Goldie Roth is back with the second in The Keepers series, City of Lies. Danger once again threatens the city of Jewel when a child is kidnapped. Bonnie, however, is not just any child; she’s Toadspit’s little sister. So Goldie and Toadspit, the two youngest keepers, set off to track the kidnappers down.

When Toadspit, too, is captured, Goldie is left alone in to the city of Spoke where the gods are the same, but the customs couldn’t be more different. Relying on her talents in concealment, ability to lie and her nature as a thief she must make new allies if she is ever to save her friends. But not all is as it seems in the treacherous Spoke. Lies surround Goldie and the people she needs as allies might just as easily betray her for the price of a meal.

Meanwhile, in Jewel, the Museum of Dunt is growing dangerously restless with two of its keepers in peril. And the Fugleman is back, more broken and humble than before, with an offer that his sister, the Grand Protector, cannot afford to refuse.

Lian Tanner just keeps getting better. In City of Lies she pulls all of the safety nets out from under Goldie, leaving her to sink or swim on the merit of her own talents. Away from the familiarity of her own city and without her parents, Toadspit or any of the other keepers to fall back on Goldie shines like, well, gold as she navigates the confusion and perils of Spoke. Her spirit, rather than withering in the face of adversity, expands; and, while Goldie may think herself unequal to the task, she never wavers from it.

This is one of the few trilogies out there that really teaches girls that they can be strong, brave and confident. Unlike all too many others, Lian Tanner never sets up a dichotomy with her girls. Goldie is not only brilliant in contrast to the other girls in the novel. The other girls in the novel are brilliant too. While being kidnapped by two men far larger than her, ten year old Bonnie manages to fight back enough to draw blood. The Grand Protector is a woman who is smart enough to see what’s wrong with her city and ethical enough to work at fixing it. The message isn’t, ‘You can be strong as a girl, if you’re not like the other girls’. The message here is, ‘Girls are pretty flipping amazing’.

I’ll admit that when I saw that the second in The Keepers series would be set in a different city, I was apprehensive. Jewel was such a strong presence in the first book, and I wanted to go right back to it and see how it was going. With world-building that was so vivid in the first book, Museum of Thieves, Jewel was a place I wasn’t ready to leave. After having read City of Lies, I have to say that I’m glad Tanner took the risk of changing the setting. The city of Spoke is just as strong a presence as Jewel, but in a completely different way. Both cities very much take on a character of their own, but the problems of Spoke are just as compelling as those in Jewel. Spoke is a darker city, with more danger lurking in the shadows and citizens who are too worldly rather than the too ignorant citizens of Jewel.

Museum of Thieves was an incredible read, but the stakes are higher in City of Lies, the characters are brighter, the setting is more exciting. Though the series is aimed at the ten to fourteen year-old age group, this is one that anyone can read and enjoy. There’s action, adventure and magic enough for any young reader; but there’s also enough subtlety for older readers. Definitely a series I wish I had grown up with.

City of Lies – Lian Tanner

Allen & Unwin (September 27, 2011)

ISBN: 9781742379999

The kingdom of Ravka has been torn apart by the Shadow Fold, a strip of impenetrable darkness that homes a host of monstrous creatures. Even with the support of Ravka’s magically talented protectors, the Grisha, the divided country is slowly losing the fight against its neighbouring kingdoms.

Two orphans who have always relied on each other, Alina and Mal have been inseparable since they were eight. Lately though, the space between them seems to be growing. Mal is gorgeous and outgoing, succeeding in everything he tries; while Alina is abrasive and introverted, never fitting in with anyone aside from Mal. And away from the orphanage at last, they are about to make their first trip across the dreaded Shadow Fold.

Everything goes wrong; and somehow Alina unleashes a power that she never knew she had. One that will throw her in to league with the powerful and terrifying Darkling; the man who rules the Grisha.

The setting was the first thing to draw me into Gathering Dark. Bardugo borrows much of her atmosphere from Russian culture. While the backdrop isn’t faithful to every nuance of Russia, the taste readers get makes it stand out. Setting plays a vital role in Gathering Dark, as Alina travels through both the rustic and the opulent social circles. The contrast between them are written in loving detail; tied throughout to Alina’s emotional upheaval and her spiritual journey.

This spiritual journey is the core of the novel, permeating through many of the subtexts as well as driving the majority of the story. This is the matter that I was torn about. On one hand, I loved the spiritual journey. It resonates on an emotional level; and Alina’s voice is genuine enough that what would be annoying in another book fits this one. We all have that little voice that tells us we’re not enough. Reading it as a theme generally irritates me. I want my female characters to push through no matter what; I want them to think that they’re good enough because, all too often in literature, they don’t. In Gathering Dark, however, Alina sounds real. Her inner dialogue of not being good enough doesn’t bother me because I don’t feel like she’s a fictional character.

The other side of the coin, and the reason that I couldn’t fully appreciate Alina’s emotional journey is that so much of it was centred on looks. Alina is not beautiful. That should be a small detail; the difference between whether men will vie for her attention or not. Except, that’s not how it plays out. A character reminding the reader that she’s unattractive every few pages is just as annoying as one who reminds us how beautiful she is. I applaud Bardugo for stepping out and writing a genuinely plain female lead. I only wish that she had thought to add more depth to that aspect of the character, or that she had made Alina care less about looks.

There are a million things that I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the second book of the Grisha series. Bardugo builds up a brilliant courtly kingdom in Gathering Dark and I’m hoping that she will delve further into political intrigues in the next instalment. Mal is the other bit of sequel-bait for me. As Alina’s closest and oldest friend, he brings out a side of her that is sweet and less self-conscious. They work well together. I also want to see more of him for himself. Some other readers think that there is a rising of Team Mal and Team Darkling; but for me there is no Team Darkling. It is Mal all the way. He is confident and considerate – in that floundering manner that boys are considerate. Rather than stifling Alina, he draws out the best in her when he can and when he can’t he accepts her at her worst. Aside from that, he has his own issues and insecurities to work out; making the relationship a well-rounded one.

With a combination of superb writing, good pacing and strong, relatable main characters, Gathering Shadows is definitely not one to be missed. I only wish that I had read it a few months later so that I wouldn’t have to wait so long for the next instalment. Fans of Juliet Marillier and Isobelle Carmody should enjoy this talented new author.

Gathering Dark – Leah Bardugo

Orion (June 5, 2012)

ISBN: 9781780621104

Cas’s life has never been ordinary. He and his mother move from place to place, following rumours and whispers of violent hauntings. When he finds the ghosts; he moves in and kills them.

He has never encountered anyone like Anna Dressed in Blood. A powerful ghost lingering in the Victorian house she once called home and surrounded by all of the people she’s killed; she is what Cas has been looking for. An opponent worthy of him.

What he doesn’t count on are the people from his new school insisting on helping him. And he doesn’t count on Anna. Tangled up in curses, still wearing the bloodied white dress that she had been murdered in, she is connected to him in ways that neither of them could have envisaged.

There wasn’t enough time to read Anna Dressed in Blood the night I bought it. I had work the next day and had to show at least some signs of coherency. So, of course, I peeked at the first chapter. Then the next. Responsibility flew out the window and more chapters ensued. I woke up late, missed my bus and wandered around like a zombie at work the next day.

It was worth it.

Half-way into August, I can honestly say that so far this is the best novel I have read this year. This review, I am ashamed to say, will mostly consist of me squealing and telling everyone to buy Anna. Selfishly, because the more people who buy this the more likely Kendare Blake is to write more books. I desperately need more.

The characters Blake has created in Anna have a life and vitality of their own. They play off one another, each with their own goals that somehow work together. None of them are perfect, which makes their shining moments all the more brilliant. Cas, the main character, can lean towards arrogance. Killing ghosts is a higher calling that he thinks only he can answer, and he doesn’t like the idea of having anyone there to help him even when he needs it. He’s overconfident, sometimes too sure of his own abilities; but he’s also very sure of the abilities of the people around him, which balances it out.

Anna, too, was brilliantly realised. She’s powerful and she knows it. Her strength is something that she never apologises for and never backs down from. The fact that she owns her power and makes her own choices is something that I love as much as I love the fact that Cas acknowledges and respects her strength, both physically and mentally.

Usually I’m put off by unrealistic romances but, while the romance here did seem rushed, it also made sense on a rational level. The characters, while very different, complement each other in all the ways necessary. They both have unconventional lives and pasts that most people couldn’t understand. Their moral ground and ability to take responsibility for their actions puts them on even footing as well; making the romantic plot-line believable.

Timing was perfect with the plot and pacing of Anna. From the first chapter, the story drags readers in, refusing to release them even after the last page has been turned. The momentum of the novel is very natural, each previous scene leading up to the next and whether it’s action or character interaction holding readers, there are no points of the novel where my interest flagged.

The antagonist was the only thing that let the plot down. While he is central to the story and to Cas’ personal journey, he arrives quite late. As a villain he is horrifically creepy, but there is a definite shift in atmosphere with his arrival. With so much of a plot to explore even without him, it felt as though his character would be better utilised if he was introduced in the beginning of the second book.

Anna Dressed in Blood fully embraces some of the ghost story traditions while adding fresh twists that will delight ghost story lovers and YA fantasy lovers alike. Darker than an average teen read, it still has glimpses of hope bright enough to light the way. For anyone who likes Holly Black, this one is not to be missed.

Anna Dressed in Blood – Kendare Blake

Orchard (June 10, 2012)

ISBN: 9781408320723

Nothing has been the same since Rose Smith’s mother disappeared when she was twelve. Her life, home and family were torn from her on the night that Kathy Smith and Rose’s step-father, Brendan, went missing from the restaurant they had gone to for dinner. Rose lost not only her parents but her step-brother, who was taken away to live with his relatives when she was sent to live with an emotionally distant grandmother that she had never known.

Now, at seventeen, she is finally about to see her step-brother, Joshua, again. Only, before she boards the train that will take her to him, she witnesses a murder. With two mysteries to solve, Joshua and Rose must find out whether their parents’ disappearances have anything to do with the murder before they become targets.

Dead Time begins with an interesting premise that will keep readers turning the pages to find answers. Joshua is more embroiled in the mystery of the past, to the point of almost obsessing over the fate of his father, while Rose is more concerned with the murder that she has seen. Since the disappearances of Kathy and Brendan are so much more personalised, this is the mystery that really hooks the reader in.

Anne Cassidy does a great job of writing an unsympathetic hero in Dead Time. Rose is the epitome of socially awkward teen. She is undemonstrative with gratitude, even when she wishes that she could be more gracious. The relationships around her suffer because she consistently misconstrues people’s meanings and intentions. You get the impression that when Rose was cut off from her mother, she found it hard to allow anyone else in. Fortunately, her relationship with Joshua is on firmer ground; possibly because he shares a loss so similar to hers. Even so, I found it difficult to relate to Rose much of the time.

The supporting characters showed hidden depths that I hope will be explored more fully in the next book in the series. Rose’s grandmother, Anna, is an immaculately groomed, reserved woman who doesn’t seem concerned with anything aside from appearances. It later becomes painfully apparent that the weight of her daughter’s disappearance is crushing her. Joshua’s flatmate, Skeggsie, is another character who breathed some fresh air into this novel. Though he is antisocial and intrinsically flawed when it comes to manners, his actions betray him as being loyal and honest to the point of discomfort.

The London setting in Dead Time is a refreshing change, as is the lack of supernatural themes. Readers who have a penchant for reality in their novels will enjoy this new series by acclaimed Young Adult author, Anne Cassidy.

Dead Time – Anne Cassidy

Bloomsbury (May 22, 2012)

ISBN: 9781408815502