Saturday, May 05, 2007

Sweet Things -- like pretty cakes and. . . a starred review!!!!!

Yippee, a starred review in Kirkus!! Here it is:

*STAR* Taylor, Laini. Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer. (Putnam 978-0-399-24630-2)

Featuring both an uncommonly well-conceived setting and buckets of high-energy action, Taylor’s debut tale of a thumb-sized devil hunter who comes this close to meeting her match belongs at the top of everyone’s fantasy must-read list. Having discovered that ignorant humans are actually releasing brutish devils from the enchanted bottles into which they had been forced 25,000 years ago, young Magpie Windwitch has set herself to flitting about the planet with a bevy of ageless crows to recapture them. But devil number 24 turns out to be a different sort of proposition altogether—a shapeless mass of darkness and hatred that “uncreates” its victims and is out to unweave the warp and weft of the world itself. By the time devil and hunter have squared off in Dreamdark, a bespelled wood that hides the last great Faerie settlement, ’Pie has discovered that she has more abilities, and a role to play in larger events, than she had ever dreamed. Taylor carries her Faerie world well beyond its recognizably Victorian base, and crafts a memorably clever, intrepid insect-winged heroine to save it.


Yippeee! Don't you think that review, aside from being really positive, is really well-written? I think so. Hurray!

Jim and I got together with Kelly and John last night at the ravishing Pix Patisserie. Kelly was the first blogger I ever met in person, because she actually lived in my city, but then John went and got himself accepted to a school in Oakland, so they moved away! But they were up visiting and had time for some decadent confections.

Note to new or would-be artists: peruse Kelly's archives for the past year and a half or so, and you can witness something rare: someone becoming an artist from scratch and just bursting forth on the scene, overflowing with exuberance and spirit and talent and having the world sort of unfold itself for her. She's been art-making for only a small sliver of her life so far, but you'd never guess it to meet her. She's a born artist who I guess just kept it in for a long time. Now, not much more than a year after she first started making collages and picked up a paintbrush? She's got a book in the works with North Light Books! I can't wait to see it.

Ah, and the cakes, they were delicious. Something strange happened to me that occasionally happens in the presence of chocolate: I found myself drawn toward something un-chocolate. Weird. Who knows why these alien impulses come upon me. I had a lemony gingery raspberry-y cheesecake thingy, and it was blue by the way. Jim had an "Amelie" cake, and that was chocolate. And there was port, champagne, coffee, of course. Click on the link above and check out the decadence of Pix. It's fabulous. And there's a monkey hanging from the ceiling. What more could you want?

P.S. I just heard that 7 people died in a tornado in Kansas today. My heart goes out to the residents of Greenburg, whose town was demolished, and to the families of the victims.

19 comments:

Jordan E. Rosenfeld said...

Yay!!!!! How happy you must be. Kirkus is known for writing tough reviews so hoorah!!

And those cookies--it's cruel to tempt me before I've even eaten breakfast.

J

Anonymous said...

I thought of you early this morning when I first read the news about Kansas. Horrible. Congrats on the Kirkus review!

Anonymous said...

Laini-

Great review! Congrats!

Hey- I am so glad that you went to Pix.. Dave & I LOVE it there! And it's a great kid place too...
Did you go to the SE or the new NoPo location?

Cheers!

kelly rae said...

well first of all, congratulations on everything! this review, all the reviews to come, your art, your life! it's all so exciting to watch! i feel blessed to know you and jim and to get the inside scoop on all the true blue FUN that is going on for both of you right now. truly inspiring.

and thank you for the sweetness. i would be nowhere close to where i am right now if it had not been for YOU and for jim. you guys taught me soo much last year. it's incredible when i think of it. it's the reason i find myself offering up whatever i know to anybody who asks - because of your generosity. you were both my gentle nudges to keep learning and going, not to mention all the technical support, both computer and artwise!

love to you. it was wondeful seeing you both. our photo of all of us didn't turn out the best, so please send your group photo to me if it turned out alright!!

xoxoxo

meghan said...

Oh, so jealous of your time out! And Laini - WHAT a review!! You so deserve it and all of the good things that are coming for you. The book is magical and I know it will touch lives all over the world - LOVE to you!!!

Rhonda the Stitchingnut said...

Congratulations on a wonderful review!

madelyn said...

Fantastic review Laini!
I am going to help myself to
one of those cookies to celebrate"_

Amber said...

Yes that review IS well writen! And it makes me want to read it even MORE, if that is possible. Can't wait. :)

:)

Left-handed Trees... said...

Congratulations...I cannot wait to read it!
Love,
D.

Jone said...

Congratulations. I am so excited for you.

Tinker said...

Wonderful review, Laini - congratulations! Those photos are amazing - those cakes are AMAZING...I want chocolate now.

It's so sad about that whole town - I can't even imagine, finding your entire town gone like that. My heart goes out to them all. I'm glad you made it out of Kansas safely.

Rampian said...

Hi, Laini
Kirkus knows their stuff. May the stars continue to rain delicately down from critics far and wide.

Funny, I had one of those little macaroons today, too. A green one. The classic macaroons come from Laduree in Paris: www.laduree.fr

Patry Francis said...

I didn't think Kirkus EVER gave starred reviews! And yes, this is exceptionally well-written. Clearly an intelligent and insightful reviewer. Yay, you!!

blessedmatch said...

Another review to be treasured before that crazy summer of 2007...

Anonymous said...

A HUGE congrats to you on the glowing Kirkus (starred!) review, Laini! It is just such a thrill to watch you soar with success. I'm looking forward to seeing you up in Seattle at next week's Inside Story... and was thinking of you last week while vacationing in Florida and coming across Laini's Ladies all the way down there. YOu are absolutely amazing!

Sarah Beth Durst said...

Whoo-hoo! Congrats, Laini! Fabulous!

Now I really can't wait to read your book. :)

Best,
Sarah

gerry rosser said...

Congratulations on the good review (actualy, on actually completing a novel and getting it published).

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

Oh yippee! What an absolutely amazing, beyond amazing review. Wowza. I am SO impressed!!! A Moroccan Yay for across the sea!!

Anonymous said...

I am positively EEEing over that review! How wonderful for you! That's the kind of review that would have had us dancing in the publicity department back when I worked there.

And you deserve it all and MORE!

Yay! xoxo, M