De Drácula a Madero: Viaje todo incluido a la Decena Trágica by M.B. Brozon

My rating:

Una noche de 2010, tres amigos se reúnen para invocar al espíritu del célebre creador de Drácula. Con velas encendidas y cierto escepticismo, aquello que parecía un ridículo ritual pronto se convierte en una experiencia insólita: dos de ellos son arrojados del presente para aterrizar en el año 1913, en el preámbulo de uno de los episodios más tristes y sanguinarios de la historia de México: la Decena Trágica. En medio de una ciudad en guerra, los protagonistas buscarán la forma de volver a su tiempo mientras se cruzan con los personajes que definieron el futuro del país. ¿Qué los llevó allá y qué los podrá regresar?, ¿hasta dónde sus acciones pueden alterar el curso de la historia? Estas sin algunas preguntas a las que se enfrentarán Juan Pablo y Marisol en esta sorprendente novela donde se conjugan el humor, la intriga, la historia y la ciencia ficción. (Goodreads).

Leí esta novela en muy poco tiempo, pero me impresionó mucho. Brozon mezcla la historia mexicana con la ciencia ficción y, yo diría, la fantasía también. Aunque el libro se trata de un viaje en el tiempo, Brozon no pasa demasiado tiempo con la explicación técnica de este fenómeno. En la ciencia ficción dura sí quiero todos los detalles científicos pero en este caso creo que lo interesante son los personajes y los hechos históricos.

Cuando Juan Pablo y Marisol se encuentran en el año 1913, tienen la ventaja de poder comunicarse con su amigo Gonzálo, quien todavía está en 2010. A través de la máquina de escribir que los tres usaron en la sesión espiritista, Gonzálo les envía información sobre los sucesos de la Decena Trágica para ayudarlos a sobrevivir mientras buscan una manera de regresar a su tiempo. Además Juan Pablo y Marisol enfrentan el problema de tener toda esta información del futuro sin poder compartirla incluso para salvar vidas. Brozon trata la historia y la moralidad sin escribir algo demasiado pesado para los adolescentes. De Drácula a Madero es una novela divertida que recomiendo mucho. 

His Majesty's Dragon - by Naomi Novik

My rating: 

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire. (Goodreads)

I am a huge fan of both fantasy and historical fiction and I think His Majesty's Dragon is the perfect combination of both. When I first heard about this book, mainly from library patrons wanting to find it, I was really excited about the idea of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons. Even with my high expectations, I can say that this book was so much better than I could have imagined. When I first starting reading His Majesty's Dragon, it reminded me a bit of the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld, which I read at the beginning of this year. What really made me love Novik's novels even more than Westerfeld's, though, is the representation of the dragons and their relationship with the humans.

The book begins Captain Laurence and his crew capturing a French ship that just happens to be carrying a dragon egg. From their initial discussion about dragons (how to harness them, making sure they are harnessed before allowing them to fly, the option of sending the dragon to the breeding grounds if he can't be harnessed) made me think that the dragons in this book would essentially be treated like property. Once Temeraire hatches, everything changes for Laurence and he forms a very real and loving bond with the dragon. I absolutely love the dragons Novik has created for this series. They are extremely intelligent and are characters in their own right, not just a means of transportation or war machines. It's no secret that I'm an animal lover, so Novik's representation and treatment of dragons in this novel played a huge part in winning me over.

As far as human protagonists, I didn't find Laurence to be quite as interesting as his dragon, but they make a good pair. Laurence is a very disciplined, upright gentleman who is overly concerned with doing his duty to the crown. Temeraire isn't very concerned with human laws and is constantly engaging Laurence in discussions that challenge his beliefs. Honestly, Laurence isn't the most compelling character, but I think he nicely represents some of the beliefs of the time period. What does work well, in my opinion, is they way Novik uses this overly traditional character to contrast the more relaxed and progressive life of the Aerial Corp. Not only are the other aviators much less concerned with the formalities and manners that Laurence is used to from his time in the navy, but they also employ women and young girls in the service. I think the addition of free thinking dragons and the Aerial Corp allows Novik to insert some more modern values into this book in a way that wouldn't feel natural if it were simply a historical fiction novel.

Overall, I think Novik's writing is what really makes this book so enjoyable to read. Her representation of the time period and the language used by the characters felt spot on, although I am by no means an expert on the time period. Her details of the navy, aerial corp, and general military actions were enough to set the mood and show that she did her research, but didn't feel overwhelming to me as someone who doesn't have a huge knowledge of or interest in military history. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy or historical fiction, and I think it is a must read for animal lovers.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy - by Margot Livesey

My rating:

I stumbled onto The Flight of Gemma Hardy at the library where they were offering mystery books. These books were in brown paper bags with just a brief description to let you know a little about the genre. Even once I checked out this book, I didn't initially realize that it was a retelling of Jane Eyre, which I will admit I have never read.

The book begins with Gemma's childhood, not long after her uncle has died. Gemma was orphaned as a young child and it is her uncle who steps up to care for her. He brings Gemma from Iceland to live with family in Scotland where Gemma is quite content. After her uncle's death, however, Gemma is stuck with a resentful aunt and cousins who don't care for her. When she is offered a chance to take the entrance exams for the Claypoole boarding school, Gemma sees her chance to escape and her aunt is happy to see her go.

If Livesey painted a bleak picture of Gemma's life at home, it is nothing compared to what she finds at Claypoole. Although she is very independent and even stubborn, Gemma is also a bright a fairly studious girl. Instead of finding a place where she can shine as a star student, Gemma is relegated to the status of a working girl. She has to earn her tuition by providing the labor necessary to run a boarding school and her studies often suffer because of her workload. When the school closes down, Gemma is hopeful and happily accepts a job as an au pair on the Orkney Islands.

Gemma arrives at the distant Blackbird with her hope intact and soon finds herself feeling like she has found somewhere she belongs. Even after all her hardships, though, this is really just the beginning of Gemma's journey. As she matures and finds herself drawn to the wealthy master of Blackbird Hall, Hugh Sinclair, Gemma's life will lead her down an entirely unexpected path.  Livesey tells a compelling story of a girl, and a later a woman, who bravely deals with the twists and turns she encounters in life. I found Gemma's character especially intriguing because, even when it seems like her life can't get any worse, some spark of her stubborn personality shines through. Even though I have never read Jane Eyre, I very much enjoyed Livesey's novel and highly recommend it.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy will be my sixth book for the summer reading program at summerreadingonline.blogspot.com. I'm also going to cheat, just a little, and count this for the classic challenge. I admittedly don't read many classics and as a retelling of Jane Eyre, I think this book should count just in case I don't read anything else that would fit the challenge.

Monstrous Beauty - by Elizabeth Fama

My rating:

Monstrous Beauty tells the story of the mermaid Syrenka as she falls in love with Ezra in the year 1872. Then we jump forward over one hundred years to the story of Hester Goodwin who happens to meet a man named Ezra in a cave by the beach. The book alternates between the past and present, telling the story of these two women. Syrenka is a mermaid who has known love, as well the consequences, before and is ready to become mortal to safely remain with Ezra as his wife.

Seventeen year old Hester is trying to avoid love at all costs because she doesn't want to continue the pattern of grief that has plagued her family for as long as she can remember. Hester's mother and the other women in her family have all died within days of giving birth to a daughter. Hester plans to break this chain of death my never falling in love, but she begins to reconsider when she meets Ezra. She also begins to realize that these deaths might not be caused by a genetic condition, as she had believed, but by something more sinister.

I have to say that overall, Fama wrote an excellent novel. The transitions between the past and the present flowed very smoothly, although I think I actually preferred Syrenka's story and would have liked to learn more about her life. Hester's story starts to get more interesting towards the end of the book once she begins to question Ezra's mysterious life on the beach and how it might be connected to her own personal history. I also didn't realize mermaid books had taken off recently, so this is my first one and I love the mermaids Fama created. I've seen good mermaids and evil mermaids, but I think she finds a great balance between these two stereotypes. These mermaids are fierce and mysterious, with no set moral code. I wasn't expecting this novel to be so mature, since it is marketed as YA, but it's definitely great not only for older teens but also adults of any age. I listened to this as an audio book and I would definitely recommend experiencing Monstrous Beauty this way. The narrator was brilliant and really brings Fama's beautiful writing to life.

This is also my first review for summer reading! I'm participating in the summer reading program at summerreadingonline.blogpot.com so be sure to check it out. Even though Monstrous Beauty could fit into numerous categories from the challenges I'm going to use this for the audio book challenge.

The Paying Guests - by Sarah Waters

My rating:

I've had several Sarah Waters books on my to-read shelf and ended up choosing this as the first to read after it was recommended by a librarian. I wasn't necessarily disappointed, but The Paying Guests did turn out to be quite different than what I was expecting.

The book starts off well, with great descriptions of the situation Frances and her mother find themselves in. It is shortly after WWI and with her brothers and father gone, Frances and her mother are forced to take lodgers, or paying guests. While neither of them like the arrangement, it is the only way they can manage to keep living the type of life they are used to. I felt like I got a good feel for the society of the time and could really understand how Frances felt. I enjoyed watching the change from the discomfort when Mr. and Mrs. Barber, first move in, with the new noises and awkward encounters on the stairs, to the friendship that starts to grow between Frances and Lillian. After that though, is when I started to like the book, and particularly the characters, less and less.

While there wasn't anything terrible about this book, there were lots of small things that just didn't work for me and these kept adding up. I was all for the romance, but Frances got too pushy for my tastes and the relationship between her and Lillian felt rather forced. Then something awful happens (I don't want to give away too much), and things really take a turn for the worse. Frances and Lillian end up in a bad situation, but they way they handle it is ridiculous. As things progress, I feel like their choices go from questionable to downright terrible.

While I wasn't expecting the second half of the book to become a crime drama, and would have preferred that at least some of the characters be a bit more likable, this was still an enjoyable read.