Persuasion by Jane Austen

Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Historical, Romance, Classic

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Modern Library
Publication Date: June 12, 2001
(first published December 1817)
ISBN-10: 0375757295
ISBN-13: 978-0375757297

In the novel, Anne Elliot, the heroine Austen called 'almost too good for me,' has let herself be persuaded not to marry Frederick Wentworth, a fine and attractive man without means. Eight years later, Captain Wentworth returns from the Napoleonic Wars with a triumphant naval career behind him, a substantial fortune to his name, and an eagerness to wed. Austen explores the complexities of human relationships as they change over time.

Persuasion is the last work of one of the greatest of novelists, the end of a quiet career pursued in anonymity in rural England that produced novels which continue to give pleasure to millions of readers throughout the world.

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Review:

Loved it more than Pride & Prejudice. (Granted, I will probably re-read it since I loved Persuasion so much but overall, I think this one, being her last published novel, was more refined in its writing.)

Anne Elliot is the middle child, sister of Elizabeth and Mary, daughter of Sir Walter Elliot. When Anne was nineteen years old, she was engaged to a sailor known as Frederick Wentworth, who, according to her family and dear friend Lady Russell, was not good enough for her--in wealth or status. Anne, being the timid flower she was at nineteen, was persuaded finally by Lady Russell not to go through with the marriage, utterly devastating Mr. Wentworth. Now, it's almost eight years later, and Anne's family is experiencing some financial trouble and have decided to let their house to an Admiral Croft and his wife, sister of a Captain Wentworth, while Anne and her family are supposed to move to Bath for the time being.

The plot begins from there and Anne is slightly derailed from going directly to Bath with her sister and Father by her younger, married and attention-seeking sister Mary Musgrove who has caught one of her frequent ill-spells. From Mary's husband's family, the Musgroves, Anne soon learns that the past eight years that have sort of wrecked her life physically and outwardly will come to a peak because Captain Wentworth has been expressly invited by the Musgroves to talk about their lost son who was one of the sailors on the Captain's ship years ago.

As Anne confronts the reality that is her successful and still unbelievably charming ex-fiancé, she questions the possibility that she could have been wrong in being persuaded not to marry him. It's with the help of the fantastic motley crew of characters that Austen constructed for this book that Anne can fully appreciate and thoroughly analyze her personal development theses past eight years. With the characters, I couldn't help comparing some to those in Pride & Prejudice, especially Mr. Elliot, heir to Sir Walter Elliot and Anne's cousin. I was constantly questioning whether he was going to be the Mr. Collins or Mr. Wickham of Persuasion. The Captain and Anne made for a very different pairing than Elizabeth and Darcy. Where Elizabeth is all pride and defiance, Anne is timid and docile.  Where Darcy is stoic and rigid, Captain Wentworth is social and confident. I enjoyed the fact that Austen kind of revisited old territory where the antagonist in this book is concerned but I mostly could not get enough of the new diverse characters and their corresponding background stories.

As I said before, this time around Austen's writing was more refreshingly understandable and cohesive than when I first attempted one of her novels. I don't know if it was better editing or what but when I had to put the book down I couldn't wait to pick it back up and continue with the story. Mainly that and the characters was the allure for me.

I'd say the only negative about Persuasion was the lack of deserved reproval of Anne's mutable and impressionable decisions when she was nineteen. Although she sort of acknowledged Lady Russell's influence and accepted her warning as a way of protecting Anne from some MIGHT-BE-HORRIBLE future, I think she should have been more conscious of how her family and friend were dictating how she should live her life. It came off as uncaring and gave the message that even though a woman rejects a man, if she wants to be with him again, she can just blame it on the circumstances at the time and not her own decisions.

However, overall, I have to give this book a high rating because I loved everything else so much that I could look past that flaw. It really was an awesome build-up to the romance and I liked how the antagonist's arc was handled and how the truth about them was revealed as well. Majorly recommended to read if you haven't read anything by Austen yet.

A

Source: Library

LiLi

An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James

Title: An Inquiry Into Love and Death
Author: Simone St. James

Genre: Historical, Thriller, Paranormal

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN-10: 0451239253
ISBN-13: 978-0451239259

After her uncle Toby, a renowned ghost hunter, is killed in a fall off a cliff, Oxford student Jillian Leigh must rive to the seaside village of Rothewell to pack up his belongings. Almost immediately, unsettling incidents - a book left in a cold stove, a gate swinging open on its own - escalate into terrifying events that convince Jillian an angry spirit is trying to enter the house and is haunting the woods around Blood Moon Bay. If Toby discovered something sinister during his investigations, was his death no accident?

The arrival of handsome Scotland Yard inspector Drew Merriken leaves Jillian with more questions than answers - and with the added complication of a powerful mutual attraction. She suspects someone will do anything to hide the truth and begins to discover secrets that lie deep within Rothewell... and at the very heart of who she is.

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Review:

This is one of those murder mysteries that keeps you guessing till the very end. I had my suspicions about everybody in Rothewell, much like the oh so fleetingly handsome Inspector Merriken, but I can't say I predicted any of the events that took place as the pieces of the puzzle were coming together.

In the early 1920s, outside London, in a small town known as Rothewell, a legendary ghost has haunted the people of the town for decades and has been known to cause quite the spook on travelers who decide to reside in Barrow House.

Jillian Leigh thought taking care of her eccentric Uncle's things after his untimely death would be an undoubtedly quick process. When she learned it would be quite the opposite, her ghost-hunting uncle soon became the least of her worries, because the circumstances in which he died came into question as the Scotland Yard Inspector seems to believe it was something more than a simple fall.

Of all things, the plot and the writing were the elements that attracted me most and hooked me from the very beginning. The plot itself was so different from the genre of books I usually read that I was amazed how well it was thoroughly executed. The thrill and suspense was flying off the pages and I was intrigued and mesmerized while scared out of my socks. The legend of Walking John had a history so dynamically crafted, I sympathized with him when I read the circumstances of his death. It was brilliant. Rothewell was teeming with ghosts yet it was described as such a beautifully haunting town that I got chills while I would have liked to see the defiant waves of Blood Moon Bay. The thrill of learning just pieces of what really occurred while Jillian's uncle Toby visited Rothewell added to the overall mystery and drama of what was later to be revealed and discovered.

The writing blew my breath away with the amount of detail the author added about World War I and its affect on England and its Royal Navy soldiers that seemed to occupy every corner of Rothewell. It was due to this solid background that the author was able to seamlessly incorporate so many different portrayals of the war yet combine them all to convey the impact it had on the men of the time.

Jillian was my undoubtedly favorite character because of her, as Drew Merriken calls it, her "infernal intelligence." She makes brilliant leaps with all the information that she collects and its impossible to not to able to see why she decided to attend Oxford, rather than become a married homebody like Mrs. Kates. It's also her reactions that made me admire her. She was able to confront the most challenging and trying of situations and figure out with a rational head what to do next. The insatiable Inspector Andrew Merriken seemed to be one of those "situations" as most love interests tend to be in books these days. His blunt demeanor took some adjusting to but I could understand his reasoning for suspecting everyone of everything. One of my favorite quotes by him has to be when he's explaining to Jillian why he is how he is, as he simply says, "But that is why you are you and I am me." True, it's a bit condescending in a I'm-a-cop-and-you're-a-civilian way, but it just sums up his character in a nutshell.

While I do admit that An Inquiry Into Love and Death is more of an Adult novel with crossover YA appeal, it does not stop me from forcing it upon my high school friends and demanding that they read it and discuss it with me. I'm just that giving.

A

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

LiLi

Legacy of the Clockwork Key (The Secret Order, #1) by Kristin Bailey

Title: Legacy of the Clockwork Key
Author: Kristin Bailey
Series: The Secret Order, #1

Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
ISBN-10: 1442440260
ISBN-13: 978-1442440265

A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.

When a fire consumes Meg’s home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key—a key that only Meg can use—that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow.

Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect—and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.

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Review:

Legacy of the Clockwork Key is a fantastic introduction to a new magical and inventive series, but it is also a wondrous introduction to the genre of Steampunk for young adult readers.

Meg has just lost both her parents to a devastating fire that claimed their home and their fortune. She's left with nothing but is mysteriously taken in by a Lord Rathford who claims to have known her parents and is willing to give her a place to stay, but as a housemaid. Meg was not expecting the unusual and maddening condition the lord insists on keeping his house in, a moment frozen in time. All she has left to keep her sane is a pocket watch that was found in the remains of her family's ruin. Or what she believes to be a pocket watch.

Enter Will, the handsome Scottish tinker Lord Rathford keeps on hand. Meg soon finds that her momento is a master key that can unlock, not only many of her grandfather's inventive mechanisms, but also a secret society where men are judged solely on their vast creativity and ability to manipulate gears and cogs to make unbelievable creations.

It was the combination of plot, characters and writing that really captivated me and left me wanting every time I had to put the book down. The characters are so seamlessly introduced and so individually motivated, it made them so authentic and real; the protagonist especially. Margaret "Meg" Whitlock had her own flaws that were clearly evident and made all the more endearing because of her naive curiosity and fearless determination. She had her own arc of development in the book as did other main characters. Will is first seen just as the muscle as he's "dragged" along for the ride, but soon he's just as willing to protect Meg during the more life-threatening parts of their adventure. He easily criticizes Meg for her selfishness but fails to see his own flaws and insecurities. He confronts these flaws and it helps him realize that his lack of title isn't as difficult an obstacle to overcome as he believes it to be. Though Meg and Will made a good match as partners and love interests, Oliver and Lucinda were two of my favorite characters for their constant tension and shared history together.

The plot was unfathomably creative because even in my wildest dreams I could not have come up with some of the fantastic and terrifying adventures Meg and her crew have to face. The action as well as the lapses in between are the best parts of the book by far. It's impossible to predict the wild challenges that are set out for the cast of characters.

The writing is what makes the book stand out from others I've read that take place in late 18th century England. The descriptive setting as well as the appropriate English phrases easily placed me in the servants' kitchen with Meg and Mrs. Pratt, as well as in the moors looking down at the remains of Heverdon castle.

All these components make up the incredible and original book of Legacy of the Clockwork Key. It was a surprisingly quick read that piqued my interest till the unveiling of the repeatedly-stated dangerous Amusement that has everybody in the S.O.M.A. in hiding. The ending was nicely wrapped up and left enough room for more mysteries to be solved and delved into in the sequel, which I will pick up as soon as it's released.

A

Source: Publisher

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Significance (Significance, #1) by Shelly Crane

Title: Significance
Author: Shelly Crane
Series: Significance, #1

Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy

Paperback: 318 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: March 26, 2012
ISBN-10: 1463695403
ISBN-13: 978-1463695408

Maggie is a seventeen year old girl who's had a bad year. She was smart and on track, but then her mom left, her dad is depressed, she's graduating - barely - and her boyfriend of almost three years dumped her for a college football scholarship. Lately she thinks life is all about hanging on by a thread and is gripping tight with everything she has.
Then she saves the life of Caleb and instantly knows there's something about him that's intriguing. But things change when they touch, sparks ignite. Literally.

They imprint with each other and she sees their future life together flash before her eyes. She learns that not only is she his soul mate, and can feel his heartbeat in her chest, but there is a whole other world of people with gifts and abilities that she never knew existed. She herself is experiencing supernatural changes unlike anything she's ever felt before and she needs the touch of his skin to survive.
Now, not only has her dad come out of his depression to be a father again, and a pain as well, but Caleb's enemies know he's imprinted and are after Maggie to stop them both from gaining their abilities and take her from him.

Can Caleb save her or will they be forced to live without each other after just finding one another?

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Review:

So I knew going into Significance that I was in for a cheesy ride. I feel like, along with Significance, there's a type of book on Amazon that is sold for a cheap price, has raving reviews, and tells the same story as so many other insta-love novels whose covers blatantly give away what you are getting yourself into. You can't expect anything of depth in these types of books, unless you consider saying 'I love you' a million times, or cliche insecurities, to be profound. I'd lowered my expectations for Significance, and I'm glad I did. Or else I'd be way more critical as to the cheesiness I mentioned before.

We start with a bit of a typical back story. Maggie Masters is graduating from high school a year early and she can't wait to get out of school and not have to deal with the people she used to hang out with only a year ago. After her mother left them, her father fell into the deepest bitter depression and lost the job he'd had for almost all his life. Rubbing salt in the wound, Maggie's mom made off with everything they had, including her college fund. Adding insult to injury, three days after she left, Maggie's boyfriend, Chad, broke up with her because he thought since he was going away to college in Florida, there last year together would best be spent as friends. As Maggie faces her father on graduation day, she can't take his negativity and decides to go for a walk, and whose life does she save from being run over by a car? Sweet Caleb, cousin to the very guy who has been begging for a date with her, and who she was going to see later that day. This is where I was a bit surprised when the book took a sort of fantasy-esque turn.

Imprinting. That's the main thing driving this story that's all consumed with Maggie and Caleb's relationship. I can't lie and say this is one of the best romantic books out there, but it will serve as a good distraction into an unrealistic, easy love story. I use the word 'easy' because, though the protagonist does face struggles and other tough obstacles, the actual relationship with Caleb was, in essence, effortless. Imprinting in this book means pretty much the same thing it did in Twilight. Another coincidence I didn't realize until I was telling a friend about this book, was that Caleb and Kyle's (his cousin) family name is the JACOBsons. I mean, really? That is way too big a coincidence not to be intentional. I felt like I had to at least give the book props for not being about werewolves and vampires. Instead, the Aces--that's what they are called--have abilities they gain after imprinting--essentially meeting their one true love, soul mate, etc.--and ascending--developing their abilities and fully become 'themselves'.

I suppose I stuck out till the end because, if nothing else, this book is consistent with this story line, though it is character-driven. Sure, you could throw some rival Aces in there and add a twist to say that there hasn't been an imprint for the last twenty years, but what the author focuses on is what's happening with the characters and how are they reacting to each other and this new situation they're in. In this is where the book turns a little too corny/sweet, because the author is into piling on all the mushy-gushy, lovey-dovey, honeymoon-phase, of falling in love with someone by a single touch.

Even though I'd expected this coming in, it was a little hard to rationalize away some of the conveniences the author added in order not to mess with the plot she had mapped out for the book. This came too easy sometimes, and Maggie got over too quickly over certain things that she probably should have reflected over for at least a few days.

Significance was an easy, uncomplicated read, and that's its charm and redeeming quality. You'd have to be willing not to look too deep into the reasoning behind some things, and be able to forget some questions you'll undoubtedly be left with, in order to just appreciate the book for what it is.

C-

Source: Bought

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