Book Review: Starling

Title: Starling by Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 352 pages
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Genre: Mythology, Fantasy

Goodreads Summary: Mason Starling is a champion fencer on the Gosforth Academy team, but she's never had to fight for her life. Not until the night a ferocious, otherworldly storm rips through Manhattan, trapping Mason and her teammates inside the school.

Mason is besieged by nightmarish creatures more terrifying than the thunder and lightning as the raging tempest also brings a dangerous stranger into her life: a young man who remembers nothing but his name--the Fennrys Wolf. His arrival tears Mason's world apart, even as she feels an undeniable connection to him. Together, they seek to unravel the secrets of Fenn's identity as strange and supernatural forces gather around them.

When they discover Mason's family--with its dark allegiance to ancient Norse gods--is at the heart of the mystery, Fennrys and Mason are suddenly faced with a terrifying future.

Set against the gritty, shadowed back-drop of New York City, this first novel in award-winning author Lesley Livingston's epic Starling Saga is an intoxicating blend of sweeping romance and pulse-pounding action.

I really liked Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange series and the Fennrys Wolf was one of my favorite characters in the books. I was not a fan of Fenn’s fate at the end of the series so I was really excited when I found out that Livingston’s new series was going to be about him and Norse mythology. I love myth in any form and since there are not enough YA books around with Norse myth, I really wanted this one to be good and it is!

I’m a very character driven reader and Starling is a very plot driven book. Regardless, I still enjoyed it. Mason is a great character: a girl who knows how to fight but is not overly or unrealistically kick-buttish. She is a great love interest for Fenn who is even more likable in this book than he was in Wondrous Strange.

As much as I liked the characters, the plot is really the highlight of this book. Livingston takes not so well known (for me anyway) Norse mythology and combines it with myth from other cultures, including Egyptian, and creates a really cool story.

I love the start of this series and am looking forward to the next book which will hopefully be coming out next year.If you love mythology like I do, this is definitely a book you should pick up.

Content: Kissing, some profanity.

My Rating: Really Good!

Waiting on Wednesday: Valkyrie Rising and Starling

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choices are:

Title: Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: Oct. 9, 2012
Genre: Mythology

Goodreads Summary: Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly there’s a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

Title: Starling by Lesley Livingston

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: Aug. 15, 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology

Goodreads Summary: "Love is just the beginning... of the end." Mason Starling is a champion fencer for Gosforth Academy, but she’s never had to fight for her life. Until now. When a ferocious storm rips through Manhattan and unleashes terrifying creatures onto Gosforth’s campus, Mason barely escapes alive.

Without help from the mysterious stranger who appeared in the midst of the storm, she might not have made it at all. But now, in the aftermath, Mason’s life begins to spin dramatically, mystically out of control, and the only one who seems able to help her is the stranger who can remember nothing but his name: Fennrys Wolf.

As Mason and Fenn uncover more about Fenn’s past and the strange events that surround them, they realize that Mason’s family — and its dark allegiance to the ancient Norse gods — is at the center of everything. A predetermined fate seems to be closing in on Mason, but is it possible to change one’s destiny?

Readers who fell in love with Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange trilogy and those who love Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series will be captivated by the sweeping romance and pulse-pounding action of Starling.

Why am I waiting on Valkyrie Rising and Starling? There are not nearly enough YA books with Norse mythology and along with the fantastic cover, Valkyrie Rising looks like a winner. When I read the description of Starling and saw that Lesley Livingston is bringing Fennrys back, I did a little sqee! He was one of my favorite characters from the Wondrous Strange books and I’m thrilled he will be featured in another series. Plus, Starling includes some Norse mythology as well and I love myth. What books are you waiting on?