Kristin Lavransdattir: The Bridal Wreath

Kristin Lavransdattar: The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Unset, 305 pages.
Kristin, who has always been the light of her father's life, decides after a year at a medieval Norwegian finishing school that she cannot marry the man to whom she is to be engaged. She and another student have had some adventures in the nearby town and along the way she has fallen in love with an older man whose life has been almost ruined by scandal. This was not a time and a place where women got to choose and Kristin must tread carefully to avoid ruin, a forced marriage, or a complete rupture with her family.

Illuminations

Illuminations: a novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt  274 pp.

This is a fictional account of the life of the medieval nun and mystic, Hildegard von Bingen. It is based on actual documents on Hildegard's life. The story begins when the child Hildegard is offered to the church as a tithe. She is cloistered in a small room with a devout young woman from a wealthy family as her servant. Hildegard has visions which lead her to fame as a sibyl of the church and becomes the teacher of other young women. Eventually she rebels against the greedy abbot of the monastery and finds a way to establish her own convent. The author acknowledges that some of the characterizations are her own creations or composites of actual people from Hildegard's life. The book is well written and the story is interesting. I enjoyed it a lot.

Grave Mercy/Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin book 1); young adult, romance, action; 560 pages

Ismae has been raised and sheltered by the convent of St. Mortain, patron saint of death.  The sisters of this convent, dubbed "Death's Handmaidens" by the populace of medieval Brittany, are not merely devout:  each has been trained in the art of death, and follow their saint's signs and symbols in defense of their country.  The young Duchess Anne of Brittany has recently been betrayed, and it is in hopes of unearthing that traitor of Ismae is assigned to work with Gavriel Duval, a close member of Anne's court, who may or may not be a traitor himself.  Posing as his mistress, Ismae gains access to the Breton court, but soon finds herself questioning her convent's orders when they conflict with the signs from her saint. 

First off, don't fall into the same trap I did:  this is a straight-up romance novel masquerading as YA historical fiction (with assassin-nuns!).  That didn't make me like it any less, but it took me a few chapters to readjust my expectations.  This story is good, but not all the characters and relationships are as fleshed-out as they could be (partly because they're all just background to the relationship between Ismae and Duval).  Still, I had a really good time with this book, and the suspense was ratcheted up enough that I tore through the last 100 pages in record time (apologies to any of my coworkers who tried to talk to me at lunch yesterday; someone had been poisoned, and it was VERY IMPORTANT that I knew whether or not they were going to make it!!).  As a bonus, this cover isn't one of those YA covers where they slap a girl in a fancy dress that has nothing to do with the story:  both that exact dress and the crossbow play important roles in the book, so go publishers! 

This is the first in a series, but like all true romance series, the next book will focus on a different character (another of the assassin-nuns introduced in this volume).  I'll definitely be reading it, though it will fall under the heading of "guilty pleasure." 

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan 422 pages

Fans of Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series have reason to rejoice. Although the ten book series seemed to come to an end earlier this year, Flanagan offers a treat. This is a collection of stories relating to beloved characters: including a peek at two weddings, back story on how Halt chose to join the Rangers, Will's mysterious parentage, and even how trusty horses were uniquely bred for their owners. Some of the stories (like Tug's story) are in response to questions posed from readers from around the world. It is not mandatory to have read the series first, each story is a stand alone gem. Readers of the series will appreciate the rousing new adventures of this richly textured series.

A Game of Thrones/ George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin high fantasy, adventure, political struggles, addicting as hell 897 pages

After the success of the extremely awesome HBO television adaptation of the first book in George R.R. Martin's legendary fantasy franchise, "A Song of Ice and Fire," it should come as no surprise that these books are wildly popular right now. If you're reading this blog post and haven't put your name on the request list for "A Game of Thrones," stop reading right now and do it, because I guarantee that 5 people will be added to the list in the amount of time it takes you to read this post (whether that is a comment on the popularity of the books or the length of my posts can be left to the interpretation of the reader). Ok, back....? Good, let's begin. GAME OF THRONES IS FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!!

People have been comparing Martin to another highly lauded "R.R" in fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings. I would venture to say that Martin not only walks in Tolkien's footsteps, but leaves tracks of his own that dwarf Tolkien's. Martin's book accomplishes everything that LOTR had (an interesting story, an engaging world, memorable characters, etc.) while putting his characters in situations that will actually make you feel like you are experiencing the action. There were moments when I was reading this where I actually laughed out loud and other moments where I did all I could to keep from weeping. This truly is a beautiful story and from what I can tell, the beginning of a saga for the ages.

Characters are obviously a strong point in Martin's writing. His world is populated with a plethora of memorable characters, and what makes GoT so great is that every person who reads it will have their own unique set of favorites. Every Martin fan I've talked to has answered the question "Who's your favorite character?" with different answers that are alike only in their passion. While some may be fans of the dark, brooding Sandor Clegain like myself, others are fans of the sarcastic, manipulative dwarf, Tyrion Lannister. I can't wait to read the rest of the series because I know there will be more awesome characters to come. On this same note, without revealing anything too major, Martin is different from other authors in the fact that he is not afraid to rack up a body count of major characters. NOBODY is safe from death in Martin's saga, which keeps the reader on their toes.

This one is a must-read. If you don't like fantasy, I'd still recommend this. If you don't like long books, get over yourself and pick this one up--- you'll be reading it faster then you'd think. Please do me a favor and just read this book. The longer you wait to read it the further behind you're going to be when all of your friends are talking about it without you and you're forced to live a hermit-esque existence until you finish it. In case I wasn't clear enough, READ THIS DAMN BOOK!!