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The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazing book! Love the author's take on things, especially the "asides" chapters that explain life from a dog's perspective. It's being marketed as YA and I recognize totally the wise, wise-cracking and desperate voice of an intelligent outsider teen. But there's certainly adult subject matter--remember that adulthood came early in those days.

You see, Emer was a girl pirate in the 17th century--and just as she had found her true love (after much tribulation) she was killed and cursed to live the lives of 100 dogs before she can again incarnate as a human.

As the book cover states--"Now she's a contemporary teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica." Because if you haven't got love, you might as well have the treasure.

we glimpse all three sorts of her life: as Emer, as various dogs, and as Saffron, the pirate stuck in the contemporary world. But I must leave further details to your own delicious discovery.

As you might guess from the subject matter, there is violence, heartbreak, sex, etc. And no gloss on things.

Very much a sense of rightness at the end. Great cover, too.



I can't wait to read what the author comes up with next!


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New books

Today I recommend & celebrate a truly springtime Easter, which we don't get often since global warming began. We had wonderful storms on Saturday, complete with rain, and leaves with their still-new green were glowing. The mountains were snow-capped and beautifully purple below. People were smiling and it was a wonderful day.

Last week I read the new Ilona Andrews, Magic Strikes. Still fresh. The most original take on vampires yet, I think; but vampires are peripheral--just where I like them to be. The new Tamora Pierce is on its way, after a two-year wait--that's what I'm most excited about. Beka Cooper, Bloodhound. Whereas Mercedes Lackey has a wide range of series (and a wide range of editors, because the quality of writing, spelling, and editing goes up & down depending) Tamora stays right in tune. I'll be re-reading the older books when I get them unpacked & correct this post if I'm wrong.

Speaking of hounds, I also read Spiral Hunt, by Margaret Ronald, and she's now on my list of must-read. It's not so much the paranormal aspects of the books I've been reading, but the strong women characters. I read fewer mysteries, they're either too grim or too cozy. In these fantasy books, there's also too grim, too much sex and/or romance, too cute, too dark, too violent. There are so many ways to go wrong, aren't there? The authors I like (whether fiction or non-) walk the edges, balanced between one thing and another, never too much but just right. 

I unwrapped a package from Britain last week with glee--a used Maeve Binchy, short stories--but I had read it before. My memory is too good...

I continue unpacking & will have houseguests in a week, but in may hope to be posting regularly. Until then--unless I become incredibly enthused about something.