Dust Girl, by Sarah Zettel

In Kansas during the Dust Bowl, Callie LeRoux is off on an adventure to save her kidnapped mother and long-lost father. She knows her parents are in California so along with Jack, a sweet teenage hobo, she sets off to find her parents and discover the truth about her fairy father and who she really is.

The beginning of the novel was intriguing and got me excited for what was to come. Sadly, the rest of the book did not live up to the beginning. Once Callie and Jack set out, the initial mystery of what was to come was gone and left me trudging through the rest of the book.

I was unsure what to make of this book. On the one hand, it's yet another fairy book, and unlike witches, vampires, and werewolves, I find fairy fantasy extremely tedious and repetitive. Don't get me wrong, the other stuff can be repetitive too, just for some reason I feel like every single fairy book has the same plot. There's usually a girl who is half human and half fairy princess who must set out on an adventure through Fairyland with a cute guy and in the end she learns that fairies can't be trusted. The sad part is, even if a fairy book didn't have that plot, I get so bored with them that it probably wouldn't matter to me. I was hoping that the unique setting (Dust Bowl era) would redeem this one, because I love when fantasy plots are plopped into different time periods (like steampunk), but it only did enough to pull me through to the end.

I wish I could analyze more details of this novel for you, but since I've already forgotten most of it, I am forced to bid you an early adieu.

2.9 stars

 
Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in “the golden hills of the west”: California.

Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Keeping the Castle, by Patrice Kindl

In this Jane Austen-like tale written in the 21st century, our heroine, Althea, is on a mission to (pardon me) keep her castle. Althea, her mother, her brother, and her two wicked stepsisters live in a dilapidated castle in the English countryside, and if Althea doesn't marry rich soon, they will all be homeless. Luckily, Althea is very pretty, very smart, and very determined to find a rich husband. When the young handsome rich and title Lord Boring arrives, Althea decides he would be the perfect man for her to marry. However, there is one big obstacle in her way in the form of Mr. Fredericks, Boring's friend, cousin, and business manager who sees right through Althea's plan.

As a Jane Austen fan, I absolutely adored this book. It was a whimsical take on Jane Austen, including imitations of many of her characters, yet it somehow had a modern feel to it. Instead of the hints and innuendos in Austen's novels, Kindl said everything she wanted to say directly, to the point where she actually named a character Boring. Boring was a Bingley-type character, good-looking and well-intentioned, but he had an edge to him that made him less clean-cut than the Bingley of Pride and Prejudice. Althea greatly reminded me of Emma (from Emma) who tries to manipulate and control the lives of everyone else around her while digging herself a bigger and bigger hole, while Mr. Fredericks was obviously Kindl's take on Mr. Darcy. The stepsisters were utterly hysterical and added a Cinderella twist to the whole story.

5 stars

Seventeen-year-old Althea is the sole support of her entire family, and she must marry well. But there are few wealthy suitors--or suitors of any kind--in their small Yorkshire town of Lesser Hoo. Then, the young and attractive (and very rich) Lord Boring arrives, and Althea sets her plans in motion. There's only one problem; his friend and business manager Mr. Fredericks keeps getting in the way. And, as it turns out, Fredericks has his own set of plans . . . This witty take on the classic Regency--Patrice Kindl's first novel in a decade--is like literary champagne!

Midnight in Austenland, by Shannon Hale

Charlotte is in desperate need for a vacation. After her husband leaves her for a younger woman, taking some of Charlotte's self-made fortune with him, Charlotte decides she needs to leave her life for a few days. The search for the perfect getaway leads her to Austenland, a place where time is turned back a few centuries and the guests experience life Jane Austen-style. However, life in Pembrook Park is not as simple as Charlotte expected it to be. After finding a dead body in the attic Charlotte is determined to find the murderer, which is very hard to do in a place where the line between reality and make-believe is so blurred. In order to solve the mystery Charlotte must sift through the 18th century facade and find remnants of today's truths. (That last phrase doesn't quite make sense but I like it so I'm leaving it.)

I am not a fan of mysteries. I can handle many genres of fiction, but mysteries seem kind of pointless to me. What's the point of reading through an entire novel of suspense is you can just turn to the last page to find out who did it? It is this attitude that led to my disinterest in Midnight in Austenland. I was severely tempted to close the book permanently many times and I only persevered because I enjoyed Shannon Hale's young adult novels (Goose Girl, Princess Academy, and their sequels). However, after completing Midnight, I have come to the conclusion that I do not like Shannon Hale's adult books. I didn't like Austenland and I didn't like Midnight in Austenland, so from now on I am going to stick to Hale's YA novels.

Midnight started out extremely slow, and not only because of my lack of interest. I tried very hard not to skim and was somewhat successful. In my defense, I skimmed the boring parts and then skipped to the end. When I decided I liked the epilogue, I went back to where I left off and continued reading.

I liked the scenes where Charlotte showed her mom side, but what I didn't like was the impression that her kids didn't love her. She was so insecure about her children's love and that they would love their new stepmom more than they love her that it became a reality in my mind. It wasn't until the end that I saw something resembling a real relationship between her and her kids. Her insecurities were valid, but she took them a little too far.

I would recommend Midnight in Austenland to anyone who has ever wished they could stick themselves in the 18th century for a few days or someone who enjoys mysteries with a twist.

3.1 stars.

When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, by Lauren Willig (Pink Carnation #6)

Here are links to my reviews of some of the previous books in the Pink Carnation series:
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (book #1)
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (book #4)
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (book #5)

The Betrayal of the Blood Lily is another in the Pink Carnation series, which combines modern romance with historical fiction, 18th century espionage, and good old-fashioned romance. In Blood Lily we are reunited with the impulsive and impossible Penelope who has just arrived in India with her new husband, Lord Frederick Staines. Freddie was sent to investigate a British officer in India, and the new couple undergoes numerous adventures on the way. Traveling as their guide in India is Captain Alex Reid, who is more than surprised to discover Penelope isn't the woman he expected her to be.

Overall Review:
This was the most satisfying of all the Pink Carnation novels. The modern story was good because the slow pace was actually okay for once. Eloise and Colin are finally together so the fact that their story would have lost a race against a snail didn't bother me. It was sweet to see their day to day lives as a couple. The historical romance in Blood Lily was satisfying and a lot edgier than the previous books, which made me enjoy it all the more. The other books were all pretty similar, but this one was jarringly different in a wonderful way.

Reading and Plot Speed:
This book, like all the others, was an easy and fast read. And once you reach the exciting parts, you are forced to finish it in one sitting.

Characters:
All the reviews I read about Blood Lily before reading it claimed that Penelope is the best of the heroines in the Pink Carnation series. I was inclined to disagree at the time because I thought her annoying and selfish in previous books. I remembered her as that girl who was friends with Hen and Charlotte and would constantly be putting them down while waiting for them to help her out of whatever heap of trouble she had just gotten into. However, once I started Blood Lily I grew to love Penelope more than any of the rest because she was the first one with not only brain or guts, but both. Another thing I liked a lot was how Alex was of a lower station than Penelope. In all the previous books the girls would marry up, but here Penelope is willing to let go of her extravagant lifestyle as Lady Staines and live life with the man she loves. Alex was a perfect match for Penelope because he completely balanced out Penelope's extreme personality.

Random Thoughts:
My biggest problem with the previous books was how they made sometimes fatal espionage seem fun and harmless. Blood Lily was a little darker and edgier than the others so it did add a bit more genuine historical flavor, but was still a little too fluffy.

5 stars.

The heroines of Lauren Willig's bestselling Pink Carnation series have engaged in espionage all over nineteenth-century Europe. In the sixth stand-alone volume, our fair English heroine travels to India, where she finds freedom—and risk—more exciting than she ever imagined.

Everyone warned Miss Penelope Deveraux that her unruly behavior would land her in disgrace someday. She never imagined she's be whisked off to India to give the scandal of her hasty marriage time to die down. As Lady Frederick Staines waits, Penelope plunges into the treacherous waters of the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem—even her husband. In a strange country, where elaborate court dress masks even more elaborate intrigues and a dangerous spy called the Marigold leaves venomous cobras as his calling card, there is only one person Penelope can trust...

Captain Alex Reid has better things to do than play nursemaid to a pair of aristocrats. Or so he thinks—until Lady Frederick Staines out-shoots, out-rides, and out-swims every man in the camp. She also has an uncanny ability to draw out the deadly plans of the Marigold and put herself in harm's way. With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex realizes that an alliance with Lady Staines just might be the only thing standing in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire...

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, by Lauren Willig (Pink Carnation #5)

Here are links to my reviews of the previous Pink Carnation books:
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose 

After twelve years in India, Robert, duke of Dovedale, returns to his estate in England to avenge the murder of his mentor during the 1803 Battle of Assaye. Robert plans to infiltrate the infamous, secretive Hellfire Club to uncover the murderer’s identity; but he has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him: one Lady Charlotte Lansdowne.

Having cherished a romanticized view of Robert since childhood, Charlotte is thrilled by his return. To Charlotte, Robert is all the Knights of the Round Table rolled into one. That’s not exactly the case, but she can’t help but search for the man she loves inside this less-than-pristine package. And while Robert works to dissuade Charlotte from her delusions, he can’t help but be drawn to her innocence and inner beauty.

When Charlotte is approached by Lady Henrietta Selwick to join her in a bit of espionage, investigating a plot to kidnap the king, Robert soon realizes that Charlotte is not only the perfect partner in crime; she’s the perfect partner, period. Caught in a dangerous game with deadly flower-named spies and secret members of the Hellfire Club, Robert and Charlotte must work together to reveal the villain and confront their true passion for each other.

Charlotte has been in love with her cousin (don't worry, they're really distant) Robert since she was 12 and he comforted her after he father's death. Now Robert has returned and Charlotte is just as in love with him as ever. To her, Robert is the perfect man-kind, smart, gorgeous, rich, and returning home to claim his title and the women (Charlotte and her rambunctious grandmother-never thought those words would go together)-but what she doesn't know is that the real reason he returned home isn't as pretty as his face. Robert has only come back to the land that is rightfully his (he inherited Charlotte's dad's properties and title when he died) chasing after the man who killed his mentor. During battle in India, one of Robert's fellow British soldiers killed Robert's mentor, some great general whoever who has way less mention than you would think. The fact that Robert is now coming face to face with the life that is rightfully his is coincidental. After researching the man he intends on killing and discovering him to be a member of the mysterious "Hellfire Club," Robert gets intrenched in a plot of political upheaval and he must team up with Charlotte (and her friends Henrietta and Miles) in order to save the kingdom (but not from the French-I almost started cheering when I realized there were no French spies in this book. I have nothing against them just I found them boring in the other books. Cliches are only funny the first time they're mentioned. After a while all the espionage and accents got to me.)

Charlotte is one of my favorite heroines ever, probably because of the whole reading all the time and having a huge imagination thing (both of which I incidentally have in common with her). I loved how believable her innocence was, and its believability was because she knew she was innocent. I know that sounds like it shouldn't work that way but it did and I loved it. It was really corny reading about Robert falling in love with Charlotte, but sweet anyway. And the unicorn references made my heart melt. Penelope annoyed me because of her selfishness and her inability to actually be happy for Charlotte. At times when Charlotte would interpret Penelope's words and expressions as friendship I saw Penelope jealous that her shy, bookish, and not particularly pretty friend is catching the attention of one of the most eligible men around who has no interest in Penelope. Hopefully she'll redeem herself in the next book which is about her. If she doesn't then you'll hear all about it in my review.

4.4 stars.