Top 3's (Katie)

Top 3 Books I've Read in 2019 (Katie)

Fall is in full swing, even if it doesn't feel like it everywhere (where I live, and as I'm writing this, it is 92 degrees). I've been thinking about the books I've read so far this year, and there's quite the stack. Some have been amazing, some not good at all, and others somewhere in the middle. For today, I'd like to highlight my top 3 (so far!) for the year.

#3 Within These Lines

Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill is a YA historical fiction set in California during WWII. I have never read a Stephanie Morrill book that I haven't fallen in love with, and this was no different. By the way, I saw on her Facebook page this week that she has new book contract news she'll be sharing soon, so yay!

#2 Flight of the Raven

Flight of the Raven by Morgan Busse is book 2 in the series (you can learn about the series on Goodreads here). This series is gripping, fascinating, emotional, and powerful. I can hardly wait for book 3!

#1 The Electrical Menagerie

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie Reeder was, I admit, a surprising hit out of the ballpark. Not that I was expecting to NOT like it. Not at all. Only that I had never met or heard of Mollie or her writings before, so I wasn't sure what to expect at all. I read it after seeing a post on this blog about it (Laurie's post here).

This book made me cry, and this may be because I felt an emotionally personal connection starting in chapter 1, but I also think it's because the book is fabulous. It's full of mystery, adventure, real and raw characters, and a whole bunch of awesome gadgets. I definitely recommend it!

*Read any good books this year? Please share, because I'm always looking for new stuff to try!*

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder (Laurie)

Remember back in May when I shared my Top 3 Man-Made Characters, with Dominic from The Electrical Menagerie at the top of my list? Here's the full review I promised!


The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder centers around the circus-like show of Sylvester Carthage, filled with technology, illusions, and personality. But despite the show's charm, Huxley, Carthage's business manager, announces they're running out of funds to continue their tour. An opportunity to audition to perform at the Celestial Palace seems like the perfect opportunity to get more attention for the Electrical Menagerie and raise the money they need to keep the show going. But when they arrive for the auditions, the competition is tougher than they could've imagined. Worse, someone seems out to sabotage the top performers, putting them all in danger from an unknown source. As they progress in the competition, Carthage and Huxley must not only expand their creativity and showmanship to take their spectacle to new heights, they must find the courage to put a stop to the violence before it can reach the Celestial Isles' royal family.


This book was a delightful combination of fun, humor, life lessons, and all the feels. I loved the vivid descriptions of the Electrical Menagerie and other acts, which felt a bit reminiscent of The Night Circus. Carthage and Huxley were such interesting characters to get to know as more and more was revealed about their pasts and family dynamics. And as a pair, they had so many humorous interactions due to their opposing personalities and touching moments of increased understanding. The puzzle of the mysterious "accidental" deaths surrounding the competition really kept me intrigued, and I couldn't get enough of the cool world-building, especially the electricals (yay Dominic!) and the awesome trains that ran on invisible rails between floating islands.

I was fortunate enough to receive a complimentary copy of the new audiobook version of The Electrical Menagerie, and it was fabulous! The narrator absolutely brings the story to life with tons of personality and distinctive voices for each character. I think Carthage's accent was my favorite :) His engaging portrayal kept me on the edge of my seat - sometimes nervous, sometimes laughing, occasionally tearing up... For you audiobook fans out there, this one should definitely go on your list!


I would highly recommend The Electrical Menagerie for anyone who would enjoy a fun, big top-centered adventure with dynamic characters and a new world to explore. And the best news? Mollie is releasing the second book in her Celestial Isles series soon!


Have you read any books involving a circus or other show? What cool world-building have you seen lately?


Thanks for reading!
Laurie

Top 3 Show-Stopping Books (Laurie)

I'm afraid I haven't been very in touch with Lands Uncharted lately, but I promise I have a good reason - three weeks ago I had a baby! A beautiful little girl, and we're both doing great :) As I start to crawl out of the I'm-up-with-a-newborn-every-night fog, I wanted to point out that a lot has happened in my absence! In case you missed it, we sadly said goodbye to our friend KaLyn, who is stepping down from Lands Uncharted to free up time for other writing pursuits. We'll miss you, KaLyn! Make sure to checkout her fun, witty farewell post, which you can find here. (And did you know KaLyn's debut middle grade fantasy novel, Snow Globe Travelers: Samuel's Legacy, released in April?)

The good news is that we also got to welcome a new contributor to the blog last week! I've been a huge fan of Katie Clark's for years, and more recently I've had the opportunity to get to know her as a friend. I'm thrilled to have her joining us at Lands Uncharted, and I know you'll enjoy her wisdom, writing insights, and sense of humor. Her first post is here if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, and you can find out more about her on her bio or website as well. Welcome, Katie!!


Now, onto the show-stopping books I promised, which are actually all books based on a circus / theater or other show :) By coincidence I've read quite a few of these performance-centered books lately, so of course I felt inspired to do a Top 3s post!


3. Heart of the Curiosity by H.L. Burke

I recently had the opportunity to read an advance copy of H.L. Burke's latest novel, which releases on June 27th! In addition to her signature wit, fun characters, and sweet romance, this story features a legendary theater and a magic system in which everyone is born with a "knack" - some kind of small magical ability such as fixing books or baking with just the right flavors. While I wish we could've experienced a Curiosity performance at its peak (things were starting to go downhill by the time a show was described), I still loved the depictions of the grand old theater and imagining what it would be like to see a show involving magical enhancements like dancers who can levitate and special effects from a propmaster with a knack for invention. Plus, the structure and family traditions of the Curiosity made it so much more than your run-of-the-mill theater.



2. The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder

I've already talked about this book once (in my Top 3 Man-Made Characters post) and I'll be posting about it again, but it was just one of those unique stories that keeps coming to mind! Apparently steampunk is a genre that lends itself well to stories about cool shows, because both this book and Heart of the Curiosity fall into that category. Carthage and Huxley's Electrical Menagerie show is an amazing combination of illusion and creative inventions by Carthage, which I so wish I could see in real life! The descriptions are so rich and vivid, especially coming from Cathage's perspective as the entertainer, and I loved everything from the showmanship to the incredible details he worked into his performances. Carthage and Huxley's show is part of a competition, so a bonus of this book was getting to hear about the other competing shows as well, including a superb illusionist and flying horses. Great fuel for the imagination!




1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The lush narrative of this book made me feel like I was actually a part of the Night Circus, which made it an unforgettable read. Every sight, sound, and smell, plus the overall ambiance came together to bring the show to life, with a wide variety of acts and fun hints of magic and mystery. As the two rival stars of the Night Circus competed to best each other in their work, the stakes and impressiveness of the spectacles just kept rising. And I loved the complexity of the characters and the way their stories wove together. I'll admit that typical circuses have never held that much appeal for me, but the vision of the Night Circus was something entirely different, with a sophistication and uniqueness that made me want to visit again the moment I finished reading. (P.S. If you like audiobooks, Jim Dale does a fantastic job narrating this one!)





I'll give a shout-out to The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof, a historical romance that takes place at a circus and happens to be my current read :) It's not quite as magical an experience since it isn't a fantasy book, but I am enjoying the inside look at the community of performers and the depiction of the lion-taming act was very fun. It so happens that the audiobook of Caraval I've been waiting for from the library just arrived, so it seems my streak of show-based books will continue a bit longer!


Have you read any books based around a circus, theater, or other show? Have there been any common elements in the books you've been reading lately?


See you next time!
Laurie

Top 3 Man-Made Characters (Laurie)

I had trouble coming up with the right title for this post because I wasn't quite sure how to describe these characters. For a fantasy reader such as myself, "Non-Human" is way too broad a term because it would bring lots of my favorite fantasy creatures into the mix. And they're not all robots, exactly, since one is a computer system...

Anyway, what I'm trying to get at today are favorite characters who are mechanical or man-made. They aren't even truly alive, but somehow the authors gave them so much personality that they made significant impacts on their respective books and have stayed with me long after I finished reading. Although I don't tend to read a lot of science fiction in general, I had lots of fun coming up with this Top 3 list :) Enjoy!



3. Iko from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Cinder's lovable android in The Lunar Chronicles just jumps up from the page in every single scene she's in. Bursting with energy and spunk, she never fails to bring comic relief, though her over-the-top flirtatiousness and obsession with fashion did make me roll my eyes a few times. But despite her tendency to be a bit ridiculous, I really appreciated her self-confidence despite androids' low societal status and most of all, her extreme loyalty to Cinder.








2. Hart from the Nyssa Glass series by H.L. Burke

As much as I enjoyed Nyssa's character in this series, it was Hart's first appearance that totally got me hooked. You'd never guess a house's central computer system could have so much personality, but Hart had such a delightful playfulness, complete with shy flirtations and an array of jokes - sometimes funny, sometimes adorably lame. The way he came to care for Nyssa made me absolutely melt. Never before (and probably never again!) have I ever wished I could hug a computer program :)






1. Dominic from The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder

I recently finished The Electrical Menagerie, and Dominic was the inspiration for this entire post! Dominic was so wonderfully robotic, and yet not, that he managed to stand out even amid a cast of fun, intriguing human characters. I loved the way he cared so much for Carthage, his creator / master, but also poked fun at his human absurdities. He had so many fabulous one-liners where his robotic understanding of situations turned into pure comedy. And yet he also shared some of the deepest wisdom in the book, in a scene that may or may not have made me cry... (By the way, be on the lookout for my full review of this book later this summer!)





I have to give an honorable mention to Tegan, the AI in Jebraun Clifford's story "Beyond the Stars, Past the Moons" in the Encircled anthology. He doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he still manages to make an impression with his snarky attitude and memorable quotes!


So now I want to hear from YOU! Who are some of your favorite "man-made" characters? Have you read any of these books?


Thanks for reading!
Laurie