Sandy
Set in the hauntingly, magical city of Prague Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is about Karou, a peculiar girl with blue hair she claims to grow naturally out of her head, with tattoos of eyes on her palms that she has had long before she can remember, and sketchbooks filled with beasts of all kinds that are as beautiful as they are frightening, beasts that all of Karou's friends think come straight from her imagination but are as real as the wish beads Karou wears around her neck. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is about an art student, who has no idea where she came from, whose earliest memory is Brimstone, a chimera whose mysterious work involves the collection of teeth and the creation of wishes. Whose workshop can be accessed through doors positioned all over the world and whose shop doesn't seem to be in the real world at all but Elsewhere.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is about a threat to Karou's way of life that may finally reveal who Karou truly is, but at a price that may take away everything she loves.
Through her rich and sensory writing style Laini Taylor really succeeded in taking a concept that, in my opinion, was overdone to the point of being mundane and turning it into a distinctive and noteworthy story. Her talent for description and world building was what won me over in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, a story that could have been ordinary if written by the wrong person but ended up being wonderful.
This was such a beautiful book, a book that, in my opinion, really sets the bar for paranormal YA. All of you who think you love your books about angels and forbidden romance or those like me who have been disappointed with all the angel books you've come across pick up Daughter of Smoke and Bone because it will be such a delightful surprise and have you wishing that you had found it sooner.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a novel that deserves to be read slowly to appreciate the detail and effort put into it, but if you find yourself whipping through it I won't blame you.
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is what I would define as a vampire, post-apocalyptic, survival-horror. Set in a world where the human population has been decimated by a plague and the attempts of a cure. Human beings have been reduced to becoming bottom links on a food chain that leads up to soulless vampires and the devolved rapids. There is no democracy, no human Government, and no civil society; what once was has now become a country filled with ghost towns and walled up cities where vampires rule the streets and rapids roam the outer wilderness.
Allison Sekemoto is an unregistered inhabitant of the vampire city New Covington. She, like almost every one of her generation, is an orphan and the only family she has are the boys in her group of invisibles who survive by stealing and foraging for anything that aids in their survival. And however hard life was for Allison and her group before it's getting harder as food becomes scarcer, winter approaches, and rumors spread of the vampires locking down the city. A problem Allison had miraculously found a solution to, but one that quickly leads to tragedy and Allison dead.
The Immortal Rules is a story starkly different from Julie Kagawa'sThe Iron Fey series in both plot and format. Where the protagonist of The Iron King (the first novel in the Iron Fey series) had a clear set objective from the very beginning – save her kidnapped brother, Allison's story does not have a clear narrative path for the reader to follow, at least not until midway through the book. I had no problem with this for the majority of the novel because I prefer character-centric stories and the story of The Immortal Rules was mainly about Allison – her struggles of balancing what she is with who she was.
“The shadows lengthened like grasping fingers, sliding over the ground.”
Julie Kagawa's
The Immortal Rules
The Immortal Rules
When I had finally picked up volume 2 of Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato I had completely forgotten how fun and entertaining volume 1 had been and couldn't believe I had taken so long to continue the series.
At the end of volume 1 Rin, the spawn of Satan (no really Satan is his father), is enrolled in an elite school to train and become an exorcist. The same school his twin brother Yukio attends and also teaches (because Yukio is 100% teenage genius). Unfortunately for Rin, despite his determination he's not the most gifted of students (in fact he is basically below average) and struggles when it comes to test taking and studying, his lack of enthusiam for school also grates on the nerves of one of the top students in his grade Ryugi Suguro, the heir to a venerable temple, and unwittingly Rin gains himself a rival.
In volume 2 of Blue Exorcist, the reader gets introduced to a few new characters that are going to be coming back again throughout the series and we learn more about what it takes to become a full exorcist. And really that's what I liked most about this volume because it allowed for greater world building and character development for both Rin, who found himself in situations where he had to not only defend himself but his new found friends without exposing his demonic nature, and his peculiar and in some cases dorky classmates who all have their own reasons for becoming exorcists.
This volume was even more fun then it's predecessor and it made me even more eager to continue the series.
But if you've been reading the Maximum Ride series or my reviews on the previous volumes then you know this. The kids might always get a break but it's always short lived and if Fang and the gang...ha-ha. If the guys think they are going to be able to just disappear then they are kidding themselves so I don't blame Max when she gets upset with their sudden “screw everyone else” attitude but despite her disagreeing with them she's outnumbered and has no choice but to go house hunting with Fang. No joke, they actually left the rest of the flock behind to go fly off and look for a place to stay. I understand that the flock are a lot stronger and more durable than your typical human being but what house are they going to find that is going to withstand a basic nuclear assault on the entire planet? Hmm? Besides this hard to swallow beginning the rest of the volume is fast pace fight scenes, wisecrack dialogue, and twist after twist.
Now I LOVE a great twist, a great twist is one you NEVER see coming but makes sense after its been revealed because the clues were there all along you just weren't paying attention at the time and that is what happens in volume 5 of Maximum Ride. There is a great twist, but and this is a big BUT that I can't go into great detail with because it would be a huge spoiler and you would hate me, the twist has to be one of the lamest clichés of all time and you are just going to be conflicted because it screams of being typical but it's also the only thing that makes senses and ties up the loose ends of the last 4 volumes. It also kind of makes the last four volumes seem like a total waste if you want to be all negative and I'm sorry that I can't tell you why but just read the book and you will understand. Maximum Ride, volume 5 will have your emotions bouncing all over the place especially with the cliff-hanger that comes out of nowhere. Yeah, thanks for that James Patterson I feel like I am still falling and waiting for volume 6 to show up and catch me.
I knew very little about Maximum Ride before picking up the first volume. Having never read the novels or the synopsis for the manga I only had what my friend told me about it before I borrowed volume one from her and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I had enjoyed it. When it comes to adaptations of any kind the results are pretty much hit and miss and after reading Witch & Wizard: The Manga another adaptation of another James Patterson novel that didn't transition too well I was worried that I would get the same results here but that wasn't the case at all.
Maximum Ride is an action packed, funny story about a group of genetically enhanced teenagers who have no one to depend on but themselves. Years before volume one starts Max, Fang, Nudge, Gasman, Iggy and Angel were all test subjects at an institution called the School. And as result of the experiments done to them all of the children ended up with wings as well as other attributes that allow them to fly and heal quickly among other traits that are unique to each of them. For example Angel, the youngest member of the group, has the power to read people's thoughts and to project her own thoughts into other people's heads. Max is the leader of the group and she's also basically the mother, having to take on the role of protector after the group's guardian Jeb went missing years ago after he broke the kids out of the School. And despite this tragedy the kids have actually been doing great on their own, living in Jeb's house and providing for themselves until one day creatures from the School come back for them.
If you like stories filled with lovely artwork, action/adventure, humour, and wise-talking, smart-aleck teenagers then I'll think you'll enjoy Maximum Ride. And if you enjoy stories about teenagers with unnatural super powers I think you'll enjoy it even more.
I've said this before, that when it comes to adapting novels into a different format the results are pretty much hit or miss and graphic novel adaptations are no exception. So when I picked up Soulless, volume 1 by Gail Carriger I had no idea what I was going to get besides Rem's beautiful artwork. I am pleased to say this manga has much more going for it than visual aesthetics and that Soulless is one of the best adaptations I have ever read and proves that it is possible to take a 373 page novel of pure words, compress it into 224 pages of manga and still get a coherent and enjoyable story.
Alexia Tarabotti is a Soulless which means she has no soul (obviously) and that she has the ability to neutralize the power of supernaturals. For example, if a vampire touches her, his fangs would quickly shrink back down to normal size. Which of course happens in the first few pages of the story when Alexia is attacked by a vampire, not that she needs her preternatural powers to help her out, the woman can be quite deadly with a parasol and hair pin.
It turns out the vampire is a rove (not associated with a vampire hive but lives independently) and is not the first rove to be made, set loose on the streets without being taught how to survive as a vampire, or kept from exposing the supernatural community. And not only are roves appearing without a definite source to who has created them but loner werewolves have been disappearing as well and whatever the cause it seems Alexia is involved, whether the B.U.R (supernatural authorities) want her to be or not.
In order to write this review properly I gave Soulless a re-read the other day and enjoyed it all over again because although I already knew the story and its twists I had forgotten how not only capable Alexia is in taking care of herself but how intelligent, witty and sassy she is. Despite how her family treats her as second class she is a strong-willed and independent thinker and is definitely a modern woman living in Victorian times. The supporting characters are also a treat to watch and read about, they all stand out with their own distinctive personalities and I really want to learn more about them. Lord Maccon, despite being an intimidating Alpha, had me laughing quite a lot especially when he and Alexia where in scenes together trading barbs, and his Beta Professor Lyall's discomfort and facial expressions when he was trying to delicately explain the mating rituals of werewolves was impossible not to love. And I can't forget the flamboyant Lord Akeldama, one of Alexia's closest friends, who always takes over the scene as soon as he enters the room. I definitely want to learn how he and Alexia came to know each other and hope to learn more about him in volume 2.
Overall, this first volume was a wonderful read. The beautiful artwork not only made the book lovely to look at but the action scenes were both dynamic and very easy to follow. Rem also takes creative ways to ensure that not everything is bared during nude shots and thus you won't blush too hard while reading certain scenes but will be laughing instead at the characters' expressions when caught in compromising situations. The story itself is also translated well to this format; I did not feel like I was missing anything vital as I read the book but my interest in reading the novel did increase as I am now interested in learning more background information about certain characters and the world of Soulless.
The time and world of By These Ten Bones is one rift with superstition and folklore and the version of the werewolf told in this story is one that stems from original legend. That every full moon the man inflicted with the werewolf curse becomes a beast and hunts the ones he loves and unfortunately for our main character, Maddie, that's her. Set in the medieval Scottish Highlands Maddie's nameless, little village is visited by two travellers; one, a lazy drunk and the other an apparently mute wood carver with a terrible secret. From a very young age he was savaged with the curse of the werewolf and to prevent suspicion and harm from occurring he can never settle in one place for very long and has to chain himself up every night of the full moon.
Despite the lacklustre writing style and my initial inability to relate to the characters of By These Ten Bones I have to say once I hit my stride the book took no problem to get through. I was caught up with the story and anxious to see what was going to happen to the characters and how the story was going to end. And have to say although I completely predicted the climax I was tense while reading it because although for the majority of the book nothing wowed or compelled me about the writing there were various pockets of dark scenes that were written so well and subtlety I could feel myself being fearful and anxious.
I am happy that I read this book because being a fan of werewolf reads I find myself being very picky with what I like and have never come across a werewolf YA I really like until this one. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good old fashion werewolf story.
In the peaceful, seaside town of Haggard twelve year old Stephanie Edgley has just inherited a fortune and mansion from her bestselling author of an uncle - Gordon. Which, if I were in her shoes, would have me jumping for joy but Stephanie couldn't help thinking what was she going to do with a mansion when she still lived with her parents. This thought is pushed out of her mind, however, when after spending an unexpected night alone in the mansion Stephanie learns that her uncle's books about wizards, monsters, and magic were not entirely fictional. And that a mysterious stranger who had attended her uncle's funeral and Will reading, covered every inch in clothing, is an actual walking, talking, fire throwing, skeleton who goes by the name of Skulduggery Pleasant. That's not the most shocking thing to happen to Stephanie though. On the same night Stephanie discovers her favourite uncle's secret she is attacked by a sorcerer searching for a key Gordon owned that could lead to the end of the world. And it's up to Skulduggery Pleasant and, to his annoyance, Stephanie (because she refuses to be left behind) to find it before it is too late.
This book was such a treat that I think it's a travesty that I just learned about it this year when it was first published in 2007. FIVE years and I have never heard of this book or series. Where the hell have I been?! No worries though, all that matters now is that I have now read it and can now join another fandom because this series certainly does have a following and I will tell you why.
It's funny, if there is one thing that I have said time and time again is that if a book or movie can make me laugh then it's already scoring points and this novel and series make me laugh and it does it with dark humour and wit. I rarely finish a chapter without giggling to myself or laughing out loud because the dialogue and writing is always ever so clever.
There is action and danger everywhere. Well maybe not in Haggard where Stephanie was slowly decaying of boredom but where Skulduggery goes trouble is sure to follow. These two get into some very tight situations, situations that involve lots of fighting and magic and running, and situations that keep the pace quick and prevent any dull moments from invading this novel.
A variety of quirky, strange, dangerous, and charming characters. Although Stephanie is the main character of this novel the story is told from multiple points of view, even the villain's. Characters that are all so distinctive and interesting and offer such fresh perspectives to the plot, that it's not only a great way to keep the story moving but it offers insight on the world of the book that we wouldn't get as quickly from Stephanie alone because she is as new to all of this as we are. These characters are also complex, Skulduggery maybe charming and clever on the surface but he has secrets and a past that he doesn't discuss and for someone with no facial expressions he can certainly change the mood of room with the subtlest indication. Stephanie is also a pistol and a life a danger and adventure seems to be made for her because in scenes where I would be too dumbstruck to act, she not only reacts but she takes charge. Keep an eye out for this twelve year old because she has a lot more metal then some people twice her age.
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is one of my favourite books of 2012, actually no let me correct that Skuldugery Pleasant is one of my favourite series of 2012 because after I finished the first book (recommended by Catherine of On the Nightstand and provided to me by my lovely friend Andrea of Aine's Realm) I immediately went online and ordered the UK edition of the books (because they're gorgeous) and read them all as soon as they arrived and then proceeded to lend them to my friend Reeshe of WildFire Writing (who read all six books in 1 week because they are that good).
I was so surprised by this book. Before I even started Clockwork Angel I was expecting it to be a mere three stars. It's a paranormal YA, and I knew there was going to be a love triangle and I had read so much mediocre books that followed this same pattern that I thought Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices was going to fall right into it as well but you know what? I was WRONG, SO WRONG. And I bite my tongue for judging this book before reading it.
As a complete newbie in the realm of Shadowhunters I was fascinated by the world Cassandra Clare had created about them, a world not only filled with nephilim aka Shadow Hunters but vampires, werewolves, warlocks, demons and more. A world where the Shadowhunters are the sort of police who make sure that the downworlders (paranormal folk) keep themselves in line and that the mundane (humans) don't find out about them. Mix that in with the time period and I wouldn't mind literally diving into the pages of Clockwork Angel for a few hours, I'd stay longer but I like my modern comforts.
Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the characters and the multiple points of view the story was told from. Tessa is our heroine but she's not the only one we get to hear from and I think hearing from different perspectives kept the pace moving steadily and allowed both the major and minor characters to develop naturally. It also made me really anxious for the upcoming manga adaptation since the story won't be all Tessa all the time because although Tessa is strong willed, kind and an avid reader she's not my favourite character in this book.
Perhaps not a literary masterpiece but if you're looking for something fun to read with a little bit of romance (the love triangle wasn't too heavy in this first book, thankfully) and a good amount of action and likeable characters I say give Clockwork Angel a shot.
I added Anna and the French Kiss because almost everyone I knew had loved the book and had given it five stars. I was certainly surprised by this because if you read the title, look at the cover and read the synopsis it comes off as a light chick-lit read. Something to put you in a good mood for a bit but not something that would garner the amount of positive response from readers that it had received, so I picked it up.
It didn't take me long to finish Anna and the French Kiss, it really was a quick read filled with humour, romance and charm. The main character Anna has been shipped off to boarding school in Paris for her senior year without her consent and at first she's upset about this because she's being pulled from the only life she knows and being forced to adapt to a new culture and make friends. However, it doesn't take very long for Anna to find a group of friends to tag along after and soon after that it takes her even less time to become one of them especially when she instantly clicks with the beautiful Étienne St. Clair.
This novel was very much a romance and I knew that going in but I wasn't really that much invested in it. I certainly think that both Ann and Étienne have great chemistry, the way their dialogue just flows naturally back and forth between them and the way they both just seem to understand each other but I didn't really care if they got together and only wanted them to be together so that Anna could stop fawning over Étienne. What I really enjoyed was that the story wasn't just about the romance; it was about Anna coming to terms with herself. Like any other normal teenage girl Anna makes mistakes and she has flaws and dreams and it was great watching her make mistakes and learn from them and grow. It was also fun to read about her new group of friends in Paris, they were all unique individuals that stood out very fresh in mind and who I wouldn't have mind learning more about.
So I will be picking up Stephanie Perkins' next book (Lola and the Boy next Door) which is a companion piece to this novel about a different set of characters, because I did enjoy her story even if I didn't love it as much as everyone else.
Arisa on the surface may look like your typical light, clichéd-filled, shoujo manga with its slightly spastic heroine with her over blown expressions but after the first chapter it is clearly obvious that this is not the case.
Tsubasa and her twin sister Arisa were separated when they were quite young after their parents divorced and although the girls never see each other they have written each other frequently telling the other all about her own life, or at least this is what Tsubasa thought until her sister tries to kill herself. In her letters Arisa always sounded like she had the perfect life, class president, popular, cute boyfriend, and great grades, but Arisa has secrets she never wrote in her letters and all of the kids at her school have secrets of their own that Tsubasa is determined to find out.
After slightly changing her appearance and donning Arisa's school uniform Tsubasa attends her sister's school with minimal knowledge about Arisa's real life to find out whom or what could have driven her sister to attempt suicide. At first nothing seems out of the ordinary, Arisa's life appears to be as perfect as she stated in her letters until a free period hits and Tsubasa and Arisa's classmates are left unattended. What takes place during this free period is “King Time” where everyone in an almost zombie like fashion log on to a website and make a wish, and whomsoever wish is picked by “The King” comes true. Tsubasa brushes off the event as childish and unrelated to her sister's situation until she realizes the wishes Arisa's classmates make aren't childish at all and their blind worship of a person they have never met leads them to do unspeakable acts towards whoever questions this faceless entity.
This series feels like it's going to be a little bit of Nancy Drew meets The Lying Game but painted in a familiar shoujo canvas which sounds pretty perfect if you're in the mood for something fun, mysterious, and slightly twisted. It's not perfect though and I'll tell you why volume one does not get a full five out five from me. I appreciate Tsubasa doing whatever it takes to protect her sister but I find it almost unbelievable that her father would let her take her sister's place and allow her to skip her own school to find out what is going on. She does have her own life, so I'd would like to see some consequences for the actions she are taking and hopefully volume two will reveal a few of them.
Remy's mother is getting married...to her fifth husband and just like with all of her mother's past weddings Remy is in charge of practically everything; a task you think might be a bit too much for a recent high school graduate to take on but with Remy's experience she is practically a pro and does indeed have everything under control. In fact, weddings are not the only things Remy can handle. Remy was the person who got herself a new car without getting a loan, who got into Stamford despite having to re-take the SATs twice, she's also the person who made sure her brother woke up on time to get to work so he wouldn't get fired and she is the person who does not believe in love. Love is a sham, people don't stay together forever, there is no love at first sight but there is definitely lust, this is what Remy believes. Her mother may have fallen madly in love with every husband she's had and writes heart-filled romance novels but her daughter is quite possibly the biggest cynic you will ever meet.
Then comes Dexter, well actually then comes Dexter crashing into little Miss Type A's life, literally, and he unabashedly proclaims to Remy, who is just meeting him for the first time, that they are meant to be together. Dexter is clumsy and disorganized, his shoe laces are always untied, he can't focus on one thing for more than five minutes and he is in a band, a musician. Not only are all the previously listed traits enough to have Remy running in the other direction but she has a strict rule that she has never broken: no musicians. As in she doesn't date them. Her father was a musician, a one-hit wonder, a hit that Remy hates because that hit is a song he wrote for her when she was born by a man who never even knew her, who she will never meet but his song will live on forever.
This Lullaby isn't a young love story it's a story about a girl who doesn't believe in love fully understanding what love actually is and why risks should be taken. There are no guarantees in life, you can't go into everything knowing what exactly the outcome is going to be because limiting your life to “always certain” isn't living at all its observing and it takes Remy not only this clumsy guy to help her realize it but also her in love with love mom, her boy crazy friends who'll she have to say goodbye to at the end of the summer, and her newly in love brother who used to be just as big a cynic as she is. Every character played a role in This Lullaby, none of them to me were insignificant or there to fill a scene, which I believe is a fact with all Sarah Dessen novels, her characters are people with opinions and attitudes and traits that I can see within my own friends and families and acquaintances.
I initially gave this novel a three star rating and I think that's because I didn't have that completely satisfied/happy feeling I have gotten with other Dessen novels when I had read the last page because this one did have a slightly different feeling. Maybe it was because of the main character Remy who is a lot different from previous Dessen MCs. She's colder, keeps herself at arms length, hides her emotions, was pretty wild back in high school and I couldn't honestly relate to her. But writing this review I can see that I understand what the story was trying to say and believe that it was written well even if I didn't love the characters and thus will bump the rating up to a more appropriate four.
First of all let me say this, if you want to read books by a creative and innovative author then look no further than Rachel Vincent. Blood Bound is the third book I have read by this talented author, the second of hers that is targeted to adults and by far my favourite. Set in a world where your name is your most precious secret Blood Bound takes the term “binding agreement” to a whole new level in this action packed, urban-fantasy about a woman who fights every day to keep her freedom in a world where freewill can be signed away with a few drops of blood.
Olivia or Liv is a blood tracker, meaning if she has a drop of your blood she can track you down from miles away. Unfortunately for Liv being special in her city usually leads to gaining the attention of unsavoury characters, in her case, one of the leaders of the warring crime syndicates plaguing her city, the abusive Ruben Cavazos. The specifics of Liv's job for Ruben are a secret, a secret even the reader isn't privy to except for a few occasional hints throughout the story and although this isn't the main plot of Blood Bound it is quite important.
From the very first few pages the story is set when Olivia gets a visit in the middle of the night from her estranged best friend Anne who has come to ask for her help, an act that should have been impossible due to a binding the two women signed along with two other friends when they were still teenagers. Why would they each make such an agreement? To override a deadlier one each of them unwittingly made years before - to help each other if one of the four girls merely asked. This doesn't seem like such a big deal except refusing to help leads to your body slowly and painfully shutting down until you agree to help or die. And what's worse is that not only does Olivia have to help Anne against her will she has to do it with her ex-boyfriend Cameron Caballero.
My favourite part of this novel was the world Rachel Vincent had created because despite it having similarities with other books I have read before (people with unnatural talents) it wasn't just about the individuals but the rules they have to follow. People may be powerful but the more powerful they are the more careful they have to be because of the attention they can attract and even if a person isn't “special” they have to protect themselves. Not just their identity or every drop of blood they ever spill in the normal measures a person would take in our world but they have to go beyond that by using nicknames, carrying around first aid kits wherever they go - first aid kits that include bleach. Rachel Vincent took such great care in every detail from rules, to loopholes, to the government and law that it wasn't difficult at all to immerse myself into her novel, especially since she took care to thread details throughout her narrative piece by piece instead of piling it on top of the reader in one big info dump.
My other favourite part of Blood Bound was the host of characters the reader is introduced to. Characters that are strong but flawed and damaged by the choices they make, characters that may not all be likeable but are most certainly intriguing that you can't help but want to know more about, and not just main supporting characters but characters you only hear about or see for just a chapter that I hope to hear more about in the next book. Speaking of the next book it's going to be told by one of the side-characters I had quickly grown to love in this first instalment of the Unbound series so I have very little doubt I won't love it just as much.
I have read books about faeries, many of them staying true to folklore and few of them including specific characters right out of Irish mythology like the Morrigan but never had I read a book that shed light on other aspects of Irish mythology like Tir nan Og and the Tuatha de Danann. I have also never, though I suspect there are novels out there, read a book where the main character was a druid.
Siodhachan O Suileabhain or Atticus O'Sullivan as he is known to almost everyone in current modern times is a witty, twenty-one century old druid living in Tempe, Arizona with his Irish wolfhound Oberon. He enjoys hunting for Big Horn Sheep in his down time though never catching them, making googly eyes at the local bartender. And making sure that the Irish God of Love Aengus Og never finds him because if he does love would be the last thing Aengus wants to give Atticus since he stole a very special sword from him centuries ago and has refused to give it back ever since.
In this book the action starts from the very first page where the reader gets to see right away the consequences Atticus has had to face ever since he stole from Aengus Og and we see that for the most part Aengus' persistence has been more irritant than danger since the fae he sends to defeat Atticus do little more than give him a flesh wound. This attack however is just the beginning of a much bigger threat and after a visit from the Morrigan - the Irish Goddess of War and Death Atticus knows that Aengus' who has never tried to retrieve the sword personally before may indeed be serious about repossessing it this time.
This story was an action packed and entertaining read filled with a whole host of witty, dangerous, ancient, badass, funny, and interesting characters who range from witches to werewolves, Irish Gods to a mind-speaking wolf hound and Ancient Druid to vampires. The writing was fresh, had me laughing in almost every chapter and was both fast pace and full of charm. I enjoyed Kevin Hearne's different take on the many familiar supernatural creatures I have come across in previous paranormal and urban fantasies but I especially enjoyed his version of the figures and deities of Irish mythology which I admit I did not know very much about before reading Hounded. The only down side to this lovely novel was that although it starts off strong soon after it reaches a hitch in pace. There was a need for some background information for readers to understand Atticus' current situation and I thought that part was slow and found myself being distracted as I read it. If you can get past that little blimp however then I recommend this to all fans of urban fantasy.
Warning: I thought the main supernatural creature in this book was obvious from the synopsis but if you haven't figured it out then DO NOT READ my review because you will be spoiled.
I thought Unleashed was a pretty decent read, not awesome or terrible, but decent. It was not what I was expecting in terms of mood, I thought there was going to be a lot more action and intensity than what was presented considering this was a werewolf read but it wasn't and in it fact leaned towards the mysterious, dark, and eerie mood you'd usually expect in a ghost story. There was an issue I had with how it seem to take forever for the actual supernatural to be revealed to our heroine, I mean before even opening the first page the reader knows what the supernatural creature is so it's just frustrating to watch Katelyn weave through clue after clue and interact with mysterious person one and mysterious person two and not have it automatically click in her brain why these people are so unusual.
It also didn't help that there were wolves mentioned everywhere – Wolf Springs, Timberwolves, Wolf Seminar – “Unleash Your Inner Wolf!”, and wolf legends. At one point I thought all the wolves were a red herring of some sort because nothing about werewolves were being mentioned and people kept warning Katelyn that there was something more than wolves in the forest and yet I don't get any hint of werewolves until after 50% of the book. Fortunately werewolves aren't the only supernatural element in this book to keep my attention, there was something else mentioned a few times that even have the werewolves spooked and I suspect there is another kind of creature in the series but I could be reading something out of nothing but I have my fingers crossed.
As far the characters they, like the plot, were OK. There were a few that I don't trust and will be keeping a closer eye on but I didn't find any of them irritating so that's a plus. Katelyn our MC dreams of becoming a performer, her ultimate dream is to be apart of Cirque du Soleil and swinging through the air as an acrobat but this takes a backseat when Katelyn's mom is killed in a fire and Katelyn has to go live with her grandfather in Wolf Springs, Arkansas where her gymnastics is referred to as “playing on the monkey bars”. There we meet her grandfather, who I initially thought to be distant is actually quite caring and sweet. Trick or Vladimir Sokolov the funny, charming, artistic too perfect guy, who doesn't waste time letting Katelyn know he's interested. Justin, the mysterious, older guy who rides a motorcycle who Katelyn can't stay away from. Yes, there is a love triangle, you can sigh, its OK. And Cornelia, Katelyn's quick and only friend who's hiding lots and lots of things.
In conclusion, this story was a set up to the series and doesn't answer many questions until almost the very end which left me feeling underwhelmed when I read the final page. There were a lot of flat characters in this one that I didn't see enough of to develop a definite opinion of, and there wasn't even a proper climax now that I think about it but despite all this I thought this book had potential and hopefully things will be a lot more intense and gripping in book two.
This book was read as part of BA Reading Challenge's 2011 Dystopian Challenge and although not on my list initially it quickly became a part of it after the constant praise being given to it from fellow bloggers. Completed in a few days Divergent wasn't the spectacular Oh My Gosh! read I thought it was going to be but it was still a really enjoyable story about a strong, and truly brave heroine, that I completed easily in a matter of days.
Living in an unfamiliar Chicago that has been divided into five factions Beatrice Prior has to decide if she will remain in Abnegation, the selfless, or if she will choose the faction that fits her best and leave her family behind. It's a difficult decision if you view the choices like Beatrice does: (a) family, who she has known and been with all her life or (b) an uncertain future where she leaves them all behind to hopefully find her true self. If I was in Beatrice's position however I wouldn't find the choice to leave her old life behind so difficult. I love my family but I couldn't live my entire life in abnegation, not after I find out that a completely selfless life is a life where you have to suppress every self-indulgent impulse and every individualistic form of expression. Where even worrying about yourself is chastised because you shouldn't be thinking about yourself in the first place.
To the reader it's obvious that Beatrice does not belong in her current faction, but when she takes an aptitude test to help her decide which faction would fit her best the results offer Beatrice little help because her result isn't a faction at all, it's Divergent. What is Divergent? Beatrice and the reader do not find out until much later but it is something that could get Beatrice killed and should be kept secret from everyone.
The writing style in Divergent was straight forward and simple; the present tense had the story, for the most part, moving at a constant steady pace and although there was an underlying plot of “Government” conspiracy occurring, the main focus of the story was Beatrice/Tris and what kind of person she was and wanted to be. Divergent also focused on other characters as well, what made them tick, how they treated other people, what they believed in, their motives, and most importantly it focused on everyone's fears and how they overcome them.
While reading Divergent I was constantly reminded of the Harry Potter series because like Harry, Tris and the other teens of Divergent are divided into groups that suit them except unlike HP the characters of Divergent don't get “sorted” until they are sixteen and they get to choose where they want to go. And what really made me think of HP was how each faction like each house had specific qualities they consider most important. Amity, prefers peace over conflict, Erudite knowledge over ignorance, Dauntless abhorred cowardice, while people from Candor choose to be honest despite how it makes others feel, and Abnegtion sacrifice individualism to be selfless. All of the qualities these factions choose to follow seem quite worthy on the surface but when you realize how they interpret their beliefs and how they choose to follow them you realize the dangers or dark side of each.
Was this book worth the read? It definitely was and I can't wait to read Insurgent but I don't think it was worth the hype that surrounded it. It was a page-turner certainly and it was certainly a world that I could easily immerse myself into but Divergent didn't really come across as the stand-out, refreshing novel I was expecting it to be.
I went into this third instalment of the Hush, Hush “saga” not expecting to love it because I had been disappointed in Crescendo but hoping to get answers to my many questions. Do the Nephilim finally become free? Do the fallen angels finally get what's coming to them? Do I get to see an archangel please, pretty please? Does Vee actually get a boyfriend that doesn't want to kill her best friend? And does Vee ever find out about the angel community in any level of detail? Sadly only one of these questions got a yes.
The prologue begins in the past, three months before the time of chapter one but four days after the cliff-hanger of Crescendo. The reader isn't given too much detail right away on what happened right after Hank Miller stormed in with his militia on Nora and Patch but we know that Nora has been kidnapped, and Hank is using her as leverage to ensure that Patch keeps his end of the deal up. What does Patch need to do, he needs to get Hank information on the fallen angels but Patch doesn't really want to play. After a cringe worthy few lines of “lets literally rip Hank apart piece by piece until he caves” Patch makes another deal (because surprisingly Hank didn't cave), one that will ensure Nora's release whether he gets Hank the information or not: he'll give Hank his wings, and that ladies and gentlemen, plus the fact that Nora is released with no memory of the events of Hush, Hush and Crescendo is the set up to Silence.
I hated the premise of this book, memory loss? Now don't get me wrong, I don't see a huge problem with Nora not remembering her time of the kidnapping because well as a friend pointed out - had she not had her memory erased then she wouldn't have been set free. But to erase everything she went through in Hush, Hush and Crescendo so she knows absolutely nothing about Patch and everything angels so she has to relearn them? Such a waste of time, in fact the first half of the book is Nora being fed half-truths and lies about the past five months of her life, getting all lusty over the colour black and taking one stupid risk after the other. If the reader didn't know everything Nora had forgotten then I would have been interested because I'd want to unravel the mystery with her but here the only thing I was interested in was what the hell Hank was up to.
Besides the whole Nora doesn't know anything plot line there were clues and titbits of news about an impending war between Nephilim and fallen angels, almost every chapter there was a mention of Chesvhan approaching and after all that build-up we don't get a war we get a cliff-hanger, a “to-be-continued” because over 200 pages was wasted on Nora regaining her memory and figuring out her past instead of a tension filled build-up to a war that pits immortal army against immortal army. This book should have been epic but I was obviously expecting a completely different read and have been sadly left disappointed.
When I began reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman I had no idea how little I knew the basic storyline of the book. I knew there was a car accident, I knew the main character Mia was in it and knew certain love ones were affected, and that Mia had to make a hard decision. However, other than that I really had no idea what this book was about so of course after reading a few pages I turned to the back cover and read the synopsis and after that things clicked into place a little more firmly. Still, I can't say going into If I Stay partially blind is a bad thing. Usually I know what a book is about before I crack open the spine, if not from the synopsis then from reviews but not so in this case and I think the unknowing added to the premise of this novel so I will try to be as vague as possible in that regard.
Mia's day starts off a little perfect, school has been closed on the account of a snow day which means herself, her little brother Teddy and her teacher father get to play hooky for the day and because it wouldn't be right for Mia's mom to go to work while they all stay home she calls in to the office and takes the day off as well. A day with the family is cut brutally short however when a terrible car accident lands Mia in the ICU and the worst 24 hours of her unfolds when she realizes that she has to make a choice.
If I Stay was what I expected it to be in terms of writing, I knew this book, before I read it, would be one to make me cry but when I started it and got into it I thought I was going to be ok because although our main character has been struck with a tragedy we're not focusing on the terrible fact of the present but on her wonderful past, her life before now and of those she loves. I really thought I wouldn't cry until I reached the middle and both Mia and I were hit with a terrible truth that had been obvious all along and from then on out I was tearing up every few pages until the end.
This novel is actually a very easy read but the way Gayle Forman pieces her scenes together made the story flow perfectly and so the writing is beautiful. This novel wasn't like other books where a main character has suffered a loss, where the books are often heavy with grief but about what many reviewers have already said. If I Stay is about family, love, music, and friendship. This novel is about the harmony and cacophony of life and about carrying on with it even though the alternative would be such an easy path to follow.
I admire Mia for the decision she made in the end, even if it's one she didn't know she would make, one she had decided not to make initially. I doubt I would have the strength to make the choice she did and hope I never have to, but I am very happy that I made the choice to pick up If I Stay because this is a story that will stay with me for a long time and I hope the companion novel does the same.
In the world of Graceling there are two distinct kinds of people - those that are graced and those that are not. The skills of the graced from what I have seen so far in this first book of Kristin Cashore's fantasy series are not as flamboyant or should I say obvious as what you would find in, for example, a comic book. There are no lasers shooting out of people's eyes, or tornado's being formed with a mere thought, the gracelings are what I would describe as unnaturally gifted. A normal person gifted in fighting would beat his or her opponent with almost ease, a person graced in fighting could have a broken arm, be faced off against five people and would still never lose a fight. The gracelings could be the most talented dancers, swimmers, runners, singers, weavers etc. or they could have far more dangerous talents.
Katsa's grace allowed her to kill a man when she was eight years old with one hand and from this moment on she has been used by her uncle, King Reyard, to strike fear into the heart of anyone who wrongs him. This along with her particular grace has made others who have not even met Katsa fear her, and her upbringing has not made Katsa the most typical of noble ladies. Still, Katsa despite not seeing herself as anything more than a tyrant leads covert operations where she helps people who need it and more and more recently she is finding it much more difficult to carry out her uncle's orders. And what really sets things off is while on a mission Katsa encounters a graced fighter who unexpectedly helps her unravel the peculiarities of her own grace as well as the shocking secrets of a foreign kingdom.
The story of Graceling for me was truly about not allowing yourself to be shaped by other people's predetermined thoughts of who you are and about being able to achieve anything as long as you never give up despite the odds. Graceling was also filled with such a diverse combination of awesome characters that ranged from brilliant to kick butt that I can't wait to meet them again in Fire and Bitterblue.
You guys I'm kind of sad, no, that's not the proper word - distraught. This series is over like really over as in this was the last book and there will be no more in the story and I don't know what to do with myself because it feels like this series and I were running to catch a train and it made it but I didn't and now I'm stuck on the platform watching it move away and I'm never going to see it again. Yes, I am being dramatic but you must have read a series that completely blew your mind and then ended because all series must, you have to remember how you felt when you read the last page and it sunk in that that was the last, last page. This happened to me with other books on a less dramatic scale but there is one other series that has made me feel this way and that would have to be the Harry Potter books.
Now, these two series are nothing a like story wise - Harry Potter was a contemporary fantasy about a boy who finds out he is a wizard and attends a school and discovers he's not only a wizard but famous. Leviathan is a steampunk/alternate history that takes place in the year 1914, and is told from the points of view of Aleksander, Prince of Austria, and Deryn Sharp a girl disguised as a boy in the Royal Air Service. On the other hand, what both books do have in common (at least for me) is that they are both set in fantastically created worlds filled with detail and brilliance, they both have great MCs and equally great minor characters that aren't just there to be props and they are both filled with many daring adventures.
At the end of Behemoth Alek still didn't know that Deryn was a girl and Deryn knowing that Alek would never be with a commoner had made peace with herself and firmly decided that she would never tell Alek her true identity or her feelings for him. Alek, who's family tragedy started the war still firmly believes that he must end it especially after the successful revolution in Istanbul and with all these secrets and goals brewing the Leviathan continues its journey east.
When the synopsis said “around the world tour” it really meant around the world. In Leviathan we got to travel through Austria, Switzerland and Britain, in Behemoth we were in Istanbul and in Goliath we traveled from Serbia to Japan to San Francisco, onwards through Mexico and finally New York City. I loved seeing how each country was familiar but changed because they were melded to fit in Westerfeld's Clanker vs. Darwinist world. Like a reporter with a recording frog perched on his shoulder, and video cameras that look like giant walking weapons from the distance. I also loved the name drops sprinkled throughout the story like Mikimoto - who works with fabricated pearls or Ford who has plans to make transportation walkers.
These weren't the aspects that had me glued to the pages however because a story is nothing without the protagonists and I have to say Alek and Deryn never disappoint. Deryn is finding it a lot harder to keep her secret and the more risk she takes the more danger she is in of being found out. Still who would Deryn be if she wasn't the first person to zip down a line or strap on a glider and although her actions are never done deliberately to put her in the spot light its impossible not to notice someone so brilliant. Alek is finally learning what kind of person he is and who he wants to be, the plan from the very beginning was to hide away and ride the war out but Alek knows he'll never be content with staying still especially when there is a war and every person seems to be doing whatever they can to fight it or fight in it.
While this isn't a romance series (thank goodness) the romance or should I say feelings in the series had been growing more and more steadily which each passing book and I beamed whenever Alek and Deryn were in scenes together. Not because there was mushiness going on but because these two best friends fit so well together. I just loved how easily they trusted each other with their secrets, and how one admired the other for their actions and who they were. There was never any long paragraphs of how hot one person looked or how one person made the other feel, everything was shown to the reader through the actions of the characters and never had to be jammed into my head. Understated love is what keeps me from rolling my eyes and actually feeling a tender moment for what its suppose to be - tender.
Am I happy with the way this series ended? Yes, I was smiling because it was sweet and its the ending the characters deserved and its an ending that fits. Am I sad the series has ended? I think the first paragraph in this review answers that question.
The Replacement wasn't a frightening read (nor did I think it would be) but if you were the characters in their situation or even just a visitor to the town of Gentry, and you didn't know what makes this town tick you would know there was something off and you would quickly get into your car or whatever transport you used to get there and quickly leave and look back to make sure that nothing was following you. Because although The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff wasn't the kind of story that filled me with dread or made me cold with apprehension it was certainly the kind of read that made me stay up in the middle of the night to read it and pick up first thing in the morning. It was the kind of book that as you read it the rest of the world kind of goes still and quiet, it fades away into the background as if you are at home, at night, all alone and there is nothing else going on except the wind blowing through the trees. Case end point The Replacement was a creepily descriptive, atmospheric book.
In the town of Gentry everyone knows the town's secret but no one talks about it because to say it out loud would make the truth too horrible to bear and honestly the truth is a horrible, terrible thing. So everyone goes about their day as if everything is normal and when a little girl dies it's treated as a tragedy by everyone except the girl's older sister Tate because Tate knows what was buried as her sister wasn't her sister at all, it wasn't even human. And Tate has found someone she thinks could help her, our main lead Mackie Doyle but Mackie has his own issues - he's dyeing – iron, steel, the smell of blood - the very world is making him sicker by the day and he can no longer play normal because acting like everybody else means he won't last another day unless he makes a deal.
Brenna Yovanoff does such a wonderful job of stringing words together and turning them into sounds, sights and emotions. Before this book I had never come across an author who could actually make me truly hear music I was reading and because of her darkly beautiful, poignant style I was completely immersed in the world of The Replacement.
All of the characters were both unique and interesting and although our main character's one hope is to be mundanely normal many of the people in The Replacement aren't really normal at all except for maybe his best friend. From devoted Emma and fearless Tate, to the wacky inventive twins Drew and Danny and the otherworldly Janice and The Morrigan The Replacement is filled with a whole host of characters who although aren't too likeable, definitely fascinate and stand-out from the crowd.
If you want a book that's different from the typical YA, filled with beautiful descriptive writing and an eerie engrossing atmosphere then pick up The Replacement, you won't be disappointed.
This was such a fun, adventurous read. My first venture into the steampunk genre and it did not disappoint, of course, Leviathan is written by Scott Westerfeld so I had little doubt that I would not enjoy this book and enjoy it I did. Like a well written high fantasy I was completely mesmerized by the sci-fi world of the book as I read through the pages of Leviathan and eyed the wonderfully detailed illustrations by Keith Thompson. And what was more fantastic in my opinion was that this wasn't a high fantasy world completely made up by the author but a world that was melded into an already existing history. An altered history filled with fantastic creations made of either machinery or fabricated animal.
It's the Summer of 1914 in a world where countries are divided into Darwinists, who have war machines created from genetically engineered animals and Clankers whose machines run on oil and steam. Each side opposes the choices of the other but none of this posed a problem until the murder of Alek's parents, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie plunges the world into World War I and Alek is on the run for his own life. And while he tries to escapes from Austria to neutral territory with the chosen men Alek's father trusted with his safety, across the sea ready to take her Midshipman test is the nervous Deryn Sharp, the test isn't what has Deryn nervous however. While Alek has to keep himself hidden like a secret, Deryn has to keep her own gender a secret from the Royal Air Service just so she can fly through the skies like her brother.
Both of these characters were such great reads, both were unique in their voices and situations but both were also so wonderfully alike in their ability to adapt and react in tough situations, their ingenuity, and their young wild hearts. Deryn who was advised by her brother to “not stand out” does everything but this because she really is a brilliant airman and it's just unfair that she has to hide who she really is to do what she loves but that doesn't get her down. In fact she hardly even thinks about it and I was happy this book wasn't filled with “almost being caught” moments but showed us all what Deryn was capable of. From her abilities to her colourful dialogue and voice Deryn quickly made her way onto my favourite female MCs list.
Alek, I didn't love him as instantly and I was afraid in the beginning that I wouldn't love him as much as Deryn because he really does come off as spoiled prince but a quarter of the way through the book I quickly grew to love him too. As I said, he knows how to adapt in a tough situation even if he can't stop himself from acting like a young prince, throughout Leviathan Alek really grows and develops into his own person and changes from the boy playing with his toys on the first page. And it's not just these two who were great there were so many wonderful secondary characters that talking about them all would take too long but let me just say that they are all fleshed out and add such vibrancy and depth to this book. Mr. Westerfeld really did a great job of voicing the people to tell his version of World War I.
Also, if you don't know the history of what happened in the war it's laid out for you with ease and without horrid info dumps so you will be neither bored nor lost. In fact there wasn't a dull moment to be found in this read and I am sorry to be joining the fandom so late in the game.
**Images by Keith Thompson. A couple of the illustrations found inside Leviathan.
I discovered this story through the amazing art posted on Shilin Huang's deviantart account and once I found out the art was part of a manga of hers I followed the link she posted and read volume 1 in one sitting. Carciphona is a high fantasy set in an alternate universe where demon magic or common magic that used to be practiced freely and without fear of persecution became outlawed after the appearance of an assassin who basically wreaked havoc on the world. And the reason this assassin's appearance led to the banning of all demon magic was because it was believed that she was a carciphona or the result of demon magic infecting humans. And although never proven as fact, after magic was banned the assassin known as Blackbird coincidentally disappeared and this quickly became to be known as true leading to all living sorcerers to be met with disdain and fear. Veloce who is our heroine is a sorceress and through the “kindness” of the king was allowed to live in his kingdom as long as she never used magic again, this didn't exactly equal a happy life and thus the story ensues.
Now, I really enjoy high fantasy stories and have in fact never read a manga that falls under this genre, only novels. It was certainly a different experience because when I read a high fantasy its usually quite slow in the beginning because the world has to be established and set up. Certain things have to be explained before the reader can be fully pulled into the story and that does sort of happen here but not extensively. There is a scene where the history behind the banning of magic or establishment of the Prohibition is explained and we get an implied sense that the world inside the story, Maelstrom, is divided into different kingdoms but besides this and the two different kinds of magic shown in this first volume there is still a lot to learn about the world of Carciphona. That is perfectly understandable of course, no one enjoys info dumps and if the world building can unfold gradually by being woven naturally throughout the story then I look forward to reading more. Another reason there couldn't be much world building in this particular volume was because there was a lot of action and some character development.
Thanks to the gorgeous artwork the action scenes were pretty top notch, hard to follow at times yes but I have that problem with all action scenes I read which is why I prefer my shounen-like stories to be animated, still it can't be helped, there was a lot of action sequences in this first volume and mostly between two more than capable female characters I might add. Which was very refreshing, usually in the action-centric stories you tend to have the guys taking centre stage while the ladies provided assistance or are just nuisances who get in the way. Not so here. Along with the action was character development for our main character but development that felt a little rushed. I love a well rounded character but it seemed too much happened in this one volume for me to feel satisfied with the whole piece. In the beginning Veloce is basically a recluse who just lets people treat her the way they want but at the end of the first volume she does a sort of one eighty after a specific event. It felt like I knew too little about her to fully understand her yet or even like her so when she grew in such a short time I couldn't fully appreciate the growth in her. This, like world building, should have been woven into the story more naturally I think though I won't lose faith yet there are still some parts of Veloce that require growth and I will be reading the next volume to see it happen.
Certainly a more serious story than I usually read I wouldn't have minded a little more humour to add levity to this first volume. The few sprigs of comedy that were shown were nice but not enough to actually lighten the mood and keep Carciphona volume 1 from being a little dull in some places. Still it was definitely worth the read and I recommend this to all who enjoy high quality art, action and fantasy.
