Novella Review: Ferragost by Melina Marchetta (Salute Your Shorts, #1)

Salute Your Shorts is a weekly (ish) feature hosted by Heidi at Bunbury in the Stacks. It highlights and reviews short stories and novellas, both of which don't receive too much attention in the blogosphere. 

Salute Your Shorts is a feature I've enjoyed at Heidi's blog for a long time now and I figured with the new year - and a new-found love of short stories and novellas - I might as well join in! :)

Title: Ferragost (Lumatere Chronicles, #2.5)

Author: Melina Marchetta

Rating: 4 Stars

We Melina Marchetta fans, we need to start a petition, because I need a WHOLE book on Celie, and especially on her romance with Banyon. Seriously, one little short story just isn't enough! First of all, I have to admit that I didn't have very high hopes for Ferragost, simply because Marchetta's strength lies in her slow build-up and development of ideas, of extending them along the plot lines of her novels and creating something beautiful from them; something breathtaking. I wasn't sure if she could repeat that with a short story, but, as usual, Marchetta always exceeds my expectations.

Ferragost is a short murder mystery, taking place with Lady Celie spying for Lumatere in Belegonia. Needless to say, I loved it. Marchetta thrives off of intelligent conversation and this is so palpably felt in this novella more than ever. Celie, a heroine we rarely see or know much of, is given a distinct voice, purpose, and being, just as strong and sharp as that of Isaboe, Phaedra, or Quintana. Not only did she surprise me by being a protagonist I instantly liked, but she's witty and an extremely clever spy as well. Plus, admit it, who doesn't want a Melina Marchetta novel about a female spy? ;)

If all that weren't enough to recommend this, the mystery unfolds fantastically and the ultimate themes are all typically Marchetta, even with this. Furthermore, our romantic interest, Castellan Banyon is an enigmatic protector and obviously a sworn opposite of Celie as she is a spy. Yet, the sexual tension between them is electric and more than anything else, this left me wanting more of them and more of Celie. You see, despite Celie's obvious admiration for Isaboe and her yearning to be more like her, she's distinctly unique, possessing the best qualities Isaboe has, but only without the sharp edge that sometimes makes me dislike her. Celie is far more soft and also has less burdens on her mind, making her a more light-hearted character and someone I found compelling, despite the few pages through which I knew her.

Ferragost is, I'm sad to say, my last Marchetta novel...until she writes another one, at least. I put it off because I couldn't bear to say good-bye to her stories, but this has given me hope that she will revisit Lumatere someday. If not, I'll have to travel to Australia and hunt her down myself because I need a Celie love story just like I so desperately need a Jimmy Hailler book.

It goes without saying that Ferragost is a must-read, whether you're a fan of Melina Marchetta or not (how can anyone NOT be a fan of Melina Marchetta??) you won't regret reading this one.

Review: How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Title: How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werwolf, #1) 

Author: Molly Harper 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I feel like I always pick up a paranormal adult romance novel thinking that I cannot possibly give it more than three stars and sometimes, I just do. It's not that these books are thought-provoking or deep, it's not that they make you cry or scream, it's not even that they are books that change your life. Instead, they're novels that offer some perfect fun and put a smile on your face when you're down and sometimes, that's even harder to do than write a story that touches your heart. Well, sometimes.

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf is every bit as funny, romantic, and cute as its title and cover promise. It all starts out when Mo moves hundreds of miles from her humid hometown of Mississippi to Alaska, hoping to re-invent herself. All her life, Mo has been surrounded by completely hipster parents who force her to eat organic food and consider it blasphemous to shop at Wal-Mart. Now, after twenty-nine years of their overbearing presence, Mo has realized that she no longer knows what parts of her are her from what parts of her are simply the person she's become while rebelling against her parents.

Thus, a spontaneous move to Alaska ensues. Alaskans, however, aren't overly friendly to strangers, firmly looking down upon folks who move to the wilderness hoping to re-connect with a hidden part of themselves. Grundy, the small town Mo moves into, however, quickly accepts her. Or rather her fantastic cooking. Cooper, the surly neighbor, handsome man, and cousin of the woman who owns the restaurant Mo works in now, though, isn't so taken with Mo. Not only are the two of them constantly at each others throats, but the next thing you know, Mo knows Cooper's secret: he's a werewolf. At a time when people in Grundy are mysteriously being killed by wolves, that's one secret you want to keep.

What makes How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf such a success, for me at least, is Mo. Even from the first page, Mo has a vivacious and compelling personality, full of spunk and courage. Not only is she strong and stubborn, but her narration is absolutely hilarious. Her memories of her childhood are sprinkled with an incredulousness that is somehow believable and the manner in which she so fully integrates herself into Alaskan society is admirable. Even better, she's not afraid to stand up for herself and refuses to take crap from anyone. In other words, she is the perfect type of literary heroine.

Enter: Cooper. Cooper reminded me a lot of Mr. Darcy in the beginning of this novel - antisocial, aloof, and grumpy. Yet, what I loved about this book is the phenomenal transformation he slowly makes as the book progresses. Cooper and Mo have a charged relationship from the start and seeing their romance culminate is both rewarding and steamy. Mo evidently has a huge influence on Cooper, but it is not immediate. Cooper is a very multi-layered and intriguing character and peeling back each one of those layers is what kept me riveted to this story, unable to set it down. I literally read it in one sitting, so be prepared to not move for a few hours if you pick this one up.

In addition to a toe-curling romance and engaging protagonists, we have a mystery on our hands as well. Since a wolf is running free, killing tourists and villagers in Grundy, Mo's thoughts can't help but flee to Cooper and his family not far away. What I enjoyed about this mystery was that it was perfectly paced, with just the right amount of red herrings to make it obvious, but only if you really, really looked. It still came as a surprise to me by the end and the manner in which it was woven into the romance, making it deeper by the end, was rewarding as well. Even better, the mystery aspect opened new doors for complex family relationships as we got to meet Cooper's parents, sister, and cousins, as well as gain insight into why he, as an alpha, is no longer leading his pack.

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf is the perfect winter read. It is heartwarming, amusing, and is sure to put a smile on your face and keep it there. Furthermore, its characters are utterly charming and the friendships, romances, and other bonds in this novel will make you form your own ties with these memorable personalities. Mo and Cooper are one of the best paranormal romance couples I've read about and the manner in which their relationship progresses, along with the pacing, is simply perfect. We have character growth, butterfly-inducing romance, and complex relationships, all with a dash of drama, murder mystery, and - let's not forget - sexy werewolves. If that isn't a recipe for success, then I don't know what is.

Review: The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Title: The Off Season (Dairy Queen, #2) 

Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I swear, this series just keeps getting better and better. The Off Season is an incredible follow-up to Dairy Queen and if I wasn't impressed by Murdock's first novel, she's definitely made a fan out of me now. I loved this one! It was realistic, strong, and moved me beyond words. It was a much more gut-wrenching read this time around and I felt like giving D.J. a hug on so many counts. If Dairy Queen is the steady climb to a better life, of realizing the flaws in life and coming to terms with them, of living and loving and making the best of everything, The Off Season is the slow decline back into a valley of despair, with just a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. I love that Murdock's novels ring so true to real life itself and they give contemporary a whole new meaning.

With The Off Season, D.J's life finally seems to be getting back on track. Not only is she seeing Brian Nelson, the incredibly cute quarterback on the rival high school team, but she herself is the star football player of her own school team. Yet, as is expected, things slowly begin to fall apart, but this time, even D.J. can't imagine just how much her very will is about to be put to the test. You see, this is what I love about this series in a nutshell: real. It is all just so very realistic, putting its characters in tough situations and making them come to terms with what's at hand and find the inner strength within themselves to deal with those issues. D.J., better than most other characters I know, is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, she doesn't see herself that way, but truly, D.J. is a solid rock. D.J. is that person who doesn't get fazed in a crisis and who you can count on not only for a shoulder to lean on, but to tell it to you like it is, without sugarcoating anything. 

For me, the reason The Off Season was a stronger novel than Dairy Queen was all due to the characters. Dairy Queen was an introduction of sorts to the majority of our secondary characters, but with The Off Season, we see them become far more developed people on their own right, each dealing with their own problems. Perhaps best of all, to me at least, is that we finally meet D.J.'s elusive older brothers. In Dairy Queen, it was mainly the family dynamics between D.J. and her parents that was explored, along with her younger brother Curtis, who plays an interesting role in this novel too. With The Off Season, though, we see more of Bill and Win and learn to understand their side of the story and fall in love with them too. If there's one thing I've learned from The Off Season, it is merely this - that the Schwenks just never give up. Although they're all inherently such different personalities, they all share similar character traits that bond them as a family, even to strangers. It makes me wonder if all families are like this, if you just look close enough. 

Murdock outshines when it comes to character development, which is why this contemporary trilogy is such a strong one. Even better, though, is that she isn't afraid to put her characters through tough times and force them to make difficult decisions. A lot of the choices D.J. has to make in this novel aren't easy ones and even though some of them may have been able to be solved with simple conversation, Murdock writes everything so realistically that it is impossible not to see D.J's side of the situation. The Off Season is, to put it bluntly, a heart-breaker. Dairy Queen was a slow build-up of happiness and understanding, but The Off Season is more about finding that inner trove of strength within you to persevere on in life, no matter what life throws at you. This, dear readers, is why D.J. Schwenk is one of my new favorite literary heroines. Strength is what defines her and, in turn, what makes me admire her as much as I do. 

Nevertheless, despite the sad situations, difficult choices, and tense moments in this book, there is a lot of happiness and joy in the beginning. Furthermore, the continual importance of football to the Schwenk family is ever-present, making me wish I genuinely did enjoy football more than I do. I've come to regard the Schwenk's as a family much like my own; one with genuine flaws, tender moments, and family unity in times of hardship, despite their struggles with one another and overt distances. In all honesty, they've made a niche for themselves in my heart and it's hard not to look back on this series and just smile - a secret smile that tells the world that you know someone special that they don't. So, really, I can't emphasize enough that you need to meet the Schwenks, even if you're not a fan of football or a fan of much contemporary. Murdock is a brilliant writer, master character-crafter, and all-round genius with plot, which makes this series one that simply cannot be missed. 

Review: Small Damages by Beth Kephart

Title: Small Damages 

Author: Beth Kephart

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Small Damages is a quiet tale, filled with a languid prose that not many readers will enjoy. It reads practically like a verse novel, for its lines are so very poetic, but at its heart, it is a story that cannot be explained but one that can only be felt. Admittedly, I didn’t expect to enjoy Small Damages as much as I did. It is a story of an eighteen-year-old girl, Kenzie, who is sent to Spain to give birth to her child so as to save her widowed mother the shame of dealing with a pregnant daughter. Yet, although Small Damages deals with teenage pregnancy, an issue I’ve always seen as been very black-and-white, more than anything else, it is a coming of age tale of finding yourself and learning what you truly want from life.

What makes Small Damages such an impactful novel is, first and foremost, its prose, but also its general story arc. It starts out with Kenzie staying in Spain, living in a house with Estela, a hardened old cook, and Esteban, a quiet boy who has a way with birds and horses. Kenzie is in Spain to give up her child to a family that desperately wants one and to spare both her mother and boyfriend from having to deal with what has happened to Kenzie, especially as she refuses to abort her child. Kenzie is a quiet heroine, strong in nature and contemplative in spirit. Unlike the kick-ass heroines who grace the pages of adventure novels, bravely slaying beasts, Kenzie tackles her inner demons, a journey which I find infinitely more powerful than any other.

Seville, Spain is the setting of our story and through Kephart’s writing, it comes alive through the pages. You see, reading this book feels much like living in Spain yourself, eating the foreign food, smelling the earthy smells, and seeing the cultural aspects that make it a unique nation. As such, Kenzie’s experience in Spain is felt all the more vividly for the setting of her story plays an important role throughout the novel. Kenzie, too, is a heroine we cannot help but sympathize with. Over the past year, she has lost her father, the one person in the world she was ever close to, and her mother has insisted on moving on, shoving her father’s things into remote locations in the house, pretending as if he never existed.

It is then that we see Kevin, Kenzie’s boyfriend and the father of her child, appear and help her through her rough times. It is him and her close circle of friends who are always with her, supporting her, and better than anyone else, Kevin knows what Kenzie needs even without her having to say it. But, when it came to the issue of Kenzie’s pregnancy, Kevin, bound for Yale in just a few months, refused to come with her to Spain. Now, alone in a foreign country with a cook who is harsh and a boy who won’t talk, Kenzie is lost, confused, and feels unloved. It is only her baby which keeps her going, keeps her putting one step in front of the other. Although it is very subtle, this bond of mother-child is gently built up throughout the novel, making even teenagers feel the wonder of what it is like to have a child, despite never having been pregnant.

Nevertheless, despite all these beautiful qualities, from Kenzie’s personality to the scenery to her slow bond with her child, what makes Small Damages the novel it is are its characters. As the story wears on, Estela slowly opens up to Kenzie, becoming the mother-figure she always wanted but never had. Estela has a brutal past of her own, filled with unrequited love, but she is a strong figure, indomitable in her strength and a constant pillar for Kenzie to lean on, unlike her mother ever was. It is their relationship that truly spoke to me the most. In addition to Estela, Kenzie forms an interesting bond with the surrogate mother of her child. Kenzie, insistent on meeting who will be the eventual parents of her daughter, must now also come to terms with the idea of giving up a part of herself – a part of her father, who she so desperately loved and misses – to someone else entirely.

Small Damages is an extremely thoughtful book. In it, Kenzie is forced to think about what she wants from life – her mother’s understanding, her boyfriend’s support, or something else entirely – but along the way, she finds people whom she can trust, more than her own friends, and who trust her, more than her own family. In other words, Kenzie finds a place to belong in Spain and that, in my eyes, is where the true beauty of this tale lies. Of course, there is a very gentle romance, first springing up as a mutual friendship between Esteban and Kenzie, but truly, I hesitate to call it love. It is something special for sure, but more than that, it is a feeling. Kephart has written a novel where the word “love” is never necessary because you can feel the palpable affection so clearly. In fact, her whole book is like this – one feeling after another, meshing together to make a collage that looks, surprisingly enough, like life and the beauty it holds. 

Review: Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir

Title: Timekeeper (Timeless, #2) 

Author: Alexandra Monir 

Rating: 2.5 Stars

When I give a book three stars, it simply means indifference; I enjoyed it, but ultimately, it is a forgettable read. Thus, I am unable to remember why I picked up Timekeeper in the first place when its predecessor, Timeless, was equally as unremarkable for me. I suspect it has something to do with that cliffhanger ending and possibly my thirst for more historical fiction in YA. Whatever it may be, I read Timekeeper in a matter of hours, skimming through this short story and enjoying it, knowing that fans ofTimeless would be more than pleased but also knowing that, unlike most, Monir hasn’t improved greatly as an author or a storyteller from her debut piece.

Timekeeper picks up directly where Timeless left off, with Philip Walker, the man Michele fell in love with decades ago, somehow finding a way back to Michele’s present-day existence. In an unlikely turn of events, however, Philip remembers nothing of Michele. Yet, as much as Michele desperately wants Philip to remember her, a new evil is on the horizon. A spirit from the past, one who holds a grudge against her and is responsible for all the wrong in Michele’s life, has made a new plan, one that will kill her, for Michele is the product of a human from the present and one from the past and really shouldn’t even exist in the first place. As Michele races against time – once again – and fights for her love, she comes to know about who she – and her father – really are and ultimately embrace her abilities as time traveler.

I have to give Monir props by making this duo one with such an interesting set-up. As an avid fan of Doctor Who, I love time travel stories and Timeless definitely wow-ed me in that sense. Its time travel theories were impeccable and the rich history of the Gilded Age that colored every page kept me riveted. WithTimekeeper, on the other hand, Michele doesn’t do as much time traveling as she does reading the pages of her father’s journal, coming to learn who he is and uncovering an organization dedicated to time travel. In my eyes, all these new rules and regulations that were put place by this time society took away from the thrill and excitement of the time travel element previously present in the novels. Furthermore, I found myself missing Michele’s actual adventures in the past and while her father’s voice through his diary entries was unique and recognizable, it wasn’t as riveting as it could have been, causing me to skim the pages quite a few times.

In addition to that, the romance element was dealt with in a very unique manner. Philip Walker, the new kid in Michele’s school, feels something for Michele, but he fails to remember their past. It was sweet to see them nearly fall back in love with one another, joined by their love for music, and while the semi-insta-love inTimeless clearly bothered me, I was less concerned about it in this story. I will say that the ultimate reason to explain Philip’s presence in Michele’s world is a little far-fetched, though believable. It requires a little suspension of belief, although it does make complete sense, so I was a little skeptical, but pleased, and the ultimate conclusion of this romance.

What make Timekeeper a novel that is forgettable, though, is that it builds up to an obvious confrontation with the villain, only to solve it with a small action that renders this novel practically pointless. If it was so easy to kill the villain, why not do it years ago when Michele’s life wasn’t in danger? Plus, the story ends off very neatly, but I would have liked something more to see how Michele dealt with her newfound responsibilities, not to mention the fact that her friendships which I so adored in the first novel took a backseat in this one. Timekeeper is a very short story, which is why I read it in the first place, but it really isn’t a series I’d completely recommend. It’s enjoyable, interesting, and the concept is intriguing, but more than that, this series unfortunately does not have to offer.