Waiting on Wednesday: August 19

Title: Winter's Child
Author: Cameron Dokey
Series: Once Upon a Time
US Release date: September 8, 2009

Summary (from GoodReads): Kai and Grace are best friends who live in adjoining homes. But when Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace years for freedom and pushes away Kai - and their friendship. Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost - and sets out on a mystical journey to find him...and discover herself.

Why I'm interested: I've read every book in the Once Upon a Time series that's been released so far. Cameron Dokey's are some of my favorites. I like that this is a retelling of "The Snow Queen" because it's a fairy tale I know but am not too well familiar with.

Wild Orchid

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey, an installment in the “Once upon a Time” series, retells “The Ballad of Mulan.” With a mother who died in childbirth and a father who hadn’t returned from the army since her death, Mulan grows up parentless and as a tomboy. Mulan’s neighbor and only close friend, Li Po, helps her balance her required work of sewing and embroidery with her desire to ride a horse, use a sword, learn archery, and write. The war with the Huns ends, and after a long absence, Mulan’s father returns home, surprised by the young woman who is his daughter. Just as Mulan is adjusting to this new life (along with a stepmother), another army is called to fight for China, and Mulan realizes she must fight in order to protect her new family even though this means she must leave home and disguise herself as a man. From there, Mulan is forced to rely on her ability as an archer, her friendship with Li Po, and the kindness of her handsome commander, Prince Jian, to save China and discover herself.

I loved Wild Orchid, yet was a bit disappointed. Having read all of the other books in the “Once upon a Time” series, I was glad that Dokey chose to write an adaptation of a non-European tale, thus broadening our horizons a bit. Still, the novel itself disappointed. The first half presented Mulan before she joined the army, developing her background in terms of interest, education, friends (well, really friend), and family history. I really appreciated this depth, but it was lost in the second half. Based on the summary and my prior familiarity with Mulan’s story (I promise it’s not just from the Disney movie!), I would have expected her time training and fighting the Huns would have been more significant to the tale. Instead, this portion of Mulan’s story was rushed.

Furthermore, the romance between Mulan and Prince Jian was not developed enough and thus not particularly satisfying to the reader. They have few interactions, let alone meaningful ones. As compared to other books in the “Once upon a Time” series, the romance in Wild Orchid just was not fleshed out enough (though if you’re not reading the book for the romance plot, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything). Nevertheless, Wild Orchid is a nice addition to the “Once upon a Time” collection and a great read for the beach or bedtime. I really enjoyed what was there; I only wish Dokey had expanded the second half of the story, particularly Mulan and Prince Jian’s relationship. 7 out of 10.

P.S. For a bit of background on Hua Mulan, check out this Wikipedia article.
P.P.S. Which cover do you like better? The first (the illustrated one) is the original, the second the reprint. I have to go with the first.

Feed Your Ears V: Before Midnight and More

I've been in a fairy tale-ish mood lately so I've decided to go with this twist on the classic Cinderella.

Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey

1. Once Upon a Time from The Princess Bride

2. Glass Slipper - The Dresden Dolls

3. Cinderella Story - Plain White T's

4. Prince Charming - The Flash Girls

5. Impossible/It's Possible from Cinderella

Also, on the topic of music, I encourage you all to check out the summer playlist of songs loved by bloggers and authors that Mya from Dissecting Perfection put together over here (complete with youtube links to the songs). I especially like number 9 - Sarah Ockler of Twenty Boy Summer selected Wilco's California Stars (one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands; the acoustic version is the best, though).

So, on the subject of the rest of the blogosphere, today is the last day to enter the Beautiful Creatures/BC Book Club Contest: Eyes Like Stars and Swag Giveaway (well, really the BC Book Club/FB Fan page/Castor Girls blog/Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl contest). There isn't a whole lot of time left, so head over there for your chance to win a pretty awesome ARC AND awesome swag that might even be more awesome, if that's possible (I mean, we're talking earrings, hair dye, lip gloss, stickers and more).

Also, if you're a Sarah Dessen fan as I am, check out Just Your Typical Book Blog's Sarah Dessen Extravaganza. Every Monday of June (and some other times too), they'll be giving away a copy of one of Sarah Dessen's novels so that by the time the end of the month rolls around they'll have give away a copy of EVERY book. Sweet, right? Right now the giveaways are for This Lullaby (admittedly my favorite, deadline June 14th) and Along For The Ride (deadline June 15th). So, check it out!

In My Mailbox: Week 1

I meant to post this yesterday, but oh well. There was so much going on with the 48 Hour Challenege that I'm going to say it doesn't matter.

Anyway, this meme comes from Kristi at The Story Siren.

Here's what I've found in my mailbox, at the bookstore and at the library this past week (several were read over the weekend):

Summaries are taken from Amazon.com or the book's flap copy:

Going Bovine by Libba Bray (ARC) - All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Secret Society by Tom Dolby (ARC) - An eccentric new girl. A brooding socialite. The scion of one of New York’s wealthiest families. A promising filmmaker. As students at the exclusive Chadwick School, Phoebe, Lauren, Nick, and Patch already live in a world most teenagers only dream about. They didn’t ask to be Society members. But when three of them receive a mysterious text message promising success and fame beyond belief, they say yes to everything. Even to the harrowing initiation ceremony in a gritty warehouse downtown, and to the ankh-shaped tattoo they’re forced to get on the nape of their necks. Once they’re part of the Society, things begin falling into place for them. Week after week, their ambitions are fulfilled. It’s all perfect—until a body is found in Central Park with no distinguishing marks except for an ankh-shaped tattoo. Tom Dolby makes his teen fiction debut with this riveting novel about a dangerous Society so secret that once you get in, you can never get out.

Lovehampton by Sherri Rifkin - In Rifkin's dazzling debut, Manhattanite media pro Tori Miller shares a posh Hamptons summerhouse with five upwardly mobile 30-somethings. Wanting out of the depressing slide her life takes after being dumped by her first love and losing her dream job, Tori starts MillerWorks, her own TV production company. Still, Tori's depressed, bringing about an intervention staged by her loyal employees, Jerry and Jimmy, her best friend Alice and the Transformation Trio—three make-over experts who use Tori as the pilot subject for their new reality TV show. Tori flirts with a glamming lifestyle, and her fling with George, a rich playboy with a publicist, while she's also secretly canoodling with a housemate, banker Andrew Kane, is a recipe for disaster. Tori must think fast on her borrowed Manolos, especially when Cassie Dearborn, her new friend and housemate, needs help with her own disastrous Hampton hijinxs. Hotter than a sand dune in August, cooler than a mojito in South Beach (or Southhampton), this book will appeal to Sex and the City fans and summer beach readers alike.

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey - Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call. But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

Storm Glass by Maria Snyder - Untrained. Untested. Unleashed. With her unique magical abilities, Opal has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia's magic academy. But when the Stormdancer clan needs help, Opal's knowledge makes her the perfect choice - until the mission goes awry. Pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions, Opal finds herself tapping into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. Now Opal must deal with plotters out to destroy the Stormdancer clan, as well as a traitor in their midst. With danger and deception rising around her, will Opal's untested abilities destroy her - or save them all?

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update 3

What I've been up to:

8:35-10:15PM: Reading Wild Orchid

10:15-10:30: Blog/mini-review

Updated totals:

Time: 7 hours 41 minutes

Books: 3: Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Hatter M by Frank Beddor, Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Pages: 667

My thoughts on Wild Orchid (I'm going to do a full review of this later as I feel like it needs to sit with me a little longer):

I loved Wild Orchid, yet was a bit disappointed. The first half of the novel presented Mulan pre-army, developing her background in terms of interest, education, friends (well, really friend), and family history. I really appreciated this depth, except it was partially lost in the second half. Based on the summary and my prior familiarity with Mulan’s story (I promise it’s not just from the Disney movie!), I would have expected her time training and fighting the Huns would have been more significant to the tale. However, Dokey neglected to develop this part of Mulan’s story and more or less rushed through it. Furthermore, the romance between Mulan and Prince Jian seems underdeveloped as they have few interactions throughout the story, and only two are meaningful, so this relationship wasn’t particularly satisfying. Nevertheless, a nice addition to the “Once Upon a Time” collection and a great read for the beach or bedtime. I really enjoyed what was there; I only wish Dokey had expanded the second half of the story. 7 out of 10.

And now, moving along to Madeleine Wickham's The Gatecrasher.