Book Review: The Cup of the World

Title: The Cup of the World

Author: John Dickinson

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 419

Rating: 3.9 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4 out of 5. I like it--it says Fantasy to me.

Inside flap:

On the eight day of the New Year, wait for me in this place on the eighth hour after noon. If I come in that hour, I shall give you what help I can. If I do not, I cannot help you at all.

Phaedra, daughter of the Warden of Trant, puts her trust in a man she has only met in dreams. He can see far, speak far, and pass where no man should be able to pass. With him she may escape to a new beginning, as the Kingdom collapses into war.

But why should he choose to help her?

And what price has he paid for his power?

My expectations: Average. I started a book by Peter Dickinson--who is Robin McKinley's husband--and couldn't finish it, but I love McKinley's work; I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book besides Fantasy.


My expectations were exceeded.

About the book: I enjoyed this book, despite not liking the characters or the events.


How, then, did I manage to like this book? Because the writing style is excellent, and I have to admire John Dickinson's command of language. I love the setting, and the rest of the Fantasy aspect of this book. The plot is complex, something I appreciate nowadays since so many books have a transparent plot with loose ends and holes. The characters, while I did not like them as people since many of them had questionable aims and motives, were realistic and 3-dimensional.

• Plot:

This book is full of subtlety; little things that if you don't pay attention to, you will lose track of what happens later on. I love that kind of plot--it keeps me thinking and I found myself turning the pages quickly once I had gotten beyond 70 pages or so.

• Characters:

Phaedra, the main character, is a mix of naivete, intelligence, and a rebellious nature. On one side, she wants to have her freedom and independence--she wants to be her own person, with control over what happens and to marry who she wants to marry, not some political/social climber. On the other hand, despite that part of her that I liked, she is also stubborn and naive--she believes, a lot of the time, what she wants to believe and does not listen to those who contradict her. She is also self-centered; I wanted to shout at her occasionally for not realizing that other people exist and have their opinions.

Ulfin is the man who appears to Phaedra by witchcraft--or, as he calls it, "under-craft". He is a complex character with contrasting sides and an interesting personality. He has hidden layers beneath what he appears to be, and the mystery behind it plays a major part of the plot.

Prince Paigan, also known as The Prince Under the Sky, is an excellent villain. He has the proper motives to be a strong antagonist, and he is creepy and dark. He has the perfect mixture to create a character that has depth and intelligence--something that you need if the villain is to be believable.

• Setting/Elements:

I loved the world-building in this book. I could picture the world well, with all the different houses and their lords, the mountains and the lake, the magical counter-world, the people with their culture and society.

Other: Mild language, sex, some violence.


I have read the two sequels to this book (it's a trilogy) and they're even better than this one--if you read The Cup of the World and enjoy it, I do recommend The Widow and the King and The Fatal Child.

Do I recommend this book? Yes.


-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: Nomansland

Title: Nomansland

Author: Lesley Hauge

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company LLC

Genre: Dystopian/Speculative Fiction

Page Count: 243

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5. I really like this cover--the horse, girl, and bow/arrow all fit the book.

Inside flap:

Sometime in the future, after wars and fires have devastated the earth, a lonely, windswept island is populated solely by women. The women have survived against all odds by working hard in the fields. Their lives are tough.

   Among these women is a group of teenage Trackers--expert equestrians and archers--who are in training to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they've been told, is men.

   When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects--high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, makeup--found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things, which introduce a world they have never known? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and the rules must be obeyed--at all costs?

My expectations: I'm all for strong women and independence with regards to the female gender--so I was intrigued by the blurb, although I wasn't sure what to make of the "high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, makeup" part of it.


I found this an interesting book, meeting my expectations.

About the book: This book is a view of feminism taken to the extremes--with no men in the society at all, and the women are isolated and worked hard to support the community. They all have their different areas--the main character, Keller, is a Tracker trained to protect the borders of Foundland.


It wasn't really a book about women being strong/independent--it was dark and occasionally disturbing, and some the thoughts presented surprised me. For example, Ms. Windsor ***Minor spoilers here, nothing really serious*** believes that the Bible is all about subduing and presenting women as evil and seducing men--and that women were abused and treated badly when they tried to please men by dressing up/using makeup/etc.


To keep the society going, "Committee" members force the girls and women into artificial insemination. The "Seed" is described as being a painful and gruesome experience. The male children are taken away; it never explains what happens to them.


As for the the writing, it was strong. I liked the narrative, and I could picture the bleak world they lived in well.

• Plot:

I could predict some things that happened, but that doesn't mean it was weak. The plot was very good overall, and there were some surprises. The ending was satisfying enough, and lived up to the rest of the novel.

• Characters:

I didn't know what to make of Keller. Sometimes she seemed like a determined person, and other times she was dragged along with the rest of the crowd, not really thinking for herself--I did not like her generally, but she was an interesting character to read about.

Laing wasn't sensible. She was desperate for attention, and popularity, and I much preferred Keller over her--however, she was an interesting representation of a kind of person from modern society.

Ms. Windsor was a scary person, and complex. She wasn't evil, precisely, just blinded by her opinions. And her opinions were extreme, going to the farthest end of feminism and women that you can go. I didn't like her, either, but she was a terrifying person to read about.

There are no characters that I really enjoyed--they all have their sides, some ugly, some dark, some noble, some twisted. But despite that I couldn't really like any of them, each has their own personality, which I appreciated.

• Setting/Elements:

There are aspects to it that are thought-provoking (I know, overused phrase, but it's true) and it brought some interesting ideas on society and women.

The world was intriguing--I wanted to know more about it. It seemed like a rough environment, and I wonder where it was corresponding to current locations/countries; there were remnants of a "Time Before" that was clearly like the modern era.

Other: The descriptions of the "Seed" were disturbing; there's also violence, some language, cruelty, and references. It's not a very light read.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, if you want an interesting read on another perspective of women, and what it might be like in an all-female society.

-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: Dragons Of Darkness

Title: Dragons Of Darkness

Author: Antonia Michaelis

Translated By: Anthea Bell

Publisher: Amulet Books, imprint of Abrams

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Page Count: 548

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Cover Rating: 5 out of 5. *cover-induced drooling* You couldn't make a better cover for the book! And besides that, the dragon is simply gorgeous. Not all dragons are illustrated that well! I love it even more than Tiger Moon's cover, the other book she wrote. I would definitely want them doing my book cover . . .

Inside flap: 

Beautiful yet menacing dragons have come out of the mountains . . .

With an appetite as sinister as theirs, nothing--and no one--will be spared.

Christopher doesn't have much in common with Jumar, the prince of Nepal. He's not even sure how he ended up trekking across the mountainous country in the prince's strange company. But one thing is certain: someone must help fight the deadly dragons and other, even more dangerous forces that plague the land.

   The dragons are like something out of a fairly tale, draining all the color from the world and turning anyone caught in their shadows to metal. Defeating the dragons will take Christopher and Jumar on a journey deep into the heart of Nepal, and deep into the secrets of their own hearts. What they find there will make all the difference.

My expectations: Average. I expected an interesting fantasy read, maybe a little more like MG than YA.


This book falls pretty strongly into the YA category, and the mix of what's in this book . . . I seriously have never read anything like it!

About the book: The synopsis does not do this book justice in the least! The book is a wild ride, with invisible princes (yes, invisible!), to Maoist insurgents, to dragons that drink color and turn people to metal, to German boys thrust into the political conflict either by magic or because they traveled there to do aid work, to a queen frozen in time.


I loved it, all except for a few parts that I found a little strange. But there were a lot of good things, too. The political, communist aspect was a surprise--not many books, especially ones in the USA, are written that include Communism as one of its central points. Dragons Of Darkness incorporates the politics into the story well--it's not unrealistic or unbelievable, despite the circumstances that the characters are in.


The overall writing style, while translated, is very good. I love Antonia Michaelis's writing, part of the reason I snatched up this book after having read Tiger Moon. I wonder what it's like in the original German.

• Plot:

Fast, complicated, and little surprising. I didn't expect the characters to do what they did, nor did I ever completely anticipate what was going to happen next. The politics, magic, fantasy, characters, and the setting worked well together, although you might not think they would.

• Characters:

I really liked Christopher as a character. He was determined and a good person, and considering he was thrown into Nepal via magic and ran into an invisible prince without warning, he took everything in stride rather well. I grew fond of him.

Jumar was different, not only because he's invisible. He's also determined, although for different goals--he wants to rescue his kingdom, Nepal, and topple the Maoist insurgents who are attempting to take over the country. I like Christopher better, but Jumar was still an attractive character.

Niya was different from everyone. She was strong, fiery, and had amazing spirit, considering what she'd been through. I liked her sureness, and her strong-as-steel attitude, although some of her decisions made me blink. But she was a good character.


All the other secondary characters are equally as good, with people from all over the spectrum, from kings to monks to the insurgents.

• Setting/Elements:

The military aspect--the Maoists--surprised me at first. The title is Dragons Of Darkness, after all; it sounds like High Fantasy, or something like that. I hadn't expected to read so much of their political ideas, although I have to say that it was an interesting take on their principles and why they do what they do. It was also a glimpse of Nepal, and not many books have their setting in that country.

Other: Violence, and sex. The sex kind of threw me--these people are barely teenagers, yet they're having sex. Good grief.

I would love to see this book made into a movie. There's plenty of action, and with graphics where they are right now, I'm sure someone could do an epic job with the dragons.

Do I recommend this book? Yes!


-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: Impossible

I have been so darn slow with my reading lately! Sorry. It's been too long since I posted a book review . . .

Title: Impossible

Author: Nancy Werlin

Publisher: Dial Books

Genre: Fantasy

Page Count: 364

Rating: 4 out of 5

Cover Rating: 3.2 out of 5. Good, and I like that she's on a beach, but I'm still trying to figure out if that's seaweed or actually some freaky hairstyle.

Inside flap:

Lucy has only nine months in which to break an ancient curse.

Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. How can Lucy succeed when her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

My expectations: I liked Black Mirror a lot, so when I saw this in the library I said "Oh! Hey! Nancy Werlin here!" and threw it in the pile. I expected a good read.

I think it pretty much met my expectations.

About the book: From the inside flap, you might think that this is a weird book. "Seriously?" you say. "An age old curse?"--and from that basis it is a little fairy-tale-ish. But it's still a good book. I like her writing style and the overall feel of the novel is satisfactory.

One major thing that they happen to edit out of the summary though, is that Lucy just happens to be pregnant through most of it. By rape. On her prom night. And it turns out that every woman going back hundreds of years has been raped in a similar way.


The basis for the whole generation-after-generation thing is based on the song, "Scarborough Fair". I'll even go to the trouble of typing it out for you.


Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She must be a true love of mine


Tell her she'll sleep in a goose-feather bed
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
What e'er she may say I'll not leave her along
She must be a true love of mine


Her answer it came in a week and a day
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
I'm sorry, good sir, I must answer thee nay
I'll not be a true love of thine


From the sting of my curse she can never be free
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Unless she unravels my riddlings three
She will be a true love of mine


Tell her to make me a magical shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Without any seam or needlework
Else she'll be a true love of mine


Tell her to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Else she'll be a true love of mine


Tell her to plow it with a goat's horn
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

And sow it all over with one grain of corn

Else she'll be a true love of mine

And all her daughters forever possessions of mine

He sounds like a protective, control-issue freak, doesn't he? Well, this guy--the Elven Knight--is the person this story is based on. The lyrics are important be cause this is exactly what Lucy actually has to do.

(If you want to hear a rendition of it, go HERE. The lyrics aren't exactly the same, but it's the same sort of feel.)

• Plot:

Relatively easy to guess, but it's still good. It's rather obvious who this Seeley character is from the start if you've been around the block a few times, and the reader can put the pieces together wa-a-a-y before the characters can. Sometimes I found that a little slow and like it was a bit dragged out, but overall it kept my interest. I even read it during the News Hour, and if you can draw me away from the News Hour, its got to be interesting.

• Characters:

Lucy was . . . eh, non-spectacular? All she wanted was a "normal" life with "normal" people around her. Frankly, I have sort of a low opinion of people who want to be "normal" because what's the point in being like everyone else? And I couldn't really see anything great about her, even if she had wanted to be a stand-out. She was just a regular person--sort of monotonous.

Zach was great. Awesome guy here! He's realistic, down-to-earth, and a good person. Even when things get tough, he can think it through and stay relatively calm. He doesn't explode, he doesn't go nutso, and he's cute. What else can you ask for?

Padraig Seeley was DETESTABLE. Very good bad guy. I'm glad he came out so manipulative, creepy, and just plain-old sneaky because it added a lot to the plot. And I can tell you without fear of spoiling it (it's rather obvious) that he's the Elven Knight from the song.

Soledad and Leo were good as parents go. Protective, but usually reasonable, they were like the epitome of what you'd want in your (foster) mom and dad.

• Setting/Other Factors:

The whole curse idea is . . . interesting. I haven't seen it before, which is a big bonus, so I'm thankful it's different. Fantasy is getting so cliched these days. This book is original.

Other: Rape. It's not actively described, but there is blood and the pregnancy issue afterwards.

Do I recommend this book? Yes! Werlin is a very good writer. I definitely recommend this book.

-----The Golden Eagle