Mundie Moms

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Book Review & Giveaway: Falling for Hamlet

Published by Poppy/Little Brown
To Be Released on July 5th, 2011
Source- ARC from publisher at TLA
3.5 stars- It's A Good Modern Day Re-Telling of a Classic Story

Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.

Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia.

I have really been looking forward to reading Falling for Hamlet. I'm been curious to see how the two stories compare and I love it when an author can take a classic story and rewrite it, giving it a modern day feel. I think Michelle did a good job with her retelling of Hamlet. It was really unique as not only is the story from Ophelia's point of view, but each chapter starts off with Ophelia answering questions on a famous talk show hosts site, then it goes into the story and then the chapter ends with Ophelia being questioned by the DDI. Not only did this provide an insight to what she's been dealing with, but it also flowed well with the story.

Much like the Shakesphere's Hamlet, Michelle Ray's modern day retelling of this classic tale is full of deceit, betrayal, murder and love, if you could call it that. I thought Michelle did a great job at capturing the tragedy that befalls Hamlet, Ophelia and their families. She stayed true to the story with it's dark, twisted plot, and even kept in some of the same lines, which I loved. I also thought she did a great job at giving the story a modern day feel to it, by setting the story in Denmark. The way she wrote Hamlet was tragic and relatable. Being a Prince and coming from a royal family with a lot of money, allows him basically to get away with anything. Without giving away spoilers to her unique spin on the story, Michelle allowed me to understand Hamlet's actions, not that I agreed with them. I couldn't help but feeling bad for how broken he literally becomes. Ophelia, Hamlet's on and off again girlfriend gets her fair share of cleaning up his messes and being stuck in the middle of much of the families deceit.

I liked what Michelle did with all the main characters and I often times felt torn with Ophelia. The story is told from her point of view and often times I found myself feeling bad for her with all she has to deal with, but then there other times I wanted to yell at her and tell her to stop dealing with all the drama. Ophelia is also a character who has the right amount of girl power, and sarcasm, and I love the inner power she found within herself by the end of the book. I of course loved her witty comments she makes during her interrogation, which at times she had me laughing out loud. Ophelia is a strong character but there were plenty of times I wondered why she wasn't strong enough to just say no to Hamlet. There's so much drama between the two of them and it made me wonder why she took so much of his emotional abuse during much of the story. I loved her brother Laertes, not only does he warn her about Hamlet, but he compares their love to a violet and says, "Sure it's beautiful and perfect, but it can't last".

You definitely do not need to read Hamlet to read Falling for Hamlet. As I said before, Michelle stays true to original story with the characters relationships, the backstabbing, the trouble some of them get into as well as keeping in the sexual innuendoes, which are also in the play. I would definitely recommend this book for older teens. While there are no sex scenes, there are mentions of it, there is very mild language, and a scene that involves some underage drinking at a college party. This is a good read with a great modern twist on a classic story.

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Enter for your chance to win an ARC of Falling for Hamlet! This giveaway is open internationally. To enter, please fill out the form below:

Must Have Middle Grade Books

This week on Mundie Kids we've reviewed a couple fantastic middle grades that I highly recommend picking up this summer.



Published by Aladdin Paperbacks
To Be Released on August 9th, 2011
Picking up a year after the events of Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation, Jack and his fellow students are now well into their School of Thought training and are "sidekicking" for official, card-carrying super heroes. But, even though Jack feels more at home in the Imagine Nation, he's still hiding secrets from his friends Skerren and Allegra, both about his shocking connection to their enemy Revile and about his "Top Secret" school assignment, which involves investigating the RÜstov computer virus that affects the Mechas.
Jack is busy trying to find out how far the RÜstov sleeper virus has spread, working to find a cure, and striving to avoid the dire future that Revile warned him about. Meanwhile, Jonas Smart is working just as hard to discover what Jack is hiding from everyone. When a rogue Secreteer--the protectors of secrets of inhabitants of the Imagine Nation--starts selling secrets to the highest bidder, Smart is ready and waiting.
Jack knows that if Smart finds out the truth about him and Revile, he's as good as dead. When Jack discovers that the Secreteer causing all this trouble also has information about his father, the distractions really start piling up. If Jack is going to help prevent a second RÜstov invasion, keep Smart from discovering his secrets, and find out what a shadowy, half-mad Secreteer knows about his long-lost father, he'll need to learn to trust his friends, and to find the true path toward becoming a hero himself (quoted from Simon & Schuster's site).
Picking right up where Jack Blank left off, Jack finds himself in a new adventure that will teach him an important lesson about hope, honesty, endless possibilities, and the courage to take hold of his future. With the growing threat of the Rustov attacking, and his secret being leaked, Jack crosses the line with secret keeping into lying, not only to himself, but to his friends. In this fantastic action filled sequel to The Accidental Hero, Jack Blank once again proves why he's earned the title hero.

You can read the rest of my review here. I love this series, and this is the sequel to Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation that I reviewed last year, which has a new title, The Accidental Hero. We're really excited and honored that Mundie Kids is also quoted on the ARC for The Secret War.


Published by Walden Pond Press

Gerald Wilkins never considered himself a particularly exceptional thirteen-year-old. But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a great-aunt he never knew. With this fortune, however, comes a letter. One from his great-aunt Geraldine. One that tells Gerald that she was murdered, and that it's up to him to find out why.
Along with his friends Ruby and Sam, Gerald embarks on a journey that will lead him from the British Museum to dodgy social clubs for the disgustingly rich to mansions in the English countryside to secret places far underground. Who was Geraldine Archer? And what secrets was she hiding? Unless Gerald, Sam, and Ruby can find out before the killer does, they may be next.
An exciting read with a who done it, The Billionaire's Curse will engage young readers who love a fun, thrilling adventure. Thirteen year old Gerald Wilkins's world is turned upside down when he's jetted off from his home in Australia to attend the funeral of his late great aunt in England, a billionaire who's left her fortune to him. To make matters worse Gerald's greedy parents up and leave him for a get away in the tropics, he's started to receive death threats and he receives a letter from his late Great Aunt saying she's been murdered. With no one to trust and a mystery to solve, Gerald sets off on an adventure of a life time.
You can read the rest of my review here.


Published by Walden Pond Press
It has only been a month since Gerald Wilkins be-came the richest kid on earth. One month since he found out his great-aunt Geraldine had left him all her fortune and, with it, a murder mystery, clues to a diamond heist, and a target on his back. One month since Sir Mason Green made off with the contents of the diamond casket, an object of unspeakable power. And you thought your school vacation was eventful.


As book two of the Archer Legacy opens, Gerald, Ruby, and Sam come upon papers, drawings, and reams of research, all indicating that Gerald's family has been protecting a secret concerning nothing less than the fate of the world. Now Gerald and his friends are off to India to try to find out the truth. Friendships will be forged and broken. A city buried under the sea will be rediscovered. A whole mess of pigeons will be involved. And Gerald is going to have to make a choice between his love for his friends and the darkest desires of his heart.

It's entirely possible that this month might be even more eventful than the last.
Picking up right where The Billionaire's Curse ends, Gerald and his friends, siblings Rudy and Sam, find themselves in the middle of more heart pounding action, deadly twists, and more mystery as they try and uncover more clues to his Great Aunt's death and his family secrets. This times their adventure takes them to India, and what a trip it is. You don't even need to leave the comforts of home to feel like you've just gone on a first class trip with Gerald and his friends.
You can read the rest of my review here along with our interview with Richard here.

Book Review - The Girl in the Steel Corset


Written by: Kady Cross
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Publishing Date: May 24, 2011
4.5 stars - Whirr, click, bang, this book is a must have for steampunk fans or historical fantasy readers.

Synopsis (from Harlequin): In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

I adore steampunk stories and Kady Cross has written one that in her own words combines her love of "X Men" with the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Well, she's succeeded and done so in spades.

For readers of historical fantasy, the characters will be familiar and yet, in the capable hands of Kady they will be presented with a twist. The protagonist, Finley Jayne, is a strong heroine who is struggling with her darker impulses. She meets the hero, Griffin King, and they discover they have a shared background which explains their peculiar talents. And while their romantic plot is interesting what truly held my interest was the love triangle which Kady set up so masterfully. While I adored Griffin,  the other part of the triangle, Jack Dandy, kept me smiling throughout the book. You see, Jack's that character you can never be quite sure of -- is he a good guy or does he just manipulate things to his advantage?  Simply put, I loved him and eagerly waited for his impeccably timed appearances.

The plot is a fun, adventurous ride through an automaton-filled London. Historical details and even the unexpected appearance of Queen Victoria make the setting come alive and add a depth which I thoroughly enjoyed. And you guys, the villain is a true baddie.

If you're looking for romance, adventure and a reason to attend a masked ball, pick up The Girl in the Steel Corset. Before you know it, you'll be dancing with London's naughtiest and finest men and you just may get to solve a crime spree that has puzzled the highest levels of London society.

Harlequin has provided an excerpt so click over and get a taste of the world that Kady created. Also, there's a free download of a prequel e-novella, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, which I highly recommend downloading because it provides some wonderful details about Finley.

In My Mailbox #78

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where bloggers post about the books they've received the previous week for review, bought, and gifted.

For Review:
* The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen, published by Create Space, released on April 9th, 2011
* Grave Expectations by Charles Dickens & Sherri Browning, published by Simon & Schuster, to be released on August 30th, 2011
* Slumber, Chronicles of the Fade #1 by Samantha Young, published by Create Space, released on May 17th, 2011
* Ashfall, Ashfall #1 by Mike Mullin, published by Tanglewood Press, to be released on October 11th, 2011
* Sass and Serendipity by Jessica Ziegler, published by Delacorte Press, to be released on July 12th, 2011
* Fateful by Claudia Gray, published by Harper Teen, to be released on September 13th, 2011, *I'll be giving away this copy of the ARC, as I received one from TLA.
* Blood Red Road by Moira Young, published by Margaret K. McElderry, released on June 7th, 2011

For Mundie Kids Review:
* A Girl Named Willow Krimble, Willow Krimble #1 by Giuseppe Bianco, self published, released on January 1st, 2011

Bought:
* Hourglass by Myra McEntire
* Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, I love this book & had to add the new paperback release to my set

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Harper Teen, Jessica Sorensen, Samantha Young, Mike Mullin, Blue Slip Media and Giuseppe Bianco for this week's wonderful reads! What goodies did you receive this week?

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