Mini-Reviews: Hawksong, Nine Coaches Waiting, and Crossing Stones

If you're seeing this post, it means I have fallen on hard times. Over the past summer, there was a time when I had a wealthy backlog of reviews (oh, how I miss those days!), which meant that I crusaded around GoodReads, writing brief, short sentence "reviews" conveying my thoughts on a handful of novels I was too lazy to review in their entirety. I've gone back through those "mini-reviews" and compiled a small list of the better ones to entertain you, dear readers, with until I can get around to writing and posting a proper review. Either way, I hope you enjoy. :)

Title: Hawksong (The Kiesha'ra, #1)*
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Rating: 4 Stars

Hawksong is possibly one of the most under-rated fantasy novels I've come across. In fact, this book simply seems to fall under everyone's radar - much to their own loss, I must say. Atwater-Rhodes is a brilliant writer, creating a world rich in lore, myth, and tradition. Danica, the queen of her hawk people, and Zane, the king of the cobras, are shapeshifters who marry to end the centuries-old feud between their people. Both Danica and Zane are tired of war, but their marriage will prove more difficult than either can imagine. Both the hawks and cobras share different traditions and as Zane and Danica grow to fall in love with one another, they also learn to assimilate their cultures and their people. Atwater-Rhodes writes world-building as a mere extension of her story, not as an overwhelming portion of info-dumping. With subtle legends and traditions, she manages to create and encompass the depth of these two races. Although I felt as if Hawksong ended a little too early, with both Danica and Zane falling in love slightly faster than I wished, I cannot deny that this is solid fantasy, full of the characters and type of complex world I love. Atwater-Rhodes, my friends, is not to be missed.

*I did read the sequel to this novel, Snakecharm, but wasn't impressed. I would still highly recommend this book, though, as it can be read as a stand-alone and it definitely worth a read for fantasy lovers.

Title: Nine Coaches Waiting 

Author: Mary Stewart

Rating: 4 Stars

What do I possibly say about Nine Coaches Waiting that hasn’t already been said before? Mary Stewart is a legend; her books are classics when it comes to the genre of gothic mystery. Although Nine Coaches Waiting suffers from a slow start, it is a breath-taking novel, beautifully written with a strong-willed and courageous governess at its center. Stewart, much like Daphne DuMaurier, is an expert at building suspense and causing our minds to flit between one suspect and the next. Nine Coaches Waiting is a thrill from start to finish and I finished this in a record three hours flat, unable to let go of the book until I knew for sure who the guilty party was. And, admittedly, it is a little obvious from the start, but there are many layers of doubt that Steward builds and, all the more, with a romance at the center, this book lacks nothing. If you’re a fan of Jane Eyre or simply gothic mysteries in general, then you cannot go wrong with Nine Coaches Waiting. Very highly recommended.

Title: Crossing Stones

Author: Helen Frost

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I've been on a bit of a verse novel binge lately, not to mention one of WWI (especially since I finished all three seasons of Downton Abbey in a record three and a half days!). Thus, it's almost not a surprise that I enjoyed this; it's merely a surprise that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Frost writes beautifully, choosing three separate styles to bring us the story of Muriel, a headstrong girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind; Ollie, her older brother who enlists for war despite being underage; and Emma, the sweet girl next door. With this short novel composed of poems, Frost is able to relate the horrors of war, the struggles of women, and the tension of those who remain home in such a way that it is bearable to us as readers. Not only is Frost's tale historically accurate, but it is also unexpectedly heartfelt.

Muriel, a young Alice Paul if you will, was my favorite narrator in the novel. I loved her outrageous opinions, her inability to accept the reality of her time, and her courage in standing up for her beliefs. Muriel is easily the most flawed of our three narrators which makes her, for me, the most realistic. Ollie provides us with the sole male perspective in this novel, one filled with the harsh realities of war and the peer pressure that men face to enlist. Emma, on the other hand, is possibly the dullest character. Although her poems had substantial depth, she herself is a relatively simplistic character, representing the average American women who was comfortable with her role in the house. With this novel, what Frost excels at is building the era both with war and politics. Granted, the characters aren't as fully fleshed as they could be, but as a piece of historic fiction this is one of the better - and more creative - ones.

Lisa Schroeder Verse Novel Mini-Reviews: Chasing Brooklyn & The Day Before

Title: Chasing Brooklyn

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 3 Stars

Schroeder is one of the top names when it comes to verse novels and I can now see why. Although I often stay away from these poetry-bound novels, Schroeder assuaged most of my fears and managed to suck me into her beautiful tale. I wasn't expected it, but Chasing Brooklyn managed to contain deep and well-rounded characters I truly felt for. Brooklyn, the protagonist who lost her boyfriend and is now haunted by her friend who overdosed is a heroine we can get behind, struggling to maintain a facade of being alright and caring for her dad while her mother and two younger brothers remain elsewhere. And then there's Nico, more of a protagonist himself than a love interest, and his fragile self-esteem combined with his delicate relationship with his parents made him so very real. When put together on the page, their story is gripping and lovely; a novel of dealing with grief and moving on with life, all told in a very unique style that is hard to forget.

And yet, there were still so many flaws with this novel. For one, I find that most grief novels tend to depict the deceased as perfect human beings, which is not only disappointing but also renders their characters to be very flat. And while that didn't bother me too much with this book, it still existed. Instead, what really bothered me about this novel was the ghost plot line itself. Now, I'm not a big fan of ghosts and the plot line with nightmares and terrifying dreams was all just a little too overstated and obvious to have much of an impact. All of Brooklyn's dreams were filled with typical metaphors and symbols that spelled things out for her too easily. I wish that Brooklyn's journey had been more about herself and Nico than about how their ghosts brought them together. It was all too convenient and cliched for my liking. Additionally, by the end of the novel I felt as if the effectiveness of the prose really began to wear off. With this type of style, it's hard to get behind too many topics and cover them all in-depth - I wanted to know more about the secondary characters, more about Brooklyn's father, more about these parents who were also grieving. Nevertheless, all things considered - especially my aversion to verse novels - I'd call this read a success. It's short and sweet and I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of Schroeder in the future.

Title: The Day Before

Author: Lisa Schroeder

Rating: 3 Stars

Once again, Lisa Schroeder manages to stun...and disappoint. From the beginning itself, The Day Before has a rocky start, throwing together two strangers - Amber and Cade - without reason. It is evident, though, that both these teens are hurting in their own way and as the story progresses, the truth about their pasts unravel. Unfortunately, what Schroeder's verse novels lack is plausibility. Is it really that believable for two teenage strangers to decide to be one another's companions for the day? Doubtful. And yet, despite this rocky set-up, Schroeder can write. On more than one occasion, her poems were heartfelt and touched a hidden part of me. Furthermore, despite the slenderness of this volume, she managed to make me feel for these characters and I can assure you that the romance in this novel, though very insta-love (and certainly not as believable as Just One Day's love story), has no shortage of swoon-worthy moments.

For me, this is why Schroeder excels: in her ability to make us, the reader, feel emotion with just a few mere words strung together. Not only does she choose unique topics and even more original ways of discussing them, but her characters feel so very realistic and jump out of the page. Sadly, though, for me her verse novels don't begin to compare to the fullness of a solid book. I always find myself wishing for more - more closure, more detail, just more. And this, I fear, is a personal qualm. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of verse novels then Schroeder is undoubtedly one of the best out there. Even I can admit that.