Scarlet

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) Marissa Meyer 4/5	Published 2013 First Sentence "Scarlet was descending toward the alley behind the Rieux Tavern when her portscreen chimed from the passenger seat, followed by an automated voice: 'Comm received for Mademoiselle Scarlet Benoit from the Toulouse Law Enforcement Department of missing persons.'"
Publisher's Description: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.  Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.
Dear Reader, I enjoyed this book so much, even right after reading Cinder. I know I was a little harsh with Cinder but this series is growing on me and is starting to meet my expectations of what I want from a book. This one follows the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but completely twists it around. I think the Author did a much better job staying away from that linear approach she followed with the first book. Yes, the main character Scarlet has Riding Hood written all over her and she is searching for a lost Grandmother, plus she meets a guy nicknamed "Wolf" who might be connected to the missing Grandmother. However, you get a completely different story, she twisted it so much that the only recognizable things had to do with the characters themselves. I loved that. Scarlet is also set in France, which I found a little more comfort in. I don't know why but when reading Cinder, I didn't connect with the setting at ALL. Where was Cinder located? I almost felt like it was an alien planet. The setting brought me back to more of a futuristic Earth (which is what I think the Author was going for). My friend told me recently (Hi Marsha) that the Author used these countries (China for Cinder and France for Scarlet) because that is where the origin of the fairy tale originated. I thought that was pretty neat and clever. This book also feels a little more rough, almost like a mystery splashed with western but set in a futuristic land, space cowboy? I was digging it. We have rebels, outlaws, gangs, kidnapping but it all tied down to the cliffhanger in Cinder perfectly. I liked how the Author connected two very different storylines and characters but made it feel very believable. I was also happy to see that Cinder got quite a bit of page time in this one - the cyborg is not forgotten! I can't wait to see what happens next but after all the books I took home from BEA and all the ARCs that have been backing up on my Kindle... I need to take a break and come back to this. I hope it doesn't ruin it for me but I'd also love to finish the last half of the series in one giant chunk (sometime when Winter comes out). Happy Reading, AmberBug

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Hold the Dark

Hold the Dark William Giraldi 3.5/5	Published September 2014 First Sentence "The wolves came down from the hills and took the children of Keelut."
Publisher's Description: At the start of another pitiless winter, the wolves have come for the children of Keelut. Three children have been taken from this isolated Alaskan village, including the six-year-old boy of Medora and Vernon Slone. Stumbled by grief and seeking consolation, Medora contacts nature writer and wolf expert Russell Core. Sixty years old, ailing in both body and spirit, and estranged from his daughter and wife, Core arrives in Keelut to investigate the killings. Immersing himself in this settlement at the end of the world, he discovers the horrifying darkness at the heart of Medora Slone and learns of an unholy truth harbored by this village. When Vernon Slone returns from a desert war to discover his son dead and his wife missing, he begins a methodical pursuit across this frozen landscape. Aided by his boyhood companion, the taciturn and deadly Cheeon, and pursued by the stalwart detective Donald Marium, Slone is without mercy, cutting a bloody swath through the wilderness of his homeland. As Russell Core attempts to rescue Medora from her husband s vengeance, he comes face to face with an unspeakable secret at the furthermost reaches of American soil a secret about the unkillable bonds of family, and the untamed animal in the soul of every human being. An Alaskan Oresteia, an epic woven of both blood and myth, Hold the Dark recalls the hyperborean climate and tribalism of Daniel Woodrell's Winter's Bone and the primeval violence of James Dickey's Deliverance."
Dear Reader, Hold the Dark is an ARC (advanced reading copy) I picked up at Book Expo America. I knew NOTHING about this book but the cover looked pretty awesome. After reading the back copy, I figured it would be very Cormac McCarthy-esque, which came pretty close to the truth. This might not be very "western" but it follows the small-town, remote village, strange culture, back-woods that McCarthy likes to write. Hold the Dark is set in a very small village in the Alaskan wilderness. This should be very appealing to all those folks who are REALLY into Alaska right now, have you noticed the increase of reality shows on the Nature/Discovery channels that feature Alaska? It's like the "hip" place to be. This little village though, isn't that, in actuality, you'd probably be very creeped out by the unwelcoming villagers you'd encounter. William Giraldi is very descriptive and he does a great job of thoroughly giving you the heebie jeebies. As wonderful as Giraldi writes, this story started off at a snails pace. I had a few moments when I thought maybe I should move along and pick a different book from my insanely high stack of "to-reads". But just before I finished that thought, something would pique my interest and I would keep trucking along, still enjoying the prose but wondering where the story was going. I wouldn't call it a mystery but at the same time, I think the few hints along the way made it feel that way. It's almost like this slow reveal is the biggest book tease ever, and I admit... I got caught up in it. I have a feeling this is a book that many might pass on before the clear picture comes into view, and I can understand if they do... since I was almost there myself. However, this book is considerably short (for books nowadays) and I don't give up on a book unless I'm not connecting with it, but I kinda was. Hold the Dark is such a beautiful title for this, it's exactly how I felt this Alaskan Wilderness would feel, a dark suppression. This unusual tale will be a favorite among those who love the style of Cormac McCarthy or William Gaddis. I can only hope that we get to see more of Giraldi, he has a specialness to his writing that can be entrancing. Happy Reading, AmberBug

Support Shelf Notes! Purchase your copy of this book here:

Left: Hardcover - Right: E-Book