Unthinkable by Nancy Werlin

Spoilers* This is a sequel, and there are obvious pieces of the first book that are given away.

"Fenella was the first Scarborough girl to be cursed, hundreds of years ago, and she has been trapped in the faerie realm ever since, forced to watch generations of daughters try to break this same faerie curse that has enslaved them all. But now Fenella’s descendant, Lucy, has accomplished the impossible and broken the curse, so why is Fenella still trapped in Faerie?"

I picked up this book because several years ago I was gifted the first book Impossible, read it and fell in love with Nancy Werlin's writing. (Also, I'm a sucker for YA fiction.)
In the first book, Impossible, Lucy finds she is cursed, and must make her way through three riddles in order to free herself and future generations from and ancient faerie curse. The book was amazing. (Or so I remember, it has been a good 5 years since I read it.)
Unthinkable is both a sequel and a prequel as it tells the story of Fenella, the original Scarborough girl, in both past and present times. She was the first to be cursed, but is still alive, and must enter the human realm to break the second curse the Faerie Lord cast on her. She finds she must complete 3 tasks of destruction, aimed at her own family. *Bonus* there is a love interest....
In short, the story of Fenella is great. She is a relatable character, and the plot is entertaining as well as engaging. I mean, I finished this book in a day, and I don't remember the last time I did that.
I would definitely recommend reading the first book before taking up this one, and there are references to another story written by Werlin about the Faerie realm. (I plan on reading the other, Extraordinary.)
Overall Werlin is a master at crafting YA fantasy, and I would recommend her writing to anyone looking for that genre. She's a great way to break into the genre since most of her stories take place in a "contemporary" setting, and spend only a small amount of time actually exploring Faerie realms.
I would give this book a 7/10. I may read it again someday, and would probably own the whole series, to loan out to other readers.

Enjoy,

H.

The Necromancer (Johannes Cabal #1) by Jonathan L. Howard

"A charmingly gothic, fiendishly funny Faustian tale about a brilliant scientist who makes a deal with the Devil, twice."

This book is a riot. I picked it up off the shelf at the library on a whim because the cover looked intriguing. I read the back, was hooked by the relation to Faust, and took it home with me.
I took this book with me to the beach, and while I did enjoy it, that wasn't the best place to read it. I like easy reads for the beach, and this book was full of witty commentary, and fairly complex plot lines. The writer was able to take a horrible character and make him relatable. I found myself cheering him on as he embarked on his quest to find 100 souls to damn.
The story begins with Cabal lamenting his misfortune of not having a soul. He traded his soul to Satan for the ability to practice magic and raise corpses from the dead. He has a fascination with the human body and wanted to learn everything he possibly could, but he found there was a problem. So, he sets out to trade his soul back and strike a second deal with Satan.
Her is an excerpt that illustrates the humor: (Cabal has just summoned Satan, to make a second deal.)

“Lo!" cried the demon. "I am here! What dost thou seek of me? Why dost thou disturb my repose? Smite me no more with that dread rod!" He looked at Cabal. "Where's your dread rod?"
"I left it at home," replied Cabal. "Didn't think I really needed it."
"You can't summon me without a dread rod!" said Lucifuge, appalled.
"You're here, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, but under false pretences. You haven't got a goatskin or two vervain crowns or two candles of virgin wax made by a virgin girl and duly blessed. Have you got the stone called Ematille?"
"I don't even know what Ematille is."
Neither did the demon. He dropped the subject and moved on. "Four nails from the coffin of a dead child?"
"Don't be fatuous."
"Half a bottle of brandy?"
"I don't drink brandy."
"It's not for you."
"I have a hip flask," said Cabal, and threw it to him. The demon caught it and took a dram.
"Cheers," said Lucifuge, and threw it back. They regarded each other for a long moment. "This really is a shambles," the demon added finally. "What did you summon me for, anyway?”

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes to chuckle along the way. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone who feels weird about sympathizing with a villain. I really enjoyed this book, and would rate it about a 6/10. Better than average, but I'm not sure I would read it again.

Read on!

H.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Reading fiction can be really hard for me because I took so many writing classes and was required to read critically. I oftentimes find myself  critiquing the work, and finding fault where others find enjoyment and it ruins books. Every once in a while, however, I read a book that is crafted so well I forget that I'm reading.
Language of Flowers is that type of book.
One of the biggest complaints I have about YA fiction is the predictable characters. The *usually female* protagonist who can't fathom being thrown into such a situation and don't believe they can do it, but then miraculously find the inner strength they had all a long, while falling in love with the *mysterious* stranger who suddenly becomes irresistible. blah blah blaaaaah. (I've found this is especially prevalent in YA fantasy, but it doesn't always escape contemporary fiction.) It's a snooze fest and unfortunately makes up a large portion of fiction*.
I actually just finished a book with almost this EXACT formula, so my frustration is still fresh. (See Potion Study.)
I started The Language of Flowers because it was sitting in my office and I needed a book for the bus ride home. I don't regret that decision one wit. This book is refreshing and engaging. It features a protagonist who is self destructing, and harsh because of the happenings of her past. She almost frustrates the narrator because she pushes everyone away and tries to learn things on her own. I feel myself trying to engage with her on a deeper level, and it's aggravating but also incredibly addicting. You want to shake her and yell , "Why don't you get it??" a few lines later, however, you find yourself cheering for her, and understanding her struggle.
The story unwraps in an incredibly realistic way. The narrator doesn't flip like a light switch, thus confusing the reader. She is reliable and you learn to trust her, even though you know she wouldn't trust you.
It's an addicting read.
It borders on the older end of YA fiction, as the narrator, Victoria is 18, and emancipated early on in the book. She deals with very real issues, in adult life, and has experience that many young adults do not.
The Language of Flowers features Victoria, an 18 year old foster child, exiting the foster system. The story knits together flashbacks from her past experience in the foster system, and her current experience as she builds her life after emancipation. She trusts no one, and relies on the  "language of flowers" to communicate with other people.
I read quite a few reviews who thought the characters were underdeveloped and thought Victoria to be whiny. I didn't feel this way. I felt the characters developed nicely over the course of the book. I did see how Victoria could be seen as whiny, but I thought her inner monologue was engaging. She had her flaws, but who doesn't.
I really liked how this book used the actual language of flowers to help tell the story. Victoria works with flowers and uses their messages to help build her life again after she is left with nothing.
I would give this book a seven out of ten. It was good enough to read again after a suitable amount of time, and I would recommend this book to anyone. It was an easy read, and hard to put down, I'm almost sorry I finished it before the beach trip I have coming up.

Potion Study by Maria V. Snyder

Oh dear. Where do I start with this book...
I started this book while babysitting and was hooked enough on it that I asked to borrow it when I left to go home. It was an easy read, and had a great plot-line, but a terrible protagonist. This book borders on YA and Adult fiction. The protagonist is 20 years old, but it's at a YA reading level, and handles age appropriate issues for YA. (I should clarify there is a rather graphic abuse scene, and so I would recommend this book for the older spectrum of YA.)
Yelena is an orphan girl who is in jail for killing a man. She lives in a society where a Commander reigns supreme. Each individual is given a job, and wears a uniform that matches their job. Jobs are granted based on skill and aptitude, rather than wealth. The Commander has been in power for 15 years, after overthrowing a corrupt monarchy.
I feel like this book had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. The plot was incredible, and that is what kept me going despite page after page of eye-roll inducing stock characters.
So. Yelena is in prison. She killed her previous guardian's son, and since murder is inexcusable under any circumstances, she was thrown in to jail to await her own demise. She's pulled out of the darkness and given an opportunity. The code, or set of laws everyone lives by claims that when the commander's food taster dies, the next person to be executed is offered the job. So here she is, being offered a chance at a life full of tasting for poisons, and no guarantee that she will live past the day ahead of her. She also has a vengeful grieving father after her, who wants her dead because she killed her son.
As the events roll through the book, Yelena is thrown into a number of inescapable circumstances, and the story develops well.
Yelena, on the other hand is entirely too boring for my taste. She is full of self-doubt, and underdeveloped emotions. She is mistrusting, due to some "mysterious happenings in her past (which are revealed later) and when she does trust people, she finds it's the wrong people. She makes just about every predictable choice you could think of, including falling for the one person she isn't supposed to fall for.
There are three more books in this series, and I may pick up the second one to see if it has a great plot-line, but I'm not confident the characters will hold up.
I would give this book a 4 out of 10. The plot saved it, but barely enough to make it past average. It was an easy read, and for anyone who doesn't mind an annoying protagonist, go for it!