“I’ll not stand for any tricks. I may be human, but I’m not stupid.”
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Tamora Pierce is an accomplished fantasy YA novelist (We're talking 26 books, including 5 quartets set in two different, well established universes). I could go on for days about her epic world building, lush characters, and how amazing it is that her books feature a wide variety of strong female characters (and characters within the LGBT community!). You go Tammy!
"That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift."
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
As adaptations go, this is practically perfection.
Not to be confused with the film adaptation of this adaptation, which is problematic for a number of different reasons*.
Ella is born in a magic and medieval land were it is common practice for fairy's to bestow gifts to people (think Sleeping Beauty). This, however, becomes problematic when Lucinda, a know-it-all fairy with a skewed perception of kindness and too much time on her hands gives Ella the "gift" of obedience.
Is beauty monstrous?
If so, then my sisters were right
His beauty was so sharp it could have cut
out my heart
He lay naked, sleeping on my bed
How could it be?
Why had he chosen me?
I wanted to run and hide from him
Francesca Lia Block
Psyche in a Dress
TIme for another poetry book! I love Francesca Lia Block, but I realize that she may not be everyone's cup of tea. For my first review of her work I have chosen Psyche in a Dress, what I have often thought of an intro to her work: It is short, poetical, and talks about the Tough Issues, but not in a way that reminds of an after school special.
"The question then is, how much are you willing to give?"
I thought about all the battlefields, all the dead men and women I had seen, all the dying children and fathers and mothers I had held and sung to. I thought about my dead alistair, Vasili, about my brother, Xavier, and about Gregory Cobriana begging me to stop the pain.
And I answered, "Anything."
A breath later, Zane echoes my response with, "Everything."
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes,
Hawksong
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