When I started reading this book, I was impressed. The story begins with main character Zara travelling to stay with her grandmother in a small Maine...moreWhen I started reading this book, I was impressed. The story begins with main character Zara travelling to stay with her grandmother in a small Maine village. Her stepfather has just passed away and she is so overcome with grief she has become numb. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, where Zara slowly, with help of her grandmother and new friends in Maine, returns to her old self. There was a lot of emphasis on her feelings, and these scenes were very well written.
But not everything in Maine is sweet happiness. Zara is stalked by a freaky guy that does nothing but point at her. Her stalker actually kind of freaked me out. I enjoyed the mystery and was eager to find out who he was and why he is following her.
However, the closer I came to solving the mystery, the less interesting this book became. Zara's personality seemed to be subordinate to the action and the suspense. We just flit in and out scenes but nothing really stands out. Her personal thoughts are about gone, except for a few scenes with her love interest (that has a big secret of his own) that were al right.
You can't tell from the blurb, but this is actually a paranormal themed book. There are bloodthirsty pixies and weres with a hero-complex. The lore seems pretty interesting, at least it's nothing I have ever read before, so I would have loved to know more about where these creatures came from etcetera. I hope this will be explained more detailed in the next book of the series.
Even though the book kind of fell flat for me halfway through, I still enjoyed reading it. Mrs. Jones has a certain ease in her writing that makes the book really pleasant to read. I'm very curious to see if the next book in this series is better. If you're looking for a cute paranormal romance for young-adults, you could try Need.(less)
Oh, Ms. Karen Marie Moning, how could you?! How could you leave us hanging like that? How are we supposed to live without having a sense of closure af...moreOh, Ms. Karen Marie Moning, how could you?! How could you leave us hanging like that? How are we supposed to live without having a sense of closure after that roller coaster ride that was your book? That's just plain sadistic. No really.
When her sister is killed in Ireland, small-town Georgia girl MacKayla Lane has no peace until the murderer is found. The police decides there aren't enough leads and close the case, leaving Mac no choice but to travel to Ireland herself and convince the police to open her sister's case again. When she sets foot in Dublin, she is within days sucked into a strange world where monsters exist, and only she can see them for what they are.
I loved this book. I love the way it's constructed, the voice in which it's written. I love the world that slowly but steadily unfolds before our eyes, where more and more Unseelie Fae are entering our world through a portal, infesting our cities and killing innocent humans. The only ones that can save mankind from being overrun by these monsters are the Sidhe-seers. These humans can see through the glamour of the Fae and see the real monster within them.
The world Ms. Moning has created isn't pretty. It's dark and gruesome. You can't trust anyone. Everyone has its own hidden agenda, including the supposedly good guys. Then, you throw our pink-loving small town girl from the Deep South Barbie heroine into this mess. I don't believe there could be a bigger contrast.
I've read a lot of reviews saying they couldn't stand Barbie 'cause she's so annoyingly shallow and not-heroic. I'm not going to lie to you, she totally is both things. She has two things working for her though. One, she is still grieving the loss of her sister, her best friend. Don't tell me you wouldn't do stupid things to revenge a loved one. Two, I don't think any regular human being has world-saving ambitions. In books we see the I-have-to-save-the-world-on-my-own complex a lot, but we all know that it isn't realistic. Mac is just an ordinary girl, maybe shallow and superficial, but can you blame her for not wanting to fight monsters straight from your worst nightmare?
One thing that did annoy me about Mac was not her habit to describe every piece of her wardrobe in detail, but her awful romantic chattering about the Deep South. I know that's where she comes from, and she is apparently damn proud of it, but do you have to measure every single thing that happens to you to how different it would be if you were back at home? It seems like every single person in her home town is extremely kind, hospitable and polite. Personally, I hate small towns. The idea that everyone knows you and knows what you do every second of the damned day freaks me out. Sometimes I wanted to give Mac a nice slap to the head and tell her that not everything that's different from provincial life is a bad thing.
I would have probably given this book 5 stars, if it wasn't for the terrible cliffhanger at the end. I thoroughly hate it when a writer doesn't give you any sense of an ending. We read the whole thing, but now we are forced to buy part two of the series. Which will probably end with a cliffhanger too. That's so not cool. Problem is, I will probably buy the second part of the series, Bloodfever, very soon anyway.
Darkfever was an awesome urban-fantasy book, especially for a first book in a series. Beware of the cliffhanger ending.(less)
I give this book five stars. Does Bloodfever deserve these five stars? I have no idea. All I know is that this series is horribly addicting.
I'm flying...moreI give this book five stars. Does Bloodfever deserve these five stars? I have no idea. All I know is that this series is horribly addicting.
I'm flying through this series right now, and I can't exactly recall what this one was about. I can tell a few things about these books as whole though.
Karen Marie Moning is a terrible person. No really. She is the absolute master of cliffhangers. She doesn't even save them for the end of the book; she implements them at the end of chapters too. She keeps driving you forward, without ever bothering to answer some of the questions she raises. You can't put these books down when you started them. The Fever series takes you in a headlock, and drags you away to this wonderful Dublin.
Because Ms Moning has created one of the most interesting and terrifyingly beautiful world I've encountered in urban fantasy. There's just something with Irish mythology that I find so fascinating. It combines the supernatural with beauty, yet at the same time with darkness. Ms Moning is a queen in bringing these ancient traditions into the 21th century, weaving their mythical creatures into modern society.
Somehow, these books are just damn catchy. If you haven't tried them yet, you should. Come join the Fever!(less)
It's awful, but I can't seem to review these books. All I can repeat saying is that this series is terribly addicting, and that every urban-fantasy lo...moreIt's awful, but I can't seem to review these books. All I can repeat saying is that this series is terribly addicting, and that every urban-fantasy lover should try these. (less)
The Replacement has this eerie fairy-tale feel. It's really hard to describe this book, it's different from the average young-adult novel. I'm having...moreThe Replacement has this eerie fairy-tale feel. It's really hard to describe this book, it's different from the average young-adult novel. I'm having troubles reviewing this book (which is quite rare for me), but I'll do the best I can.
Mackie lives in Gentry with his parents and sister yet he is not their real family. He comes from a place no one talks about. He is something no one talks about. Evil lurks in Gentry, and this time it might get personal.
The setting of The Replacement reminds me of a young-adult version of Derry, the town Stephen King has created. It has the same foreboding feel to it, the same sense of evil. And even though everyone feels it, and everyone knows, they don't move to another town. They are used to the fear.
Horror is one of the hardest genres to write in. To make a story truly scary you need more than just some gore and bloodshed. You need true evil, something that sends shivers up your spine. I love how Ms Yovanoff sets the ambience. Although it really isn't that scary, I refrained from reading this book in bed. I'm very prone to nightmares, and I don't want to meet any of her monsters in my sleep.
In The Replacement it evil isn't just black and white. It has many shades of grey and the main character's perception changes throughout the story. Mackie really undergoes a transformation. From a shade of a person that only wants to disappear he turns into someone that looks problems into the eye.
To be very honest this was a strange book. At times it felt dreamlike, fairy-tale like while at other times it felt like a contemporary paranormal novel. I'm still not sure what to think about The Replacement, and I'm not sure yet whether or not I will read it again. I am curious to maybe read some of Ms Yovanoff's other works. She has an interesting voice that I would love to see more of.(less)
I'm not sure what it is with fae lore that makes me love it so, so much. I don't feel the same when reading about vampires or angels or zombies. It's...moreI'm not sure what it is with fae lore that makes me love it so, so much. I don't feel the same when reading about vampires or angels or zombies. It's like the fae have some supernatural pull on me. The illusions, the bitter sweet stories, the otherworldliness... Fae lore has everything to make a wonderful book.
Set in the time of the great Dust Bowl, one day Callie plays the piano in the foyer. A massive duster buries the house, and swallows her mother whole. A mysterious stranger helps her on the way to find her mom, and maybe find out the truth about her father.
Being European, I had actually never heard about anything like the Dust Bowl. It's not something that's taught in history classes here, unlike the Great Depression. This setting gave Dust Girl just that bit extra that made if from a "good" read to an "amazing" read. It was fascinating for me, and Ms Zettel included more than enough little details to make it more interesting than when the story had been contemporary.
This book is written for a slightly younger audience than I'm used to, since the main character is thirteen. But I thought Callie was quite realistic, and I appreciated that although this is written for younger teens, the language and themes in Dust Girl haven't been dumbed down. There is no patronizing voice that explains every single thing, which is a quality that usually turns me away from younger fiction. I loved that although there is a tinge of romance, it is all innocent and cute, just like it should be at thirteen. No heavy make out sessions, but a queasy feeling and stolen glances. It also fit the time period very well, and it all felt quite natural.
If you're not that interested in the fae or the historical aspect of the book, Dust Girl might not be for you. Purely as an action novel it doesn't have to offer more than other books do - even though I loved the action scenes, there aren't that many of them. A great deal of the novel is Callie and her friend Jack running from the fae and trying to find Callie's parents.
I would recommend Dust Girl for everyone that doesn't mind young characters, and loves fae lore or early 20th century historicals. I'm very much looking forward to see how the American Fairy Trilogy continues.(less)
The Peculiar is a MG aged story; but one in the Harry Potter tradition. Even though the characters might be harder to relate to for an older audience,...moreThe Peculiar is a MG aged story; but one in the Harry Potter tradition. Even though the characters might be harder to relate to for an older audience, the plot and world is interesting enough to keep the non-middle graders perfectly engaged.
The Peculiar is set in a Victorian-like age where the faeries have run rampant in a historical happening called the Smiling War, after all the grinning skulls. Bartholomew is a changeling, half faery child, half human. When one day a lady in a plum-coloured dress takes away his friend, he is launched into an adventure he never asked for.
I very much enjoyed The Peculiar and the wonderful writing. It could be quite stiff at times, but also had its moments of brilliance that are a pleasure to read. It helps that the story is very imaginative and colourful, and quite unique in execution. Bachmann has a great take on faeries, even though I sometimes had a hard time picturing some of his more interesting creatures.
For the thrill-addicted reader this might not be the right book, but in my experience steampunk or any historically inspirated novel rarely is suitable for that reader. It takes a little while for the tension to build in The Peculiar, but I quite enjoyed the little introduction into the world before the story really takes off. It might seem as a wild goose chase from time to time, but in the end everything ties up together quite nicely.
For me The Peculiar was a breath of fresh air in quite a clouded and musty genre. It’s not perfect as the author sometimes gets carried away with his wild fantasies, but a very promising debut novel. I’m looking forward to the next instalment of Barthelomew’s adventures!(less)
I first encountered Stiefvater's wonderful writing in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I was blown away by her beautiful descriptions and dreamlike p...moreI first encountered Stiefvater's wonderful writing in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I was blown away by her beautiful descriptions and dreamlike prose. It seemed to me that all this went down the drain in Lament.
When Deirdre meets Luke, she is immediately enchanted by his musical gift. His flute and her harp make magic together - literally. But her family instantly distrusts him, and there is something much darker going, something that has to do with an evil faery queen.
If I had to describe Lament to someone that has never heard of the book, it would be: "Standard YA, girl meets boy, they fall in love, he happens to be a hundred times her age or something, and there's something that keeps 'em apart. Oh yeah, and some faery shit". It didn't have the same magical quality Shiver had for me. I think Lament is written before Shiver (you can never tell for sure, who knows how long manuscripts have been gathering dust before they get published). It definitely felt as if Lament was the point where she still had to develop her talent with words. It was there, in some spots, but overall Lament was slightly dull and predictable.
Lament is a fast read, but in the end I had to force myself to continue reading it. It's not like there's necessarily anything bad about it, but I didn't see anything very good either. Deirde was okay, but nothing interesting. At the end of the book I still had no clue what the love interest, Luke, looked like. There is a hint of love triangle (because what would 2000-2010 YA fiction be without a love triangle?) and of course I ended up rooting for the wrong guy. There was a surprising lack of emotional depth on Deirdre's side. A LOT of bad stuff happens, yet somehow at no point does she break down. To me that doesn't say "strong", but "unrealistic".
The concept of the fey themselves was good. I always like reading about the fey, and Stiefvater did a good job keeping them bitter-sweet and mysterious, as they should be.
Also, the ending wasn't very satisfying to me. Maybe the unanswered questions will be answered in Ballad, the companion novel to Lament, I don't know. I probably never will, since I'm not interested at all what happens to Deirdre next.(less)
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