Video Book Review: Scarlet

Author: A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Pages: 292
Read it in: 3 days

Summary: Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

My Video Review:

Hey guys! So over the past couple months I've been getting quite a few requests from followers to post more videos on my blog, aaand... I was trying to figure out how to do that and decided that it might be kind of cool to create some video reviews to go along with the books I've read. This way, I can talk to you more in-person about my likes and dislikes and just my general impressions about books reviewed here on LC's Adventures. So here is the first one! Feel free to watch if you want, it basically says what I have in the review below, but let me know what you think! 

LC's Take:

This was one of those books that I just had to read. Like, the minute I saw that cover and then read the summary, I was just dying to get my hands on this book. Why? 3 main reasons:

Reason #1.) The cover rocks
Reason #2.) The heroine disguises herself as a boy to fight for what she believes in (TOTAL WIN)
Reason #3.) The story is about ROBIN freaking HOOD!!

Now as far as I'm concerned, those are all very good reasons to go out and get a book ASAP. And guess what? I absolutely LOVED it!! Scarlet was everything I thought it would be, and I had so much fun reading it.

Scarlet as the main character had everything that I love in a heroine-- she was brave and tough, but she had a sweet, vulnerable side to her as well. I loved Scarlet because the author really made me care about her-- I knew her strengths, weaknesses, her past, and her present struggles. To me these are the things that make a character in a book seem real and make me feel connected to them. The story is told from Scarlet's endearing point of view, in a rough-English narrative that had me faking an English accent in my head while I read, I couldn't even help it!

The other characters in the book were just as multi-dimensional-- Robin Hood and Little John both had background stories and came across as real people brought to life, not just fictional characters, so this made it very easy for me to stay interested in their stories and what happened to them.

Of course I LOVED the setting of Sherwood Forest and the surrounding areas of Nottinghamshire, Winsop and all the other Medieval English towns and countryside-- I just love reading about this time period, and England in the Middle Ages was brought to life perfectly.

The story itself was full of action-adventure, sword fights, plots, rescues, romance, and all the awesome things you would expect in a tale about Robin Hood. Be warned however, there are some gory scenes in the story! The Middle Ages wasn't exactly a pretty time in history, so be prepared for some blood and guts as Will Scarlet and Robin Hood slash their way to bring justice to the English people. I for one loved the action and intrigue in this book, and was totally sucked into the dangerous yet alluring world of 12th century England. The romance in the book was really well-done too, and it has a pretty interesting twist, as Scarlet finds herself falling for the dashing Robin Hood, even though she's supposed to be "one of the guys" in his band of merry men...

Scarlet was an amazing retelling of Robin Hood, and it managed to have a really fresh and unique take on the Robin Hood legend, even after the dozens of retellings that we've all seen and heard. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, historical settings, or is interested in the Robin Hood legend. This is A.C. Gaughen's first novel and I am definitely looking forward to seeing more books by her in the future!

~Cover Talk~

I really can't even say how much I LOVE this cover, it is so gorgeous! Where to begin? The face of Scarlet is mesmerizing with those piercing, haunting blue-gray eyes-- her expression is tough and stoic, yet she looks beautiful and vulnerable at the same time. The detail of leaves/foliage around her face are made even more noticeable because they are shiny against the matte cover, giving the book an almost 3-D effect. This is definitely a unique cover in the YA genre, and it captured my attention the very first time I saw it.

LC's Rating:

Intriguing adventure and an action-packed plot-line will make it impossible to put this book down! Here is a fresh, new take on the Robin Hood legend that you will not want to miss-- I just loved reading this story!

Book Review: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Pages: 387
Read it in: 4 days
Source: NetGalley

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

LC's Take:

This book was so incredibly creative that I'm still reeling from just how awesome it was. First of all, Cinderella as a half-human cyborg in futuristic China?? C'mon now, how freaking cool is that! Marissa Meyer, you are too amazing for thinking up something this crazy and unique. Definitely my favorite thing about this book was just how wildly creative it was, and how it took a story that we've all heard a million times before, and turned it into something totally new and different.

The characters in this book were all multi-dimensional and interesting, and I loved the main heroine, Linh Cinder, who is half human and half computer-cyborg. Cinder works as a mechanic in New Beijing for her step mother and two step sisters, but she dreams of running away and making a better life for herself outside the city. New Beijing is in complete turmoil, as the people of earth are in fear of an attack from the Lunar realm of the moon, while at the same time a deadly plague is mysteriously killing hundreds of people on a daily basis, and no one has yet found the cure.

Prince Kai was a bit too wishy-washy of a love interest for my taste-- I wish he had been a stronger character, but he was still nice, if somewhat wimpy. I totally understand why Cinder was so in love with him, because he was so nice and sweet, but at the same time, I sort of hope that she falls for someone with a little more backbone in the next books. 

The world building was also amazing, and I found myself totally wrapped up in Cinder's world. It takes place in a futuristic version of China, where New Beijing is the capitol. There are not only several world governments, but also a kingdom on the moon, ruled by a tyrannical queen named Luna. Luna is dead set on marrying Prince Kai, the heir to the throne of New Beijing, and not going to lie, she was pretty scary!

If you are looking for a story that really goes outside the box and is completely different from anything else out there in the YA world, I highly recommend this book. Cinder turned out to be a wonderful fairytale re-telling that had its own unique flair, and kept my interest the entire way through.

~Cover Talk~

The thing that I love about this cover is that it makes such a statement-- just that one ruby-red shoe in the spotlight, which you notice right away against the dark background, and then the metal cyborg pieces showing through the white-stockinged leg-- I think it is so eye-catching! I also love the font that they chose for the title. I am pretty obsessed with fonts, and this one is so cool. Altogether, I love this unique cover, I think that it is really well-done!

LC's Rating:

A wildly creative and imaginative take on a classic fairytale! I really loved this book and the new, futuristic edge it had. Also, the characters were awesome. Make sure this one is on your TBR list!

Book Review: Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Pages: 480
Read it in: 4 days

Summary: Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her... beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing... it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

LC's Take: 

I LOVED this book! Where to begin? This was just an incredibly delightful read, from beginning to end. The narration, the dialogue, and the characters made this so enjoyable, and I found that I was giggling to myself over the quirkiness and whimsical charm of the story throughout.

Azalea ("Lea" for short-- how cool to read a book with my name in it!) is the oldest of eleven sisters who live in an old castle with their father, the King of Eathesbury. Even though Azalea and her sisters are princesses, the kingdom is poor and their castle is run-down. As the future queen, it is up to Azalea to find a suitable husband. Her father brings in many potential suitors, but Azalea only has eyes for the young Mr. Bradford, an awkward but adorable apprentice from town. (Ah! Mr. Bradford was TOO cute :)

Unfortunately, Azalea has bigger problems to worry about than just finding a husband. The princesses' mother recently died and now the entire house is in a year of mourning for the late queen. All of the things that once gave the princesses life and happiness are taken away- colorful dresses, walks in the garden-- and most importantly-- dancing. Without dancing the girls are perfectly forlorn and miserable.

But Azalea discovers a secret-- long ago, the castle had been magic, and traces of it still linger in the walls. Azalea learns of a secret passageway that takes her and her sisters to a magical silver forest with a pavilion, perfect for dancing. There, they meet Mr. Keeper, who watches over the forest-- and them. But all is not what it seems, and Keeper soon shows his true colors. Now it is up to Azalea to save her mother's soul, her sisters' lives, and the entire kingdom, ending once and for all the dark magic kept alive for so long...

Entwined had all the elements of a great fairy tale-- magic, suspense, romance, humor, and characters that jump right off the page. I loved Azalea as the heroine, and her eleven little sisters-- all named alphabetically after flowers-- were so cute! Even though there were eleven of them, Dixon manages to give them all unique and individual characters. I loved her sense of humor throughout the story as well-- all the quirky little things, the English-style dialogue with phrases like "I say!" and "corking good" and "Tut tut!" just made the book so much fun to read. Oh, and the magical tea set was hilarious. This is perfectly juxtaposed with the incredibly creepy villain, Mr. Keeper-- there were moments in the book where I actually got goosebumps from the sheer creepiness of this character! (Note: if you've ever seen the movie Coraline, the tones were similar to that-- cute with a mix of very dark creepiness.)

The only little complaint I have is that the ending was slightly anti-climactic-- I would have liked if there was a little more action there, but other than that, all the strings were neatly tied up and the story ended with a really sweet, happily-ever-after. This truly was a great book, thoroughly fun and entertaining, that provided a perfect mix of magic, suspense and lighthearted fun!

LC's Rating:

A cute, unique story that provides a refreshing twist on the classic fairy tale, Entwined was a delight to read! If you've been putting this one off, give it a shot-- I am sure you will find it as charming and fun as I did :)