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Mackenzie rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
by Leigh Bardugo (Goodreads Author)

read in August, 2012

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Somewhere in a land called Ravka, where the kingdom has two kinds of army supporting its survival - a proper military force called First Army and a sorcery-based group called the Second Army, otherwise known as the Grisha - two orphans came to live a...more Somewhere in a land called Ravka, where the kingdom has two kinds of army supporting its survival - a proper military force called First Army and a sorcery-based group called the Second Army, otherwise known as the Grisha - two orphans came to live at a Duke's holding. One of them, Alina, is a plain-looking girl with a hidden gift. The other, Mal, is a sweet boy with a charming personality. Inseparable since childhood, the pair of best friends grew up to be strong teens in the war-torn land. They knew mostly hardships and took solace in each other's company.

One day as their regiment moves through a deadly zone called The Fold, a dark place filled with volcra, flesh-eating creatures that were born from a magician's greedy ambitions in the distant past, Alina and Mal discovered horrors that resulted in consequences beyond their expectations. Alina shows her hidden gift, receives the favor of the mysterious and alluring Darkling (a sorcerer, leader of the Grisha) and was whisked away from Mal's side and her unrequited crush for the boy who's tumbled with so many other girls.

The strength of Shadow And Bone lies in the fantastical setting that Bardugo created. Using inspirations from Russian culture, Bardugo built a world of magic and monsters, as well as a politically-charged structure of society, that reminds me of - dare I say it - the grandeur of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe. While it seems like Bardugo has only presented us with one facet - and merely the surface - of her Grisha universe, I have no doubt that there will be more to discover in the subsequent books of what is meant to be a trilogy.

In unveiling this world, Bardugo also developed her characters in a way that make us root for the heroine, Alina. What's delicious about Alina is that she is awkward throughout the story. There is not one moment where she doesn't sound like someone who has been yanked from a mundane existence and thrust into a world of adventure. Therefore, her observations of her surroundings sound very intriguing, as if she is learning things for herself (and on our behalf) but unable to decide whether she likes it or not. Her desperation comes through in various moments, not just when she literally spells it out for us in her first narration. She's by no means clueless and she does come into herself a little bit, but her voice is stable throughout the story - and that is, the voice of a stranger living in a weird world that she can barely understand. And this is the kind of voice I can very much relate to.

There are plenty of other things that Bardugo subtly brought forward in the story - and ones she not so subtly inserted, although I'm certainly not going to list them all in this review. For example, the issue of beauty. It is necessary for a Grisha to appear presentable court and there is 'magic' apparently that can alter a person's appearance. Alina is reluctant to use this sort of magic but she eventually relents out of necessity. To me, that is the kind of thing that sparks further thought about our own society. I believe we don't need make-up to look beautiful but I recognize the need of it in certain occasions. So what is the right answer? Aline didn't seem to know, neither do I. But it's one of those small things that nag at the back of my mind.

Thinky thoughts aside, the population of this story is rather colorful bunch. None of them is strictly good or bad, there are always grey areas, but the most curious one for me is the Apparat, the king's advisor who lurks in corners and stalks our heroine. His motive, journey and ending are unclear, which is why he immediately caught my attention and made me wish Bardugo would uncloak him further. That is not to be in this book, so I suppose this is another thing to look out for in the sequels.

Of the love triangle trope (because every young adult novel these days just HAVE TO have one), I would say it is disappointing in its complexities. Or should I say, severe lack thereof. It is my least favorite element of this story because, very clearly, we can see from the beginning to whom Alina's heart calls out. I wish Bardugo had dispensed with it altogether and focus on Alina's struggles to find herself in this world of hers.

Having said that, it is rather gratifying to see this theme of "we find our way back to each other" between Alina and Mal.

Fast-paced, bleak and intriguing, Leigh Bardugo's debut young adult novel is a delightful fantasy read that will also resonate with adult fantasy fans. But the book is hardly the multi-dimensional splendor of its counterparts in the pure fantasy category. Here's to hoping that Bardugo will expand and elaborate on her universe in upcoming books.(less)

Mackenzie rated a book 3 of 5 stars

172 Hours on the Moon
by Johan Harstad

read in June, 2012

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This is quite literally the creepiest book I've read this year. I struggle to rate it (because while the writing is good and it is an above-average suspense story, I hate it with a passion) and I struggle to review it (because all the things I want t...more This is quite literally the creepiest book I've read this year. I struggle to rate it (because while the writing is good and it is an above-average suspense story, I hate it with a passion) and I struggle to review it (because all the things I want to discuss are the things that freaked me out, so I would just like to forget about it.) This means, I suppose, Johan Harstad managed to get under my skin. That feat is worthy of applause... except I don't want to praise him too much for successfully making me stay awake, unable to sleep without the lights on, for almost two weeks.

A warning for future readers: this book is not really a sci-fi book. It's very much horror set in space.

It has a very good set-up. Harstad built the suspense early on by giving us a look into the protagonists' lives and showing us that they're not exactly cheerful, happy people. These protagonists - the three teenagers that would go on to become visitors on the moon - are not very sympathetic. They appear to be self-centered and self-absorbed, just like real teenagers are. Younger readers may be able to relate them to them, but adult readers can also remember what it was like to once be young and having plenty of angst inside them. And there was the old NASA man whose memories add to that sense of mystery surrounding the plot.

But that set-up takes a little too long to move forward, resulting in a rushed middle part and an even more rushed ending. In a way, this is good because well, who would want to prolong the horrors such as the one that exist in the book? But this pacing problem does reduce the thriller aspect of the story and it leaves readers with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. Its salvation comes in the mysteries' uncloaking by Harstad, whose theories of what the moon is truly about and what creatures inhabit Earth's natural satellite.

The conclusion, rushed as it was, is a proper horror ending. No one rides into the sunlight, no one gets a free pass by way of "she woke up from her sleep and found that all of it was nothing but a bad dream." There's not even a Transformer character - neither Autobot, nor Decepticon - to be had in this dark side of the moon. Just misery, plain and simple.

Upon finishing this book, I buried it under a ton of papers and files and used envelopes. I did my best to put it out of my sight. (In my life I've done this only to two other books: a leather-bound hardback edition of Edgar Allan Poe's complete works and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian.) I sat on my bed and shivered, wondering, "What if... what if that was real?" Trust me when I say that I honestly hope to God that none of it was. That Harstad is merely an author with an unruly imagination and a penchant for Ridley Scott's Alien-like tales in space. Because the alternative does not bear thinking about.(less)

Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

Whispers Under Ground (Peter Grant #3)
by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)

recommended for: urban fantasy fans, Harry Potter fans

read in July, 2012

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Probably my favorite of the three Peter Grant books by Ben Aaronovitch so far. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Mostly because there's plenty of Nightingale appearances here, and also because Peter has become a lot smarter. (His new f...more Probably my favorite of the three Peter Grant books by Ben Aaronovitch so far. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Mostly because there's plenty of Nightingale appearances here, and also because Peter has become a lot smarter. (His new friends are very exciting as well - particularly Kumar the BTP officer and Zach Palmer.)

And is it just or is Aaronovitch is just a massive fanboy? There were references to Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings, Doctor Who, Dungeons and Dragons, and plenty of other things. It also made me happy that the second chapter was named 'Baker Street', the name Sherlock Holmes cropped up a few times, and the cover actually contained the names of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. It even covered one of my current interests: modern art. Perfect.

As usual, the mystery was slow-burning, the investigation carried out in the proper 'policing manner'. Aaronovitch's humor becomes witter, but also subtler in that the jokes don't make me laugh outright but instead it makes me grin throughout the book (at one point, I was also hiding myself behind it because I was afraid people would think I was a loon.) And once more, the author came up with many quotable lines and paragraphs.

An anglophile would've been crazy not to read the Peter Grant series because this book has a very distinct 'British' voice. Some words, I didn't even understand when I read for the first time and had to look up on the Internet. Like the previous books, Whispers Under Ground is yet another scenic installment of the Peter Grant saga - the geography of the story is laid out very carefully and, I'd like to think, realistically. For get your A-to-Z - one could probably do a tour of London using these books as a guide.

(I do believe, however, the entire sewer scene would not help with the tourism. And I may have been entirely turned off from taking the tube.)

There are still so many things to say about this - I haven't even gushed about Nightingale yet, or complained about the typos and missing punctuation marks in my copies - but so far this is all I've got for Goodreads. A more complete review may come later (or not). But whether or not that happens, Aaronovitch's third novel in the Peter Grant series is not a disappointment.

Now, when is the fourth one coming out again?(less)

Mackenzie is on page 273 of 513 of The Enchantress: "Only a miracle will save you now."

"You know," came a new voice, filling the hallway, "I've been called many things in my life. But I've never been called a miracle before."

Standing alone in the center of the corridor was the American immortal Billy the Kid.

BILLY, I LOVE YOU. PLEASE DON'T STOP BEING AWESOME.

The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #6)
by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author)

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The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #6)
by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author)

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Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Snow White
by Jacob Grimm

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There are two fun ways to revisit an old classic that's been told since it was first published in a fairy tale collection by the Brothers Grimm in 1812: either you pick up a DVD and watch a film adaptation or you simply pick up the book and re-read t...more There are two fun ways to revisit an old classic that's been told since it was first published in a fairy tale collection by the Brothers Grimm in 1812: either you pick up a DVD and watch a film adaptation or you simply pick up the book and re-read the tale. A film may offer the more attractive package of beautiful and colorful visuals for maximum enjoyment, but now, thanks to artists like Camille Rose Garcia, classic
fairy tales can be just as enticingly gorgeous as their cinematic counterparts.

It is no secret that Snow White is fairy tale's It Girl this year. There are two screen adaptations of the story released this year and both merit a theatrical viewing at the cinema. But as far as we're concerned there's only one Snow White book worth reading (this year, at least). Not just because it has the unabridged Brothers Grimm text but also because of its distinct, unique and edgy illustration. With vivid colors and bold strikes, Garcia does in HarperCollins' illustrated Snow White what she once did in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland in 2010: to breathe new life into an oft-repeated tale that might have gone a little frayed around the edges.

The Evil Queen is properly evil and Snow White is decidedly snowy. The seven dwarfs may look the similar but they are not the same. And Garcia renders those adorable animals around Snow looking cute any sense of that toothache-inducing sweetness. Sure, Prince Charming could stand to borrow more of Armie Hammer or Sam Claflin's good looks but these beloved characters - who are quite removed from the beloved Disney 'toon of 1937 - take on new but recognizable shapes under Garcia's skilled handling.

The font is another triumph of the book. Alternating between enormous and tiny, it is arranged in a way that evokes the feeling of "old tales for the modern audience." Bearing in mind all the design elements, it is clearly not a challenge for us to delve into the bittersweet tension of the book and savor its happy ever after ending.

* This review is published in Total Film Indonesia magazine, issue 31, along with an exclusive interview with the book's illustrator, Camille Rose Garcia.

** READ THE Q&A WITH CAMILLE ROSE GARCIA (less)

Mackenzie rated a book 2 of 5 stars

The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks
by Josh Lanyon (Goodreads Author)

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Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers
by Marvel Comics

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There are three important things I learned from this thick, 300-something page book released by Marvel.

One. That the events in Louis Letterier's The Incredible Hulk film happened at the same time as the events in Iron Man 2 and Thor.

Two. The design...more

Mackenzie rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology
by Arthur Cotterell

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This book is a good source to start your research into not just Greek mythology but also other myths from around the world: Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Persian, Indian and Far Eastern.

For the Greek mythology section, it doesn't always provide a c...more

Mackenzie rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway and Other Stories
by John Taylor

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I don't usually 'read' audio books and I wouldn't even start listening to this one if it weren't for the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was reading it. The highlight of the entire work is, for me, Mr. Cumberbatch's excellent reading. I'm not even goi...more

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Mackenzie rated a book 4 of 5 stars Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1) by Leigh Bardugo (Goodreads Author) read in August, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Aug 24, 2012 04:43am · see review
Mackenzie rated a book 3 of 5 stars 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad read in June, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is quite literally the creepiest book I've read this year. I struggle to rate it (because while the writing is good and it is an above-average suspense story, I hate it with a passion) and I struggle to review it (because all the things I want t...more
Aug 08, 2012 02:37am · see review
Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars Whispers Under Ground (Peter Grant #3) by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author) recommended for: urban fantasy fans, Harry Potter fans read in July, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Probably my favorite of the three Peter Grant books by Ben Aaronovitch so far. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Mostly because there's plenty of Nightingale appearances here, and also because Peter has become a lot smarter. (His new f...more
Jul 12, 2012 12:51pm · see review
Mackenzie is on page 273 of 513 of The Enchantress: "Only a miracle will save you now." "You know," came a new voice, filling the hallway, "I've been called many things in my life. But I've never been called a miracle before." Standing alone in the center of the corridor was the American immortal Billy the Kid. BILLY, I LOVE YOU. PLEASE DON'T STOP BEING AWESOME. The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #6) by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author) progress:	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 02, 2012 08:10am · like · see status
Mackenzie is currently reading The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #6) by Michael Scott (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 02, 2012 07:15am
Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars Snow White by Jacob Grimm	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are two fun ways to revisit an old classic that's been told since it was first published in a fairy tale collection by the Brothers Grimm in 1812: either you pick up a DVD and watch a film adaptation or you simply pick up the book and re-read t...more
May 29, 2012 02:34pm · see review
Mackenzie rated a book 2 of 5 stars The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks by Josh Lanyon (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 24, 2012 04:12pm
Mackenzie rated a book 5 of 5 stars Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers by Marvel Comics	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are three important things I learned from this thick, 300-something page book released by Marvel. One. That the events in Louis Letterier's The Incredible Hulk film happened at the same time as the events in Iron Man 2 and Thor. Two. The design...more
May 24, 2012 08:56am · see review
Mackenzie rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology by Arthur Cotterell	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This book is a good source to start your research into not just Greek mythology but also other myths from around the world: Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Persian, Indian and Far Eastern. For the Greek mythology section, it doesn't always provide a c...more
Mar 30, 2012 12:13pm · see review
Mackenzie rated a book 4 of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway and Other Stories by John Taylor	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I don't usually 'read' audio books and I wouldn't even start listening to this one if it weren't for the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was reading it. The highlight of the entire work is, for me, Mr. Cumberbatch's excellent reading. I'm not even goi...more
Mar 24, 2012 08:23am · see review

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