The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan

I give it a solid four stars.  Where to begin.  This is a very different kind of story.  It is influenced by old Scottish myths and fairy tales.  Since I don't know these fables, I was a little lost at first but it isn't hard really to catch on.  Truthfully it was much more interesting than I thought it was going to be.  The opening chapters really threw me.  We start off with a young Callanish obsessing over gloves and slippers, going to the circus and being fascinated (then terrified) by the bear act. Then we jump to North pregnant and with the circus (I'm not spoiling anything here). Then to Callanish grown & a Gracekeeper.  But after the slightly confusing start it really was an interesting, albeit frustrating, story.  It is a tale of two women trying to be themselves in a world that wants to tell them to be anything BUT themselves.  Yes there are quite a few other points of view told throughout the story but all relate back to those two main characters.  Two women, both outcasts for different reasons who want nothing more than to just live how they want. It is a story about being comfortable with yourself no matter what others tell you.  It is also about a bond between two people.  An unexplainable attraction to one another and unconditional acceptance of each other. 

It was really was a wonderful story.  It takes place in a future where the world is no longer how we know it.  Land is scarce and people have been broken into two factions.  People of the land and people of the sea.  They basically hate each other for various reasons...mainly based on stereotypes that aren't true.  I guess even in a decimated future prejudices still exist.  Somehow a girl of the land forms an unexpected bond with a girl of the sea and it is rather beautiful.  So many things happen and so many people they trust try to hurt both of them before they can truly be reunited.  Their fates had always been intertwined.  Since the day Callanish saw North and her parents as a child to the day North shows up as an adult and then beyond.  They were always meant to find one another and be the each others family.  Lesson learned...all you really need is a hand to hold, even if that hand belongs to a friend and is webbed.   

SPOILERS

The hardships that both girls had to overcome was heartbreaking.  Callanish is different.  She is practically part fish (one of those myths) and has to hide her true self lest she be murdered by her friends and family.  Her mother resents her for a few reasons and she runs away.  She becomes a Gracekeeper that holds water funerals for people of the sea.  She is pretty but shy...she keeps to herself, she doesn't trust her secret with anyone.  Her adventure takes her away from the Gracekeep.  She realizes after meeting the circus folk that she needs to make amends with her mother.  I think it is because of the connection she felt with North.  She hated North because she was pregnant and Callanish wanted no pregnant women near her because of the death of her sibling that she blames herself for.  North tells her an unbelievable tale about the conception of her unborn child and Callanish realizes for the first time in her life she might not be alone.  She ends up trusting this bear girl with her secret and instead of shying away North accepts her. 

North is between a rock and a hard place.  She is the bear girl.  She performs in a floating circus with a bear.  She loves her bear more than anything.  Her boss and pseudo-father expects her to marry her childhood bff, his son.  He is so blinded by is want that he doesn't realize North and Ainsel don't actually love one another.  North wants to make the man who raised her happy but she doesn't want to marry this man or live on land as he wishes.  Also, she is pregnant with a baby she is 99.9% certain belongs to a merman.  She remembers the night like a dream, scales and sleeping on the beach but the baby is proof the encounter happened.  She never tells anyone of the baby, except Callanish and is shocked when Callanish believes her without question. 

Avalon (basically the evil step mother, even though she isn't North's step mother) is an awful character.  She is selfish.  She will do anything to get what she wants.  She says she loves Red Gold (North's pseudo-father and boss) but she still sleeps with her STEP SON to get pregnant and then does everything in her power to destroy North so that she will get the house on land.  She even goes to far as to fake a bear attack and burn down the circus to get what she wants.  She is terrible. 

The rest of the characters give depth to the story but these three women are really what it is about.  Avalon's selfishness get her the house she wants but also a home full of the circus folk she hates.  Sucks for her but she made that bed and will have to lie in it.  North loses her bear but gains the main ship in the circus, the Excalibur, as a gift from Red Gold for everything he's put her through.  She also gains a soulmate, Callanish.  In her travels to make amends with her mother Callanish comes across the circus again and helps North.  They sail off into the sunset together.  Callanish delivers North's baby girl, in a way making up for not being there for her mom and baby sister.  They live together at the Gracekeep, raising baby Ursa who is like Callanish, part fish-part human.  They have a home at the keep but they also have the gift from Red Gold.  They can travel the world if they want. 

It was a beautiful ending.  A refreshing ending.  It wasn't a story about romantic love.  Its more like a sisterly love but maybe more.  We don't get into it and that is perfectly fine. 

My thoughts towards the end.

08/13	page 284		88.0%	"There aren't many pages left but still a lot to answer. . . ."
08/13	page 294		91.0%	"If the bear dies, I'm throwing the book across the room...if Avalon lives I'm lighting it on fire."
08/13	page 315		98.0%	"Okay fine, I won't light in on fire only because Avalon is gonna hate that life, muahahaha"

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books to give my honest review.

Saint Odd by Dean Koontz

I actually finished this book over a week ago and forgot to review it (oops).  I've been busy.  With that said, I have mixed feelings.  I love it because its Odd.  He is still in my top 10 favorite fictional characters.  But there almost isn't enough of his internal banter that made me love him so much.  Don't get me wrong, it is there but its just background noise.  His internal banter is by far my favorite part of his personality.  He is smart and witty and just plain funny. 

It is still a great book with a few flaws but its worth reading.  Come on people its the LAST Odd book. You have to read how it all ends.  And let me tell you its a doozy. Do I recommend it, yes.  Will I say its the best, eh...no I can't but that could also be because I hate endings even though we all know they have to happen eventually.  And because it is the last of the series we have a parade of old and new characters coming back.  It is nice but it really hits home that this is really it. I won't spoil the ending here (well I will, in the SPOILER) but I will say I read the last 50 pages on a plane and I was that person...you know the one who is pretending not to cry and sniffling because damn you Mr Koontz.  So read it, for the love of Odd (ha) finish what you started.



SPOILERS

 








As stated before it was lacking some of the things that drew me to love Odd in the first place.  There was a bit of repetition but I think it was mainly for those who may not have read the whole series.  Annamaria is still an enigma.  Who is she???  Honestly I still don't know for sure but based on the ending, I think she is some sort of Goddess on Earth...a mother figure that took to protecting Odd.  I wish Edie would have been more prevalent, I loved her wit in the last book.  But we got a dose of her which was nice. Revisiting Ozzie felt right, along with adding in Chief Porter. They meant so much to Odd, it's nice that they were more a part of the final book.  Do I still miss Stormy?  Just as much as Oddie does.  I can't believe she was only part of one book...ONE.  But reading all of Odd's feelings about her over the series, I feel like she has been a constant, albeit background, character. 

What I missed...we don't see dead people!  I mean we do but not nearly like we should seeing as the entire effing series is about a young man who quite literally sees dead people!  Where were they?!!??!  Part of the allure of Odd is his descriptions of the dead and their antics trying to get him to understand.  It was lacking in this one.  Like I said, we got a few, but not nearly enough.  We had more of his psychic magnetism, which is fine but just not the same.  Also, where the heck were the bodachs?  They were such a massive part of the series and we don't see any.  That just doesn't seem right with it being the final novel and all.  At least have them mislead us.  Like suddenly bodachs are surrounding the damn because of the C-4 keeping everyone from focusing on the carnival where the actual threat is, something. 

Moving on...while I fully expected death in this book.  I sincerely HOPED it wouldn't be Odd.  I wanted him to live.  I know I know he gets his happy ending which is great.  Hi Stomy, missed ya honey.  But his death hurt.  He died a hero which was so fitting.  He saved everyone, such an Odd thing.  And truthfully, I was fine (even through the weird description of the next life).  I was fine until we hear from Ozzie.  Ozzie's final chapter freaking BROKE me.  I cried a little, come on...its like saying bye to a best friend here.  The part about his Urn and her Urn next to each other, really..I'm fine...*sigh*.  I laughed that of all the ghosts out there somehow Odd found a way to communicate with the living and give Ozzie his final memoir. So if we think of this as a true story (I'm not crazy I know its fiction) than Odd died in 2003 because the memoirs weren't to be published until after his death.  Hmmm what happened in 2003 that Odd could have saved us from.  Think on that. 

I'm going to miss this series but I do feel like we got the ending Odd deserved.  Not that he deserved death but his happiness with the people he has lost...They are destined to be together forever.