I have only a vague idea what it's about. But it's by Sanderson, so *cue droning robot voice* . . . I will read it. IPre-read reaction, October 2011:
I have only a vague idea what it's about. But it's by Sanderson, so *cue droning robot voice* . . . I will read it. I must read it.
Now:
If an author came to me and said: "I have a great idea for a magic system. These guys called Rithmatists draw in chalk on the ground, and their chalk drawings have power. They can draw chalklings, which can be given instructions. Some chalklings can actually injure people, especially the wild chalklings. Those guys are dangerous!" I would tell this author: "Have you lost your mind? Chalk bad guys? Ooooh scary. I'm shaking in my boots here. Oh wait, I'm actually not. And I'm also not wearing boots—cause it's summer."
And I would be wrong.
Joel, the main character, has always wished he were a Rithmatist, although he knows he can't be. He's studied Rithmatic lines and knows more about them than many Rithmatists. So when a few Rithmatists are kidnapped, Joel inserts himself into the investigation and proves helpful.
The kidnapping mystery, though interesting, wasn't even the best part of the book. And I don't believe there was enough information given to the reader (at least not for this reader) to figure out what was going on before everything was revealed toward the end. I would have preferred to have a chance at guessing the ending. But that's fine; I still loved the book. The ending did a good job of tying up all the threads in the story, and introducing a new thread to be explored in a sequel.
Throughout the book, without overwhelming the reader, Sanderson presents Rithmatic principles that help us understand his magic system in better detail. the book includes renderings of some Rithmatic defenses, as well as chalklings drawn by some of the Rithmatist characters. While I imagine some people might flip right past the renderings (which I don't think would make the book any less enjoyable), I examined each one. Sanderson put so much thought and detail into this magic system that I couldn't help being dragged along for the ride.
Even before reading this book, I was a fan of Sanderson's. Now I'm just awed....more
I went into this book thinking it would be young adult science fiction, which is a genre I love. It was. But it was also a romanParallel blew my mind.
I went into this book thinking it would be young adult science fiction, which is a genre I love. It was. But it was also a romance novel that was both heart-breaking and heart-mending. I stayed up all night to finish this book because I had to know that Abby would find her soulmate in the end.
The primary complication to Abby's love life is the fact that her world collided with a parallel one a year ago. As a result, her present state is determined by choices her parallel self made in the past. Unfortunately, Abby suspects that her parallel self isn't exactly like her, so her parallel's choices don't always land Abby where she wants to be. She fears that one day she'll wake up and her love life will have been rewritten, and she'll be the only one who remembers how things are supposed to be. In the end, will she find her soulmate regardless of the path she's on?
It was 1:00 in the morning, and I was just about to put this book down after promising myself I would do so an hour earlier. Then this happened:
Yep, Parallel ripped my heart out and crushed it. So I had to keep reading until I finished the book, fighting with myself not to flip to the end to make sure everything was going to be okay.
Luckily, at the the conclusion, I was here:
Otherwise . . . well, let's just say I had a plan to hunt down and harass author Lauren Miller until she rewrote the ending. Lucky for her, I was more than satisfied.
I don't think all readers will enjoy the science babble explaining the entanglement of two parallel worlds. Personally, I thought this was a pretty cool aspect of the book. But even those who get a giant headache from the science babble can still enjoy the intensity of feelings that Abby has for her boyfriend—and that Abby's parallel has for her boyfriend.
The one thing I didn't absolutely love love love about Parallel is that I think I found a small glitch in the rubber science. If Abby and everyone in her world are getting the memories of their parallels, as theorized, then their parallels shouldn't be able to affect their physical properties. Abby shouldn't have scars from her parallel's injuries, and she shouldn't be in Connecticut just because her parallel went there instead of moving to California. This little glitch bothered me a bit. But you know what, Parallel? I still love you.
Most of my favorite books are action-heavy fantasy and science fiction novels. Parallel is now added to my favorites as one of the few romance novels I absolutely adored. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to young adult science fiction readers who like romance, as well as to contemporary romance readers. Just be prepared to put your heart on the line.
Thanks to HarperCollins for the free ARC of this title, provided through Edelweiss.
This book was truly marvelous, even better than the first.
A thing to keep in mind when undertaking the reading of The Name of the Wind or The Wise ManThis book was truly marvelous, even better than the first.
A thing to keep in mind when undertaking the reading of The Name of the Wind or The Wise Man's Fear is that these are not your everyday fantasy novels. Throughout these two books, much emphasis is given to the idea of a well-told story. The characters regularly tell each other stories, and Kvothe in particular prides himself on being an excellent story-teller.
Kvothe's story, as told in The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, is much like many of the stories told by the characters within. It is a beautiful tale that encourages you to enjoy the journey, instead of focusing only on the end goal. Most books are highways, straight and true, with perhaps a bit of character development from side to side along the way. The Wise Man's Fear is a path through the mountains; it meanders. But there's definitely more to see as you travel, and if you're suited for the journey, it's loads more exciting than a boring old highway.
Kvothe's goal is to find the Chandrian, but unfortunately for Kvothe, the Chandrian are a great mystery. So while the end goal remains the same throughout, we witness Kvothe's life as it progresses. And Kvothe has a very interesting life, including adventure upon adventure, and resulting in Kvothe's ultimate notoriety.
The Wise Man's Fear includes masterful characterization and many many stories within the story. As Kvothe seeks the Chandrian, he repeatedly runs into trouble. His sharp and curious mind encourage him to learn, while also encouraging him to shoot his mouth off imprudently at inopportune moments.
If you're looking for your typical novel in which the protagonist makes noticeable strides toward his goal at every turn, then this may not be the story for you. (Also, if that is the case, then I regret that you are stuck in your little close-minded box.) On the other hand, if you are a true lover of stories, and you might enjoy a beautifully told tale of a marvelously fascinating young man who meets a new adventure at every turn, then read this book right away!
The Wise Man's Fear has earned a place on my "favorites" shelf....more
Kristin Cashore created a gorgeous world in this book. Unfortunately, the main character and I did not get along, so my overall impression of the bookKristin Cashore created a gorgeous world in this book. Unfortunately, the main character and I did not get along, so my overall impression of the book is not positive. In short, I found the main character to be a whiny brat, and because of that, I ended up only skimming the final 20% of the story.
Granted, she may have been a brat the entire book, but for much of the time I was blinded by the lovely world the author, Kristin Cashore, created. Toward the end, the main character became irrational, on top of being a brat. "No, don't look at me; I'm too beautiful." "I can't look at you because I'm afraid you will die." "No, I cannot go on! I am too beautiful." And so on, and so forth.
I enjoyed the introduction to the world toward the beginning of the book. The world contains regular people and animals, and it also contains "monsters." Monsters are beautiful, colorful versions of other animals. They have the power to delve into people's minds to entrance and control them. Fire, the main character, is the only living human monster. Thus, she is beyond lovely, and she senses people's thoughts and feelings.
At the beginning of the book, Fire is on the farm where she was raised. We meet her and her adoptive family. And then she travels to King's City. The journey was tad dull but not so long that I began to pull my hair out. King's city presents some interesting new issues. There, Fire has to deal with being around many more people, most of whom have some strong reaction to her monstrousness. Some are immediately smitten. Others want to rape and/or kill her. That was fun and interesting; I liked seeing her getting acclimated to the city.
Then Fire is drawn into a war. There's lots of war-planning going on. (Not my thing.) Fire falls in love. The romance was interesting for about four seconds, until Fire decides that she is too beautiful to love, and that her man is in too much danger for her to love him. That was the last 25% of the book: "No, don't look at me. I'm pretty! You'll die, and then I'll be sad but still really really pretty!" And so on, and so forth.
I really enjoyed Graceling, the first book in this series. I kind of wish I had never started this one. Although there are wonderful things about it, I wish I'd left myself with the impression of the first one. I most likely won't continue to the third book....more
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, there were some really great things about it. For example, the fantasy world was fully formedI have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, there were some really great things about it. For example, the fantasy world was fully formed and described, and the main character was a highly-entertaining, unapologetic liar and confidence man. But on the other hand, some things just did not work for me. For example, I felt bogged down in the numerous and overly thorough descriptions of the world. And the fantasy elements were too sparse for my taste.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is a story about a confidence gang that happens to exist in a fantasy setting. Outside of the world itself, the only remnant of fantasy found in this book a single character who is a Bondmage (i.e., sorcerer bad-guy dude). The Bondmage makes the gang's plans rather difficult to carry out. The Bondmage was fun, in an evil bad-guy sort of way, and I appreciated his presence in the story.
Other than the Bondmage, the fantastical elements of the story were nothing more than a backdrop. I found this quite frustrating, because the fantasy backdrop was amazing, and I wanted so badly for it to be relevant. The land in which the story took place had been previously inhabited by some alien beings, who left their alien buildings behind. Also, lots of lighting and nature described in the book were provided by "alchemical" means. But these fantastical elements were never integrated into the plot. Rather, they were simply things for the author to describe--in great detail through which the reader must suffer despite the lack of direct relation to the story. While reading, I eventually wished that the world was a little less fantastical, so that I wouldn't have to hear about it all the time. I found myself skimming over descriptions in order to get back to the story.
Let us now pretend that this book was about two-thirds a long as it actually was, and all the superfluous, irrelevant world description has been excised from the text. . . . I liked the story. It wasn't really a fantasy story, but I liked it nonetheless.
Locke Lamora is a likable, flawed character. I loved the idea of his being a priest of the Nameless Thirteenth god, of whom the other Twelve gods are ashamed. The Nameless Thirteenth is the Crooked Warden, the God of Thieves. Love that! As a priest of the Nameless Thirteenth, Locke was able (to my great amusement) to justify his dubious actions by asserting his devotion to the will of the Crooked Warden!
Locke Lamora always had another trick up his sleeve. He devised plots to steal money from the nobility and to squeeze himself and his gang out of tight spots. And when tragedy struck, he turned his attentions to plans of revenge. It really is a wonderful story, and Locke is a wonderful character.
Despite the things I liked about this book, I do not see myself reading any other books in the Gentleman Bastards series. I simply do not look forward to suffering any more descriptions of that world....more
I'm a sucker for good writing, and in my opinion, the writing in this book is excellent. Varied and vivid verb choices, great word-painting, and a uniI'm a sucker for good writing, and in my opinion, the writing in this book is excellent. Varied and vivid verb choices, great word-painting, and a unique narrative voice appropriate for the fourteen-year-old narrator. I am floored.
Action-junkies may not love this book as much as I did because it was definitely a slow burn. At its heart, it was a murder mystery, and plenty of groundwork was laid. I actually enjoyed all the groundwork because the narrative voice always kept it fun and light. Even without constant action, all the story-building seemed completely necessary and never felt like too much to me.
Another thing I loved about this book is that the young adult characters were intelligent and (mostly) rational. I feel that too many YA books are built on characters that are irrational--as if being a teen means you can't have common sense. That wasn't the case here. The kids were smart--really smart. While their choices were reckless, they were mostly logical. The one exception happened toward the end, when they mishandled evidence in a way that was uncharacteristic given their history of logical choices up to that point.
I was hoping to give this book five stars. Sadly, toward the end, there were some twists that didn't have enough groundwork. And too many revelations came in traditional and cliche bad-guy-tells-all-before-killing-good-guy moments that led to some eye-rolling on my part.
(Also, it should be noted that this book is borderline middle-grade.)...more
April 2, 2012: This sounds like an original and romantic concept. I'm gonna need this now.
July 25, 2013: I got it from NetGalley. Thank you, Disney HyApril 2, 2012: This sounds like an original and romantic concept. I'm gonna need this now.
July 25, 2013: I got it from NetGalley. Thank you, Disney Hyperion! My precious...
May 11, 2014: I finally got around to reading this book, which I was super excited about. I liked it. The only comment I really want to make here is about its "young adult" categorization. Yes, the main characters are teenagers. However, the story would have worked just as well if they had been in their mid-twenties. Perhaps it would have worked even better, given that the characters' backstories would have been more believable had they been older. Nothing about their personalities or life situations suggested young adult to me. In fact, most times one of their ages was mentioned, I thought something like: "Oh, that's right. They're teenagers."...more
When the story opens, we find the main character, Em, held captive in a cell, staring at a drain. This may sound dull,I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
When the story opens, we find the main character, Em, held captive in a cell, staring at a drain. This may sound dull, but I found the tension to be wonderfully done. As captive, held in a dark room, Em found something to obsess about. It was dark and psychological, and I was immediately hooked. Then she finds a message that a prior version of herself left for her, saying she has to kill him.
Em goes back in time to do as the note says. I figured out pretty much right away who Em goes back in time to kill, but that's fine. I don't think it was meant to be a big secret. I was still invested in the story and in watching it unravel.
You won't find any Mary Sues here. Em was conflicted every step of the way. She was a good person, on a mission to do a bad thing. I found her struggle with her task to be both believable and compelling.
This book had just the right amount of romance--enough that I could latch onto it and root for it, but not so much that I got frustrated with the emphasis on romance as opposed to important, world-saving tasks. I found Em's love interest, Finn, to be likable in both his past and future selves. He was loyal and considerate, but tough enough to give Em a kick in the pants when she needed it.
I will admit though: On a couple occasions, I referred to Finn in my head as "cool Peeta." He has some similarities to Peeta from the Hunger Games, but I liked Finn better. Finn and Peeta are both blond, and both play sidekick to their love interests. But Finn was plenty kick-ass on his own, hence the "cool" label even though I found myself comparing him to a character in a different book.
I think it's a given with a serious time travel story that there will be paradoxes. All Our Yesterdays does a solid job of laying the groundwork with respect to how paradoxes are handled. And this groundwork starts early in the story, which adds some credibility to the resolution of paradoxes after the book's conclusion. I appreciate that.
An excellent book. One of my favorite reads of 2013! I'll be looking for more work by Cristin Terrill.
My thanks to Disney Hyperion for the free review copy.
Nit-Picking Alert!
A couple little things seemed a bit too easy, but they didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel. So I'm adding them to my review only as footnotes.
1. Finn was able to set the time machine to show a false date because he "knew a code." As a former programmer, I have yet to see a standard code that can simply be entered into an unknown program (specifically, a program heavily guarded and which must therefore have some kind of digital security, having been built by a genius and all) from the graphical user interface, in the span of only a few seconds, to make the program provide false information. A little farfetched.
2. There's a lot of chatter about how time is sentient and resolves its paradoxes. The characters were willing to go back in time and kill someone, thus creating a shit-ton of paradoxes (which would be resolved by sentient time), but they had to wait until a certain date because any date prior to that would create too big a paradox. This seemed like a bit of a cop-out way to pick a date that would create some sense of urgency, as opposed to, say, killing the guy two days earlier in a more relaxed timeframe.
3. I'm not convinced the time paradoxes created in the climax scene would have resolved themselves the way they did. But I guess there were a lot ways that could have gone....more
I wanted a book about time travel, about changing the past and the future, and about some sort of time machineThis book wasn't what I was looking for.
I wanted a book about time travel, about changing the past and the future, and about some sort of time machine device. That's what I was expecting based on the cover and the description. And yes, I got that, but I also got a lot of ruminations on how time travel works, how it affects the world, and how it affects Dan. This book is full of lots and lots of internal monologue. Not much action. Not even much time travel, when compared to the amount of thinking that goes on.
A very large portion of that thinking was with respect to sexuality. If that's what you're in the mood for, then yeah, read the book. But it didn't meet my expectations, and that is reflected by my rating.
And now, I have to give you the spoiler tag . . .
(view spoiler)[The main character, Dan, goes backward and forward in time enough, and returns to the same places enough, that he encounters himself a lot. At first that was interesting. Then the the book took a turn that was odd for me, when he has sex with himself. Not just once, mind you; he repeatedly has sex with himself. Seduces younger versions of himself. Has orgies with multiple copies himself.
Then he changes enough about the world that, in at least one variant, he was born as a woman. And you guessed it; he has sex with her. He spends some time thinking about how sex with his female self is different from sex with his male self.
Although I was a tad uncomfortable with the repeated sex-with-himself, I could maybe accept that there might be a natural curiosity there. I would have been fine with it had it not continued on and on and on. It got a little . . . weird. (hide spoiler)]...more
Vicious was so incredibly refreshing. It was everything I hoped it would be.
When the story opens, Victor and his buddies are digging up a grave. And tVicious was so incredibly refreshing. It was everything I hoped it would be.
When the story opens, Victor and his buddies are digging up a grave. And their task has something to do with getting Eli's attention. As far as I'm concerned, a story that starts like that--death and mystery right from the start--skyrockets my expectations. And, lucky for me, it never disappointed.
Victor and Eli both became EOs (ExtraOrdinaries) when they were best friends in college, thanks to some dangerous experimentation they performed on themselves. Years after college, they are on opposite sides. In a way, it's a classic story--two friends who become enemies. One of them is viewed as a hero, and the other wants to take the hero down. What's wonderful about this story is that neither is a hero. They have their own agendas, and they'll get rid of anyone who tries to stop them.
By the end of the book, I knew these main characters. I understood them. Eli: the one who thinks he's on a mission to save the world from EOs. And Victor: who has his own reasons for trying to stop Eli. You know that saying about how "power corrupts"? How about the one saying that great power means "great responsibility"? Well, both of these men feel they have responsibilities, and both are thoroughly corrupted. The result is something dark, and twisted, and beautiful.
I will almost certainly pick up another book by Schwab.
Footnote: Some folks have this shelved as young adult. This is not a young adult book--not even a little. It's not a new adult book either. There are some scenes that take place while the main characters are in college, but even those few scenes have an adult vibe to them....more
This is the first book that I have ever reviewed without first having finished reading the book. I think 44% is enough to make a fair jApril 25, 2011:
This is the first book that I have ever reviewed without first having finished reading the book. I think 44% is enough to make a fair judgment. I made it 44% through Hyperion before asking Amazon for a refund, and thus, with great relief, removing this book entirely from my Kindle library. I wish I could remove it from all existence, but alas, I cannot.
Hyperion was slow.
Seven pilgrims are on a pilgrimage to see the Shrike on planet Hyperion. The Shrike is some kind of immortal entity with spikes coming our of his body, who grants wishes sometimes and slaughters people in bloody fashion at other times. As the pilgrims travel to see the Shrike, each tells his or her story of a previous encounter on Hyperion and with the Shrike. I read two of the stories in full and most of a third story.
As the book proceeds, we hear about the journey to Hyperion, what the surface of the planet looks like, and the transport vehicles that are used to move the pilgrims around the surface. It's all very pretty, but there's nothing actually happening. And each pilgrim's story, while perhaps interesting, just takes us away from the current events. I kept waiting for something to actually happen.
Hyperion was disturbing.
What I learned in the pilgrims' stories that I read is that the Shrike is quite scary. He apparently impales people, body and soul, on some kind of tree when he doesn't grant an asked wish. He slices one lady open from head to toe when she is on the brink of an orgasm. (That was a particularly touching scene.) So he's pretty much all flowers, candy, and rainbows.
Main points of the pilgrims' stories: (view spoiler)[The first pilgrim's story revolves around some kind of cruciform-shaped parasitic being that forces people to remain alive even when death might be preferred. In the second story, a soldier has frequent sex-capades with a twisted monster. (hide spoiler)] And in the third story, one of the pilgrims travelling to see the Shrike decides that this lovely immortal being with the soul-impaling tree is his muse.
Hyperion was certainly fascinating. Given a different atmosphere or at a different point in my life, perhaps I might have finished this book. But in this time and in this place, I simply could not stomach it.
I could write more about how much I disliked this book, but I'd prefer to just pretend that it does not exist. I did not like this book at all.
Update on April 7, 2014: I finally finished this book. The review for my complete read-through is here....more
Updated Review: This book has been edited since I originally reviewed it. Since future readers will be reading the newly edited version, it seems onlyUpdated Review: This book has been edited since I originally reviewed it. Since future readers will be reading the newly edited version, it seems only fair that I revise this review to be based on that new version.
First of all, let me say something about the story. I definitely found some good stuff there. And now that the editing is improved, I'm not afraid to recommend this book to some people. The author had a unique take on vampires and witches, and there was an original conflict in the romance around which the book centered.
I originally made it 64% of the way through this book. I stopped reading because the editing needed a lot of work, to the point that I was unable to enjoy the book. Additionally, I felt that the book included a lot of telling. It appears that the newly edited version has significantly improved editing. Still, there is too much telling involved for me to get into the story--telling what the characters are thinking or feeling instead of showing with their actions and their words.
For example, an unreasonably large number of the dialog lines were followed by something like "so-and-so said, WANTING to express that she blah-blah-blah" or "NOT WANTING such-and-such." I began to expect that "wanting" or "not wanting" line every time someone spoke, and I wish the author could have found a way to express characters' desires without flat-out telling these feelings. It created a sort of sing-songy repetition of sentence structure, while at the same time expressing details that would be better expressed with more dialog, action, or character body language. With all the telling in this book, it was difficult for me to get lost in the story.
There was also quite a bit of head-hopping. Whenever more than one of the main four characters was a single scene, the point-of-view jumped from character to character without warning. It was jarring, unfocused, and a little messy.
I've increased my rating from one star to two stars for the improved editing....more
Fire Baptized is an action-packed, sexy, murder mystery. There wasn't a moment in the book when I wasn't completely engaged. Lanore commanded my attenFire Baptized is an action-packed, sexy, murder mystery. There wasn't a moment in the book when I wasn't completely engaged. Lanore commanded my attention.
The habitat is is a caged space where humans force supernaturals to live. Lanore is a Mixbreed, born of two different supernatural species. Like other Mixbreeds, she is an outcast among supernaturals, even within a city full of supernaturals cast out of the human world. As you can see from the cover art, Lanore's power is pyrokinesis. She creates and controls fire with her body.
The first chapter is one large action sequence, which will appeal to you action lovers out there. Personally, I would have preferred a little time to breathe, but some might say that breathing is a bit overrated.
Lanore witnesses a bloody murder committed by a supernatural killer. The bulk of the book is dedicated to Lanore's investigating the murder mystery. There are so many things that are fun about this book. It's an old-fashioned murder mystery with a new twist, and the primary investigator is a witty, fire-throwing rebel with two sexy guys close at her heels. Speaking of the guys, there are a couple of hot romantic moments in here, which definitely ups the fun the level yet another notch.
An exciting read, yes, but this book also touches some serious issues. There's the whole bloody murder thing and chopped up body parts. But there are also issues of equality among members of humanity (or . . . um, supernaturals). The world that Kenya has created is full and complex, where Purebloods rule and Mixies sit in the back of clubs and use Mixbreed-designated restrooms. I'm excited for the next book, to see what else will happen in this amazing world.
Read this book or Lanore will set you on fire. (You may have to read it to get that joke.)...more
Most of the way through, I planned to give this book three stars. But I loved the last 20% or so, and a good ending leaves me with a good final impresMost of the way through, I planned to give this book three stars. But I loved the last 20% or so, and a good ending leaves me with a good final impressions. So 3.5 stars is more appropriate.
What I liked: (1) The Fever world is awesome and fully fleshed out. It was great to go back to it. (2) The climax scene was awesome. It did a great job of tying together a number of elements that were threaded through the story. It had just the right balance of victory and loss. (3) Christian MacKeltar. He continues the transition he started at the end of the original Fever series. His POV was wonderful, dark, and conflicted. And sexy.
What I didn't like: (1) Iced is heavy on the internal monologue. There are entire scenes filled with characters' thoughts and little else. This is dull for me. Further, it puts an emphasis on telling over showing, which . . . is dull for me. I would have preferred action, or at least dialog, to show me all these thoughts. For example, instead of telling me about sexual acts after the fact, give me a damn sex scene. That would have been a lot more interesting.
To top it off, the internal monologue was repetitive. Dani didn't grow as a person throughout the entire book. As a result, her internal monologue is largely the same thoughout. She rambles on and on about how completely and totally Mega she is. It got old.
(2) In the first 40% or so of the book, events of the book are slow and repetitive. Things get iced. At each new incident, Dani and Ryodan investigate. Each icing site is pretty much the same.
(3) I had a serious problem with grown-ass men lusting after 14-year-old Dani. She is totally allowed to think about sex and even to fantasize about these men. But I found it distasteful that grown men hover around Dani, allegedly waiting for her to grow up. Dude, if you're thinking about her that way, that's not "waiting." If you are making sexual suggestions for everyone in the room to laugh at (except Dani, who is oblivious), that is just creepy.
(4) Dani's voice was annoying at first. But I got used to it. All the "fecks" and the "feckings" and repeatedly telling us how awesome she thinks she is. Yes, I get it! She is a kid who is dying to be important in a world that needs heroes. No need to bash me over the head with it.
(5) Ryodan. On top of his being attracted to a 14-year-old (whom he's been watching since she was 9), this guy is just a total ass. He went out of his way to make Dani subservient. On the one hand, he appears to admire her. On the other hand, he breaks her down over and over again. Multiple times, he knowingly and purposely caused her injury. He caged her even though he knows that she has a traumatic history with cages. Plus, he screws women and throws them away, unapologetically.
This guy is not a future love interest for you, Dani. Run. Run now.
(6) Mac and Barrons weren't around nearly enough....more
George R.R. Martin must be a fascinating guy. Between all the incest and the lack of qualms when it comes to the killing or injuring of well-liked chaGeorge R.R. Martin must be a fascinating guy. Between all the incest and the lack of qualms when it comes to the killing or injuring of well-liked characters, this guy is downright heartless . . . or just really imaginative and true to his vision! I do not recommend reading this book if you are one of those people who expects your favorite characters to eventually find happiness. There is no happiness here.
On the other hand, A Game of Thrones was astoundingly good. The writing style was phenomenal. Even the word choices gave me a feeling of being in a another time or place, in which knights battle to the death in their highly-ornamented suits of armor, while dragons and zombies fight their own battles in other parts of the world. I felt the icy cold of the Wall, the warm cold of home in Winterfell, and the heartless warmth of King's Landing. I think it might be hard not to feel something while reading A Game of Thrones.
I didn't understand the title before I picked up the book, but after having finished the book, I have to admit that the title is perfection. As the book opens, there is at least one conspiracy to take the throne. As the book progresses, it becomes unclear to various characters who has a right to the throne. Various houses and groups rally around leaders, and in the end, there appear to be a number of claims to a number of thrones. It's a marvelous game the players play, a game of thrones!
In most of my reviews, I say something about the characterization of the main character. In A Game of Thrones, there are many main characters, and each one is beautifully characterized. I understand every one's motivations and desires. I know what drives them, and I desperately want them all to achieve their aims.
I almost gave this book four stars. Frankly, Daenerys's apparent partial loss of her sanity (in my opinion) toward the end of the book threw me for quite a loop. The last few Dany chapters were just odd. And unfortunately, they were so close to the end of the book that I didn't have much chance to let go of the bad taste they left in mouth. So I initially planned to give this book four stars. But after taking several minutes to reflect, I felt the need to come back and change this star-rating to five stars, as it should be.
I can't recall the last time I was this into a book. Wow, this was awesome. This may be my favorite book that I've read so far this year--definitely tI can't recall the last time I was this into a book. Wow, this was awesome. This may be my favorite book that I've read so far this year--definitely top two, maybe top one. There's so much originality in this book. It was like a breath of fresh air with respect to paranormal romance.
We have Mitch and we have Eden. And as you can guess from the title, at least one of them has a little Jekyll/Hyde problem. They both have strong, well-defined personalities. Immediately, they don't like each other. At the same time, I immediately wanted them to suck it up and fall in love.
The writing was great. Most notably, phenomenal sex scenes! (I'll have to go back and reread those scenes.)
The Clinic is toying with their lives--doing some sort of experimentation with them. Mitch and Eden don't know who they can trust; they certainly can't trust each other . . . since they hate each other and all. Yet, they are inexplicably drawn to each other. The Jekyll/Hyde transformations just make things more complicated, and it looks like some murders may have been committed by a Hyde.
And in the midst of all that, there's a romance brewing, and I was completely invested in it. I was interested every step of the way, and I can't wait for the second book....more
This was one of my favorite reads of 2014. (I read an advance reader copy in November.)
Mare lives in aGot it from Edelweiss. Thank you, HarperCollins!
This was one of my favorite reads of 2014. (I read an advance reader copy in November.)
Mare lives in a world of Reds and Silvers, where those with red blood are second-class citizens to the Silvers, who have special powers. In a desperate situation, Mare discovers she has a power of her own, despite the fact that she's Red.
One of things I loved about this book is that it never became what I expected it to be. Early in the story, Mare meets a Silver prince, and I thought the story would turn into a fairy tale type of love story. But instead, Mare becomes torn between two princes, both of whom give her plenty of reason to have reservations, and both of whom are Silvers in a time when the Reds are on the verge of rebellion. There is no fairy tale here. There is no Prince Charming, and I loved that.
I also loved Mare as a character. She manages to be strong and proactive without being too snarky or reckless. She thinks things through and makes rational decisions based on her goal to free the Reds from the oppressive Silvers. Her decisions don't always have predictable results, and that makes the story even better. She has fears and goals and passions, and she does the best she can to reconcile them in a world where her people are oppressed. I truly saw her as a whole person, and I appreciated that.
I also appreciated the plot. After a slow start, it remained fast paced and focused on the Reds-versus-Silver issue. The romantic subplots got their due attention but didn't overwhelm the more urgent matters. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Red rebellion proceeds, but I'm also looking forward to Mare's romantic future.
I give the content four stars. I enjoyed this book immensely. In fact, I spent most of my Saturday reading it, which is saying a lot because I generalI give the content four stars. I enjoyed this book immensely. In fact, I spent most of my Saturday reading it, which is saying a lot because I generally have a very short attention span. There was a lot to like about it: a beautiful and original fantasy world, a great main character, and a solid plot. But I'd like to detract half a star for the typos. I'm not saying they were on every page. But I accept a maximum of three typos per book without being annoyed; this one had more like thirty.
In the fantasy world of this book, magic is provided by sigils. Each sigil provides its bearer with its corresponding power, which may be related to war, truth, energy, illusion, healing, or charm. Sigils can be purchased in the form of artifacts, but these purchased sigils are weak. A strong sigil, a "living" sigil, is granted by the gods and worn on the body. The main character Aisha is granted none of the well-known six living sigils, but instead, she is granted a lesser known sigil with a unique power. I've read quite a few fantasy books, and I can't say that I recall every encountering a magic system quite like this one. I really enjoyed the originality and beauty of the magic.
It was easy to like the main character, Aisha. She was your classic underdog who made her own way. Yes, the underdog story has been told many times before, but it works, and the authors did a wonderful job making it their own. Aisha survived various trials to become a member of the Raptor Clan, and she did so by learning how to kick butt and by being more clever than those around her. Understandably, she struggled to find a balance between being a woman and being a warrior. The odds were always against her, yet she handled herself with honor while maintaining believable human emotions that made her relatable.
After becoming a member of the Raptor Clan, Aisha was assigned bodyguard duty. As a result, she got swept into a political assassination plot that turned into a war. I found the plot to be solid and focused. Through the entire book, not once did I think to myself that a scene should have been cut. It drew me along, and I didn't want to put the book down.
My primary reservation (and my reason for not giving this book five stars) is that there was a good deal of war strategy stuff going on toward the middle of the book. I've never been fond of geography or social studies, and my eyes glazed over at times as the characters planned their battles. I would, however, completely understand if other readers thought all that war talk was fantastic. It was well-done and suited the story nicely; it just wasn't my thing.
Overall, this was a great read, and I will definitely look out for these authors in the future....more
This is the first romance book I've ever considered a favorite. See, I'm putting it on my favorites shelf along with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, MistbThis is the first romance book I've ever considered a favorite. See, I'm putting it on my favorites shelf along with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Mistborn, Game of Thrones, and others. It looks a bit out of place on that shelf, but that's where it belongs.
I loved this book. I loved it so much. It's a story of two broken people who come together to save each other. It showcases healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships, and the healthy ones win out. It's a story of healing and empowerment.
Did I mention how hot Lucas is?
Lucas is really freaking hot. I mean, I'd totally swap my husband out for him for a night or two read more books about him if they existed. With the hair, and the tattoos, and the eyes. And the way he not only protects his woman personally, but also empowers her to protect herself. Give me a moment while I swoon . . .
Hold on. I'm not done yet . . .
That's enough for now. Anyway, I can see myself rereading this book in the future. And I've already added a collection of other contemporary romances to my to-read list because I need to experience more of this....more
Pitched to Disney-Hyperion as "a romantic 'Firefly' for teens, in which a displaced princess and her best-friend-with-benefits must solve the mysteryPitched to Disney-Hyperion as "a romantic 'Firefly' for teens, in which a displaced princess and her best-friend-with-benefits must solve the mystery surrounding the mass disappearance of intergalactic settlers."
Shut up and take my money!
(The author says this pitch is for a companion book to Starflight.)...more
I don't know how I'd feel about it as an adult. But I do remember that I absolutely adored this book when I read it as a kid. It's on my favorites sheI don't know how I'd feel about it as an adult. But I do remember that I absolutely adored this book when I read it as a kid. It's on my favorites shelf. It's also on my to-read shelf because I intend to reread it....more
Four stars may be a tad bit generous for this one. I definitely give it more than three stars. And I liked it significantly more than I liked Magic BiFour stars may be a tad bit generous for this one. I definitely give it more than three stars. And I liked it significantly more than I liked Magic Bites, so I think that four stars reflects my feelings about this book more than three stars would.
I was bored with the first 30% or so of this book. I suspect that the authorship team believes that action scenes create interest. In my opinion, variety creates interest more than back-to-back-to-back action scenes. The first 30% of the book was all action, and I was bored. Then, the book slowed down a bit, and I got to meet the characters, and the issues facing the characters came into focus. Only then did I begin to care what happened to the characters.
Kate had more personality in Magic Burns than she did in Magic Bites. At times, her internal and external dialogues were witty. Amusingly, she displayed some familiarity with pop culture. She made jokes about Rambo and other pop culture references that were lost on other characters, which I found to be quite funny. In the first book, I failed to connect with Kate, in part because the authors went out of their way to make Kate super-duper mysterious. I cannot connect to a character whom I don't know. Although Kate's origins remained a mystery in Magic Burns, I was able to get to know her personality through her dialogue and through some tough decisions that she made. I liked her much better in this book.
On a side note: I was disappointed with an inconsistency that I identified. At some point, Kate removes all of her weapons in order to perform a bit of magic. Before she is reunited with her weapons, there is a reference about her sword smoking (which it generally does when Kate is pissed off). Wrong! Her sword is nowhere on the premises. This showed negligence on the authors' and editors' parts, but it did not impact the story at all, as Kate made no attempt to use the sword while it was somewhere else....more
Drusilla is a Green Congress wizard living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. She leaves the city before the hurricane hiOverall, not for me.
Drusilla is a Green Congress wizard living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. She leaves the city before the hurricane hits, but her mentor Gerry sticks around. At first, the two remain in touch, and Gerry appears to be fine. But then Gerry disappears. The wizard Elders demand that Drusilla return to New Orleans, locate Gerry, and address the crack in the divide between the Beyond and the real world. To help her, they send Alex, an enforcer whom Drusilla finds to be very sexy.
What I loved about the book was seeing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through Drusilla's eyes. It's clear to me that the author did a lot of research on this topic, and it showed. After having read this book, I actually feel a bit more educated about the hurricane. So kudos to the author for that.
I also loved the idea of "historical undead." These are undead people who remain alive in the Beyond (and sometimes manage to sneak their way into the real world) because their memories are still alive in the real world. The historical undead who made appearances included the pirate Jean Lafitte, musician Louis Armstrong, and voodoo practitioner Marie Laveau. It was cool to see these people brought to life with personalities and weaved into the story.
Unfortunately, there was little else that I found to be special about this book. Drusilla was your usual, feisty heroine. She didn't completely understand her powers. And although her powers were cool enough, I was annoyed that Drusilla figured them out later than I did. Actually, Drusilla figured out everything later than I did, and there were times when I wanted to shout at her through the pages of the book.
I also did not like the love triangle. There was Alex, and there was his cousin Jake. Drusilla was attracted to both of them, but her feeling toward both men came across as being superficial. She was immediately attracted to both despite not having any deep connection with either. In contrast, I got the impression that both men had real, growing feeling for her, and I found her attitude toward them to be fickle and selfish.
I understand this is the first book in a series. I don't plan to read the later books....more
I enjoyed the first thirty percent and the final twenty percent of this book. The opening was fun intriguing, with a great hook. Celaena, an assassin,I enjoyed the first thirty percent and the final twenty percent of this book. The opening was fun intriguing, with a great hook. Celaena, an assassin, is removed from the death camp where she was sentenced to fight for the right to become the King's Champion—for a king she despises. A young prince is the one who gets her out of the camp, and the captain of the guard is assigned to watch her. Immediately, we see the beginning of a romance with one or both of these men.
I was enthusiastic about the story through the journey to the castle and when introduced to the other champion candidates. Sadly, the competitions between the champion candidates were not as exciting as I'd hoped. We're not talking about fights to death here; instead, the candidates have to perform physical tests and least successful candidates are eliminated from the competition. This was a bit of a disappointment for me. Some of the candidates are murdered, and I appreciated that twist.
Because the competition proved less exciting than I'd hoped, and because even the murder investigation fell flat, I skimmed a large portion of middle fifty percent of the book. Additionally, during this slow middle, other problems presented themselves: (1) The extent of Celaena's abilities was unbelievable and overemphasized. (2) Her girlishness seemed at odds with her killer instinct. (3) The writing style didn't appeal to me.
Too often, Celaena thinks about how easily she could kill people. I'm paraphrasing, but it sounded something like this: "I could smash his head into the floor, and he'd be dead in seconds." "I could wrap this chain around his neck and he'd be dead in seconds." "I wondered why he wasn't more afraid of me." Sometimes, she thinks these things about very large, very capable men. The impression I got was, instead of showing us Celaena's capabilities, the author chose to tell us over and over again. I found it unbelievable because I never saw Celaena's abilities reach the level of skill that Celaena seemed to think she had.
Despite being a hardened killer, as she'd like us to believe, Celaena was quick to swoon when the prince or the captain of the guard entered the room. I'm not saying a woman can't be both hard and soft, but Celaena was too extreme on both counts. For an assassin fighting for her life (because losing would mean she'd be sent back to the death camp), she made poor choices with respect to her priorities. She was just as interested in kissing boys and wearing pretty dresses as she was in training. I couldn't believe it.
She cried in the middle of a fight. And I'm not talking about about a couple of tears; I got the impression this was more like full-out bawling. Granted, (view spoiler)[she was under influence of a drug (hide spoiler)], but she was simultaneously fighting and crying. Way to go, tough chick. I'm so scared of you.
Lastly, the writing style fell flat for me. I found it a bit unsophisticated, with not many strong, active verbs. It was difficult for me to visualize any scene. The words didn't move me, didn't excite me.
I'm sorry to say that I will not read the next book in this series....more
Most of this book gets three stars from me, but the ending gets a solid five.
I found the magic system creative and fascinating. Essentially, each normMost of this book gets three stars from me, but the ending gets a solid five.
I found the magic system creative and fascinating. Essentially, each normal person is born with a single Breath, which is like a life force, that be given away at will. With many Breaths, a person can invest Breaths into inanimate objects to give those objects a usually-temporary life guided by given commands. Transferring Breath requires drawing some sort of power out of colors in the world. Thus, magic requires a command, color, and Breath. I would have liked the author to explain WHY the magic system works, i.e., how color and Breath are intrinsically related to each other so as to awaken otherwise inanimate objects. But despite this omission, I was easily able to suspend disbelief and see the beauty and creativity of the magic system.
The perspective of the book switched between that of four different characters, Siri, Vivenna, Vasher, and Lightsong. I connected with Siri immediately, and I always wanted to know what would happen to her next. Vasher was immediately interesting, but his character's motivations were not explained until the end of the book. As a result, I did not really connect with him. I wish that the author had given me more hints as to Vasher's motivations. He was too much of a mystery, to such a degree that it was difficult to relate to him. Lightsong was entertaining from the beginning, but his purpose in the book (understandably) was not revealed until the end. So as with Vasher, it was difficult for me to connect with Lightsong and to care about his goings-on, however amusing those goings-on were. Vivenna was just boring for most of the book. I understood her from the beginning, and I found it pretty easy to predict how her character would develop throughout the book. She never surprised me, and, were it not for her interactions with Vasher, I might have preferred to see her perspective eliminated from the book altogether.
At the end of the book, I understood the usage of the shifting-perspective, but throughout the book, I just wanted to read more about Siri. I found myself repeatedly flipping forward to determine when I would see Siri again. At many times, it was a chore to wade through the other characters' stories to get back to Siri. Thankfully, Vasher and Lightsong were entertaining enough to make the waiting somewhat enjoyable, even though I was not truly invested in their stories.
The bulk of the book dragged for me occasionally, as I waited to return to Siri's story. It was clear that the four main characters were involved in the same issues, and I assumed that they would all affect one another directly eventually. In the end, the story and characters came together beautifully. To avoid spoilers, I will not discuss the details of the ending in this review (and if I did, I likely wouldn't do it justice), but it was certainly worth the wait. The ending was truly masterful....more
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