The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

The Rook - Little, Brown and Company

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
Published January 2012

“The body you are wearing used to be mine.

So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.
She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.
In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.” Synopsis from goodreads.com

Today is “Drop Everything and Read” Day … or for the seemingly more mature generation “Set Everything Down Gently and Read” Day. And to honour the occasion I thought I could offer you a recommendation that is worth dropping everything to read it.
The Rook is the debut of Daniel O’Malley and plunges you right into the middle of the pool. Or rather the cold rain. Myfanwy (rhymes with Tiffany, as the reader and the character are helpfully informed right at the beginning, ignoring all Welsh knowledge you might have) has no idea who she is or why she is standing in the middle of a park, in the rain, surrounded by bodies. She only has a letter telling her that a) her memory has been wiped and b) she is in mortal danger. Luckily her former self has provided her with two well-prepared options. Either leave everything behind and start new or find out what happened.
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were offered to start with a completely clean slate as an adult with the means of a comfortable life and (almost) no danger of a guilty conscience? Myfanwy is determined to take this opportunity. Right until the moment she is attacked and her attackers suddenly crumble to the floor just from touching her.
If you think that this book is centred on an amnesiac trying to get her memory back think again. Myfanwy has provided herself with a suitcase full of letters and other OCD organisation devices to access all the information she needs, but the new Myfanwy is also resolved to own this life. Throughout the book you get to read letters and files from the old Myfanwy basically dumping information but also offering insights into who she was and what her life was like. The new consciousness in her old body seems to be her opposite in so many cases while maintaining some of her character traits. This easily leads to hilarious situations with her new/old co-workers. I for one would have loved to see everyone’s faces as the formerly meek Myfanwy suddenly stands up against her intimidating colleague during the torture/interrogation scene.
The story is clever and funny at the same time with a thrilling mystery and a supernatural twist. And it is set in London so I basically was a goner from the get go. But more than that I thoroughly enjoyed the well-paced and thought out plot. The narrator is very close to Myfanwy so you get to appreciate her wry sarcasm as well as her insecurities but does not make it a first person narration. Another layer of mystery is added by the first person style letters which offer insight into the organisation but at no point make the reader more knowledgeable than the protagonist. Well, you get a few seemingly free-floating scenes that let you guess but for me those only made me wonder more. I had my suspects and had them discounted and re-added several times throughout the book. There were a few moments where I thought problems resolved a little too neatly but the solutions never seemed implausible to the story universe.

This is an ingenious secret service story with fantastical elements that you will soon take for granted, a main character who is re-inventing herself in a completely new way while trying to save herself and the country. The Rook is a brilliant debut with a promising universe that I hope to get to see more from at some point. In the meantime I’ll keep an eye on @RookFiles for updates from Myfanwy.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda.
Publication Date: May 8th 2012

The Hunt - St. Martin’s Griffin

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.
 
When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Synopsis by goodreads.com

Has anyone else noticed how many books will be released on that day? My best case scenario is splitting myself in at least three, better yet four (someone has to do the washing up and working part). Anyway ... this sounds like it’s putting an interesting twist on the dystopian genre by making humans the weaker species. The other slightly unusual bit that caught my attention is the male point of view this book is going to offer. Now I only need to solve this pesky reading-time-management problem.

What are you waiting on this week? Leave us a comment.

Teaser Tuesday: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

 Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

Death Cloud  - Macmillan

'Sherlock,' Mycroft said gently. 'Time for Reality'
He opened his eyes.

-- page 17

'So how are we going to get out?'
'I found a stable, didn't I,' Matty said, still aggrieved. 'There's 'orses!'
'I can't ride!'

-- page 184


Having seen the Young Sherlock Holmes series at my local bookshop for a while now, I got hold of the first book last week. Being a lover of the Conan Doyle stories, I'm always careful to approach Holmes-related books, but curiosity won over. I have to say, Andrew Lane really did a good job. Holmes is 14 in the first book, a clever, but somewhat lonely, teenager. Helped by his tutor, Andrew Crowe, his deductive ability and brilliant mind blossom and he sets out unraveling his first murder. I'm definitely up for more murder mystery after this!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross.
Publication Date: May 22nd 2012

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar - Harlequin

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade - the dangerous device Jasper stole from him... for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

Synopsis by goodreads.com

In this sequel to the The Girl in the Steel Corset Finley and her friends follow Jasper to America. Having read book one, we are curious to discover the background stories to the different characters and explore the love triangle(s) developed in the first book. Moreover there are Griffin's inventions: what will he introduce the world to this time and how are they going to help the group on their quest?
One way to find out: waiting for May to arrive soon. :)

What are you waiting on this week? Leave us a comment.

Teaser Tuesday: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

The Fearie Ring - Tor Teen / Macmillan

 “Don’t sit down—you’re not staying. And it’s none of your business who I’m with or where I go.”
-- Chapter 1

“Dear Leo, I don’t believe faeries are real. I know they are.”
-- Chapter 19

One way or another I repeatedly seem to end up in historical London lately. And I must say that in this case I’m not sad about it - to be honest it’s seldom I’m sorry to be in London in any capacity. This book is different. It’s not a trilogy but going to be a tetralogy for a change. Kiki Hamilton has designed an atmospheric story with interesting characters and quite a mystery that I’d like to explore further.