The Body at the Tower

The Body at the Tower (The Agency) by Y.S. Lee

Source: ARC from Carol

Grade: 3.7 stars out of 5

Mary has a new mission: she must solve the mystery behind the suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower. Her disguise: a young boy of age 13 working at the construction site. But this character that Mary will play will hit home hard for before Mary joined Academy for Girls—a school to train private eyes—she was forced to live on the streets and pretending to be a young boy than a girl just betters her chances of not getting rape. There is no time to relax for Mary must keep her guard up amongst all these men as well as rooming with one. But James is back from India and there to push her buttons.

If you really liked the first installment to this series you will love this sequel. The Body at the Tower is well paced with enough scheming characters that it’s hard to pin-point the exact culprit. There is also more Mary and James love! (Fun, fun read.) Y.S. Lee writes like a true mystery writer with details that cover all 5 senses and descriptive words that the reader is right there where the action is.

The Body at the Tower delivered as an emotional read as well as we learn more about Mary. From childhood struggles to an ethnicity that she is forced to hide, Lee writes a stunning novel. Yet I will say this again and again, my reading taste differs from others so while I thought The Body at the Tower was good, it was not superb. I lack that connection that other readers managed to find and frankly I think it’s all me and not the novel’s fault.

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The Body at the Tower is out now: Amazon / Indie Bound / Book Depository

Traveling to Teens--The Agency

The Agency by Y.S. Lee (March 9th 2010--Candlewick)

Source: Publisher

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Summary: "Introducing an exciting new series! Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this diverting mystery trails a feisty heroine as she takes on a precarious secret assignment.

Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past."

Review: The Agency by Y.S. Lee has all the needed elements to make a fantastic read. In this historical mystery novel Mary is taking on her first case as an agent. The reader follows Mary as she uncovers the clues, pieces them together, and runs into a little trouble with the opposite sex, which of course is so bad it's has to be good right?

The thing with The Agency to me was the slowness of the actual plot. As a standalone novel The Agency fails to impress. As the first of a series, The Agency starts off tentatively to just give a hint of what's to come. But the issue was the way the plot sometimes strayed off. It gave more depth to the whole experience, but loses the attention of the reader. More often than naught I forgot the "true" plot was! I was so distracted by the plausible affairs.

When Steph Su updated her progress of The Agency on Goodreads exclaiming that she loved bantering between James and Mary, it had me excited! While there had been humorous bantering between the two I expected more. I'm hoping that my expectations will be fulfilled in the next addition to this series. What we were left in this novel was the perfect set-up for the romance.

Overall: The Agency, I would like to say, is the birth-child of The Gallagher Girls series and Sherlock Holmes tales.

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Another Faust

Another Faust by Dina and Daniel Nayeri (August 25th 2009—Candlewick)

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Summary: “One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish - only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary “gifts.”

But as the students claw their way up - reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty - the side-effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most

unforgivable sins.

At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.”

Review: Another Faust was an interesting read that dealt with what you’re willing give up to have your wish come true. Selling your soul to the devil in a pretty dress, living only to feed off of others, there’s only so much one can do.

What I love the most was the concept of the book. The separate point of views that somehow twine the entire novel. I found each character exuberating whether they spoke volumes or their actions did for them. I especially enjoy the little paragraphs before each chapter talking of Vileroy’s past conquests—the one about about Truman. Ha! Cracked me up.

Victoria and Valentin were the clear cut pure evils of the bunch. More addicted than a box full of donuts to the power that Vileroy gave them. Bice, Christian and Belle were more of softer hearts although Belle showcased this more towards the end.

I thought the authors did a magnificent job at describing the powers, the consequences, the manipulation. But I did find it a bit tedious at times. There were more drama filled scenes and heavy detailed parts that came to par with Eragon.

I still have the trouble with the ending though.

**SPOILER**

I don’t understand how Bice’s 1 language of all the languages defeated Vileroy. I mean did she just cursed her out and walked out? Was there a significance?

**END SPOILER**

Overall: Another Faust proved to have an interesting plot but the heavy descriptions took away some of the splendor.

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THIS WAS A TRAVELING TO TEENS TOUR

Jumping Off Swings

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles (August 11th 2009—Candlewick)

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Summary: “Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life—and the realities of leaving innocence behind.”

Review: Jumping Off Swings is one of the many teen novels that deal with teen pregnancies. We follow the 4 teens how they dealt with Ellie’s pregnancy.

Corinne and Ellie are best friends and that is quite clear through their actions. Corinne aids Ellie seek help, comfort, and support through the many months. I love these types of relationships because it brings me happiness to see that. A friend is going through this and you’re not one to abandon her mid-way.

Ellie is labeled a slut because she craves the touch. But it’s not just black and white; there are many shades of grey. Ellie has family problems that might have forced her to trust every guy. She’s always heartbroken when the boys just use her and toss her aside once the deed is done—ashamed even. Ellie has a complex mind that I wished we could have seen more of.

Caleb had a crush on Ellie for the longest time so when Josh talks about Ellie like nothing, he will defend her. Caleb is the one guy that Ellie can lean her shoulder on—just as a friend though. He’s the perfect counterpart to Corinne’s spunky attitude.

Josh has family problems of his own. His mother got pregnant very early by his father forcing them to wed. So he’s terrified that the same thing is happening to him. We delve into the mind of the baby’s father, one that is reluctant to be a father but understands his responsibility. He has his guilt, his determined attitude to make peace with Ellie—even if it isn’t when she can see him. He tries to be a good father but sometimes being a teen father is hard—as we come to read through his chapters.

Together these 4 teens come together for the sake of one unborn baby. We follow them through the 9 months, the birth, and the aftershock. Each one with a distinct narration and characteristics. I would have liked the book to be longer. The chapters didn’t cover enough for me to dig deep in the characters. The emotions faltering from powerful and the sparkle between Caleb and Corinne were distractions from the main purpose of the novel.

Overall: If the book was a bit longer it would have been a bit better.

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Eternal

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith (February 10th 2009)

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Summary: “At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight. Her reckless and adoring guardian angel, meanwhile — fighting in human guise as the princess's personal assistant — has his work cut out for him with the Master’s Death Day gala fast approaching. Can Zachary save his girl’s soul and redeem himself before all hell arrives, quite literally, on their doorstep?

In alternating points of view, the vampire Miranda and the angel Zachary navigate castle life and a cutthroat eternal aristocracy while playing out a dangerous love story for the ages.”

Review: I still have yet to read Tantalize which is sitting on my bookshelf right now so I had no idea as to what to expect from Ms. Smith. I think Eternal fulfilled my expectations.

Eternal captivated me from the very beginning and carried me throughout the entire novel. There were short interludes scattered about with Miranda’s best friend’s blog post and an email passed through the angels. While I normally would not appreciate such distractions I found it to be quite fun. It’s like a short commercial break that leaves you wanting to know what happens next and dying for more. Not to mention I found the email to be unexpectedly humorous “See attached Yahoo! maps.” had me cracking up for some odd reason.

Despite these many modern terms and technology, Eternal had an old school vibe. With its wooden stakes and holy water, Eternal goes back to the classics. And the classics never fell.

However I did find the relationship between Miranda and Zachary a bit haste. After realizing that he was an angel that practically stalked her in her life, I expected this huge confrontation and lengthy discussions. Instead, it was a simple wow and moving on…I guess I wanted a bit more conflict and less perfection.

Overall: A fun and good read to pass the time by.

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