Hello everyone! This is just a quick note to let you all know that my Help Support L.K. Madigan contest has been extended until 11:59PM EST on Saturday, Feb. 5th. There are currently only 19 people entered and I wanted to give this contest until the end of the week to see if there are any more of you who still wish to enter the contest that maybe couldn't earlier on.
That is all.
Blood and Flowers (ARC) by Penny Blubaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2011
Pages: 352
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review, from publisher.
Disclaimer: Please note that this is an ARC and passages and quotes below are subject to change in the final copy.
Synopsis via Goodreads
Three years ago, Persia ran away from her drug-addict parents and found a home with the Outlaws, an underground theater troupe. With time, this motley band of mortals and fey, puppeteers and actors, becomes the loving family Persia never had, and soon Persia not only discovers a passion for theater but also falls in love with one of the other Outlaws. Life could not be more perfect.
Until an enemy makes an unfair accusation against the group and forces them to flee their world and hide in the neighboring realm of Faerie. But in Faerie, all is not flowers and rainbows. With bloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, and a dangerous code of magic, the fey world is far from the safe haven the Outlaws had hoped for....
Following up her critically acclaimed Serendipity Market, Penny Blubaugh has created a beautiful and mysterious world where anything can happen—especially what you least expect.
Noteworthy Passages
Persia; pg. 16
We use Tonio and Max's apartment to house paraphernalia, mostly because Tonio is Tonio, after all, and almost but not quite mostly because Max scored a huge apartment when his parents tried to buy him off so he'd quit being gay. He stayed gay, especially after he met Tonio, but he kept the apartment out of "spite or maybe pure cussed meanness," as he likes to say.
Persia; pg. 119-120
So what do people do when they're in a tense, tight situation? The kind that sometimes makes breathing hard, t
hat wakes you up in the middle of the night and makes you rub your stomach, that peers over your shoulder and occasionally bumps into you just so you don't forget it's there?
Here's what the Outlaws did. We performed, adhering to that old adage, "The show must go on."
Persia and Floss; pg. 204
I saw pieces of gold brocade, white lace, and cloth the color of the sky during an eclipse. I saw ankle boots and floating puppets in various stages of dismemberment. In one corner I saw a huge black box that loooked like it wanted to transform into a house or a room but couldn't decide which was more effective.
Floss was on her back on the floor, eyes fixed on the ceiling where w wide-eyed, screaming face stared down at her. She was pointing at it and muttering, "No, I need you to be much more ethereal."
The face sighed.
Persia; pg. 260
I pulled back after several long minutes where there seemed to be nothing in my head but happiness and tried to see his face in the firefly light. I couldn't see much. The fireflies were too busy with their own lives to shine much light on mine. But that was okay. I didn't really need to see. I could feel. And what I felt was warm, and solid and true.
Blood and Flowers is a truly lovely and unique novel and I hope that these passages have inspired you to read it. You can learn more on my thoughts of this book by reading my Review.
Thanks for stopping by.
Blood and Flowers (ARC) by Penny Blubaugh
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: March 1st, 2011
Pages: 352
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review, from publisher.
Synopsis via Goodreads
Three years ago, Persia ran away from her drug-addict parents and found a home with the Outlaws, an underground theater troupe. With time, this motley band of mortals and fey, puppeteers and actors, becomes the loving family Persia never had, and soon Persia not only discovers a passion for theater but also falls in love with one of the other Outlaws. Life could not be more perfect.
Until an enemy makes an unfair accusation against the group and forces them to flee their world and hide in the neighboring realm of Faerie. But in Faerie, all is not flowers and rainbows. With bloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, and a dangerous code of magic, the fey world is far from the safe haven the Outlaws had hoped for....
Following up her critically acclaimed Serendipity Market, Penny Blubaugh has created a beautiful and mysterious world where anything can happen—especially what you least expect.
Review
Beguiling and delightfully bizarre, Blood and Flowers is a new and refreshing addition to the fantasy genre courtesy of YA author, Penny Blubaugh.
One of the things I loved about Blood and Flowers was that Blubaugh didn't just focus primarily on one main character; instead, she equally focuses her attention on the story of the Outlaws as a whole. First we have a runaway, Persia, the witty narrator who has a wonderful habit of being able to pull the Outlaws back together whenever they start to stray apart. Lucia is the broken girl from a broken home and I loved watching her grow in confidence and strength. Nicholas is studying to be a lawyer and also acts as Persia's romantic interest. Floss is the somewhat bossy and snarky fae of the group as well as the magic behind the magic of the puppet shows performed by the Outlaws. Last we have Tonio and Max, the lovable gay couple that founded and lead the Outlaws. Each of these characters possessed distinct personalities and had they're own role to play as a member of the Outlaws. There were also some really great supporting characters. There was Fred, Floss's brother and Lucia's love interest; El Jeffery, a griffin and old friend of Floss's from Faerie; And Bron, a restaurant owner in Faerie as well as Floss's romantic interest. The only problem I had with any of the characters were the villains. For example, let's say Major; to me, while he was plenty rotten, he just didn't come off as evil and formidable enough. I really would have liked to have seen stronger, nastier bad guys.
Blood and Flowers has a strange, yet enchanting, story-line as well as some subtle romance. Just to name a couple of its eccentricities, there are tons of puppets, including a dog with turquoise dinosaur fur, and a Welsh-Mexican restaurant run by a couple of faeries. No not Max and Tonio, but two actual Faeries. To me though, all of this just added to the charm. Blood and Flowers also seemed to be more character-driven at times, versus plot-driven, which I thought very refreshing for a fantasy. I think Blubaugh was able to pull this off because of how natural all the fantastical and quirky elements felt, like that was just how things were. It's really kind of hard to explain it in words and I can only say that you'd have to read it for yourself. Though there is some action, this story isn't brimming with it. That being said, this did not hinder my enjoyment of this novel, but I do feel that a little more action could have amped it up a bit.
The writing style was gorgeous, descriptive, wacky, and intoxicating; I loved it! Blubaugh's use of imagery was also very beautifully done and I felt that I could see the story dancing vividly before my eyes in all it's colorful glory. While the pacing isn't exactly fast, I found I preferred the more relaxed approach that was taken as it allowed me to better soak in everything.
The ending for Blood and Flowers didn't really knock my socks off or anything but it was a happy and satisfying ending. One thing I was glad to see was that Major actually had stronger motives for what he was doing than originally thought. Though maybe a bit abrupt and late in the game, this proved to be a nice twist.
Blood and Flowers is a magical, unique read and I was very reluctant to leaves its pages to re-join what I now can't help but see as a dull, dull world. While I do highly recommend this book, close-minded homophobes be fair warned that there is some homosexuality in this novel; though not a main theme, it is still there. For that reason, this book may not be everyone's cup of tea but I can honestly say that you'll be missing out if you don't give it a try. Personally, I can easily see myself reading this one again and I'm looking forward to more of Penny Blubaugh's work.
Grade
Characters: B
Writing: A-
Plot: B+
Ending: B
Recommendable: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B+
Overall: B+
Cover: A+ (Fits the plot and writing style perfectly!)
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Pub. Date: October 19th, 2009
Pages: 320
Age Level: 14+
Source: Bought
Synopsis via Goodreads
Click.
Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake’s world turns upside down. The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. “That’s my mom!” gasps Marissa.
Click.
Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus.
Click.
Contrast. Shannon, Blake’s GF. Total. Babe. Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?
Click.
Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed. Crash and burn.
Talk about negative space.
Click.
Noteworthy Passages
Blake; pg. 17
For some reason, our photo teacher, Mr. Malloy, feels that he must wear a beret on his bald head and a goatee on his receding chin, like some kind of French poser. Seriously? We're too embarrassed on his behalf to even give him shit about it.
Blake and Garrett; pg. 166
Finally I break down and ask him. "Man, what do girls want?"
He looks up from the book he's reading. "Huh?"
"For presents. What do girls want?"
"Oh," he says putting down his book. "For a second, I thought you meant something more profound. In which case, my answer would have been: no one knows. And also: no one will ever know. And finally: don't even try to figure it out."
Blake; pg. 319
I think of Gus's angel tattoo, a constant reminder of his loss. I don't need something etched into my skin to remind me. I've got tattoos on my heart.
Flash Burnout is an awesome novel and I strongly encourage you to find a way to get your hands on it and read it. You can find out more about what I thought by reading my Review.
Thanks, as always, for dropping by. 
PLEASE NOTE: This is a feature hosted here at my blog in which I present you with selected passages or quotes that I deem Noteworthy from a book I've just reviewed. My hopes are of course, that these passages will make you want to pick the book up and read it. This feature was started and created by me in January in hopes of making my blog more unique. That being said, I would like to kindly request that you do not use this feature as it was intended to be for my blog only and is not a meme. If you see some one else using it, please know it is without my permission. Thank you.
