"The Time-Traveling Fashionista" by Biana Turetsky

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Genre: middle-school fiction, paranormal
Book 1 of a new series
On my TBR list?  No



Summary:
Louise Lambert is a 12-year-old girl with a thing for vintage. She loves old movies and all the fashion and glamour that go with them, and her life seems dull in comparison. Then one day she receives an invitation to a vintage fashion sale that starts her on an adventure that transcends time.

The one persistent thought I had while reading The Time-Traveling Fashionista was that if it had been published about 10 years ago, my daughters would have moved on to this after reading The Magic Tree House series. Although the blurb on the back of the book makes it sound like a juicy YA novel -- "Louise relishes the glamour of this opulent age and slips into a life of secrets, drama, and decadence" -- it is much more innocent than that. After all, our heroine is only 12, a fact that I missed because I skipped the blurb on the inside flap and only read the back. There were three separate incidences where people have to be reminded not to offer her alcohol, so it definitely isn't in the vein of other YA books where sex and drugs are front and center.

I think the author did a smart thing by including full-color illustrations of many of the dresses mentioned in the story. My kids appreciated picture books even when they were in middle school, and all four of them are fans of graphic novels now. The pictures in the book were done not just by an artist but a proper fashion illustrator (Sandra Suy). It gave me the feeling that the author and the artist both really understood fashion.

The only quibble I have with this book is the depiction of Louise's modern life. The author makes her existence as a middle-school student seem so drab that it isn't quite believable to me when she says she wants to go back to it. I haven't seen a summary of the second book's plot, but I am hoping that Turetsky sticks with Louise and shows the reader more of what she enjoys about her modern life.

There is a trend of adult readers picking up YA books, but I think that some books are strictly for kids. The Time-Traveling Fashionista falls into that category for me. The tone reminds me of PBS shows my kids used to watch like Wishbone and The Time Warp Trio -- supernatural adventure with a history lesson thrown in. This is the book you hand to the quirky young girl in your life who enjoys black-and-white movies and shopping at thrift stores. Don't be surprised if you see her doing a little fashion research at the computer after reading it.

"Blameless" by Gail Carriger

Blameless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: steampunk, supernatural, romance

On my TBR list?: No

Book 3 of The Parasol Protectorate series

This is a tough review for me to write because this installment of the Parasol Proctectorate series is the conclusion of a major cliffhanger at the end of Book 2. I don't want to describe too much of the plot lest a new reader stumble upon this post before reading the other books. Ultimately, I am not a skilled enough writer to review this book without including spoilers. So this will end up being another of my "Uh, it was a good book" non-reviews.

For those of you who read Changeless and almost threw it across the room at the end, I think Blameless will calm you down. It resolves the cliffhanger satisfactorily, as well as rounding out the team that assists Alexia. Carriger's prose is as witty as ever, but she has included a bit more action this time as well as other elements and mysteries to be explored in future novels (I found the change in Ivy particularly intriguing). Whereas Soulless felt more like a standalone novel, Blameless is the book that truly sets up the series and the idea of a "parasol protectorate".

My recommendation is to have this book in hand before you start reading Changeless. You're gonna need it!

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"Changeless" by Gail Carriger

Changeless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: romance, steampunk, supernatural

On my TBR list?: Yes, as of Mar 2011

Book 2 in an ongoing series

Summary, from Goodreads:

Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

This second book in the Parasol Protectorate series is just as delectable as the first. The snappy rejoinders mixed in with the supernatural and romantic elements make this an exciting novel to read. Alexia's sister Felicity is even more wicked with the barbs and her best friend Ivy is still amusingly clueless. For you romantics, Conall is also taking every opportunity to feel up his wife!

I appreciated reading a story where the "will they or won't they?" part of the romance has already been taken care of. Having a couple get on with the business of life while obviously still loving each other is refreshing.

Carriger is a skilled writer who manages to remind the reader of events from the first novel without making it feel like she is writing a recap. Her characters are ones that you want to spend more time with. That is why it was a bit frustrating that, unlike the first book, this one ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. If you are the impatient type, you may want to have the third book on hand before you start reading this one.

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