Rutabaga's Reads 2020: Part 8

The amount of young-adult (YA) books I’ve been reading so far this year remains a strong percentage, so here I am with the second YA compilation of the year!

Chain of Gold (Mar. 3, 2020) by Cassandra Clare.

*This is the first novel in a trilogy.*

Teenage progeny from familiar characters in The Infernal Devices trilogy (and Ghost Jessamine) alight in this tale. The mother of Cordelia Carstairs wants to marry her off and save her from the potential ruin of the Carstairs family with her father, Elias, on trial for a terrible crime he does not recall. But Cordelia doesn’t want to be a bride; she wants to be a Shadowhunter and a merciful hero. She alone currently wields a blade of Wayland the Smith, and like the wand chooses the wizard, so will one of Wayland’s swords choose its bearer. The sword Cortana is a great gift, but is likewise a great responsibility. Cortana can cut through anything, and it’s definitely put to use when Cordelia, her brother (Alastair) and their mother (Sona) go to London. She gets to be with her best friend and future parabatai, Lucie Herondale, and her brother, James, whom she’s unequivocally in love with (and he’s peculiarly infatuated with Grace Blackthorn), along with the Merry Thieves: Thomas Lightwood, Christopher Lightwood and Matthew Fairchild (James’ parabatai). It’s been relatively quiet in London, but there’s a new sort of demon, one that can attack in daylight. The demons’ poison is devastating in the smallest of amounts and is incurable. As the young Shadowhunters work to discover the source of the demon, while others within their close-knit group race to find a cure, family and friends will fall, a dark legacy will be revealed, and they will all see the cruel price of being heroes.

            With the setting placing this story in London in 1903, Clare assembles a large cast of diverse characters. They appreciatively vary in ethnicity, sexual orientation and species (vampire, warlock, Nephilim/Shadowhunter, etc.). And it isn’t YA without tortured love (or a love triangle or a triangle that doesn’t always include love), but the story also explores the importance of friendship. Though lengthy, Clare’s opening to The Last Hours trilogy is a fantasy deeply-imagined, filled with the expected combat of Shadowhunters, bustling intrigue and furtive glances. In this story, one inherits shadows, another gains ghosts her own family cannot see, and love is tangled. Avoid the demon-ichor and ready yourself to ask Magnus Bane about waistcoats. It’s a wild ride with a cliffhanger readying to set up the next installment.

Girls of Storm and Shadow (Nov. 5, 2019) by Natasha Ngan.

*This is the middle novel in a trilogy.*

Although Lei has escaped the horrors of the Hidden Palace, her freedom isn’t free. The cost comes with a hefty bounty on her head for what she did to the Demon King. Lei, now dubbed the Moonchosen, is with Wren, and she meets Wren’s father, Clan Lord Ketai Hanno. He parts ways with them when they all exit the mountains they’re hiding in, but Lei and Wren have company: Merrin (owl-form demon), siblings Nitta and Bo (leopard-form demons), Hiro (a teenaged shaman) and Shifu Caen (Ketai’s closest advisor and resident trainer). They must venture across many miles to try to gain support from clans that haven’t already pledged themselves to the Demon King. These are the White Wing (bird clan), Czo (lizard clan) and Amala (cat clan). The travel isn’t easy, and not everyone is receptive to them. Along the way, secrets are revealed, whether by accusation or one’s own admission, and it rips the fabric of who Lei thought she was fighting for. From what she’s learning, is Lei trading a ruthless Demon King for an equally ruthless Paper ruler? How can the rebel uprising best a vast army fueled by dark magic and terror?

            In the first story, with the talk of the different regions, I’d been wishing for a map of Ikhara. In this story, I got the map (yay!), which brings a picture of where Xienzo is in relation to Han, etc. This installment remains intensive with the strength of Lei’s traumatic memories, her seesawing relationship with Wren that stems from ongoing secrets and the sense of betrayal that occurs when the side she thought was fighting for good is perhaps as brutal as the Demon King. It’s a sturdy fantasy with solid LGBTQ+ representation and diversity (no white default here), though I keep wishing that Lei had some sort of magical ability. Even with all of that going on, I did struggle with this book. Despite the story’s intense moments, the pacing felt slower to me. Was it the days spent on a boat whiling away those days with training and more training? Was it the increase in time spent on Lei and Wren’s relationship that I thought slowed the storyline? Was it Lei’s dramatics, which seemed more frequent than in the first story (not sure if that’s on purpose or not, as if they’re a byproduct of PTSD)? Most likely, it’s a combination of all of them. I did like the rare chapters when readers saw other points-of-view from Aiko, Kenzo and even Mistress Azami. That break-up from Lei’s point-of-view helped immensely, and I wouldn’t have minded more of those chapters and fewer of Lei’s. Fortunately, with the book’s ending, I am intrigued by what’s in store for the final installment in the trilogy.

Stepsister (May 14, 2019) by Jennifer Donnelly.

*This is a standalone novel.*

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, but oft overlooked are her ugly stepsisters. Isabelle de la Paumé is one of those stepsisters (Octavia, a.k.a. Tavi, is the other), and this is Isabelle’s story. What has been written by the Fates, Chance is determined to undo and steals Isabelle’s map. Isabelle must find the three missing pieces of her heart (the boy, the horse and the stepsister) if there’s any chance that she can change her fate, which currently ends in a bloody, violent death in the not-too-distant future. Fate (masquerading in the French village of Saint-Michel as Madame Sèvérine) believes the map of Isabelle’s life should remain as is, while Chance (introducing himself as the Marquis de la Chance) disagrees. Isabelle is possessed of a strong will and can endure great pain, but does she have the courage to find the missing pieces? She didn’t win the handsome prince by trying to be pretty and sweet like Ella. She only made herself bitter, mean and jealous. There will be no fairy godmother for Isabelle, though don’t rule out Tanaquill, the fairy queen. There is nothing grandmotherly about her. Tanaquill is wild, majestic and beautiful, but also sly, fierce and dangerous. Tanaquill chooses no side but her own, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try to give Isabelle tools to overcome Volkmar von Bruch, the evil warlord that has burned towns and killed thousands of innocent men, women and children. Isabelle can bring a new definition to the word beautiful if she’ll but listen to her heart. She can bring out the magic of the human heart.

            For lovers of the original Brothers Grimm tale, Isabelle does cut off her toes in her failed attempt to win the prince. While that is dark and horrifying, Donnelly’s take to use Isabelle’s point-of-view is brilliant, her prose engaging and the action-packed, forward-motion of the storyline is empowering. So impressive is the author’s reimagining that it advocates the story’s autonomy. She didn’t re-imagine “Cinderella,” but instead focused on a character historically viewed as ugly and without any true definition of her own. Donnelly takes Isabelle from zero to hero(ine), showcasing determination and female strength. It shouts to the world that we should all be valued for who we are and not what we look like on the outside. She overcomes hatred and cruelty with wit and wisdom. Donnelly shows us how the same character is capable of both unspeakable cruelty and immense kindness and how the latter can help to be redeeming and transformative. She shows us the magic of being human.