I read it over last weekend and honestly, I could not understand why it is his best. The journey of Kane and Abel was not unlike his other stories and...moreI read it over last weekend and honestly, I could not understand why it is his best. The journey of Kane and Abel was not unlike his other stories and they both went through very predictable trials and tribulations of life. It wasn't one of those books of Archer which I could not absolutely put down. Yet it was a good book and I believe that thirty years back, it might have been the masterpiece of Archer. According to me, he has written much better books since then that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. (less)
I struggled to finish this book. I did not at all like the way Kishan's character was handled and it was so unfair to him. The whole new angle between...moreI struggled to finish this book. I did not at all like the way Kishan's character was handled and it was so unfair to him. The whole new angle between Ren and Kelsey seemed like a desperate attempt to make the reader feel ok for being unfair to Kishan. It felt forced. The reasoning that is. Plus, I was not a huge fan of the whole dragon thing. There were some good parts but the whole legend felt incomplete. Overall, the whole book seemed like a forced attempt to keep the series going. I liked the ending though and hence, 3 stars. Else, it is a 2 starer book.
Not the best of reviews here. Hope to write a better review soon.(less)
This series is about Aaron Corbet, a regular high school student who starts hearing voices, understand and speak foreign languages and have massive he...moreThis series is about Aaron Corbet, a regular high school student who starts hearing voices, understand and speak foreign languages and have massive headaches right on his eighteenth birthday. Slowly, through a series of events, he discovers that he is a half-breed between an angel and a human. Also, that he is destined for greater things. But he is also being relentlessly chased to be killed by Powers for they think half-breeds like him are a blight on their heritage. The first book, The Fallen (of the omnibus The Fallen and The Leviathan), narrates how Aaron comes to terms with his changed body and future. The book ends with his decision to find his brother who has been stolen by the Powers.
What works for the book? First and foremost, the cover page. I have described above what I mean by it. :)
Second, is the story. The story itself has lot of potential. I haven't read any other angel fantasy to compare though. But it kind of held my interest to read it till the last.
The character, Aaron himself. He is a very likable character. His appearance is not described at all in the book. Yet, one would instantly feel the warmth because of his sensitivity to his foster family, his efforts to build a good future through education, his sweet attitude towards his crush. He is the one who would not let you go through out the book. You would want to find out what happened to him in the end.
What does not work for the book? (Spoiler Alert!) The narration. I found myself not even sighing when Aaron loses his family that too in such a brutal manner. There is no depth to really care in the book. I constantly had this feeling that there is a soundproof glass between me and the story and there is a lot that is not reaching me. The story in itself has great potential and I wish the writing didn't hold it back.
Rest of the characters. It would have helped a lot if there was a bit more description about them. Their background, their features,etc. At the expense of repeating myself, there is a lot that is missing out and I would have loved to get all that extra information in the book.
Verdict It is just about decent. If you are willing to try variety, this is a harmless book. But if you just do not have patience to put up with an average book, then steer clear of this. (less)
Ren knows everything from Shakespeare to Salsa. He is the blue-eyed boy who has stolen our heroine Kelsey's heart. Kishan is the physically stronger,...moreRen knows everything from Shakespeare to Salsa. He is the blue-eyed boy who has stolen our heroine Kelsey's heart. Kishan is the physically stronger, vulnerable yet utterly delicious brother who loves Kelsey and who has successfully confused her. Yet by the time I turned over the last page of the book, I found none of them my hero. It was Kelsey all through. Her strength, vulnerability, whole-hearted love and best of all, her never-give-up attitude is what truly makes her the thread that ties these two brothers.
I was getting skeptical that it is always about one heroine and two brothers fighting over the same girl. To an extent it is. But this book is about kelsey. Not about the two brothers. I like that. Its refreshing.
There was a lot more magic and we were taken to Tibet this time. However, I think it all could be better described. There were times when I felt it read more like a travel journal. i am not sure why a reader would be interested in knowing what they ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every single day. But it was there. I found myself skipping few of these descriptions.
The ending was what tugged to my heart. I am not sure if it is a spoiler, so I am not putting it here. But I had expected it about 30-40 pages before ending. Yet, it still affected me and left me sad. The result was I just ordered the third book. :)
Overall, a good read. I am quite enjoying the diversion from vampires and angels. Plus it is interesting to see how Indian culture is used in this fiction book. (less)
he story is about a grown up former child actress, Cilla McGowen, grand-daughter of a legendary Hollywood actress who was single-mindedly determined t...morehe story is about a grown up former child actress, Cilla McGowen, grand-daughter of a legendary Hollywood actress who was single-mindedly determined to restore her dead grandmother's utterly neglected farm house much to her mother's chagrin who preferred her daughter's failed acting career. Cilla was a strong woman who, unlike her mother, knew her limitations in a acting career and had found her dream career in the art of home restoration. She comes back to the small town of her grandmother to kickstart her business only to find out that someone does not want her to do it and that someone can go great lengths including murder to stop her from doing it. This, ofcourse, does not stop our heroine from restoring the house. She is, obviously, flanked by a very handsome and sensitive writer-boyfriend who happens to live next door and found her to be his inspiration for his next book and also supportive friends and relatives who want nothing but happiness for this unfortunate child. The books ends almost about 350 pages later with a happy ending including a marriage. Yay!
The book was a good read though I do not agree it needs so many pages. There are times when you just want to skip through because it did not seem to be serving much purpose.
One other thing that I did not like or rather felt not too comfortable with was the suspense that the author was trying to keep. It was deliberate and though, she meant to mislead the reader so that they get a surprise ending, it kind of became very obvious of who should NOT be on the list. But to her credit, I found the ending a surprise but the motive did not look too strong to me. At least the attacks on Cilla seemed lame. I did understand the motive of the murderer's past crimes though.
Overall a good and relaxed read. You get some nice romance between Cilla and her writer-boyfriend which made up for whatever disappointment I felt. :) Recommended for a light read but beware, the book is heavy! :)
IF YOU ARE A WRITER... I loved the characterization! Nora Roberts made strong characters in the novel and I could almost guess their reactions. It was almost as if they were real people. Clear cut characters are so vital to a story that I cannot help but make a note of this to do during my second draft.
I could also not fail to note the immense research she has put in to home restoration/interior designing basics. She was very detailed about all the changes that Cilla would make in the house...so detailed that you could almost imagine it. That was impressive. Research in to your character's profession/their specialisation would bring authenticity to the character. (less)
A good book keeps a balance between information and suspense. The organized unraveling of a mystery is what keeps the reader going. If the ending or a...moreA good book keeps a balance between information and suspense. The organized unraveling of a mystery is what keeps the reader going. If the ending or any part of it throws the reader completely off in a bad way, as in the hero turns absolutely nasty for no reason, the reader quits. But what do you do when neither the hero turns nasty nor does he move forward? This book and the whole series had no such balance. You just keep reading on and on with absolutely no answers. I went on reading in the hope that I would get all my answers in the end. I finished the first book, then second and then third with so many glaring unexplained occurrences in the story! It leaves you so frustrated that you pick up the next book in the hope that it will have the answers! Well, if its a trick to get readers buy the book, then it worked great in my case! ha!
I wonder how the editor or publisher didn't pick these glaring gaps. I can write couple of them here but I don't want to give away the spoilers. I want everyone to go through the pain I went through! (yeah sadist me!)
What Works?
The cover page of course. It is haunting and raises the expectations! Also in a twisted way, the information withheld in the book always gets the reader to read more in the series. But only for the sake of getting the elusive answers to the irrational rantings of this teenager - not for the beautiful prose or mind-blowing characters.(less)
A unique story. It is still about vampires but the story line is fresh with never heard before twists to what a vampire is cap...moreWhat Works For The Book?
A unique story. It is still about vampires but the story line is fresh with never heard before twists to what a vampire is capable of (It's a spoiler and would be an absolute give-away to the readers who are looking forward to reading it). Also, the vampires in this story are from original Dracul and that some how got me interested.
It is not about teens. Our heroine is a strong character in her 20s who has a job, is smart and always saves people (because of her gift to predict death) and that is a good change. Most of us, non-teenagers that is, can relate to this woman and her daily routine. Also, she does not have a compulsive obsessive disorder (COD) of placing herself in danger irrationally. She uses her brain to save people in a more intelligent way. At least most of the time. And, our heroine hates vampires. She doesn't believe in them and thinks the obsession with vampires is spoiling the creative industry. I like that. :)
Finally, the book has a vampire slayer too. A cute one at that. I like that too! :)
What Doesn't Work For The Book?
The conflict was not very convincing. The story started out with bodies of dead European girls being discovered in NY. And finally when you get to know why, you wonder why they could not have got it done with any American girl. Why the hassle of getting them from all over from Europe?? Also, vampires taking over entertainment industry??
The build-up to mystery was not enough. I, for one could guess who was the culprit from the moment he was introduced in the book (May be I am too smart! :P). It wasn't hard to guess given the circumstances.
The characters. Apart from the heroine and the vampire, I had a hard time warming up to others. Usually in a series like this, the reader should be cheering for one of the two heroes and who should the heroine end up with. Unfortunately that didn't happen. For an author who gave us memorable books like Princess Diaries, this was the least I expected.
Verdict
I would assume this is not the greatest of Meg Cabot's book. There are many things that I was not very happy with. Nevertheless, the major highlight is a unique vampire story that is NOT YA. And then, a combination of an extremely powerful vampire, a death-predicting human and a super-handsome vampire slayer definitely makes it worth a try! (less)
A good book but I enjoyed the previous two books - Hush Hush and Crescendo a lot more. This book compared to the other felt low key though there was a...moreA good book but I enjoyed the previous two books - Hush Hush and Crescendo a lot more. This book compared to the other felt low key though there was an opportunity to build a new love story between Patch and Nora. Patch came across as more mature and interesting and ofcourse, he was all so sexy. :) The book ended at a cliffhanger. i am not sure more books are in line but if they are, I wouldn't mind picking it up. (less)
This book built a nice plot to take the story a notch higher in to the mysteries of fallen angels. I liked the chemistry between all characters. The e...moreThis book built a nice plot to take the story a notch higher in to the mysteries of fallen angels. I liked the chemistry between all characters. The ending was heart-breaking to say the least. After all that Patch and Nora went through, the ending got me on the verge of tears. All in all a wonderful read. (less)
The book is about a young black man named Donte Drumm. An innocent man sentenced to death for kidnap, rape and murder of his high school friend. The a...moreThe book is about a young black man named Donte Drumm. An innocent man sentenced to death for kidnap, rape and murder of his high school friend. The actual murderer, a sexual assault criminal is out in open and doesn't bother to correct this error till a fatal brain tumor threatens to end his life pretty soon. Guilt forces him to confess it to a Minister who takes huge personal risks to reach to Donte's lawyers who could prevent the execution. A fast moving story, the book looks at three angles of such a cirminal trial - one, the victim and victim's family. Second, the accused and his family. Third, the whole circus of convicting and the death bed drama. So intensely has John Grisham described the pain, hopes, disappointment, tears and anger that is involved in a murder trial that you cannot help but feel deeply for every side of the story including the advocate Robbie. A very well knitted story, if you are anything like me, you would be reduced to tears as you go through Donte's pain. All in all, a very well written and must read book from John. As an aspiring author, it would be prudent to note how John manages to evoke reader's response by introducing excruciating details, letting actions speak and making the characters so much more human. In fact, this book should be read repeatedly to pick up the nuances of what makes a novel tick. In his own way, John created a interesting little tutorial for other writers.(less)
The only reason I gave a 2 star is because I love the series. But this book left me thoroughly disappointed. It felt as if it was written by force wit...moreThe only reason I gave a 2 star is because I love the series. But this book left me thoroughly disappointed. It felt as if it was written by force with no real feeling for the characters. All, except for Matt felt so fake and superficial. And the reason I liked Matt was because he was constantly portrayed as the all-giving sweet friend and always with humor. In fact, he looked like the real hero in the whole book.
Anyway, coming back to the point, I could not feel the book at all. I always enjoyed this series and it was because of the wonderful chemistry between the characters. Right from the beginning, I started disliking Elena but i was looking forward to see how her relationship with Stefan develops in Damon's absence and what happens when he comes back. By end of the book, I not only hated Elena, but Stefan and Damon too. And the plot looked so under-developed, I had half the mind to rewrite the story to make it better. I was not amused at all.
I do not recommend this book if you are looking to revive some of the vampire diaries magic. (less)
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