The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Another intense novel. Wow. Two huge impact books with Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings sandwiched in with my reading time between. I am obviously humor starved.

Me: Whatever shall I do?

Inner Aella: Why, write a review and get that cloying tensity outoutout.
Me: AH! Of course!

Sym has an imaginary friend. So what if she's 14 years old? Titus is the only steady thing in her life. She can depend on him and his past to stay the same. For once, Titus, better known as Captain Scott of the Shackleton Expedition, almost made it to the southerly most point of the world. Unfortunately, the endeavor failed and he died, only to return as the comforting (and 125 year old) figment in a broken girl's mind.

So when Sym's genius of an uncle (Victor) proposes a trip to Paris, who is she to turn him down? And when her mother's passport mysteriously disappears, who is Sym to question how it occurred? But there is more than meets the eyes to Victor's day ride into France. Oh no. Soon Sym finds herself on a trip to Antarctica with celebrities, scientists, and a very attractive Viking-boy. There, her bond with Titus grows and is sorely tested when everything goes awry (or maybe they were meant to go awry *eyebrow raise*). Dead captain or no, she must keep her wits about her in the barren land that has come to be known as the Ice. And even when surrounded by the mirages of ice and sun that blur the edges of her focus, the choice is clear. Fight for her life above all else. Or die.

The White Darkness received the Printz award this year and was completely engrossing on a psychological level. Sym's character is complex, bearing enough originality to maintain my attentions through the entire first-person work. And yet, at the same time, I was struggling to believe her sanity. Why does she not notice her Uncle is a nutter from the very beginning? At times, I was worried that perhaps I wouldn't be able to enjoy her character because she wasn't giving the appearance of being especially bright. But at the conclusion of the novel, I was happy I had stuck with it. I realized her ignorance is the product of mental blocks she has developed to preserve herself.

Ms. McCaughrean's novel is excellently researched and at times, chilling (no pun intended). Her descriptions of the poles are dark and beautiful and the experiences of the explorers as they succumb to the blinding white of the snow and the killing cold are written realistically. It seems almost as if the author herself had experienced such things in an earlier time.

But if you're looking for a swashbuckling adventure story, this isn't it. An afternoon of quiet time will be needed to absorb every element. And, like what lies beneath the ice of Antarctica, there is much more to the story than meets the eye. Some key elements are easily missed if the reader so much as skips a page. But I don't think that will be a problem. You'll want to read every piece of the incredible description and startling twists.

I bestow upon this novel a 6 out of 7 lightnings (and a prize for longest review)! Expect more reviews than ever from the Maelstrom in the months to come.

In Pursuit of Odyssey,


P.S. Has anyone read any exceptionally humorous books lately? As I said before, my mindset is in a constant shade of gray from the sort of reading material I have been consuming of late. Comment Away!

The She by Carol Plum-Ucci

I first picked up this book because it looked creepy. Even the title foretold shudders. And who doesn't want to read a good suspense novel when they're sick? But, once again, Carol Plum-Ucci surprised me with her mind bending approach and multi-layered plot.

Evan is just getting over the death of his parents and beginning to push the mysterious occurrences surrounding the event to the back of his mind. And his big brother (now guardian) is helping. Eight years of repressing memories and avoiding belief in a sea man's superstition known only as "The She". But one school project has the power to change all that. When Evan must help a mean girl of the first degree he discovers that they might have more in common than he'd thought and that there might be more to the disappearance of his parents than anyone had ever dared admit.

This book was written with suspense and a great deal of emotion. By the core of the story I felt that I was relating very well to nearly all of the characters and could focus on the twisting plot. And the ultimate mystery at the end was simply the perfect conclusion (but shhh... I can't tell you anymore). My one complaint with the novel came near the end with a plot event that didn't really feel necessary or all that pertinent to the bigger action going on at the time.

6 out of 7 lightnings. BANG ZAP KACHING! And a resounding cheer for the first MySpace review from the Whirlwinds. (*Note* This review was first published a few days ago on the new Maelstrom myspace page)

Studying up on sea superstitions (there certainly are alot of them),

*Aella*

Creepy Glass Eyes...

After reading this, I doubt if I will ever be able to look at a doll without shuddering somewhat. Although not one for scary books ,I thoroughly enjoyed the eerie sensation of reading this. Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge by Kathryn Reiss never sacrifices quality for blood-baths and sufficiently surprises throughout its plot. Enough so to cause its nearly untimely death when my pulse needed a break. I had to put it away... in a sack... in a drawer... in a different room.

Isabel Thorne, more commonly known as Zibby, can't quite put her finger on what frightens her about the new doll house. Perhaps its the strange way she came by it, marked at the exact price she had in her pocket and sold to her by a woman no one recognizes. All the same, once she has signed on the contract of sale, the beautiful creation and its accompanying set of dolls are hers forever. Quite literally. Always accompanied by the eerie doll in the gray dress, danger begins to follow the Thorne family. For the scenes of play are warping into reality and the greatest disaster of all has yet to occur.
In the early 1900s, Primrose Parson is too grown-up for her beloved nanny and is turned over to a governess. Mean-spirited and controlling, Sweet Miss Honeywell demands obedience and an end to Prim's pranks and tricks. But the girl is indomitable and snarky (new favorite word), taking out her frustrations by playing with the custom doll house given her by inattentive parents. And when Honeywell's domineering actions become too much, one prank will end a life and begin a nightmare to last more than a century.

With plenty of unexpected occurrences and happenings, Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge did not disappoint. Even the vile governess has more to her than meets the eye, the novel outlining her loves, clouded past, and the twisted result. With all the darkness, stormy nights, and history of a good ghost story it unfolds to provide a tale that will make your palms sweat at either noon or midnight. You'll also think twice before you laugh on the next time you think your stuffed animals just moved.

BANG!ZAP!KACHOW!! 5 out of 7 lightningz.

Shivering and Packing Away My Porcelain Dolls,
*Aella Siofra*