January 2013

I kicked off the new year with a few teen fiction reads: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (known for The Book Thief). I could not have picked two books so different if I had tried. Seraphina is a fantasy filled with dragons whereas I am the Messenger is about puzzling circumstances and a bigger picture. Thanks to Allison for lending both to me!

I chose to read Seraphina because I enjoy reading period pieces with infusions of fantastical elements. Dragons have always been a no-or-go kind of element for me; in some books they work well within the plot, in others they just seem to scream "hey look at me, I'm a book with dragons so that makes me cool" which is exactly why those books seem to fail. Luckily I found Seraphina to use dragons in a clever way that kept me reading and thirsty for its sequel. Similar to Ursula K. Le Guin's dragons, Rachel Hartman has chosen to have her dragons be able to assume human form. This of course causes problems for the dragons, how do they themselves deal with the emotional instability of the human form they have taken and how do they gain the trust of mankind when hiding behind their human facade? Trust, friendship, family, and magic all play a major role in the telling of this story. At times predictable but always fun the plot is mainly driven by the main character's (of the title's namesake) self-discovery as a half-dragon and inner battle for acceptance.

To my shame I still haven't read The Book Thief but have heard nothing but amazing things about it. I was curious to see if I am the Messenger would live up to the hype Markus Zusak has as an author so I delved into it and was not disappointed. A book about a man, barely out of his teens, who drives cabs for a living and is a leading a relatively below the radar, mundane life until a happenstance occurs. While at the bank with his three closest friends, Ed Kennedy witnesses and then thwarts a robbery. Following this incident he receives a lone ace in the mail with three addresses written on it. What is he supposed to do? Who has sent this to him? What does it all mean? Amidst humour there are some deep and troubling themes that will set Ed wondering about the state of the world and likewise for the reader.

Rachel Hartman
Markus Zusak