On the day before the US Elections . . .

There's a great essay by Libba Bray on YA for Obama called "What's Wrong with Being Smart"

And no matter which side of the road you're on, if you're at least 18 and a US citizen -- make sure to exercise your right to vote!!

Yours Truly,
3 Evil Cousins

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Palace of Mirrors, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is a different sort of fairy tale. Cecilia knows she is the true princess, with all heart and all conviction, knows with complete certainty and assurance that indeed, once the danger passes from her kingdom, she will go to the palace and take from the stand-in commoner, her rightful place as princess of Suala.

As for now, and the full fourteen years of her life, she lives in a remote peasant village, so small and obsolete that it lacks placement on most kingdom maps. She lives as a simple peasant girl, fishing at the brook, leading the cow, scrubbing the pots and helping Nanny with chores, living the life of every single common girl in the country, save for the fact that Sir Stephen visits her at night to teach etiquette and algebra, strategy and Latin, all in preparation for the time in which she will rule the land.

But the enemy is closing in. Door latches are slashed, menace lurks in shadows, hiding places are no longer havens. In a night of swords and consequence, Cecilia is forced to run from her safety and her home, run towards capital with nothing but a harp, a friend, and a basket of breads. The palace and the impostor princess loom closer, and as Cecilia finds herself involved deeply with both of them, everything she has ever known, each bedtime wish of hope and magic, are thrown into question and uncertainty.

297 pages, I read Palace of Mirrors in a day, Granted, it was a ridiculously long car ride, but I was so committed to the story that I ignored the fact that I got nauseas every fifteen minutes, due to the motion and the reading. It was completely enjoyable. I got annoyed when I had to stop reading for dinner, though I wasn't in complete distress, as I sometimes am. I read it in a few sittings—it had all of the components of a perfectly great book: it was nicely written, the plot never dragged (though, because of my vast, evil experience with stories like these, I expected it to), there were new, interesting ideas introduced in almost every chapter, and the characters were endearing and pleasant. Looking at it afterwards, I give the book three and a half evilistic daggers.

It was definitely a fun read—not one for the ages, not quite as good as some of Margaret Peterson Haddix's other, stellar works, but a fun read all the same. What was cool was that the book was all about illusion. The girl with the dainty wave on the palace balcony every day may not be the "true princess" and the average peasant may be more than she seems. Or is seeming really anything? Can something as arbitrary as bloodlines really dictate who is fit to rule the kingdom? Is everything you've ever hoped for enough to risk, or should one embrace what they do, what they should have?

There were plenty of chess analogies—things like someone you thought to be the ruler is really only a pawn, and lively descriptions of cities and life and royalty. The whole setting and plotline reminded me a whole lot of Gail Carson Levine's books, except slightly less well done.

Another notable thing—Palace of Mirrors takes place in the same world as Just Ella, also by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Indeed, Ella reprises her role, this time as a friend and confidante to the "true princess," part of a peace delegation from a warring country.

Soo. Nice, crinterproodish sort of book (if you don't know what that is, check out my reviews on Toad Hill), with three and a half wicked evil daggers!



Imagining life as medieval royalty,

Princess Briar of Dreamland

Questions for a Literary Agent

3 Evil Cousins has planned an upcoming interview with well-known NYC literary agent, Scott Treimel. Scott is the agent for such amazing YA writers as Gail Giles and Arthur Slade, but besides being an advocate for his clients, Scott feels one of his most important roles is as an advocate for teen readers.

Since so many of us are hoping to one day be published authors ourselves, we thought we'd give our readers an opportunity to ask Scott some evil questions. (You can ask either writery-agenty questions or just let him know what information you as a YA reader want passed along to publishers.)

Leave your suggestions as comments on this post!

Yours Truly,
The Evil Cousins

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the heir to a multi-multi-multi-million-dollar criminal empire that has been in his family for centuries. He has a genius IQ and a deadly bodyguard. He also has a mission- to ambush a leprechaun and get the pot of gold, per se, not that he really needs it. He has all the information he needs. His plan is foolproof. Or is it? Artemis gets more than he’s bargained for when his diminutive victim turns out to be Captain Holly Short, of the fairy police organization. Suddenly, instead of a quiet capture and ransom demand, the entire fairy world is informed of the operation, and the LEP (fairy police squad) invades Fowl Manor to get Holly back. Artemis, his bodyguard Butler, and Butler’s younger sister Juliet are pitted against the LEP, including such individuals as the geeky, paranoid centaur Foaly and the dominating, stinky-cigar-smoking Commander Root.

This book has all the elements of good fiction- an exciting plot, unexpected twists, and especially, characters so realistic you feel like they’re sitting next to you on the sofa as you’re reading. I especially enjoyed the way the story is written from multiple points of view. It allows you to see everything at once. Sometimes you know more than the characters do, which makes everything that much more interesting when they finally figure it out. Plus, it makes it harder to be biased towards one character, which I think helps me see the story a little better. Another aspect I liked was the way Artemis has a trick up his sleeve that is not revealed until the end, when you’re absolutely sure there’s no possible way he can win. It makes for an exciting climax.

Overall, an excellent work of sci-fantasy. This book is vivid, exciting, fast-paced, and even a little thought-provoking. I give it the full 5 daggers.


Yours,
Tay

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Okay, so we’ve all read vampire novels. You know, Twilight (excellent!!), that kind of thing. But Peeps gives us a new angle on the whole vampire theme. In Peeps, vampirism is a disease, actually a parasite, transmitted through saliva. Cal, an otherwise average kid in his early twenties, has had the misfortune to be infected with the parasite after a wild night with an enigmatic woman named Morgan. But he’s one of the lucky ones. The ordinary symptoms of the parasite are insanity, bloodlust, and intense aversion to light and to the things the infected person once liked. Cal is just a carrier, one of the lucky 1% of “peeps”- parasite positives- whose only symptoms are an extended lifespan, superior reflexes and strength, and intense cravings for meat.

Before Cal knew he had the parasite, though, he infected several girlfriends. So now, he’s a member of a secret organization, the Night Watch, dedicated to eradicating the parasite. But when Cal discovers a secret basement with a peep-cat, even though cats are not supposed to be a host for the parasite, and other mysterious occurrences, the Night Watch is stunned. Something odd is going on, and it’s up to Cal to find out what.

This is a fairly entertaining book. Granted, not one of Scott-la’s best works, but not his worst either. The first two-thirds of the book were awesome, but then I kind of lost interest and the ending was pretty lame. I still have to say, though, worth reading. I especially liked the way the book included information about real-life parasites (although don’t read these if you have a weak stomach!) It’s got that typical Scott-la style that makes you want to keep reading, even when you get to the lame ending.

I rate this book three-and-a-half daggers, and I will be reading the sequel, The Last Days.



Yours,
Tay-la

Introducing Tay Darramont!

In order to bring Cousins readers even more reviews and a broader selection of books, we have scoured the Nyx attic for old family journals. Thanks to Great-Great Auntie Hitch and her interest in geneology, 3 Evil Cousins is pleased to announce the first of 3 additional evil reviewers joining us . . . Tay Darramont.

Keep your eye out for Tay's reviews of Artemis Fowl and Peeps as well as her bio!

Stick Figure: A Diary of my Former Self by Lori Gottlieb

Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb is the true story of young Lori’s experience of living with anorexia. The novel is made up of journal entries from Lori’s youth that she collected, put in order, and then published in an attempt to let an everyday person gaze into the thought process of an anorexic girl. The book reveals some causes of anorexia in modern society as well as shows the slow progression of Lori being a self-conscious pre-teen girl to becoming a severe case of anorexia.

First of all, this is definitely one of the love/hate books. You either love it or you hate it. There doesn’t seem to be much of an in between. I am, for my own reasons, part of the “I love this book” category. I really enjoyed this book. It really lets you get a fuller understanding of what anorexia is and why it is so hard to cure.

Anorexia is as much a mental disease as it is a physical disease. Most people don’t know that though. This book clearly reveals the mental aspect of it because it is told in journal entries. The author is literally just writing down her thoughts and what happens to her daily. This really lets you step into the character’s shoes and walk around in them.

Before you start reading this book, you should become familiar with some of the signs of anorexia (other than not eating). There are a myriad of ways to detect the beginnings of anorexia before the person completely stops eating. If you know what they are in advance, then you are better able to identify them early on in the book. Also, if you know the signs, then you can notice that some of the causes of anorexia are actually in modern media. The pressure to be thin can drive people to the point of being anorexic.

One of the things about this book that I believe scares people is that sometimes, you notice that you yourself think in the same way that Lori does. You realize that even though you aren’t anorexic, sometimes you skip a meal, or try to lose weight by going on a diet, or keep track of calorie consumption. This doesn’t mean you're anorexic too, but it does make you think. Am I so different from Lori? If I’m not careful, could I develop anorexia too? These thoughts may be haunting, but they are what make the book so powerful.

I highly recommend this book.

5 out of 5 daggers.

Well-fed, but thinly yours,

Gabriel Gethin