ARC Review: A Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan

Release Date: February 5th, 2013
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Books

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

If I had to praise the author for one thing about her novel it would be the beautiful writing and the beautiful images that go perfectly with the book. I really loved the addition of the pictures which made the novel feel a bit more realistic, even though it isn't at all. However I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone, it certainly feels like a real memoir, whilst being fictional and I'm sure not many are a fan of those.

The story is slow-paced. Nevertheless there are many mysteries to be uncovered throughout the book, everything happens rather slowly. I still found the story interesting and intriguing enough not to give the whole novel up. I had never read such a novel and I was more attracted to the novelty of the book's style.

The characters are fitting to such a story. You make a bigger connection to the main character. A woman who can't live her dreams for not being a man. But she fights for it and in the end becomes a renowned naturalist. But overall I didn't care much about the characters and even Isabella wasn't a character that you feel compelled to like. Her husband was maybe my favorite character in the whole novel.

A Natural History of Dragons is not a novel that will please everybody. It's rather a slow-paced novel and people eager for romance, action and humor won't get much of these. It's an scientific adventure and if you like reading about those, here is a novel for you!

Huge thanks to Tor Books for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review!

ARC Review: Renegade - J.A. Souders

Release Date: November 13th 2012
Hardcover: 364 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.
But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.
Her memories have been altered.
Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.
And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.
Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

It's UNDERWATER! I really enjoyed the setting in this novel, it's really original, probably the first YA dystopian novel that I've read that takes place in a city underwater and I really liked this idea. Souders surely writes an intriguing and original story that will leave you begging for more, even though the ending is only cliffhanger-ish.

The Plot: The plot goes smoothly and it's a quick read if you have time to read it in one sitting. The world-building really surprised me since I wasn't expecting to enjoy the city-underwater-thing that much. It totally suits the story and the author really developed the setting really well. The story felt a bit calculated to me since every little things leads to this ending and it was a bit predictable. The insta-love was something I really didn't enjoy, it was a bit too fast and felt unrealistic to me.

The Characters: Here the things get a bit complicated. I did enjoy the characters but not that much. Evelyn was a strong and determined character but because of certain experiments done on her, it was difficult to characterize her and identify myself with her. Gavin was the typical perfect YA boy but he was just too perfect! It's not realistic that a boy will discover a city underwater, be treated badly by the people there but will trust the girl blindly and fall in love with her in a day. Mother, the villain, was crazy but I guess, I really did enjoyed this aspect. She was simply mad, no better way to describe her, actually.

Renegade was an enjoyable read and it also brought some original aspects to the young adult genre. It certainly felt a bit too unrealistic and predictable to me but overall, I liked the novel. The ending is very different from the beginning, ending in a very different note. I can't wait to see what Souders will do to these characters and how she will develop the story further.

Huge thanks to Tor Teen for providing me with a copy of Renegade for review!

J.A. Souders lives in Florida with her husband and their two children and is an active member of RWA, DFRW, YARWA, SCBWI, and SFWA. RENEGADE is her first novel. Website / Twitter