Red City

Red City by Marie Lu, 432 pages

Alchemy and the magical art of transformation is the rule in Angel City, which is unofficially under the power of two rival crime syndicates, each with their own alchemists and enforcers. Childhood friends Sam and Ari became close through their rough upbringings, but each is secretly recruited by the rival gangs. While they once may have loved one another, they soon find themselves facing decisions about family, loyalty, magic, and each other. The only thing that's clear is that neither of them can turn back now.

I'll admit that I read this one a while ago, and the main things that stuck with me were the brutality of the magicians and gang leaders, and the lack of trust EVERYWHERE. Really, this one reminded me of Jade City, and not just because of the name. So I guess read it if you already finished the Green Bone Saga and want more magical mafia books.

Middlegame

 Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, 492 pages.

Rodger and Dodger have had the ability to communicate psychically and see through each other's eyes since they were both seven-year-old geniuses on opposite sides of the country (in language and mathematics, respectively).  This is because they are in fact twins created by an evil alchemist as part of an attempt to take control of the natural laws of the universe. Over the course of their lives Rodger and Dodger are repeatedly pushed together and torn apart throughout their lives both by the machinations of others and their own (extremely fragile) hearts. 

McGuire's work is excellent as usual, although this book had less of an impact on me than many of her others. The prose is stunning and Rodger and Dodger are both very engaging, but some of the rules of this setting get more then a little complex. I'm also not the biggest fan of time loop stories, which put me at a bit of a disadvantage.

Fun Fact: The Up and Under books, which McGuire is writing under the pen name A. Deborah Baker, are a major plot point in this book. A. Deborah Baker herself is also a character, which I find delightfully immersive. 

The Royal Art of Poison

The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman  304 pp.

Royalty throughout the world feared assassination by poison. They employed servants to taste their food, check their clothing and bedding, and even their chamber pots. While many did succumb to poisoning by their enemies, many were poisoned by elements of their daily lives. Toxins and filth in in their homes were prevalent, including excrement in the hallways and corners. The medical profession was more likely to cause harm than good with their potentially deadly concoctions. Even commonly used cosmetics and beauty regimens could have deadly effects. Mercury, Arsenic, Lead, and other toxins were rubbed on skin and taken internally. The last section of the book chronicles actual poisonings of prominent persons and how they suffered and died. In spite of the grim topic this book is alternately cringeworthy and amusing while being informative.

The Confusion

The Confusion by Neal Stephenson  815 pp.

The Confusion is the second volume of Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle" and encompasses books four and five of the story. Book four is titled "Bonanza" and concerns the travels and travails of Jack Shaftoe aka The Vagabond King, aka Half-cocked Jack. Jack awakens from a syphilitic stupor to find himself a galley slave. He and fellow slaves conspire to steal a ship which turns out to be laden with gold and run afoul of the duc D'archchon who bears a murderous grudge against Jack. The action in this part takes Jack to India, Japan, and eventually back to Europe. Told in alternate sections with "Bonanza" is book five, "The Juncto", which concerns Eliza and her machinations in the conflicts between William of Orange and the Jacobites and later James II. Eliza suffers the loss of her fortune, the kidnapping of her illegitimate son, smallpox, and the death of her husband, regaining her fortune, and more. The other main character of "The Juncto" is Bob Shaftoe, brother of Jack, and his participation in war between William and James on the side of William. There are also appearances by Daniel Waterhouse, Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, and others who featured heavily in volume one.

Middlegame

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire, 528 pages

More than a century ago, a gifted alchemist named Asphodel Baker became convinced that she had figured out the key to complete power and universal control — in effect, to becoming a god. Much like other women of her day, however, her efforts were largely ignored. So she created a tall, handsome alchemical man to carry on her work for her. Eighty years later, her creation, James Reed, is zeroing in on the idea of embodying universal opposing ideals in pairs of twins — Erin and Darren embody order and chaos, for example — though most have failed. But Roger and Dodger (embodiments of language and math, respectively) hold some promise, possibly because Reed adopted them out to families on opposite sides of the country. Middlegame follows this brother-sister pair as they find each other and learn about their true selves.

This is the first novel I've read by McGuire, whose Wayward Children series of novellas is one of my favorites of recent years. It's perhaps for that reason that I found this a bit uneven. I love the complicated relationship between the siblings, and I enjoyed the overall premise of the book. But it seems like a lot of the back-story was shoved into the last 100 or so pages, which left me feeling more than a bit confused until that point. So this one wasn't my favorite of McGuire's, but it definitely won't keep me from reading more of her books in the future.

Liesl & Po

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver  307 pp.

This is another book for the Treehouse Book Club. Liesl has been locked away in an attic bedroom by her evil stepmother. Her father has died and she was not permitted to visit him in the hospital before his death. She has no friends until a child ghost named Po appears one night. At the same time, a boy named Will, who is apprentice to an alchemist, makes an innocent mistake which sets a series of events in motion to draw Liesl, Po, and Will together. Soon they are on the run from the angry alchemist, the alchemist's client, and Liesl's evil stepmother. All Liesl wants to do is bury her father's ashes in the place he wanted. Will just wants to be far away from the alchemist who constantly calls him "useless". The unlikely relationships of Liesl, Po, and Will becomes a true friendship as they learn to rely on each other and find an unexpected ally. 

The Accidental Alchemist

The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian  360 pp.

You don't think of alchemists as particularly sympathetic or compassionate people but Zoe Faust is not a typical alchemist. In fact, she doesn't want to be an alchemist at all but circumstances have forced her to renew her talents in that area. The appearance of a living stone gargoyle named Dorian in one of her moving crates and the dead man on her front porch mean she must dust off the old crucibles and get to work to save the dying gargoyle and prevent a new friend from being wrongly convicted of murder. And she is trying to keep a troubled local teen from getting in more trouble. On the plus side, Dorian is a gourmet chef who is happy to keep Zoe fed while she works on the problem of his impending demise. This is a light read with fun characters set in a crunchy-granola Oregon town Zoe has moved to in an effort to escape her past. It is the first book in a series and I just might go on to book two.

City of Dark Magic

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte, 448 pages

Beethoven scholar Sarah Weston travels to Prague to help catalog and prepare Beethoven's artifacts for the opening of a new museum there, picking up where her mentor had left off when he committed suicide. Once she gets there, however, she begins to suspect that he didn't actually kill himself, and that he may have been onto something (or at least on some wicked drugs that made him think he was onto something). She gets involved with a time-traveling prince and a 400-year-old dwarf, and gets on the wrong side of a powerful American senator with secrets to keep and — according to the blurbs on the cover — madcap hijinks and hilarity ensue.

Except that it's not hilarious. Sure, it's a quick read, and it's not the worst thing I've read (or even the worst thing I've read this month), but I definitely wouldn't use the word "madcap" or "hilarity" to describe it. This is a frothy version of A Discovery of Witches (minus the witches and vampires). Less character development, more sex. Kinda blah.

Prophecy

Prophecy by S.J. Parris  375 pp.

Somehow I ended up reading the second book in this series about heretic Dominican monk, Giordano Bruno. In this volume, Bruno has escaped those in the Catholic Church who want him dead. He arrives in England on his search for a missing book by the Hermetic magician, Hermes Trismegistus. Bruno believes it to be in the possession of alchemist John Dee but Dee no longer has it. Bruno ends up involved in the investigation of the murders of two young women, both found with astrological symbols carved in their flesh. In the process of his investigation he learns about a plot against the life of Queen Elizabeth. All the famous Elizabethans are featured: Sir Phillip Sidney, Francis Walsingham, the Howards, and others. The plot has many twists and a satisfying resolution. Now I need to read the first book.

And if I ever get the Ipad interface for blogger to work correctly I'll post a cover photo that's smaller.

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness  579 pp.

The whole Twilight nonsense has made me wary of books about vampires but I had heard about this one from a couple people and took a chance. I am so glad I did. This novel is well written, the characters are intelligent and intriguing, and the plot is interesting. Diana Bishop is a hereditary witch who does her best to deny her powers. Her witch parents had been brutally killed when she was a child and she was raised by a protective aunt. By trade she is a historian doing research on ancient documents on alchemy. While researching in Oxford's Bodleian Library, she finds an ancient book that is magically protected. This book has been missing for years and witches, vampires, and daemons all want it for the information it holds. Soon the library is full of all manner of magical creatures, all wanting to get the book and the witch who found it.  A centuries old vampire named Matthew Clairmont becomes Diana's protector and co-investigator into the mysteries of the book. There relationship soon develops into something more and threatens the uneasy peace between the otherworldly creatures and their lives. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel or can stand alone leaving Diana and Matthew to their new life.

There is so much in this book that I liked. But my favorite part is the Bishop family home in New York. The house has a personality of its own and is not just haunted by ancestors. The house has the ability to create new rooms as they are needed, supply furniture and crockery to accommodate extra visitors, and express likes and dislikes. The house combined with the ghost of Diana's grandmother give comic relief to the otherwise serious goings on that threaten Diana, Matthew, and their families.

Alchemy and Meggy Swann

Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman  167 pp.

This latest book by Newbery winning author, Cushman, takes us back to Elizabethan England. Meggy, born with twisted legs and walking with "sticks" arrives in London after the father she never met sends for her. When he sees her he doesn't want her after all as he had hoped his unknown child was a son who could help him with his alchemy work. Since her mother doesn't want her either, Meggy sets about making a life for herself and getting to know London. In the process she is befriended by a cooper and his son, a troupe of actors, and a printer but endures the insults, abuse, and fear of many others. In spite of her circumstances she manages to use her ingenuity to foil a plot to poison a duke. I enjoyed this story. However, the best part for me was the plethora of insults Meggie hurls at people (and people hurl back at her) and her frequent exclamations of  "Ye toads and vipers!" So if I happen to call you a "gleeking swag-bellied maggot" or a "bloviating windbag" you'll know from whence I speak.