough-talking friend, the sweet potential boyfriend) as dynamic and temperamental individuals—which adroitly parallels Cath’s own fan-fiction writing process. Rowell challenges readers to love characters who are loyal, vulnerable and funny—but also realistically flawed. Cath’s gruff exterior protects her easily wounded and quite self-conscious heart, but her anger is sometimes unreasonable. Roommate Reagan is a fiercely loyal friend but an unfaithful girlfriend; Cath’s crush, Levi, has a receding hairline rather than the artificial movie-star perfection bestowed upon the brows of so many romantic heroes. The nuanced characters help the novel avoid didacticism as it explores the creative process and the concept of creative “ownership.” Though Cath’s Harry Potter–esque fan fiction (excerpts of which are deftly woven into the novel) has a devoted following of more than 35,000 readers, a professor deems the stories plagiarism and stealing because, “These characters, this whole world belongs to someone else.” Cath’s struggles to assess this conclusion’s validity give readers much to consider.

Absolutely captivating. (Fiction 14 & up)






3) "My Most Excellent Year" by Steve Kluger

How many novels have such a cast of characters: A Red Sox addict who writes letters to his dead mother; his gay American-born Chinese “brother”; a love interest whose role model is Jacqueline Kennedy and who’s the daughter of the ambassador to Mexico; a young boy who thinks Mary Poppins is real; and a father romancing his son’s school adviser? Kluger’s foray into young-adult literature does, and it all works wonderfully in a modern-day tale of baseball, romance, Broadway musicals and even baseball at the Manzanar National Historic Site. Written in letters, instant messages, school assignments and e-mails, this romantic comedy is pure fun. T.C., Augie, Alejandra, Andy and others find that romance means learning to see with new eyes and becoming new under the influence of magic in the world. The many characters are well-drawn and believable, and readers will care about them. The innovative format works well in relating the multiple love stories, and the story ought to appeal to a wide range of readers. (Fiction. 12+)




4) "The Demon King" by Cinda Williams Chima

Rich characterization and exquisite world building make up for a leisurely pace in the dense first volume of a new epic-fantasy trilogy. Han Alister is a fatherless street rat, former thief lord and runner for the Clan tribes. Raisa is the Princess Heir, last in a long line of fabled warrior Queens. Their paths should never have intersected, had not both become enmeshed in the schemes of the wizards seeking to regain powers curbed for the crimes of the Demon King, a thousand years past. Now ancient talismans and grim portents herald murder and treason, and both Han and Raisa are forced to embrace heritages they can scarcely imagine. Chima forges an intricate world, alloying standard genre tropes in unexpected ways and inlaying intrigue amid a delicately crafted setting of history and legend. Dozens of characters, complex and distinct in personality, are placed with jewel-like precision, set off by dark glints of villainy. Few readers will mind reaching the end with the protagonists still separated by hundreds of miles only to realize it was naught but prelude to the real action; instead, they will clamor for the sequel. (Fantasy. YA)




5) "The Ropemaker" by Peter Dickinson

Dickinson’s new work is a quest fantasy, but not in the heroic mold. Its core is set in a Valley, cut off from the warlike tribes on the northern plains and from the Empire to its south, by barriers fueled by the channeled magic of the area’s people. As the story begins, the defenses that safeguarded the Valley over 20 generations are breaking down. Tilja, her grandmother, and Tahl with his grandfather, travel into the Empire seeking the sorcerer who fixed the original safeguards to request that he renew them. The Empire has changed and is now filled with unexpected dangers and challenges. Dickinson divides his narrative into three sections, each named for a sorcerer. “Asarta” sets the story up, establishing the mythology of the Valley, its history, and a feel for the social mores of the world. “Faheel” tells of the quest through the Empire, its current political and social characteristics, and the nature of magic and validity of its use. “Ramdata” is the concluding section, recounting the return of the four to the Valley, through the chaos caused by the actions of Faheel, the second sorcerer. This is an unusually satisfying fantasy in a world built through the myths and customs of the people who live there. There is a very concrete sense of the geography of the various lands that the characters travel through; even the nature of the magic is based in the land and objects produced by its people. Characterizations are excellent, including the secondary characters (and the horse). Suspense continues to build, with an ending that is harmonious with the plot, setting, and characters. For fantasy fans, a spellbinder. (Fiction. YA)




6) "The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor

Alice in Wonderland gets an update in this first installment of a planned trilogy. Princess Alyss, driven out of her Wonderland kingdom by her evil aunt, Redd, suffers years of exile in Victorian England before her dedicated bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, finds her. Dragged back to the home she feared she had only imagined, it is now up to Alyss to rally her troops, drive out the usurper and claim her throne. Can she survive assassination attempts by the vicious Cat with nine lives, a spy amongst her faithful followers, a trek across the Chessboard Desert to Redd’s fortress at Mount Isolation and a duel of White vs. Black Imagination? Penned by the producer of There’s Something About Mary, it’s clear that this version will make the transition to the big screen, as the book reads more like a screenplay than a novel. The action moves swiftly from one complex scene to the next; there is minimal character development and opportunities for rich detail are tossed away all too often in favor of simply moving the story forward. One can only hope it translates well to the screen. (Fantasy. 12-15)




Book One of Three: Seeing Red and Archenemy


7) "Afterworlds" by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld offers two novels in one: the story of Lizzie Scofield, a teenager who escapes a terrorist attack by somehow crossing into the afterlife and develops a relationship with a “smoldering Vedic psychopomp,” and the story of 18-year-old Darcy Patel, who has just signed a contract to publish the novel Lizzie anchors.

In alternating chapters, the two books unfold. The still-living Lizzie pursues a relationship with Yamaraj, who protects newly crossed spirits from otherworldly predators, even as she negotiates her new powers to cross over and interact with ghosts, especially the little lost soul who haunts her closet. Meanwhile, Darcy decides to forgo college for the glamor of a writer’s life in New York City, struggling to revise Afterworlds and draft Untitled Patel as she watches her $300,000 advance vanish into agent commissions, rent, and fancy, foodie ramen. She also enters the tightknit, often bitchy world of YA writers, where she meets and falls for Imogen. Westerfeld clearly has a good time here, but he resists broad satire, focusing on Darcy’s coming-of-age as a writer who’s got the “juice.” Likewise, Darcy’s novel isn’t half bad, displaying a control that’s missing from far too many paranormal debuts. Readers who pay attention will see how Darcy’s learning curve plays out and how she incorporates and transmutes her real-world experiences into her novel.

Watching Darcy’s story play off Darcy’s novel will fascinate readers as well as writers. (Fiction. 14 & up)




8) "Andromeda's Fall" by William C. Dietz

Beginning a sort of prequel series to Dietz’s Legion of the Damned cycle (A Fighting Chance, 2011, etc.), these are the far-future exploits of what is currently known as the French Foreign Legion.

Humanity has established a galactic empire and come into conflict with aliens. Emperor Alfred Ordanus is working with Carletto Industries to develop affordable cyberbodies—hence a sort of immortality—for everyone. Alfred’s sister Ophelia, however, has other ideas. Using her deadly synth warriors, she assassinates Alfred and ruthlessly sets about eliminating all of Alfred’s supporters, including the unsuspecting Carlettos. On planet Esparto, Lady Catherine Carletto luckily survives a bombing at an official function. Friendless and desperate, Cat has only one chance: She must vanish. And the Legion is the only organization that will accept her without asking awkward questions about her real identity or the ugly knife wound she sustained to her face. In other ways, too, the Legion is an ideal sanctuary for new recruit Andromeda McKee. It will toughen her up and teach her survival skills, such as how to kill and how to plan, while allowing her to remain concealed while she nurtures her desire for revenge. So, on various planets, the Legion turns socialite Cat into soldier Andromeda. What she doesn’t yet know is that Ophelia has a long list of people to be murdered by her all but indestructible synths—and Cat Carletto is number 2999. Don’t expect much of a plot, but Dietz develops his characters adequately within the limits of the story—and the action rarely lets up.

Mostly predictable, but no less of a page turner for all that.



No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.