Review: Scrap by Emory Sharplin

Title: Scrap
Series: ?
Placement in Series: 1/?
Author: Emory Sharplin
Format: e-galley
Blurb:

On the brutal streets of Hellip, a village in the vast empire of the cruel King Ibis, you either become good at running from the king’s Blackcoats or you die. This is the lesson that twelve-year-old Tucker Scrap, abandoned as an infant among the orphans of Hellip, learned early. Along with her friends Ash and Kally, Tucker spends her time keeping one step ahead of the unjust laws, stealing what she needs to survive, and pondering her own unknown origins—and those of the enchanted bracelet with which she was found.

Now, both Ash and Kally have vanished from the orphanage, perhaps headed for the faraway city where Ibis still rules. When a mysterious girl named Vivian arrives in Hellip with a strange invitation to Tucker, the leader of the orphans decides that this may be her opportunity to find her missing friends. But more than this: it may become an opportunity to recover her hidden inheritance, and to change the fate of an entire kingdom.

The introduction to a fantasy world rich with ancient magic, enigmatic gypsies, palace labyrinths, and deep woods haunted by strange and forbidding creatures, Emory Sharplin’s debut novel tells the story of Tucker Scrap: a bold, memorable heroine at the center of a centuries-old mystery, stepping into her destiny at last.

Review:

As an avid fantasy lover, I was excited when I stumbled upon this book on netgalley, and after reading the description, requested it immediately. I loved Morgan Rhodes' YA debut Falling Kingdoms, and am a fan of all of Tamora Pierce's works, so this book is right up my alley. Of course, that does not ensure that I will love the book; this only makes it so that the premise sparked my interest. Did the book keep my interest? Solid yes. I loved every second of this book. From the tough character of orphan Tucker (Scrap), to the incredible, complicated (but still very, very interesting) plot, this book had everything I wanted in a fantasy (even magic)!

Tucker Scrap is an orphan. All that was left with her on the orphanage's doorstep was a note pleading that she not be let die. But no one lets Tucker die; she is a fighter, even at her young age of pre-teenager. After the orphanage's caretaker is gone, Tucker takes the place as leader, making sure the other orphans have food to eat by stealing and working at a bakery in town. She takes care of everyone, especially her friend Ash, who is deaf. But when he gets an injury that she cannot take care of and leaves to find help, and her other orphan friend Kally goes missing, Tucker is left alone, wondering where they are, how they are faring, and what happened to them. But she is soon distracted when a mysterious girl not too much older than herself comes to claim her, saying she is an old friend. With this girl, Vivian, comes a lot of mystery that Tucker is determined to solve - for it all involves her. She is just not sure of how much.

I really admired the character of Tucker. She is tough and has a lot of spunk (to survive as long as she did on the streets of a not-so-well-off town in a kingdom run by a ruthless king, she has to be). Not once did I question the loyalty she has to her orphan friends. Before she leaves she gives one the job she had at the bakery, and tries her best to get them sent food and clothes (though the request is denied with an understandable explanation). As for the friends who have gone missing, Tucker never stops thinking of them. She makes new friends (including a character I was quick to love for his joyful attitude and wit - he reminded me of Puck from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, who I adore, so perhaps that is why), but Ash and Kally are always in the back of her mind.

Although I found one major plot point to be quite obvious - who Tucker really is - I also believe it to have been purposefully obvious. There were many other twists and turns in the plot - especially towards the end - to make up for it.

Scrap was incredibly well-written, which delighted and surprised me when I found out that the author, Emory Sharplin, is still a teenager herself. World-building is hard, but Sharplin delivered it vividly and believably. This is an incredible debut, and I can't wait to read more from her.

Overall, fantastic book! Well-written and clever and full of characters I was quick to love. And I must admit while I semi expected something like that ending would happen, it still blew my mind because my suspicion was only 1/10th of what actually happened. Great read. Cannot wait to read the sequel. I highly recommend, especially if you're a fantasy fan!


Rating: 5/5
Recommended for: Fantasy fans! Especially those who enjoyed Tamora Pierce's quartets and Morgan Rhodes' Falling Kingdoms! You will love Tucker (and many other characters) and I guarantee you'll be hooked on her story. I know I am!


There needs to be more books like this! YA is lacking in the epic fantasy department. I'm glad Emory Sharplin's novel delivered.

I'm hoping there will be a lot more buzz surrounding this title - through a little research I discovered not many bookstores will be carrying this title on the day it is released (May 17th, 2013) - in Canada, anyway. So hopefully the word of this great books spreads! The book ended in a way that leaves me strongly craving a sequel. Not to mention the fact that I really want a hard copy of this book!

So if you read and enjoy this book, spread the word. Tell your local bookstores you want it if they don't have it - it's amazing what a little nudge can do to get the title in stock!


Where you can buy this book:

In Canada:
Nowhere - yet!

In the USA:
Barnes and Noble

Internationally/On your e-reader:
Amazon.com

Worldwide Covers #1

(A book blog meme hosted by Librarian Mouse. To participate and for more info, click here)

I have been wanting to participate in a meme such as this one, because as great as the content inside of a book is, sometimes I just like to sit and stare at their gorgeous covers! It's time the covers get some attention (and let's face it, some of us do judge a book by its cover. So let's do that for a little bit here, shall we?).

Honestly, I don't think there is really anything particulary horrible about judging a book by its cover. A book's cover is its first impression upon us, as well as the title and possibly the author. But it's the cover that catches our attention most of the time, be it the face of the spine. It's all a part of marketing. The cover is supposed to capture your attention. Like a lure captures the attention of a fish. Then we read the blurb (follow the pretty shiny thing moving quickly through the water towards the boat or dock), and if that captivates us, we bite the hook. Fishing metaphor? Yay/nay?

Anyway.

This week, for my first WWC, I'll be looking at Legacy by Cayla Kluver.
I have chosen four covers. One from Australia, one from Germany, and two covers from Spain.
But first let's look at the American cover:

Not too shabby. I love the vine effect. A lot of people complain about girls in dresses being featured on YA book covers, but it works for Legacy, considering Alera (the main character) is a princess in a high fantasy. What else would she be wearing, exactly?

And now for the international covers I have chosen:

Here is the cover published by HarlequinAustralia. I love the text on the cover "An ancient blood fued. A love to destroy nations." Not sure how much I like the cover. It is pretty and I love looking at it, but I'm not sure if it really captures the story for me. If I were to look at this, my first impression would be 'fairy fantasy' or something along those lines. But I like it.

The German cover by Piper Publishing. This one's title is "Alera, Geliebter Feind", which of course focuses on Alera specifically. Geliebter Feind means 'beloved enemy', according to Google translate. Interesting title. Interesting cover. I love the font used for Aleria's name and the effect on it. The cover is a simple one, but I do get the fantasy feel in the text there.

Planeta Publishing based in Barcelona, Spain gives us Alera, A Princesa Herdeira, which I'm guessing means something like heiress princess? Maybe? Let's see what google translate says (sorry, I barely passed grade 12 Spanish and it's been a few years). Crown princess. I was close. This cover is so great to look at. Everything about her dress and the text says fantasy to me, and it so elegant. And then you look to the background and it's all dark and spooky. If I saw this in the book store, I would definitely pick it up just based on the cover.

And our second book cover from Spain:

This one is not my favourite of the four. The text for 'Legacy' is cool, but I think if I were to look at this, I would peg it as a contemporary. I can't see enough of (I'm guessing Narian?) the guy in the back's outfit to stick it to an era or 'other world' that would make me think it was fantasy. However it is intriguing enough. Her dress does not look all that 'royal' though, which doesn't really help. Either way, still a nice cover.

I wonder why there are two Spanish editions but with different titles? I suppose I could look into it more, but I'm not that curious. Both companies are based in Spain (Legacy having been published by Roca Editorial, based also in Barcelona). Interesting though.



What are your thoughts on the covers? Do you have a favourite/least favourite?
And are there any covers in the future you'd like me to look at?
Let me know in the comments :) I'd love to discuss with you.

Also, see my review of Allegiance, the sequel to Legacy and the second in the trilogy by clicking here.

Review: Seraphina

(left: US cover; right: UK cover)

Title: Seraphina
Series: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Goodreads Link: Goodreads Description
Rating: 5/5

Review:

Oh, my goodness, where do I begin? How it took me so long to hear about this book, I have no idea, but boy am I glad I did! Dragons? Medieval epic fantasy? Sold!

Let's check out this snippet from the Goodreads description, shall we?

In her exquisitely written fantasy debut, Rachel Hartman creates a rich, complex, and utterly original world.

Debut?  That's right, this novel is Rachel Hartman's first. Judging by her writing skill, I would not have guessed this. The writing in this book is one of my favourite things about it. The prose was amazing, the language perfect. I was in Seraphina's world. There are very few authors who can write like this -- like they have been writing professionally for years. J.K Rowling is another that comes to mind. Phillip Pullman is another. Just... amazing. I adore Rachel Hartman's writing style. She is brilliant and I bow down to her.

But of course, Hartman's writing style is just one of the pluses of this book. The others would be the very likeable, very real characters; the vividly described setting; and of course, the unique and intriguing plot. The plot that kept me eagerly turning page after page. The plot that made me scream out in frustration when I had to (very reluctantly) put the book down for dinner (a dinner which I scarfed down so that I could keep reading). The plot I very quickly fell in love with.

The book began on a note that draws the reader right in. In the prologue we get a small glimpse of Seraphina's past, and even though we know little about her world, we know she is different. How different she is, we find out later (and may I just say that it was not something I was expecting). The prologue and the opening chapter are what effectively pull you into the book. For some reason, I felt that the book would start off slow. Probably because a lot of books do. They pull you in slowly, but keep you interested until things begin to escalate towards the climax. Seraphina began to do that, and I fully expected it to continue that way. But then at the end of one of the beginning chapters... BAM! Plot twist. And then you read on excitedly because plot twists are AMAZING and a pleasant surprise when they happen near the beginning of the book. And then BAM! Another plot twist, and you're hooked. You cannot put the book down. It's glued to your hands and you would have it no other way. That is what it was like reading Seraphina. There was never a dull moment; I read and wanted to read every single word. I wanted to know every detail of Seraphina's life and most importantly I wanted to know what would happen to her considering her own secret. Now, I won't spoil her secret, becuase that won't be any fun for anyone. But wow. This book... Wow.

And the teensy bit of romance (can we call it that? I'm going to call it that) strung into it? Perfection. It was there, but in no way did it overshadow anything else that was going on. Yet I still cannot wait to see where it that goes.

I need to talk about the dragons for a minute. I don't want to give anything away for those of you who have not yet read Seraphina, though, so I'll keep this short. MOST INTERESTING DRAGONS I HAVE EVER READ. Okay, so my list of books I've read with dragons in them is not as large as it could be, but still. These dragons *pokes copy of Seraphina excitedly* are so cool and so interesting! So if you're sick of dragons, you need to ignore that and read Seraphina, because you will be introduced to something new. And if you love dragons, then you are about to love them a whole lot more!

I also liked the addition of the royal family tree that was included in the book. Things like that are really helpful for a reader, especially when introduced to such a large family. It makes it easier on the author, too. Instead of clogging up the prose with "Daniel, whom Seraphina remembered being introduced to as the king's cousin, is coming to visit" (ps, I just made that sentence up), the author can just keep it simple, and if the reader forgot who Daniel is, they can flip to the family tree. This helped me, because I was confused about two characters being cousins but also being engaged.

Another thing I was glad to find at the back of the book was a glossary of characters (which included some very witty descriptions of characters at times), and a glossary of terms used in the book.

I seriously canNOT wait until Dracomachia (Seraphina #2) comes out, which should be in early-mid 2013.

There is also a Seraphina 0.5 called The Audition. There is a link on its goodreads page, which you can find by clicking here.

So have you guys read this one? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments :)