Dina
Wow. I did not expect this. While I really liked book one, there were a few things that botherd me. This was pretty close to perfection. Oree is an incredibly compelling narrator, I fell in love with the characters (especially the ones where I least expected it) and the plot took me by surprise several times. Mostly though, I adored this for its originality. I can't remember reading anything like this, and in such beautiful language. And the ending was bittersweet perfection!
Read my full review over at the SFF Book Review
It may have been on purpose to demonstrate how meta John Scalzi can be, but personally, I don't see the point in reading (or writing!) a bad book with the most cardboardy characters imaginable. The codas were okay but the main story was just rubbish. And rubbish on purpose is still rubbish.
Read my full review over at SFF Book Review
And he blew my mind again. While only about 10% of this book further the plot and the rest is a flashback into Roland's past, I wouldn't have wanted to miss a single page. What an amazing (and surprisingly romantic) story within a story. There was one passage that felt a bit too long but other than that this book was perfect. 9/10 points. Read a full review at the SFF Book Review
As usual, I couldn't wait to dive into another of Thursday Next's adventures. And while Jasper delivers wonderfully quirky ideas, well-written sub-plots and hilarious dialogue, I missed the BookWorld and the literary references. My favorite sub-story is by far the Jenny plot line (awesomesauce!) but other than that I found the ending(s) slightly anti-climactic.
Still, this is Jasper Fforde we're talking about here. So overall, I had a LOT of fun with this book and it comes highly recommended.
Read my full review over at SFF Book Review
This was part very good and part very bad. The lack of plot made it a surprisingly slow read and the fluid writing style made it hard to put down. You can see I'm a little torn here. To read exactly how torn and why, here's my full review: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/kristin-cashore-fire/
Meh. This book was pretty “meh” throughout with a few awesome ideas mixed in that were left sadly unexplored. I'll come back for a second part if there ever is one but this one was great ideas spread out too thinly over too many pages. Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter-the-long-earth/
Wow! A heartbreaking work that could have been twice as long, if I had a say in it. Sure, the style may not be for everyone but if you enjoy Robin Hobb, you'll probably like this as well. The idea is unique, the characters engaging and the ending gets to a whole new level. I am stunned and in love and can't wait to get my hands on more Guy Gavriel Kay!
Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/guy-gavriel-kay-tigana/
I was surprised at how Spiegelman managed to give a new layer to a time in history that has countless books written about it and movies made and that many people think they know everything about. Vladek Spiegelman was a surprisingly unlikable narrator and the characters, be they Jewish mice, Nazi cats, Polish pigs or American dogs were frighteningly human.
Full review here: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/art-spiegelman-the-complete-maus/
A surprisingly adorable tale, grounded in reality but mixed with magic throughout. Hazel is a relatable characater and I found it refreshing that she knows all the fairy tale tropes and behaves like a smart girl when stumbling around the magic forest. Personally, I liked the first half better - where the only magic is within her head - but the whole book was well written and beautifully illustrated!
Full review here: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/anne-ursu-breadcrumbs/
Another YA book with a good idea that didn't live up to its potential. Sadly, I found this to be poorly written, peopled with bland characters and (and I haven't used that word to describe a book since I was a kid) boring. Full review here: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/a-c-gaughen-scarlet/
I am torn. I loved the ideas but was disappointed at how unexplored the author left some of them. My biggest problem is that the “big revelation” can be guessed extremely easily and very early on. This takes a lot of wind out of the plot's sails. However, I did enjoy myself a lot reading this fast-paced, fresh take on the Cinderella story and will be back for the second volume in the Lunar Chronicles.
Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/marissa-meyer-cinder/
