Wednesday Scrolls -- June Review!

Hey guys, and welcome to our review of the month of June! This is Persy talking.

So in the month of June, I read a total of 15 books and 3244 pages. Strangely, the page count isn't very good, but the book count is. I read a lot of short books though, mostly because I was in Ireland for half of June and didn't get much reading time.

Best June Book: I guess it's Sir Thursday by Garth Nix, book four in his Keys To The Kingdom series. Very rarely does a fourth book become a favorite book, but I really think it is one of the best "Keys" books. Agh, it was just so much fun. Also, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. It's a cool little anthology of different short stories based on Rumpelstiltskin, and all the stories are great.

Honorable Mentions: There's kind of a lot, but... I Am Here! Vol. 2 (Ema Toyama), The Titan's Curse (Rick Riordan), Replication (Jill Williamson), and Eyes of the Desert Sand (Edwin Wolfe) are all good enough to get a quick mention.

Worst June Book: Among The Dolls by William Sleator. That's right, Sleator got on the worst list. But the book really wasn't very good. It was an excellent, creepy idea, but very poorly executed.

Dishonorable Mention: Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin Wolfe. I know, it also got on the honorable mentions, but hear me out. The story and world of "Eyes" is amazing. The writing, however, is atrocious. Seriously, that's the worst writing I've ever seen. *shudders*

We're almost two weeks into RAMFAP month! I'm about to finish my sixth book (I know, I'm a little behind, but I'm catching up). How are y'all doing?

--Persy




Arty here, the reason we're a week behind.  Lost my record book and I haven't updated my Goodreads profile in ages, darnit.

Anyway, in June, I read 36 books, 10 of which were manga or graphic novels.  Wow.  These months just keep getting better and better.

Best June Book: Runemarks by Joanne Harris steals first place.  A Norse retelling - well, not really retelling, but it has the Norse pantheon (since we all know Arty is a Norse freak) - that's over 500 pages long and has an adooorable Loki?  Yeah.  So first place.

Honorable Mention: So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev, which is the last book in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy, was really great (though as confusing as she usually is) and the ending with Ariel nearly had me in tears.  But As You Like It - the graphic novelization/mangazation by Chie Kutsuwada, that is - was also really good (beautiful art) and the first two Pandora Hearts volumes by Jun Mochizuki are fantastic.

Worst June Book: Probably Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck.  Amazing premise, reeally poor execution and a dumb-as-rocks heroine.  And annoying love interests.  Because eeeeveryone loves them love triangles.

Dishonorable Mentions: Kin, the first book in the Good Neighbors graphic novel series by Holly Black, was really weird and just kind of... well.  Weird.  And not in a good way.  I really thought I'd like Holly Black, but I'm starting to think she may not be my type.

There you have it, June summed up.  I'm nine books into RAMFAP - not great, but not bad, either.  Hoping it picks up later on.

-Arty

Persy -- Replication by Jill Williamson

Yaay, I'm back! Though I'll admit, I'd rather be back in Ireland right now... but I'll suck it up and face the music and write a review already.

Abby Goyer wasn't too pleased with her life to begin with, what with her parents' divorce and all. But then her dad drops the bomb: they're moving to Alaska, and she has about a day's notice. So she packs up and moves, only to discover that she's not very well-equiped for life in Alaska (her car certainly isn't practical).

J:3:3, AKA Martyr, has none of these troubles. He's lived at Jason Farms for all seventeen years of his life, and has never questioned his purpose. He knows that the outside world is toxic and suffering from a deadly sickness, and he knows that when he and the other Jasons turn eighteen, they will expire for the good of humanity.

But when a new doctor turns up at Jason Farms, Dr. Goyer, Martyr is suddenly allowed to ask questions he never could before, and he suddenly wants things he never even knew about. After talking with Dr. Goyer, he wants to see the sky just once before he expires. Is that too much to ask?

Escape proves easier than he expected. He sneaks out of Jason Farms, hides in the back of Dr. Goyer's truck, and is whisked away into the outside world, where he eventually comes face to face with Abby Goyer.

What follows is a very interesting adventure in which Abby struggles to understand Martyr's existence, struggles to survive her new high school, and struggles to keep a hold on her faith in God.

Clones. Christianity. Alaska. Skeptical? Don't be, 'cause this stuff is EPIC.

The summary I read of Replication: The Jason Experiment did not do justice to the book. I had no idea there was another subplot going on about Abby; in fact, the summary didn't even mention Abby. Which is a shame, 'cause she's pretty awesome.

When Abby's first moving out to Alaska, I couldn't help but be reminded of Twilight. As in, Jill Williamson was doing the same kind of girl-moves-to-a-freezing-area-and-starts-at-a-tiny-high-school-where-she-is-the-focus-of-all-attention-and-by-the-way-she's-really-smart story. The difference is, Jill Williamson made it work. For one thing, the reason why Abby becomes the main attraction is because she IS a rich girl from a big city and stands out a bit until she figures out how to blend in better. And then when the captain of the football team starts smirking at her, she RESISTS!!! She doesn't stand there stupidly with her mouth open. Oh, and by the way, Abby actually is smart.

That's really the only similarity between Replication and Twilight. So now we can move on with the review.

Martyr is freakin' awesome. Awesomer even than Abby. He's just so... cool. And he and Abby are freakin' adorable.

Oh, and did I mention that this book is Christian? And that it's still good? 'Cause it is, and it is. Very rarely have I encountered a Christian scifi book (thinking... thinking... actually, can't think of one at all), much less one that is actually made of awesome. But this is sooooo gooooood.

I'm really not sure how to go into more detail without giving anything away, but let's just suffice to say that YOU NEED TO READ THIS. Yes, YOU, the one on the computer! YOU need to read THIS BOOK.

I'm not exactly sure how you'll get your hands on it though; it feels a little obscure. I dunno, maybe it's not, but it just has that feel, if you know what I mean.

Well, we're one week into RAMFAP month, and I've read only three of my favorite books (but I'm picking up speed as we go). How are you guys doing?

--Persy

You might like this if you: like low-key science fiction; like clones; think Bella Swan is an idiot; want some actual good Christian fiction; or if you've recently discovered a bald clone in your bedroom and aren't sure what to do about it.

Arty -- Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1 and 2 by Jun Mochizuki

Heeeey guys.  I'm so late.  And I apologize.  You're used to this by now, right?

Anyway.  Not only am I late, I'm also cheating.  The manga Pandora Hearts is the only noteworthy thing I can remember reading in the past two weeks that I also haven't reviewed already.  Sad, right?  That's the way the pages fall...

Anyway.  Pandora Hearts.

Pandora Hearts is a manga series sort of based on Alice in Wonderland but with a story completely, totally its own.  The plot is intriguing, the characters are awesome, and the art is OH MY STARS SO PWETTY.  I mean, look at the cover of the first volume.  Look at it.  Beautimous.

Moving on.

Fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius is all set to celebrate his coming-of-age ceremony at the creepy house his family reserves for such occasions.  It's not really a big deal to him - his father won't be there, anyway.  So mainly he's just having fun.  Running from the maids, tormenting his (flippin' adorable) little valet, Gilbert... the normal.

But when the ceremony starts, everything goes horribly wrong.

Oz is dragged headfirst into the Abyss, a nightmarish dimension where 'sinners' are condemned.  Also monsters, called Chains.  Oz meets one of these Chains, the B-Rabbit - known too as Alice, a young girl who needs a contract with a living person, so she can escape the Abyss.  Oz recklessly accepts... and they find their way back to the land of the living.

But a mysterious organization called Pandora wants Oz and his new Chain contract.  And who knows why?

Okay, that is an INSANELY difficult manga to sum up, especially when, at this juncture, I have almost no idea what's going on.  Yeah, even after two volumes, there are so many mysteries.  But it's awesome.  The plot is so promising and the premise is just amazing.  A Victorian, almost-not-quite-but-hinting-at steampunk world, and then the Abyss, which is just scary, believe me (the Chains are, too).  The characters, however, are what glows.

I mean, they glow.  Oz is a really interesting protagonist - kind of mischievous, but he can also be wise beyond his years... but he's not unbelievably smart.  Just... world-weary.  And you can't really blame the guy.

But Gilbert.  Oh, Gilbert.  He's adorable in both volumes, but in hugely different ways.  You'll get what I mean.  He's easily my favorite character so far.  Still, there's always Xerxes Break - who I'm guessing is supposed to be the Mad Hatter, whoot! - and his Pandora compatriot, Sharon.  Break is hilarious but I'm guessing there's more to him, too.  Sharon isn't so awesome, but maybe she'll get better.

Alice, as our requisite dark-haired angsty girl, actually succeeds really, really well.  I still don't know half of her story.  She's pretty much a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a puzzle.  Or however that saying goes.  Still, she's fun.  She knows how to handle herself but at the same time you get a sense of vulnerability...

Okay, I wax eloquent when I get on manga characters.  I think I can get into them a leetle bit more than normal, because I see them, too.  And in this case, you SEE them.  Jun Mochizuki has an AMAZING art style.  It's just beautiful.  Did I mention this already?  Oh well.  It bears repeating.  GORGEOUS.

So, basically, if you're a manga fan, read this.  At least the first two volumes.  Unless you don't like drawn-out mystery and questions.  In that case, don't read.  But if you're adventurous or just like an epic Alice in Wonderland retelling, READ IT.

Persy -- Wednesday Scrolls -- RAMFAP Is Closing In!

This'll be a short and sweet post, because I'm still in Ireland and I kind of need to get some sleep and journal and read some and do my Bible study and... yeah. But this is important too.

RAMFAP is right around the corner! Are you ready? I'm ready! I have Evil Genius and Graceling in my suitcase just waiting for July 1st. What books are you going to start RAMFAP off with? How many books do you hope to read?

I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing on Sunday (I'll be in Dublin), but I hope a good part of it will be spent curled up somewhere with a favorite book. And then Monday I'll have the whole 8 hour flight to read as well!

So what about YOU?

--Persy