Fairest

When I received Fairest to review, I hesitated. Fairest is a prequel to the three books in the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder, Scarlett and Cress) which were already on my personal ‘to buy’ list. Even though the events of Fairest take place prior to the books I haven’t a read, a prequel’s target audience is those who’ve read and loved the series. And the dedication agreed. This book is for the readers. The Lunartics. The fans. I didn’t want to diminish my series reading experience.

So I did the “dip a toe in the water” test. One sentence was all it took. It won’t be a spoiler to quote the sentence:

She was lying on a burning pyre, hot coals beneath her back.

I challenge any reader not to at least complete the page. By page-end I cared about Levana’s story. I read on until the book was finished in just two reading sessions. I’m now twice as eager to read the series.

Levana is the younger sister, forever destined to live in the shadow of Channary, who will be queen. Channary is beautiful but Levana is horribly disfigured by a childhood accident. She lives her life behind a ‘glamour’, a magically created false appearance.

The ‘glamour’ tempts Levana, and she finds she can exploit it to satisfy her heart’s desire. More than anything , she wants to be loved. When Channary unexpectedly dies and Levana becomes regent for baby Serene, Levana is determined to be a good queen and to rule Lunar well.

But behind the ‘glamour’ is a damaged soul who ultimately will not let any man, woman or child stand in her way.

The Lunar Chronicles is a modern fairy tale with cleverly twisted shades of familiar characters and plotlines. Levana is wicked stepmother, evil queen and royal witch. Like Snow White’s stepmother queen, mirrors cause her to fly into a rage when they always show her true appearance.

Fairest is a prequel not only to the Lunar Chronicles but the fully-formed evil queen of so many fairy tales. It begins beyond the wickedness to explore where the evil came from and what was there before that. Is evil born or made? I found myself questioning my judgement, unable to determine how I felt about Lavana.

How wonderful is that?

Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Title:  Fairest

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher:  Pan MacMillan Australia

Publication Date: $16.99 RRP

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 97812500696

Type: Fantasy

Jaguar Warrior

by Sandy Fussell

Walker Books. Australian, Junior, Young Adult. Paperback rrp $14.95

Guest Reviewer Jo Burnell

Glowing Eyes in a grey stone mask lure me into the pages of Jaguar Warrior. I am trapped in a windowless box, waiting with Atl, a slave in the Serpent Sun God’s temple. Atl helped build this wooden prison and now waits his turn on the sacrificial altar. He knows his arms and legs will be held down while his heart, still beating is ripped out of his body.

Is it an honour to be sacrificed so the sun will rise each new day? Atl doesn’t think so and neither do I. This level of gory detail usually puts me off, but Sandy Fussell has a way of melding humour, fast-paced action and fun with the bloody bits in such a way that I’m hooked.

Jaguar Warrior goes even further, bringing Tenochtitlan and the Ancient Aztec world to life. The Serpent Sun god’s temple structure and surrounds are realistic and based on what historians have discovered about this forgotten culture, but there’s nothing dry about Atl’s story. Dilemmas and discoveries keep him moving, even when he’d rather rest. Would you obey your captor’s order to save others or just run for your life when you taste freedom?

Jaguar Warrior is not only about Atl. Citlali reveals what a girl might have faced in these times if her mother had died, while the Captain lives and breathes ruthless determination. Zolan, the merchant’s slave shares his own story of learning, while Dog has a special role to play.

Who would you trust? Things are not always as they seem. Villains have a habit of transforming into the unexpected in Sandy Fussell’s tales and Jaguar Warrior is no exception.

http://www.sandyfussell.com/