This book was foundational for me as a kid. I was probably 14 when I read it. I've always had fond memories of it despite remembering little besides tThis book was foundational for me as a kid. I was probably 14 when I read it. I've always had fond memories of it despite remembering little besides that original cover with the dark background and rainbow fluorescent wings.
I felt encouraged to come back to this as I enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles well enough. Instead, this ends up as the perfect example of how middle-grade books sometimes make for better reads for adults than young-adult novels do. In Tithe's case, its dud of a romance does it in.
She thought of the faeries she had known when she was a child—impish, quick things—no mention of wars or magical arrows or enemies, certainly no deception. The man bleeding in the dirt beside her told her how wrong her perceptions of Faerie had been.
A girl named Kaye's mom has been the singer for rock bands throughout her life, letting her chaotic life spill into her daughter's. Due to the frequent moves, Kaye doesn't even go to school anymore. Through poorly explained circumstances, Kaye and her mother have to move back in with Kaye's grandma in New Jersey. Kaye had kept in touch with a girl named Janet, who lives in a trailer park with her brother, Corny (short for Cornelius). Kaye and Janet had apparently written to each other about teen-edge things like shoplifting from the mall.
Oddly, Kaye spends more time with her friend's gay brother (he's into "pretty" anime villains) than she does her friend. It's almost like Janet only exists as a semi-believable way to get us to Corny.
“They brought back the Tithe, the sacrifice of a beautiful and talented mortal. In the Seelie Court they may steal away a poet to join their company, but the Unseelie Court requires blood."
So, whoa. Kaye comes back a few years older and finds the fae are maybe not as nice as she remembered. And actually, they need to sacrifice mortal every seven years--probably her--to keep the unaligned "solitary fae" in line.
While this issue is cropping up, so much silliness is going on that I don't know how it fit in under 300 pages. Among them Roiben/Robin, the love interest, a faerie knight. We don't get much details about his backstory, probably because it would get awkward fast trying to explain what this ancient creature is doing with a 16 year old. At one point, he even gives Kaye unsolicited advice on concealing the faerie stuff from her family.
He had read stories like this—men and women waking on a hill that never opened for them again. Angrily, he wondered if Kaye was there still, dancing to distant flutes, forgetting that he’d ever tagged along.
Rereader beware: Tithe may be one such story you can never really go back to. While I think certain types of teens will still connect with this book, there are problems with the writing, plot, and characters. I wish I had a specific example, but there were multiple times, especially in the first half, when I was genuinely confused. I think that maybe the writing wasn't always convincing enough to explain characters' reactions or solutions to issues.
I feel like this could have better stood the test of its reader growing up if it had focused more on Kaye's exploration of the faerie world and the mysteries of her situation. Considering that other YA books like The Hunger Games can even depict a convincing love triangle, this is just a poor effort in comparison. It feels like the Folk had all been frozen in time until our protagonist shows up....more
“I’ll believe in anyone or anything,” said Nikabrik, “that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia.
“I’ll believe in anyone or anything,” said Nikabrik, “that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia. Anyone or anything, Aslan or the White Witch, do you understand?”
In this book, Lewis mixes Hamlet with the second coming of Jesus.
First of all, we have Prince Caspian, who is under the guardianship of his uncle. Caspian's uncle killed his father, thus stealing the throne over Narnia (or at least the human Telmarines). Though Caspian hears about Old Narnia from his nanny, his uncle discourages these stories of talking animals, etc. A half dwarf eventually warns Caspian that he's actually in danger when his aunt gives birth, so he flees one night to find the Old Narnians.
“I suppose what makes it feel so queer is that in the stories it’s always someone in our world who does the calling. One doesn’t really think about where the Jinn’s coming from.”
Meanwhile, in an English train station, Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy find themselves suddenly transported back to Narnia. It seems like this must have been a partial inspiration for Platform 9 3/4s. Last we saw them, they were spilling out of the wardrobe back in to England having lost (physically) all the years they spent in Narnia.
Time once again has surprises in store, because the children soon realize that they arrived in a Narnia at least 1,000 years in the future. The castle they lived in has crumbled to ruins. This was one of the more interesting aspects of the book to me, just seeing how Narnia changed through this semi-time traveling element.
“But they also say that he came to life again,” said the Badger sharply. “Yes, they say,” answered Nikabrik, “but you’ll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterward. He just fades out of the story.
In some ways this was better than the first book, in other ways worse.
If the first book was a retelling of the murder and resurrection of Jesus, this felt more speculative and less anchored to a reference story (or else I think...my Bible stories knowledge is pretty bad, tbh--I've never made it past Exodus). Yet the morality is still very black and white, and it insists on blind faith in others' private revelations while discouraging critical thinking.
A lot of characters were introduced, such as Dr. Cornelius and Reepicheep, and I'm curious to see/be reminded if they return in subsequent books....more
“I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care what you say. You can tell the Professor or you can write to Mother or you can do anything you
“I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care what you say. You can tell the Professor or you can write to Mother or you can do anything you like. I know I’ve met a Faun in there and—I wish I’d stayed there and you are all beasts, beasts.”
When I read this as a kid, I must have thought nothing of throwing minor Greek deities in a world together with Santa Claus and talking animals.
I know I didn't notice the religious allegory back then, because I was confused when I later heard that was the purpose of the whole story. It turns out it's actually pretty on the nose, so I didn't miss it this time. I still had to google if one of the characters is supposed to be Judas, though, because my knowledge of that pretty much amounts to a few song snippets from Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm not sure how well I'll be able to recognize allegories in the rest of the series.
It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!”
I can't say I was quite as into this as when I first read it, but I can still see all the aspects that would have intrigued me then, starting with the function of the wardrobe, and not to forget the mere mention of Christmas.
Anyway, so this retells part of the life of Jesus...except with talking animals. That's all going on inside a wardrobe in the sprawling house of an old professor, who is acting as guardian to four children sometime during WWII. They find the wardrobe while playing, and thus begins their adventure in the wintry land of Narnia. Someone (I think it was Lion Jesus) gives the children gifts based on sexism and tried to make a lesson out of it.
But don’t go trying to use the same route twice. Indeed, don’t try to get [to Narnia] at all. It’ll happen when you’re not looking for it.
I felt there was something lacklustre about this book. I think I expected or remembered a more engaging fantasy world, but the focus is really on the allegory and railroading through the plot. My 3 rating is a weak 3, but I'm hoping and expecting the sequels to offer more depth and maybe progress a bit beyond Biblical retellings in pagan settings.
I enjoyed the ending, and it left me with the right sense of mystery and wonder to immediately put a hold on the next one to (re)find out what happens with the siblings....more
Don’t worry, my portals are safe.” Geralt had once watched as only half a traveler using a safe portal flew through. The other half was never
Don’t worry, my portals are safe.” Geralt had once watched as only half a traveler using a safe portal flew through. The other half was never found. He knew of several cases where people had entered a portal and never been seen again.
I played a decent amount of the first Witcher game years ago and stopped because I went on a trip or something. I never got back into it because I felt like I should read the books first. For several more years, I put off even trying the books because the response seemed so lukewarm.
As it turns out, there was no great need to fear this first one, at least.
"In order to become a witcher, you have to be born in the shadow of destiny, and very few are born like that. That’s why there are so few of us. We’re growing old, dying, without anyone to pass our knowledge, our gifts, on to.”
The Last Wish is a collection of short stories starring Geralt, a witcher. I'd be curious to know how this compares in the original Polish, because I think it's styled on the word "hunter" in English. In this case, a witcher solves problems involving, which are apparently not always best solved by hunting them.
"They’re turned into monsters in order to kill other monsters."
Witchers, however, are often discriminated against due to their rarity, strange training, and white-haired appearance that physically marks them. If there's no active problem, Geralt may just find himself turned away at a city's gates.
"Pox on it, I thought, if pretty girls turn frogs into princes, or the other way round, then maybe… Maybe there’s a grain of truth in these stories, a chance… I leapt four yards, roared so loud wild vines tumbled from the wall, and I yelled, ‘Your daughter or your life!’ Nothing better came to mind. The merchant, for he was a merchant, began to weep, then confessed that his daughter was only eight. Are you laughing?”
Many of the stories in this collection are retellings of classic fairy tales, which was a pleasant surprise. These included Beauty and the Beast and Snow White as well as other familiar themes and archetypes, like sleeping (but maybe dangerous) princesses. The twist on them also shows the Witcher role as part monster detective, part monster hunter. Many had humorous takes, such as an accidental wish to a genie.
Mayor Neville was pacing the chamber, snorting and panting with anger. “You bloody, shitty sorcerers!” he yelled suddenly, standing still. “Are you persecuting my town, or what? Aren’t there any other towns in the world?”
The last couple of stories introduce some characters that I think will be more prominent in the series. Firstly, Dandelion, a bard who is both Geralt's opposite and best friend. And then there's Yennefer, a sorceress who is already giving me major "the woman" vibes à la Sherlock Holmes....more
This book marks the first appearance of Chee in the series, and I feel this book was a bit more about introducing him than the mystery itself. LeaphorThis book marks the first appearance of Chee in the series, and I feel this book was a bit more about introducing him than the mystery itself. Leaphorn makes an appearance as a brief phone call.
“I’ve noticed that Navajos build their houses as far as they can possibly get from other Navajos,” Mary said. “Any significance to that?”
“We don’t like Indians,” Chee said.
Chee is (somehow) another Navajo police officer based out of a different office (Crownpoint, New Mexico). I say somehow because of how unprofessional his behavior is. He tells a random young woman (Mary) details about an investigation, brings her around while he's working on it, and ends up putting her in danger.
I think Chee is basically just out of college. I'm just really confused why he was involving this civilian, so that felt contrived. There is also something Mary says at one point that has aged terribly, which provoked the biggest head shake moment for me this whole reading year.
"We even had one [monster] they called One Who Kicks People Over the Cliff.”
“How’d they do him in?”
“His hair grew out of the cliff, keeping him from falling,” Chee said. “Monster Slayer gave him a hair-cut.”
He's supposed to have more Navajo spiritual knowledge than Leaphorn, who doesn't believe in things like witches.
An antagonist was given a background that was kind of interesting, but it was also kind of unnecessary, and I was never excited when the story switched to his perspective.
As for the actual mystery, I don't even know where to start to describe it. It's convoluted and seems to start with an explosion that took place 30 years before, which was in the 1950s. Also a drug "religion" in the wake of legislation against recreational peyote use. And cancer and some rich guy and his stupid keepsake box.
Our protagonists make some weird leaps to figure all that out, but overall it was an interesting premise. I also appreciate how it builds on the cultural aspects discussed in previous books, like Navajo witches, ghosts, hogans left to the dead, as well as the more quotidienne social norms....more
This is the first thing I've read by this author, and it was a disappointment. I have been planning to read one of her horror novels after finding a bThis is the first thing I've read by this author, and it was a disappointment. I have been planning to read one of her horror novels after finding a bunch of recommendations for folk horror. This story, though, is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
“Everyone who knew her should be dead of old age by now—them and their children, too! Their grandchildren should be gray-haired. How do they even remember there’s a tower here?”
It started out somewhat intriguing, but it was all starting to feel tired as hell by the second half. I guess it was popular for a while to "reverse" the fairytale by...making the girl/victim evil? At the beginning of the story, we learn Sleeping Beauty (named Fayette in this version) was replaced with a wicked changeling.
The real baby ends up growing up super fast in the fae realm under the care of what we will understand as merely subjectively disgusting swamp creatures. This seemed to be the high point for a lot of readers, but for me it seemed somewhat pointless and sentimental, and so it didn't win the story over for me.
For me, I think the highlight was the Muslim knight who appears at the thorns one day. The vague yet real-world historical setting was kind of interesting. It might be an alternate history/reality since I don't know what Justinian's Third Plague is (I hope not, since that's so unnecessary), so I wish that would have been clearer.
She hoped to find a trail again, any trail, and let it take her where it would, perhaps to the mountains, perhaps to the river, maybe back hom
She hoped to find a trail again, any trail, and let it take her where it would, perhaps to the mountains, perhaps to the river, maybe back home.
The Snow Child is a retelling of a Russian fairytale set on the 1920s Alaskan frontier. Mabel and Jack move there from "back East" in the aftermath of the stillbirth of their expected child, as Mabel can't bear to be around others' happiness--it reminds her too much of the family she'll never have.
Jack had etched her lips and eyes. Mabel had given her mittens and reddened her lips. That night the child was born to them of ice and snow and longing.
Although the book is based on a fairytale, it always walks the borderline of reality. Mabel and Jack begin to see a mysterious girl flitting through the trees that edge their cabin.
Mabel immediately connects the girl to a fairytale called Snegurochka (Snow Maiden). Her fanciful thinking frames the story as more or less Frosty the Snowman meets Pinocchio, different sin.
Jack, too, wanted to skate on, up the Wolverine River, around the bend, through the gorge, and into the mountains, where spring never comes and the snow never melts.
I floundered a little between rating this 3 and 4 stars, since there was nothing too daring; the story was predictable, though that is normal for fairytale retellings. This felt like a faster read than its ~400 pages. Even so, I think a certain part with the neighbors was a bit overdone and could have been simplified.
The Snow Child is a strong retelling and resetting of the original tale. The author's careful use of symbolism and combination of magical and realistic detail allow her to tell multiple stories at the same time....more
I immediately put this book on hold when I found out what it was. I always get into some kick where I want to learn about Chinese history and literatuI immediately put this book on hold when I found out what it was. I always get into some kick where I want to learn about Chinese history and literature, but it can be hard to remember details when you have almost no cultural context for even basic things, like names. So, having known the power historical fiction has to make me remember things, I was really excited about this.
Now, I'm sure I would have realized this if I had even finished reading the description of the book, but it's really only pseudo-historical. Countries mentioned are based on real ones but have fictional names, so the Chinese are the Nikara and the Federation of Mugen is Japan, etc. This was a little disappointing because my goal was to learn about Chinese history (specifically the 2nd Sino-Japanese War, as it turns out) in a fun way, so this made it a little more oblique. However, that almost didn't matter, since Kuang gave us the broad strokes in a very thick layer, and I can't say I learned nothing or wasn't encouraged to look into the real events.
Well, fuck the heavenly order of things. If getting married to a gross old man was her preordained role on this earth, then Rin was determined to rewrite it.
I don't know if it's because of my lack of any broader familiarity of Chinese history, folklore, etc., but the beginning is like a twist on Mulan. And specifically the Disney movie. I swear there is even a line in this part that is the exact same structure as when the emperor lists all the dishonorable shit Mulan did before adding that she saved the empire. That line seemed pretty cheesy to me because of that, but I'm not sure if I'm just drawing an inappropriate connection to one of my few touchpoints.
Anyway, Rin is an orphan forced to work for a couple who are kind of assholes. She's nearing marriageable age, and they want to sell her off to a husband. After meeting with a matchmaker, she's set to marry an old man.
But there's a long-shot alternative. Every year, people can test to be eligible for training at an academy, so Rin is determined to escape the marriage via the higher-education system. This seems to have been based on a real test called the Imperial examination (check out those exam booth photos!) that was meant to fill government positions based on merit. Despite my couple of complaints. This was all pretty fun.
But you want to know why no one takes this class seriously?” “Because you keep farting in faculty meetings?”
Okay, sorry, but the school/training kind of reminds me of Mulan, too. Mixed with Harry Potter and the promise of psychedelics. In other words, pretty fun.
“Nikan did not win the Second Poppy War,” Yim reiterated. “The Federation is gone because we were so pathetic that the great naval powers to the west felt bad for us. We did such a terrible job defending our country that it took genocide for Hesperia to intervene. While Nikara forces were tied up on the northern front, a fleet of Federation ships razed the Dead Island overnight. Every man, woman, and child on Speer was butchered, and their bodies burned. An entire race, gone in a day.”
So, the third part of the book is what leaves me bouncing between 3 and 4 stars. I didn't like where the fantasy element went. It just got so extreme it seemed ridiculous. On the other hand, there were a lot of important events here, too. Overall, I liked the first two parts more even though this was probably the main story.
It's interesting reading this after Yellowface and to see how The Poppy War fueled such a different book. Kuang takes examples of abuse directly from the real Nanjing Massacre, and it seems she had been criticized for it. I don't think it's wrong for an author to tell someone else's tragedy, especially one who can't tell it, since that's literally their expertise and what they are for. I also have a feeling that this wouldn't be a debate if Kuang had just called it China instead of Nikan, making it more firmly historical fiction than a leveraging or lifting of history.
I was also surprised that the writing style ended up being so similar to the style in Yellowface. She has a fairly sparse style for this kind of book. I think she writes sort of closely to what the character would be thinking, so there isn't a ton of description. I'm not sad about that, either, because this book probably would have been 1000 pages if written by most writers of either fantasy or historical fiction....more
I read the book while listening to the audiobook with my boyfriend. Honestly, this was a disappointment even though it's for kids. I'd read a book SchI read the book while listening to the audiobook with my boyfriend. Honestly, this was a disappointment even though it's for kids. I'd read a book Schwartz did for younger readers called In a Dark, Dark Room. While I think I would still enjoy that book, I struggled with these.
Everything was so short that nothing is really memorable besides the one where the witch is ridden and the bizarre alligator "story" (which evidently was collected in my state, which does not have alligators). So while I'm sure this is fun for kids and those with nostalgia, I don't think less-scary versions of scary stories have much to offer adults.
I would have rated it a 1 or 2 for myself, but it doesn't make any sense to give a low rating to a book for early readers that kids like....more
Stop. This is stupid. You’re working yourself into a fit because a poor old man wrote down his dementia in a journal.
After her estranged g
Stop. This is stupid. You’re working yourself into a fit because a poor old man wrote down his dementia in a journal.
After her estranged grandma dies, Mouse (dog in tow) takes up the task of clearing out her hoarder house in rural North Carolina.
The set up immediately reminded me of The Spiderwick Chronicles. But instead of reading her great-great grandpa's field notes and discovering fairies, Mouse reads her deceased step-grandfather's (Frederick Cotgrave's) journal and finds something just a bit stranger.
And there were other rocks that were like animals creeping, horrible animals, putting out their tongues and licking the grass, and others were like words that I could not say, and others like dead people lying on the grass…
I messed up when I read this because I didn't realize until the author's note at the end that this is based on an old horror story called "The White People," which I would have read first if I'd known. That story was vague, so this is apparently based on Lovecraft's crackpot theory on that story.
But I felt like I kind of knew some of this was too weird for a modern person to come up with. The Twisted Ones stands on its own in what seems like more of a reimagining. I knew Kingfisher did fairytale retellings, so it's pretty cool that she's branched out to do that in other genres....more
I wasn't sure if it could do it in so few pages, but the fifth and last book of the first/main Spiderwick Chronicles series finishes strong. While theI wasn't sure if it could do it in so few pages, but the fifth and last book of the first/main Spiderwick Chronicles series finishes strong. While the previous books focused on specific incidents and creatures, this one brings everything together. It also comes back to the family issues (dad out of the picture) that have been a strength throughout the series.
Overall, this is a cute series for kids that is simultaneously charming and dark enough for an adult. The Grace children are well written within the limitations of the book sizes, but it feels like the authors only scratched the surface of the hidden world they built....more
There was no heaven in the Navajo cosmos, and no friendly kachina spirit, and no pleasant life after death. If one was lucky, there was oblivion. B
There was no heaven in the Navajo cosmos, and no friendly kachina spirit, and no pleasant life after death. If one was lucky, there was oblivion. But for most, there was the unhappy malevolent ghost, the chindi, wailing away the eons in the darkness, spreading sickness and evil.
I got into this one a lot more quickly than the first one even though I'm reading them almost a year apart. I think I picked up on some of the Southwest and Navajo terminology, but it is also a better book. I'm going to this area in the summer, so I thought it was time to read the next one.
Two boys are missing, and there's blood in the sand. Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo detective and former anthropology student, hopes to find at least one of them alive.
Despite being a mystery novel, the mystery isn't the most compelling thing about this book. Rather, it's the missing boy with the old soul, the Zuni and Navajo customs past and present, inter-tribal relations, and the mythology. Although the author may have been playing it up for entertainment for all I know, I was enthralled by the Navajo ghost superstitions--ghosts that infect houses, ghosts that follow travelers, and all made of the worst parts of people that can't pass on with the rest. There's a nice atmosphere of grim reality that's been suckled by the mythical and spiritual....more
I was tempted to rate this a 2/5 instead of 3/5 like I did for the second book in this series, but this eked out just enough substance to get by. WhilI was tempted to rate this a 2/5 instead of 3/5 like I did for the second book in this series, but this eked out just enough substance to get by. While I fear we didn't learn much about dwarves, we do get a little better sense of the family (such as the absent father) and a lot on Jared's anger issues. On top of that, the plot seems significant enough to follow through to the next book.
Something that stands out in this book is the juxtaposition of lightheartedness and darkness, which is present through the series. Here you have one instance where you get a kind of silly outcome, but just as unexpectedly, a solid dark ending follows....more
After their encounter with goblins last time, the Spiderwick kids are left wondering why the faeries want the Field Guide and whether or not they are After their encounter with goblins last time, the Spiderwick kids are left wondering why the faeries want the Field Guide and whether or not they are better off handing it over, destroying it, or keeping it. They decide to seek out their "crazy" great aunt for answers.
Though probably similar in length, this feels a lot more substantial and complete than the previous book in the series. I think this is because the family issues (Dad leaving the family) and Jared's personal issues (anger) went largely unmentioned in the second book. Well, this time they're back, and that characterization helped make this one a more complete book.
These darker topics in a book for kids is part of why I think this is a good series (in addition to the "charming" faerie creatures, of course). There is a brief mention of cutting/self-mutilation. No character in the book does this (it's actually the faeries getting petty revenge), but the accusation is made. I'm not sure what to think of that, because when I was the target age, I don't think I had any idea what "cutting" is....more
This started out well but really began sputtering out midway through and never found its way back.
The concept is good. The setting is good. A lot of tThis started out well but really began sputtering out midway through and never found its way back.
The concept is good. The setting is good. A lot of the details are interesting, twists on folklore, children's games, old rhymes, Robert Browning, and the possibly somewhat historic Children's Crusade. On top of that, the two detectives are ghost boys! So it was really hitting all my favorite things, not to mention probable inspiration from J.M. Barrie's Neverland.
After a while, issues stopped connecting well. I had to infer a lot for seemingly no good reason to make an inkling of sense of the plot. Some characters that were made to seem important were just suddenly dropped. You can almost hear the authors scrambling to patch this up.
The saving grace is that the Dead Boy Detectives are consistently amusing....more
I was really happy with the first, so I hate to give the second a 2/5, but it is what it is. There isn't much here and it felt more like a chapter. I I was really happy with the first, so I hate to give the second a 2/5, but it is what it is. There isn't much here and it felt more like a chapter. I must have spent less than an hour reading it and possibly only half an hour. It also has me wondering if this and following books will be sort of creature-of-the-book filler. I suspect this whole series of five should probably be a single book. Then again, I'm not the target audience, and kids might like the short length.
What was here was mostly good. It was surprisingly creepy for a children's book. Goblins are introduced and featured, and they have no teeth so stick things like pieces of glass, animal fangs, or even human teeth in their gums. Goblins eat domestic animals, which could be upsetting to some people--that was far from my favorite part, but it is that kind of detail that makes the book scary and demonstrates the danger of these fantasy creatures.
I'll continue reading these but hope that later books cover a bit more than this one did....more