Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging December 6, 2007

Rennison, Louise (2000). Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. NY: Harper Collins, 247 pages.

Georgia Nicolson’s dad is moving to New Zealand, her cat is a feral predator, and the produce boy is trying to steal away her best friend. But these things are nothing next to the possibility of winning over a sex god.

This book is sort of a junior high version of Bridget Jones’s Diary, complete with witty diary entries, zanny mishaps, and romantic comedy. On the other hand, this book completely fails at making you like the heroine. Or the titular cat. Or the sex god, who, considering his age, just comes off as a little creepy. Mind you, when I was 14, I wanted to date older guys too… but 19? Really? Georgia herself is almost pathologically self-centered, and is by turns cruel and callous towards her friends and family. It’s a match made in…

Still, it was decent (and very funny) light reading.

Booktalk Hook: Bridget Jones in High School!

If you want more: Try the Gossip Girls series… at least the characters will be a little more likable.

Empire of Ivory December 6, 2007

Novik, Naomi (2007). Empire of Ivory, the Temeraire series. NY : Del Rey. 404 pages.

The Temeraire series depicts an alternate reality set during the Napoleanic Era in which dragons fight alongside humans in a new branch of the military.  In the fourth book of this series, the dragon Temeraire, and his human captain, Laurence, travel to Africa to seek the cure for a deadly epidemic that has struck England’s dragons.

This series is more of a historical adventure than a fantasy, however this book, much like the first book, has a lot of emotional depth. This is a major plus, since, in my opinion, that sort of subtle heart-tugging is Novik’s greatest strength as an author. Not that the action falls flat either!  And despite the serious thrust of the plot in this episode, there’s also more room for comedy and character interplay than in the two previous books.

There were a couple of things that I particularly liked in this book.  The relationship between Temeraire and Laurence really seemed to develop – there was also a lot of conflict between the two that was very nicely and subtly portrayed.  Temeraire’s alternating maturity and pettiness was very cute. And Laurence’s attitude towards women just continues to amuse, especially his reactions to his mistress (and superior officer) Jane Roland.

The new dragon, Iskierka, very nearly steals the show, what with her incessant quest for bling – her interplay with her bemused captain, Granby, is really charming. And since Granby has always been one of my favorite characters, I was glad he had more page time in this book. And all of the dragons continue to be fully developed characters in their own rights, and not just magical plot device ponies as I’ve seen them used in other series. (Sorry Eragon…)

So where’s the bad? Well, the book ends on a major cliffhanger, and the next book doesn’t come out until this summer. I hate waiting…

If you like this book: I’ve heard some people mention Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke as a read-alike, but in my opinion you’d be better off with Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog, about time-traveling British historians.