Review: Aurelia by Anne Ostertund

Publisher: Speak (April 17, 2008)
Paperback: 256 pages
Price: $8.99 from Amazon
Summary: Aurelia, the crown princess of Tyralt, wants control over her own life. Robert, her former classmate, wants Aurelia. And someone wants her...dead. There have been several narrowly escaped attempts to assassinate the princess, but the king has no desire to incite panic by making the information public. Instead, Robert, the son of the king's former royal spy, is allowed into the inner circle to secretly investifate and watch over Aurelia. Robert is determined to help, if only Aurelia would let him! But the princess will not heed the danger around her, and she does not need Robert to save her. Just as their friendship begins to grow into something more, the threat on Aurelia's life becomes paramount. WIth everything possible on the line - her life, her kingdom, her heart - Aurelia must take matters into her own hands, whatever the cost.

Rating:

Review: Aurelia is a stubborn crown princess of Tybalt, and she’s taken over the people’s hearts just like she’ll take yours. I really liked Aurelia’s character: she’s head-strong and determined at times, while at others she’s insecure and hurt. She comes off the page, and I felt myself wishing I could be as independent as Aurelia and empathizing with her through her family troubles. Anne Ostertund did a very good job showing how Aurelia is about to become a mature woman, but is partially still a young girl.

I really loved how the author depicted the setting; she went into just enough detail to make me feel like I was actually there experiencing the sights while not feeling weighed down by the excessive amount of words. And it had a princess, danger, and a charming prince, exactly the way I like it! I also liked reading one chapter from Aurelia’s point of view, then one chapter from Robert’s point of view. Not exactly an original idea, but it was good all the same. However, it did annoy me a little when Ostertund would use phrases like a “jaunty” tilt of the head.

The beginning is a bit slow as the author introduces the characters and setting, but once the plot started heating up as more clues were revealed, I really couldn’t put the book down! I think the mystery part was incorporated very well, and it made me want to keep reading to see what more Robert and Aurelia would discover. I had a pretty good guess of who the assassin was earlier on, but there was an unexpected twist at the end.

However, I was very dissatisfied with the ending, especially with the fact that nothing is done to punish the person arranging the assassination attempts. I felt it wrapped up pretty quickly and there is an open ending, one of my worst pet peeves. I was also very disappointed about the lack of romance. I know this is a young adult book, but Robert and Aurelia only kiss once throughout the entire book. I really liked them together and wanted to see more physical contact (though their romantic relationship is very evident throughout the book). Major points off for both of these areas!

Bottom Line: I would say Aurelia was a pretty solid book and a great debut novel for Anne Ostertund. Admittedly it isn’t an original idea, but Ostertund brings a fresh voice to an old idea in the form of a girl named Aurelia. If you want to read some light mystery with a very, very little bit of romance mixed in, go for this book (though I would mainly recommend it to teens/pre-teens). The only part I really dislike is the open ending which has me hoping for a sequel that I searched up and couldn't find, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Review: Vamped by Lucienne Diver

Publisher: Flux; 1 edition (May 1, 2009)

Paperback: 240 pages

Price: $9.95 from Amazon

Summary: Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls of Vamp Life:

1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!

2. Free. Designer. Clothes.

3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.
4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.

5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.

 I guess I'll just have to save everyone from fashion disasters and other fates worse than death.

Rating:

Review:

The Bad: First off, don't be deceived by the summary. I know it says "free designer clothes" and her having a "personal stylist," but they're not present much. This book is more of how Gina deals with the vampire problem with girly comments on the side. Not exactly original, but it's there.

The beginning really had me confused. The first thing you know, a girl, Gina, is waking up in a coffin and manages to figure out she's a vampire in a matter of minutes. She doesn't feel like a "flesh-eating" zombie, so duh! she has to be a vampire. She's been dead for about three days according to the "legends," which I'm not sure how she heard in her burried coffin, and is expecting Bobby, the hot guy she was making out with at the prom, to come through some mysterious communication. All in all, a very confusing beginning.

There are a lot of other mystifying scenarios and shallow conclusions, like how Gina knows the antagonist, Mellisande, is evil just by looking at her. I understand that the point of the book is to show how a "typical" girly teenager deals with vampire-dom, but I often found Gina's comments annoying. I felt like she had to complain about a manicure or shampoo every two pages! And her conclusions always had to be explained, some of which I think the author could have just left to common sense. I liked Gina's character better near the end, when she suddenly turns cold-hearted in the face of battle. You can tell I like strong, butt-kicking heroines. (:

The Good: There is a boogeyman in Vamped. That's not something you see everyday in paranormal books. He's creepy, he's gross, but he could possibly be one of my favorite characters in the book for making Gina squirm in fear.

Strong teenage voice. I really felt like the conversations and observations were from the view of a teenager, albiet an whiny, girly one, but a teenager all the same. And, like always, I like references to other things, so the Spiderman reference was appreciated. I can truthfully say I didn't get bored, but the book is very fast-paced. The whole story spans only a few days, and almost every minute is jam-packed with action or information.

Bottom Line: I borrowed this book, and let's just say I'm glad I did; I definitely would not be spending my money on this. Vamped isn't a horrible book, but it's one that I will never re-read, mainly because I found Gina too girly and spoiled.  Go ahead and read if  you want, but don't expect anything phenomenal or even great, especially with a leading guy named  Bobby (sorry, name fetish here).

Review: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 11, 2009)

Paperback: 320 pages

Price: $10.19 from Amazon
Summary: A married man in posession of a dark fortune must be in want of an eternal wife...

Rating:

Review: Who's dark, aloof, and handsome with a pair of fangs? You guess it: Mr. Darcy. The heartthrob everyone knows from Pride and Prejudice returns in a sequel, married and undead. The book is in third-person and told from Elizabeth's perspective. Props to Amanda Grange for taking the risk and incorporating the paranormal in a beloved classic!

However, though the idea was good, I felt it could have been carried out better. I felt the "suspecting vampire" part was dragged out too long as Elizabeth does not find vampires are real until the final third of the book. For over 200 pages, Mr. Darcy is tormented over his being a vampire, while Elizabeth manages to accept it in a matter of a few pages, which I find very unrealistic. On the other hand, the ending felt a bit too rushed; everything worked out a bit too perfectly and conveniently. Though, despite being anti-climatic, I have to admit the ending was not what I expected at the start of reading.

I did get a little bored when reading and had to force myself to get through some parts where I felt nothing was happening. The fact that I did not believe for one second that they were in danger proably didn't help. For instance, though Elizabeth was frantic when she believed Darcy did not love her, she manages to be calm when an Ancient vampire wants to drink her blood. I also found myself with some unanswered questions and a couple unexplained quotes (which I'm not sure if I should post due to spoilers), though I can live with them.

On the positive side, Amanda Grange really managed to capture the essence of Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy, and I found it enjoyable reading about their post-marriage experiences. I really liked the occasional small references back to Pride and Prejudice. The settings and clothing were vividly depicted, and the conversation was witty. I can tell a lot of research was put into the book, something I always respect, and I felt like I was actually there with Elizabeth, visiting Paris, Italy, the Alps, and more.

Bottom Line: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre is an enjoyable and very attractive book (my weakness) with a good idea, great setting, flowing writing, and not-so-great plot. I would say that if you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice and the paranormal, you might want to give this one a try. However, if you're just looking to know what happens to Darcy and Elizabeth post-marriage, there are definitely better sequels out there.