Ricky Pine's Blog, page 107

Review: Ghost Story

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While Changes brought pretty much the highest stakes Harry Dresden ever faced, bouncing back from that book's infamous cliffhanger is a whole other challenge, one to which Harry rises magnificently...even without his powers for a good chunk of this book. It's a bit bigger than any of the previous Dresden Files books, and foreshadows Butcher's days of making his books so big he can barely put one out every two years, and he's become so slow...

Review: The Lovely Reckless

The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It's a little hard to believe that this is from the same author as Beautiful Creatures and the rest of the Caster Chronicles 'verse, and the still-unfinished Legion trilogy. It's a little something completely different for Kami Garcia, and it carries a similar "I want to keep going" addictive prose...but unfortunately, it fails to deliver characters I can care about to go along for the ride. I'm at a loss to see what possessed Garci...

Review: Hellfighters

Hellfighters by Alexander Gordon Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book in Alexander Gordon Smith's devilish little trilogy got off to a pretty good start, but the sequel improves on its predecessor so very much. While the first book was brought down a bit for me by the romantic elements not eliciting so much interest, this book is all action, all the time. It's a rip-roaring, pure-hellfire adrenaline rush on the level of Fury Road, with the usual Darren Shan-esque levels of horror we...

Review: The Diabolic

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here we have something a little different from S.J. Kincaid - another futuristic sci-fi tale, but with a bit of a fantasy twist, centering on imperial court dealings and backstabbings in a space-opera setting. It's not as quick and easy to get into as Insignia and its sequels, but The Diabolic does live up to the Kincaid hype with its compelling lead character, the titular engineered assassin, and the pulse-pounding action and suspense al...

Rogue One: The Dark Side Of The Rebellion

***THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW.***

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Ever wonder how, exactly, the Alliance was able to steal the Death Star plans that Princess Leia uploaded into R2-D2, thus setting in motion the events of A New Hope?

Now you have your answer, and it's a surprisingly dark, gritty answer.

Welcome, Rebels, to the first Star Wars Anthology movie: Rogue One.

"I am one with the Force, the Force is with me."
The title alone has so many meanings - referring to the...

Review: My Sister Rosa

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first attempt at reading a Justine Larbalestier book, Razorhurst, didn't really impress me...but My Sister Rosa is truly something else.

Much of the story centers on Che, who fulfills a fish-out-of-water protagonist role as an Aussie freshly moved to New York. Right away, he starts trying to make friends (though he continues to text his old friends back home in Sydney), and soon finds himself part of a very diverse social circ...

Review: Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If this is well and truly a standalone book, that's a crying shame.

In Heartless, Marissa Meyer does another retelling, something completely different from the sci-fi future of The Lunar Chronicles - a lovely little origin story for the Queen of Hearts, with additional influence from Poe's Raven for good measure. It's a dark, twisted tale of love and heartbreak and a king who just doesn't understand when his feelings are unrequited, because...

Review: The Sound of Seas

The Sound of Seas by Gillian Anderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm sorry to report that while the first two books in Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin's trilogy managed to deliver surprisingly good adventures, the finale caps things off in a slipshod, disjointed fashion. It splits its story too many ways to count, doesn't focus enough on the main plot with Anderson's obvious Author Avatar Caitlin O'Hara (I hear she narrates the audiobooks too, of course), and overall feels like it's throwing u...

Review: Wax

Wax by Gina Damico
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gina Damico is a go-to source of kooky YA horror-comedy fun, and her latest, Wax, is no exception.

While the book does suffer from a long and muddled beginning (particularly in terms of protagonist Poppy's backstory, which feels a little more convoluted than it should be), Damico gamely delivers on atmosphere to keep the reader interested. Naturally, said atmosphere is poisoned by the stench of overly scented candles, this book being set in a small...

Review: Rebel Spring

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another Falling Kingdoms book for the list. Like its predecessor, Rebel Spring is loaded for bear with high-fantasy magic and court politics and the occasional ultraviolence - some of which stem from rebel activity. I only wish there was more of that rebel activity - in the first book, I thought the biggest flaw was not enough focus on Jonas, and that problem continues for me in Book 2. Though there's more of Jonas and his perspective, i...