A Breath of Eyre ~ Eve Marie Mont

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

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Ok, confession time – I love classical literature but I have never actually gotten around to reading Jane Eyre . . . and after reading this novel I feel like it has kind of been ruined for me – not that it will stop me from reading the original of course.

So I originally thought that this was going to be an easy young adult read however it was so much more. There were so many serious teen issues thrown into this novel – suicide, mental illness, drinking, accidental teen death, inappropriate teacher-student relationships, not to mention the typical teen relationship issues of sex which complicates everything as well as trying to fit in at school and having to deal with those “mean girls” on a daily basis.

I have to say that I enjoyed this novel but it did take me a little while to get into it. The first time Emma “travelled” into Jane’s story – I didn’t like it – I was much more interested in her real life story, but after a few pages I grew to enjoy that part of the story as well, and thankfully the “travelling” between lives didn’t bother me for the rest of the novel. I can honestly say that I am excited for the other two books in the series – more twists on classical literature.

The Memoirs of Mary, Queen of Scots ~ Carolly Erickson

In this dramatic, compelling fictional memoir Carolly Erickson lets the courageous, spirited Mary Queen of Scots tell her own story—and the result is a novel readers will long remember.

Born Queen of Scotland, married as a young girl to the invalid young King of France, Mary took the reins of the unruly kingdom of Scotland as a young widow and fought to keep her throne. A second marriage to her handsome but dissolute cousin Lord Darnley ended in murder and scandal, while a third marriage to the dashing, commanding Lord Bothwell, the love of her life, gave her joy but widened the scandal and surrounded her with enduring ill repute.

Unable to rise above the violence and disorder that swirled around her, Mary plucked up her courage and escaped to England—only to find herself a prisoner of her ruthless, merciless cousin Queen Elizabeth. Here, in her own riveting account, is the enchanting woman whose name still evokes excitement and compassion—and whose death under the headsman’s axe still draws forth our sorrow.

In The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, Carolly Erickson provides another in her series of mesmerizing historical entertainments, and takes readers deep into the life and heart of the sixteenth century’s most fascinating woman.

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Ok, so I know that Carolly Erickson classifies her novels as “historical entertainment” instead of “historical fiction” which is probably a good thing since she likes to invent things that never happened or existed and change timelines and make up storylines – and I am normally pretty ok with that except that sometimes she goes too far and things become unbelievable. My major qualm with this novel is the portrayal of Lord Bothwell as Mary’s true, lifelong love as well as Mary’s portrayal as weak and a love-sick puppy dog. Seriously!? This woman went through hell throughout her life and would have had to be strong … I don’t think that she would have had the time or the energy to be dwelling on her love life. Also, the invention of Mary and Jamie’s secret daughter and Mary’s escape to Rome – those were just a little far-fetched for me, although it is interesting think that Mary might have escaped from her house arrest. I find that Erickson’s novels often focus on the “what ifs” in history – something that can be slightly annoying for me.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the novel, but then the silliness started – the illegitimate secret daughter, secret meetings with Elizabeth and the escape to Rome, but it was still a decent read – not Erickson’s best but by far not her worse either, it was rather . . . average.

The Selection ~ Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

☆☆☆☆

This book for me was an interesting mix – it almost felt like a mix between the bachelor and (I’m probably going to get a lot of comments for this) the Hunger Games. An odd mix, I know … but surprisingly it kinda worked. The whole premise of this book is for Prince Maxon to find his future bride from 35 girls from around the country.

I found that the characters were rather predictable however. You have America who is an independent, free-spirit who doesn’t really fit in with her role in society and who wants to live her life the way she wants to regardless of society’s rules or expectations. America is definitely different from the rest of the girls in the Selection – first of all, she really didn’t want to be a part of this whole thing and only entered to help out her family. She does not find Maxon attractive and really does not want to become his wife but is rather simply content to remain his friend, only problem is that I see Maxon falling for her and she will probably end up being his choice and will become his princess.

Ok so like I said, I found that there were quite a few similarities between The Selection and The Hunger Games. They both feature a competition to reign supreme in the country oh and they are both televised for the public to enjoy. They both have strong, independent female heroines who have been dealt a crappy hand in life but who are then given the opportunity to bring fame and fortune to their impoverished families therefore dramatically changing their lives forever – sure Katniss is fighting to literally survive whereas America is simply fighting to remain in the competition for the prince. They both have a class system – the rigid caste system in The Selection and the districts in The Hunger Games.

This was a quick, easy read … and definitely not something that I would normally pick up but it was still enjoyable despite the cliff-hanger ending that annoys me to no end . . . I hate having to wait for the next installment!