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Bibliography: Lee, Y.S. (2010, March). The Agency 1: A Spy in the House. Somerville, MA: 9780763640675

Plot Summary:  Thief and housebreaker Mary Quinn is rescued from Old Bailey and educated at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls for a chance at a better life. She tries her hand at several careers but is bored and uninspired.  Two of the school’s teachers make her an interesting offer:  to work for the Agency as a spy.  The Agency uses society’s ideas about women as foolish and weak to their advantage in observing and gathering information.  Mary is placed in a household of a merchant as a paid companion to his spoiled daughter Angelica to listen and observe anything suspicious about his ships and shipments.  She becomes anxious and frustrated by her limited role and decides to do a little extra snooping to help the case, only to find herself hiding in a wardrobe with James Easton, brother of Angelica’s biggest admirer with his own concerns about her father’s business.  Mary doesn’t tell him the whole truth about her role, but they agree to work together to gather information.  Along the way there will be breaking and entering, an elopement, a kiss, and a secret revealed about Mary’s past.

Critical Analysis:  A reader and lover of mysteries almost my entire life, I am thrilled that this series is being published for young adults.  Unlike adult fiction, there are few high quality true mysteries to offer teens.  The idea of the Agency is a little contrived, and it does take quite a bit to set up the whole story with Mary, but once it gets going the pace picks up. In my opinion, this could just as easily been picked up by an adult mystery imprint, that’s how good it is.

Mary is a likable character who though sometimes shy is determined and will do anything to help solve the case she is on.  Readers will rejoice when she first escapes the gallows and later escapes being caught breaking and entering a warehouse to try and gather information.  Mary’s kind heart reaches out to a young servant girl and even manages to crack bratty Angelica’s facade.  Her looks and behavior sets her apart from other women in James Easton’s eyes, and readers will happily see their romance coming from the start.

James is perhaps wise beyond his years, but he has had a lot of  responsibility from an early age working at the family business of civil engineering.  His concern for his brother is a concern for the business as well.  Thank goodness he isn’t too smart, as he can’t quite figure Mary out and remains both intrigued and infuriated at turns.

The mystery itself is well handled, with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure and several suspenseful scenes that will have the reader turning pages to find out how things turn out in the end.  The details of Victorian England add to the mystery and suspense with the heat and the smells, the carriage rides, chases on foot, messages delivered by errand boys, servants who see and are seen.  The true villain is a surprise but not surprising as should be in the best mysteries.  I think that this title will appeal not only to readers of historical fiction, but will also have crossover appeal with readers of Victorian and Regency fantasy and steampunk.

Readalikes: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.  Also set in England in the past, like Mary, Montmorency is a thief who tries to make a new identity for himself only to find a new use for old skills.

La Petite Four by Regina Scott.  Set in Regency England, four best friends do a little spying to try and find a reason why Lady Emily shouldn’t marry a determined Lord Robert.

The Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series by Ann Perry, especially Buckingham Palace Gardens:  At a loss when a murder is committed at Buckingham Palace, Pitt calls in maid Gracie Phipps to be his eyes and ears to help catch the murderer.

Companion by Ann Granger:  The first thing Lizzie Martin sees when she arrives in London in 1864 as a paid companion is a young woman’s body being taken away on a wagon.  She discovers her predecessor disappeared suddenly in mysterious circumstances and is a determined to discover the truth.

The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan:  In 1795 England, Mary Finch escapes her dull teaching job at an academy for girls to visit her estranged uncle’s estate.  Along the way she encounters a mysterious dying man and upon arrival discovers her uncle has died and his estate is connected to a gang of smugglers.

Review Excerpt: “Set in the richly described underbelly of Victorian London, Lee’s debut novel…introduces feisty Mary Quinn….Through the many and somewhat contrived plot twists, Mary’s skills are tested; she prevails with Easton’s help and attentions…Mary’s lively escapades, on the whole, will hold readers’ attention and whet their interest for the next installment.”–Publisher’s Weekly

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Harvey, Alyxandra. (2010). Hearts at Stake: The Drake Chronicles.  New York: Walker Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0802720740

Plot Summary: What Solange really wants is for everyone to leave her alone.  Almost sixteen, she prefers throwing pots and spending time with her best friend Lucy to field parties and boys.  No ordinary teen, Solange is a member of the legendary Drake vampire family with seven overprotective brothers, a serious father and a kick butt mother. As she is approaches the change, it seems like everyone is after her because of some ancient prophecy that she might be the one to unify vampires the world over.

Critical Analysis: When I first picked this up, I thought, oh, another Twilight copycat.  Vampires, romance, danger.  I liked Twilight okay, but too many similar books make me want to swear off paranormal romance for good.  With Hearts I was pleasantly surprised.  Witty, funny, and action packed, this is a story of good friends and loving family that explores the question of whether fate is set in stone.

Solange, which means solemn or dignified, is the dark to Lucy’s light.  (Lucy means light or illumination).  It is refreshing to see not one but two female teen characters in a novel like this who can not only take care of themselves, but support each other as well.  Solange refuses to leave Lucy out of the eventful days leading up to her sixteenth birthday, and Lucy refuses to give up when time is short and Solange needs her help the most.

Others in the story are just as delightful, Lucy’s hippie parents who are fully aware of what the Drake family is and encourage their daughter to spend time with them anyway.  (Lucy’s mother explains that vampires are differently abled.)  Solange’s dad is a wise and solemn patriarch while her mother is eager to defend her family from all comers.  Eccentric Aunt Hyacinth looks at everything as if it were still the Victorian times of her youth, while body guard Bruno would give his life for the Drakes.  Of Solange’s seven brothers, each has his own character, but Nicholas gets the most attention here as a slowly blossming romance with Lucy shows that he really does have a caring side beyond all the teasing over the years.  The villains are particularly bad baddies, with Lady Natasha current ruler of the vampires longing for her old lover Montmatre, as well as Hounds, Hosts, and Hel Blar and Helios Ra vampire hunters might or might not be after the Drakes as well.

Harvey’s take on the vampires legends, adding genetic vampirism and this dangerous change to the mix is refreshing, and the pace of the book is relentless in the best possible way.  Fluffy and fun with its ending never in doubt, every teen girl you know was dying to read this yesterday and will be back tomorrow to ask when the next book is due out.

Review Excerpts: “[A] refreshing take on the familiar teenage vampire drama…. builds an engaging world of vampire cultures balanced with a smart mix of darkness and humor…an emphasis on family and friendship sets this story apart.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“This fluffy series opener is fundamentally silly and derivative of everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Twilight to Harry Potter, but its fast-moving plot and refusal to take itself too seriously offer partial redemption.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

My readalike list for Rebecca Stead’s Newbery winning When You Reach Me was published in Booklist’s online newsletter Read Alert this morning!  If you like books and reading, I highly recommend subscribing to this free newsletter.  Any comments about the books on my list or When You Reach Me, comment below.

Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography:   Kramer, Julie. (2008).  Stalking Susan. New York: Doubleday. ISBN: 978-0385524766

Plot Summary: Riley Spartz, television news reporter  in Minneapolis, just knows she has  a ratings winner when a former homicide detective hands her two cold case files–two women named Susan murdered on the same day but different years.  Riley knows they are connected and thinks perhaps there might be more, but how to prove it?  Her boss wants her to focus on a fraud investigation featuring cremated pets, a local city politician thinks she is only out for ratings, and could her source be hiding information about the crimes?

Critical Analysis:  I picked up this book at the public library because I had won a copy of the second in the series, Missing Mark, from the publisher.   I am one of those readers who prefers for the most part, to read series in order.  I like to see how the characters and relationships develop from the start.

I really enjoyed this title, and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you it was in part because my name is Susan, and it is not the most common name in the world, so that fact that the author choose it to be the center of this mystery appealed to me.  (Not because I want to be murdered or anything, I just appreciated it, is all).

Riley Spartz is a great character, someone you’d like to go to lunch or shopping with, or to a movie, except you’d have to worry about whether you were off the record or not, or whether she might be secretly filming that same resturant or shopping mall or movie theater for a future story.  Throughout the story, Kramer gives us just enough information about Riley’s past to explain some of her current outlook on work, life and love.

The main mystery is handled well, with twists, turns, and red herrings to keep things interesting.  I didn’t see the end coming but wasn’t surprised by the reveal either, a sign of a job well done in my book.  I also really enjoyed the secondary story line about the fraud investigation into pet cremation, as much because of how serious a story it turned out to be as because of all the details of how a news story like that works.  (And the sanctification when the villain gets what is coming to him.)  I think that is one of the strengths of this book, that all the details around the mystery are so well done.  I now know a little more about the local news scene, and was glad that both Malik the camera man and Toby the pet lover and a few of his dogs make appearances in the second book.

Readalikes:  While not a match in tone or appeal, I was reminded of Chelsea Cain’s series about a serial killer that features Susan Ward as a newspaper reporter for the local paper.  The series gives glimpses into how a larger newspaper really runs.  The first book in the series is Heartsick.

Review Excerpts:   “Kramer writes with heart and pizzazz, and her believable heroine makes the well-worn concept feel fresh. Kramer’s past as a TV producer lends authority to an entertaining story.”–Kirkus Reviews

“…a fast-paced and nicely characterized debut that will appeal to fans of Linda Fairstein and Laura Lippman.”–Library Journal

“Readers will look forward to seeing a lot more of the appealing Riley, who cares about justice as much as snagging at least a 40 audience share.”–Publisher’s Weekly

Reviewed from public library audio book copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography: Dolamore, Jacklyn.  (2009).  Magic Under Glass. New York: Bloomsbury.  ISBN: 978-1599904306

Plot Summary:  In her home country, Nimira’s mother was an artist, but after her death, Nimira leaves to look for better life.  Instead, she finds herself singing and dancing in a low class music hall.  That’s where she is discovered by the mysterious and handsome Hallin Parry.  Parry makes her an offer she can’t refuse–come live with him and sing with his piano playing automaton.  But many secrets lurk in Parry’s home, not the least of which is the automaton itself.

Critical Analysis:  I really did enjoy this book.  The scenes where Nimira first comes to Parry’s home and is given good food and beautiful clothes contrasted with the subsequent scenes of exploring that same home and discovering puzzling and troubling items are very well written.  And the scenes with the automaton have a sense of joy and discovery that leaps off the page. The evil villains are sufficiently creepy and definitely bad, and the mysterious woman in the upper floors of the house raises as many questions as fears.  The plot flows along well, and when the action picks up, it is relentless and exciting.

But…for me, I am left wondering and wanting more.  What was the point of saying that this book isn’t set in an alternate England and instead making up a new world but then not giving hardly any details of the world building?  I am reminded by readers of historical fiction who ask if this story can be set and told in the present day, then how much is the historical setting really adding?  It also seems to me we find out more about almost all the characters in the story except Nimira.  I know part of the is perhaps setting up for a sequel, and even though we are not told much, I still found her charming, but still.  And finally, perhaps a small point but I felt like the fairies under the dome where mentioned  so often that the author was foreshadowing that something more was there, so in the climatic moment when nothing happened, I have to admit I was disappointed.

And yet there is an exoticness to Nimira and a gothic feel to the story as a whole.  Girls will love the romance, and the magic and the automaton add another layer to the story.  I am looking forward to the sequel to see if any of my concern might be addressed there.

Cover Controversy:  The cover at the beginning of this post is from the British edition.  Searching online will turn up much buzz about the white washing of the cover.  One such article from Entertainment Weekly can be read here.   A new cover is forthcoming from Bloomsbury.

Review Excerpts: “Debut author Dolamore draws heavily on Jane Eyre and its themes of sexual and class prejudice for her plot, reshaping the source material with skill.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“…vivid and rousing debut…Unlike similar and heftier tomes, this tale is kept under tight control with brisk pacing.”–Kirkus Reviews

Readalikes: Sorcery and Cecelia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermier.  Two girl cousins in early 1800s England find themselves face to face with evil magic.

The Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle.  Twin sisters share their debut season in Victorian England while hiding their magic.  But when faced with mystery and romance, a little magic might come in handy.

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.