Saturday 29 June 2013

The Runaway Queen



Book Title: The Runaway Queen
Author: Cassandra Clare and Maureen Johnson
Series: The Bane Chronicles #2
Date Started: June 26th 2013
Date Completed: June 29th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Rating: Four stars
Review:


This was a nice little novella. I can't find anything remarkable to say about it to be honest - it was a perfectly enjoyable read and it wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't particularly amazing either. I think it lived up to my original expectations for the Bane Chronicles, but not my more recent predictions after the first novella.

The Runaway Queen takes place in France and follows Magnus Bane as he's offered a job to help Marie Antoinette and her court leave Paris to escape the revolutionists of the time. But when a group of french vampires steal the queen from under his nose, Magnus has to improvise to get her safely out of the country.

The writing was fine, but it wasn't the typical Cassandra Clare writing. I understand that's she's working with other authors to create these stories, but she managed to keep her unique flare in What Happened in Peru. I feel like it was a bit lost this time.
When I read the first novella in the Bane Chronicles I was surprised at how funny I found it. Whereas The Runaway Queen was a bit bland and lacking Magnus' signature humour.
There was nothing particularly wrong with it, I just didn't find it as engaging as I found the previous novella.

The story was a bit boring. Again, there wasn't really anything wrong with it, but I feel it wasn't as well planned out as Clare usually writes her stories. The beginning part is practically irrelevant except for the mention of a hot air balloon, which could easily have been said in one sentence rather than 20-30% of this story.
Once the story got going, and we got into the action, the thrill took over and I actually got quite interested in what was going on. I read a fair bit of this in one go because the middle part was so good.
Then it fell down again when the vampires got involved. Not because of the vampires - on the contrary I think they were needed to add a bit of danger to the plot since there wasn't much threat up until that point - but because they were in it for about 3% and then disappeared completely. I was expecting a big chase through Paris with Magnus trying desperately to save the queen from a pack of violent vampires. Instead I got him nearly falling asleep as they silently...travel away (spoilers). It didn't really excite me like I was expecting.

Magnus is brilliant, and I will always love him. But he wasn't really the Magnus we all know and love in this book. He was still Magnus, but he didn't really have much humour or fabulousness. This would have been fine, if there was a reason (e.g. he was suffering from one of his many and commonplace heartbreaks), but there wasn't. I think the action parts were so thought through not a whole lot of effort and time went into portraying our beloved Warlock and creating a interesting story.
I liked Axel - he was good love interest. One of the few things to make this a typical Magnus story is the mysterious love interest. And he was very interesting. But we know hardly anything about him. So little goes on in this novella that I would have expected to become more acquainted with the new characters. But I guess not.
It was a...interesting portrayal of Marie Antoinette. I'm just going to leave it at that.
I think a large part of the downfall of this story is that Magnus is alone for most of the book. It's not that Magnus isn't enough to excite the reader on his own, it's just that he's the type of character that functions by bouncing off other people's attitudes and comments. It's just the kind of personality that Clare has created. So when he's on his own for the majority of a story, there isn't anyone for him to be sarcastic to or make fun of jokingly.

I didn't hate it, as this review seems to say. I just was a little disappointed after What Happened in Peru exceeded my expectations so much. I just hope we get the sarcastic, humorous, fabulous, arrogant Magnus Bane back in the next novella.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes Clare's writing. It's not bad, it just isn't as good as other things she's written. Don't read it as an introduction into her works, because I don't want you to be put off from reading her other stories, because she really is a good writer. This just wasn't her best work.

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Darkness, Be My Friend



Book Title: Darkness, Be My Friend
Author: John Marsden
Series: The Tomorrow Series #4
Date Started: June 23rd 2013
Date Completed: June 29th 2013
Genres: Action, Thriller, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:

I started reading the Tomorrow series a few years ago, after a family friend bought me the first book (original australian edition muhahahhahaha) after discovering my love of books. I fell in love with the characters, story and writing straight away - despite the leap that I'd just made into more sophisticated writing. I have to say, the last book, The Third Day The Frost, left me wondering how a sequel could better it - so I'm not surprised the Darkness Be My Friend didn't quite live up to my expectations for the books.


Darkness Be My Friend starts in New Zealand, where Ellie and her friends are being looked after following the events in Wirrawee that led to their escape of their invaded home. All of them - most of all Ellie herself - are greatly shellshocked from their experiences, but, as time passes, and the progress in Australia stalls, they aren't entirely surprised when they're asked to go back into the country. Living as guerrillas in war time was hard enough when there were eight of them, mostly just trying to survive. Now, with only five left and on a mission to make a difference to the retaking of their home, can they possibly continue to survive when danger is hunting them down whenever they go?

John Marsden writes in a very complex way for Young Adult fiction. Whilst his writing isn't difficult to read, as such, it's definitely more sophisticated and detailed than the majority of teenage fiction out there. A lot of thought and deliberation goes into his passages, so the reader picks up all kinds of emotions from the characters, which definitely adds to the effect.
The Tomorrow series is, firstly, a action/thriller. Yet, for the most part, the plot is actually based around these kids and how they manage to deal with war time and their situation. This book especially, a lot of the writing is about how Ellie and her friends feel and react to their parents being held hostage by the invaders. This is shown very well through Ellie's point of view.
I usually don't like books written from the first person, because I feel like the reader is influenced to think a certain way about people and events - whereas I prefer to draw my own conclusions from adding different sides of an argument that sometimes don't come through when a book is written this way. But Ellie's a very aware girl, and she always understands that there's another side of the story. But, at the same time, she is very selfish - and very real. This combination creates a quite confusing feeling for the reader - but it works in the situations the characters are in because it's a lot easier to empathise with someone when you have an idea about how they feel, not just what they're going through.
It's one of the most intense books I've ever read - there's either action and danger going on, or deep meaningful soliloquies from Ellie.

Like I said, a great deal of the plot is focused on the characters, particularly in this book. Not a whole lot actually happened, event-wise. This is probably why I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous books, just because I really enjoy reading action and adventure.
Having said that, the events that did happen were very well orchestrated. The action scenes were detailed, but brief. Marsden is an incredibly realistic writer; he never goes for the predictable, because the predictable very rarely happens in these situations. Although it may nail-bitingly annoying that the group failed their goal in the book, I have to admire Marsden for actually choosing this route. It's what would likely have happened, and that's why I'm still giving the book a very high rating.
I love the little down-time parts of his novels. I don't usually like quiet-bits in books because I think a lot of authors use them too much because they want a break from writing challenging chapters, but you can tell Marsden always uses them for a reason: sometimes it's to get a certain reaction from the reader; sometimes to prepare or foreshadow a future event; sometimes even just to emphasise how one of the characters is feeling.

The characters are the basis of this book, and it would all crumble down without them and the relationship they have with the reader. After reading the previous three books, I've grown to love these characters so much that I feel for them and I get sad when they do etc etc. And that's exactly what Marsden wants and planned when he started writing the series.
I often feel very sorry for Ellie. The thing that makes her such a great protagonist is that she is nothing special: just an ordinary, normal girl with no amazing abilities or anything. Yet she manages to live through so much. And that's what makes her special. In most books we're greeted by a person who already has something unusual and wonderful about them. What makes Ellie so brilliantly made is that she becomes special throughout the books, so we get to see her change slowly and gradually - and we hardly notice it. In a way she's one of the weaker characters, since it's made quite clear that she's affected by what happens to them quite a lot more than her friends, and she often jeopardises the group through her fear. But because of that the reader can relate to her and her narration makes it clear why she does such things and how she comes to doing them. We're presented with a character who, from the outside, could be considered very selfish and a bad person. But when we get to look inside her, we can tell that actually she's been forced into this situations and dangers and she's just dealing with it the best she can - which may not be very well, but she's only human. It's one of the best representations of human nature I've ever, ever experienced.
Fi becomes a bigger character in this book. Previously, she's still had a vital relationship with Ellie, but now that some of the other characters have left, we're definitely seeing more of her. I've never really been sure of Fi. I'm not quite sure why: she's a perfectly nice person - on the contrary she's an amazingly kind and courageous person.  I think what's always put me off about her is the fact she came from a very rich and posh family right at the beginning of the series. I'm actually quite ashamed of myself for letting a stereotypical role form in my mind, and then stick with me throughout the books, but I can't help it. There may be another reason why I'm not certain of Fi, but if there is I can't think of it.
Homer is my favourite character, which was why I was sad he wasn't such a big part in this book. Homer is the most interesting to me because she's got such a big character and a lot of attitude, and still messes up all the time and is a complete jerk - that I can't help but find Marsden' flawless presentation intriguing. I honestly love him so much. I really wish his and Ellie's friendship was shown more, since we hear about it a lot, but rarely actually experience it. I just think he's such fun to read, even when he's in one of his signature stormy moods.
Kevin used to annoy me, but actually I've grown to like him. I think we're supposed to see him as a jerk in the first book, because he really messes up big time. And that feeling does linger in the other books. But Kevin keeps proving himself in small ways, as Ellie herself points out, and that, in the end, made me like him. Again, it's just another way of dealing with their circumstances. Acting like an idiot must be hard to avoid when everything you know it's there anymore - but sometimes he manages to break through it and be a hero.
Lee confuses me. I like him. I think. Like I said, he confuses me.

The other problem I had with Darkness Be My Friend was that when the climaxes came, they didn't seem particularly important. It's hard, in a book such as this, to have things constantly going on, and yet still push some events out as bigger than others. You can clearly tell what the main parts of the plot are, but when I was reading them, I was more thrilled or excited than I was on the other parts of the story.

The romance is brilliant. It's there a little bit, but it's very dysfunctional - as you would expect in the situation. I really like how that affects Ellie and the way she thinks about everything going on around her. It also doesn't consume the story. I was wary, when reading the first book, about how much it was going to affect the story. Btu actually, it definitely dies down when they realise the seriousness of their situation.
Again, Marsden, the best believable writer in the history of ever.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes meaningful stories or anything about war time. There's loads of action, and I couldn't say it isn't a thriller. There is romance, but don't expect your typical Young Adult love story. It's anything but. I have a friend who's really into politics and loves these books, so maybe that might also interest you.
It's quite hard reading, do don't be surprised if you're a bit slow at first, it does pick up, especially towards the end. Also, it's quite a subduing, sad book. Don't read it when you're in a sensitive mood - it won't help.
Read the first books first! You won't truly love and understand and feel for the characters until you know their full story. Also, it's quite confusing if you don't know what's previously happened to them.

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Wednesday 26 June 2013

The Assassin and the Empire



Book Title: The Assassin and the Empire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #o.4
Date Started: June 25th 2013
Date Completed: June 26th 2013
Genres: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery
Rating: Five stars
Review:

It was so good. So, so good. They've all been wonderful and exciting, but they've all been building up to this massive, epic finale that sets up the perfect cliffhanger for the main novels. I honestly don't know how Maas managed to write a book and then create such a detailed, perfectly planned, set-out backstory that happened before. I'm already completely and utterly sold to the series.


The Assassin and the Empire is the last novella before Maas' first Throne of Glass novel. It takes place immediately after The Assassin and the Underworld. Celeana and Sam, now free of the Assassin's Guild, spend their time lazing around in their new apartment. But after a surprise visit from their old master, both decide they want to leave the city and their past behind them. To raise the appropriate funds for their leave of the Guild, the pair decide to handle their biggest mission yet: taking down the Crime Lord of the city. But are Adarlan's best Assassins taking on too much than they can handle?

The writing style is always brilliant when Maas is writing it. It flows, it's detailed, it's imaginative. The action sequences are flawlessly written and I can accurately see everything as it happens in the story. I also love how Maas can correctly portray her character's emotions.
There's a lot of conflicting feelings in this novella, and I think Maas was able to show both sides of all of them so that the reader is able to emphasise with Celeana as she has to make all the decisions herself.

It's one of my favourites - I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as The Assassin and the Underworld, because I didn't feel there was as much mystery and suspense character-wise, as well as plot. But it's definitely my favourite. So much happens and it all works so well together and ties in, you can tell the author has spent time and effort perfecting her plan of the story before she started writing.
There's so many twists and turns in this story. I think it's the first of Maas' novellas I've read where I'm constantly having to change my opinion on what I think the characters should do because something's happened or  because they've learnt something new or because Sam or Celeana have a big speech about how they should do things their way.
I didn't want to put it down at all - even in the slower parts. The great thing was, in the fast, action-packed scenes there was plenty of excitement and danger to keep me entertained. But everything apart from the climaxes were still full of tension and important to the storyline, so I was never reading anything irrelevant or inappropriate.

I've said this in every review I've done of Maas' books, but I love the characters so much. As a whole, they work together better than any other cast I've read. Admittedly, there are very few main characters, but in a way that's better because we can tell the author has decided to take more time to really get into a few characters than only shallowly develop a large number of people.
Celeana is my favourite character of all time. Not even just protagonists; kick-ass girls; beautiful people; realistic personalities. She's just my favourite because of so many reasons. When you think of assassins, you might think of people that are still scared, and still have their own emotions etc, but the thing I love about Celeana is it's very clear she's got the killing instinct drilled into her head - and it's obvious she's more than capable of murdering everyone she sees. But even though she's no doubt an assassin, she's still a human being without compromising that. I'm really impressed with that: being able to say your character is one thing - and stick to that - whilst also showing a comparison the reader might not be expecting.
Sam, you kill me, honestly. I love him so much, and he is the best male interest I've read in a Young Adult story. I love the way he and Celeana are actually quite different, yet they work together wonderfully. He's believable, and yet still perfectly imperfect at the same time. I love his scenes, and I really look forward to any of his dialogue or anything that he's in because I think he's a really interesting character that is exactly what Celeana needs.
My mind is constantly changing about Arobynn: sometimes I'm positive he's evil; then I think he's just cruel; or maybe he's misunderstood and I should feel sympathetic to him; then back to the hating him because he's really mean. I'm never sure whether he's a good guy that's really messed up, or whether he's actually been our to get Celeana from the start. And I love that uncertainty because it makes me want to keep coming back for more.

I think the romance in this book is portrayed very well. There's definitely more in it than there was in the last novella (my favourite) and I think that was why I didn't like it quite so much. The romance didn't get in the way of the story, as such, but it was more ingrained in the main plot. This isn't necessarily bad, I just prefer it the other way around.
But I still think it was really well done. Their relationship is very subtle, and I like that because it's realistic. There's still a lot of doubt in Celeana's mind about whether it's the right thing to do - as in most Young Adult romances - but it isn't the insufferable whiny type that just drives me mad.
I think it's very well balanced out.

A really small thing I've been meaning to mention is that I like the way Maas doesn't go into huge detail about Celeana. We're told she's beautiful, and there is the odd description of golden hair or sparkling eyes, but for the most part, we're just told she's beautiful and that's all we need to know. It's a very small thing that isn't vital whatsoever, but I really like the way she's allowing us to just accept Celeana for ourselves.

The ending killed me. I'm not even joking this time. The thing is, is wasn't even the ending. Maas made me suffer for another twenty percent of the book before she let me come to terms with what happened. I hate authors, honestly. They're evil, yet so clever. It was the perfect ending to the novellas, although I am wondering how the hell Celeana's going to carry on now. I guess I'll just have to find out myself.

I would recommend The Assassin and the Empire to everyone. It's so good, and there's loads to appeal to a whole range of genres and preferences. There's mystery, action, romance, fantasy, thrills. It's very emotional and is a fairly easy read that still manages to include a staggering amount of detail to add to the story. I would recommend reading the previous novellas first, because otherwise your heart might not break as much as the story deserves. And I can pretty much guarantee you'll want to read the novel afterwards to find out what happens to Celeana - I do.

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2012/08/the-assassin-and-the-empire.jpg

Tuesday 25 June 2013

The Assassin and the Underworld



Book Title: The Assassin and the Underworld
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #o.3
Date Started: June 24th 2013
Date Completed: June 25th 2013
Genres: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: Five stars
Review:

This is my favourite of the Throne of Glass novellas so far - and that means something. I love this things so much, they're so good and are literally a whole separate book in each novella. There's so much story and the characters are so real and exciting, I just love them to bits.


The Assassin and the Underworld is set, again, straight after the previous novella, when Celeana is returning back to her master to give him her letter of approval from the Mute Master. But she's surprised to find Arobynn deeply regretting beating her after her rash actions at Skull's Bay (which occurred in the first episode of novellas). Now that she has returned, he showers her in extravagant gifts and offers her a dangerous job, of which she can keep all the reward without splitting it with him. But there's something off with her new mission, and Celeana has enough going on in her world with Sam's strange behaviour and Lysandra's frustrating flirting with him. Can she divide her attentions to stop her messing up or will she doom herself?

Like I've said in my other reviews of Maas' novellas, I absolutely love the writing style. It's quick and fluid; it's flows wonderfully and links with the next passage all the time so that it's completely smooth and easy to read.
There's also a depth to the emotions and descriptions that challenge the readers to actually think and picture what's going on rather than giving them all the information they need.
The action scenes are stunning, as always, and I honestly couldn't put my kindle down - again.

This story is slightly different from the other novellas so far, as it actually shows what a normal mission for Celeana is; up until now we've only experienced her away from home and in strange and uncertain locations with unfamiliar people. I think it's been perfectly planned so that, now we are aware of all the characters in her world and already have our impressions of them, we actually get to see how they function and work within her life. This is a different outlook than most books provide, and I think it works very well in that we can confirm or doubt our impressions of the characters from just of what Celeana's actions and feelings have told us. This is partly why I loved this novella over the other two (of which I still absolutely adore - but this on is just perfect); because we actually get to know what her life is actually like.
I also like it the best because it has a lot more romance than the other two. Now, I'm not huge on romance and I usually like it in small doses. The Assassin and the Underworld is quite focused around the complicated relationship that Celeana has (that isn't really a relationship - or is it? (You shall have to read it to find out. READ IT)). But the romance side doesn't interfere too much with the mystery/action side of the story either, and the main plot stays in tact and interesting at the same time, which I'm always impressed by.
Also, after two novellas of something clearly going on, I was at the point of shouting at the characters to just admit it to each other - and themselves. I really liked the way this worked, actually: by building up our knowledge of them and their emotions and personalities over previous stories, we're already really attached to them by the time the real drama goes on, so we feel for them and we want them to be okay. That's what real writing is: when you genuinely feel an emotion (any emotion: love, hate, lust, fear etc etc) for a fictional person in a fictional situation.

Celeana continues to be my favourite protagonist of all time. She's honestly the most real kick-ass character I've ever read; she's both clever and reckless, and she gets scared remarkably easily, but tries not to let it affect her - rather than the fear being completely non-existent. I love the way she's also portrayed as actually quite girly, yet still able to floor almost anyone in less than ten seconds - it's a stereotype I've never seen addressed before, but actually works incredibly well (why should kick-ass girls have to be tom-boys?) She's just also a really fun person to follow on her journey. Even though the story is told in the 3rd person, Maas still conveys her feelings and thoughts very well and we can almost always tell what Celeana's thinking - or maybe I'm so attached to her I can just predict it without thinking.
Sam continues to be absolutely precious and wonderful. I like the way, even though he's a trained assassin, he's still got that quite geeky, cute boy feel around him - it's not even implied by the writer, I just get that sort of impression off him (although that might be Celeana knowing she's better than him). I've always loved him, even when he was supposedly out to get Celeana, and I think he's an absolutely brilliant addition to the story.
Lysandra pisses me off so much - and for once I don't care, because I know she's supposed to. Usually, even when it's what the author wants, when I don't like a character because of their personality, I really don't like them and I'm very reluctant to read texts they're in. But Lysandra is so necessary to the story that I manage to swallow my pride and enjoy the story and its twists and turns.
This is the first time we actually properly see Arobynn, and I was very curious to see what he was actually like for more than a few pages. I was quite surprised by his tenderness, but I suspected there was a more bitter, sly undercurrent that later showed up. He's a brilliant master for Celeana, because you can clearly see why she looks up to him so much - yet there's also that spark in his personality that explains why she hates him so much at the same time.

The pace is very constant. Like I've said in other reviews, even when there isn't a whole lot happening in the story, the narration is very interesting and often important to the story. I think this is much easier in a smaller novella such as this, so I'll be interested to see how Maas manages in a larger novel.

The progression of Celeana's story is shown very well with the ending twist. You could feel it coming on throughout the story, but even when it happens you're still a little shocked she made that choice in the end. I like those sorts of stories, and I can see where it'll clearly lead onto the next novella (which is the last, so I'll be reading the actual first book in the Throne of Glass series very soon).

I absolutely loved this novel, so I'd recommend it to anyone who loves action, mystery, romance and fantasy-style kingdoms. There's plenty of assassin action in there too, so if you're into magicians and thieves you'll no doubt love these stories. The writing style is excellent, and you don't get bored. If you want to try Maas' writing out, this would be a perfect place to start - although you might want to read the prequel novellas first, though it doesn't make much distance. I just enjoyed reading them as they went on straight after the previous. But definitely try it.

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AAAAEa8/qXHkKz0DmbA/s1600/The+Assassin+and+the+underworld.png

Monday 24 June 2013

The Assassin and the Desert



Book Title: The Assassin and the Desert
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #o.2
Date Started: June 23rd 2013
Date Completed: June 24th 2013
Genres: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: Five stars
Review:

Once again, I'm incredibly impressed with Maas' writing in such a small collection of pages; there's a fully fledged and developed plot in this novella and the characters change and act realistically and there's plot twists and action, and romance, and inner monologues and learning and brilliant descriptions and exciting events and everything. I really, really love Sarah J. Maas' work.


The Assassin and the Desert is set right after the prequel novella The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, where Celeana and Sam manage to free a load of slaves from captivity. After returning back to their master and mentor, Arobynn, both are shocked when he reacts violently at his lose of money and beats Celeana into unconsciousness. When she wakes again, the assassin has been told she must travel to the Mute Master of the Southern deserts and train with him for a month to recieve his letter of approval to be reaccepted into her master's house. But when she reaches the palace, she has trouble getting to grips with the ways of her new lodgings and can't avoid getting into trouble along the way. But there's something a lot more sinister hidden behind the sandy dunes than just a rivalry between the local ruler and the assassins...

Sarah J. Maas' writing is superb: quick, fluid and action-packed. Every word flows into the next perfectly and the rhythm is so consistent you never find yourself confused or bored. Her action sequences are jaw-droppingly effective and imaginable, yet she can still write slower passages. She can convey the emotions of the characters very well, despite the book being narrated in the 3rd person, and I feel really connected to their personalities as well - even though I've literally only read two short novellas, I already know the characters well enough to predict what they're going to do, and understand their choices and opinions. And there's still a lot I don't know about them, so I'm not disinterested.
The story was very original, like all her stories, and I found myself hanging on every word and wanting to know what happened next all the time. I really liked the unpredictable start that threw off the reader from what they knew and transported them into new and dangerous territory before the main plot had even begun. It left us wanting to know more and also showed how Celeana was likely feeling - which made us emphasise with her even more.
The ending was good. Very good. I'm not quite sure how Celeana is such a famous and deadly assassin and yet she still hesitates before killing, but perhaps that's just her character and is explained more in the actual book - I shall have to find out for myself. But I thought it was all very well written and carried out; not predictable and not repetitive.
Every chapter was different, and the story moved quickly, but still gave the reader time to notice how the people and events were developing and spiralling into something a lot more uncontrollable.

I really love Celeana. I think she's an absolutely brilliant protagonist: not only is she kick-ass, sarky and beautiful, but she admits she's wrong and reckless - but still make human mistakes. She's so much more real to me this way; people make mistakes, admit them, and then make them again. It's just how we function. And I love the fact that Celeana's so aware of this, yet still doesn't let it affect her too much. I find her funny and really interesting to follow in her adventures.
I wish Sam was in this one more! (But oh my god, the tiny bit he was in broke my heart.) I love Sam so much - he'd better be in the bloody main novel or I will kill something. I like Ansel, a lot. I thought there was something up with her, but Maas lures you into trusting her, just like Celeana is deceived.
I also kind of wish Ilais had a slightly bigger part, just because I think it could have become quite interesting about how she dealt with him and her feelings for other people.
The Mute Master was nothing like I expected him to be, but that worked so wonderfully well. We're obviously supposed to think of him as something like Arobynn; the threatening, powerful Assassin Lord - but he's actually far nobler and intelligent. I think that worked wonderfully.

There was always something happening and something to keep the audience interested, but even when the pace slowed a little and there wasn't much action or speech, Maas still manages to create a believable world that is enjoyable to read.

I'm once again surprised by how much detail and story can be fitted into under 200 pages. I don't know exactly how long this novella is without looking, but it's definitely not that much. Yet there's still so much plot and story that it's practically bursting at the seams with mystery and menace and everything you could want. I really really enjoy stories that involve thieves and assassins in far off, middle-eastern-esque worlds, but this is by far one of the best I've read. And this isn't even the proper thing yet.

I would recommend this novella to everyone. There's a load of astounding action in there, and mystery, fantasy and a little bit of romance too. It's perfect if you want to try out Maas' writing, and I really love learning a little bit about the characters before I go on to read the actual book - I can tell I'm already going to be attached and in love with the people and places before I open to the first page.
(In particular, if you're a fan of authors like Trudi Canavan or Laini Taylor, this book/novella is definitely for you. I find myself picturing Cery and Sonea from The Black Magician Trilogy many times.)

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Sunday 23 June 2013

The New World



Book Title: The New World
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking #o.5
Date Started: June 23rd 2013
Date Completed: June 23rd 2013
Genres: Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Action, Thriller
Rating: Four stars
Review:

I think this was a really nice prologue to the Chaos Walking trilogy. It set up the story for people who have yet to read the series, and also cleared up a few questioning points for people who have already read the books.


The New World is a short story about how Viola made her way to Todd's planet. It shows her life on the ship, and then the disaster that happened on her arrival at the planet.

Ness' writing is again, very good. He knows how his characters think and is then able to portray them appropriately and realistically to the reader in their various situations. There isn't much chance to show off his imagery here, although I feel a little more detail could have gone into her first impressions of the new planet (although I have a feeling this was left out to enforce her shock from the previous events).
I think this could very easily have been just about her flight through the atmosphere and down onto the planet, but actually a lot more detail about life on the ship and her relationship with the other people is added in in parts along the way. Each section proves a little bit about how Viola feels and reacts to what her parents and everyone else says.

I've always liked Viola, and felt I could relate to her. In this little novella we get to see more of how she became the strong, stubborn character we know from the trilogy. I also really enjoyed seeing her relationship with her parents; since it's not as perfect as we're led to believe in the trilogy. (I think this was handled brilliantly. Viola acts how the majority of children do; questioning their parents and denying that they understand everything like they seem to say - but he also shows how actually a lot more affection is actually hidden behind those words, and how scary it is to lose something like that).
Viola's parents aren't really how I expected them: I had always pictured a lot more demanding characters that knew what they were doing all the time - these versions were a lot more hopeful and smiley, but they actually seemed quite frail and naive. I liked that.
I'm also very happy Bradley had an appearance. We do get a sense that he and Viola were very close (not romantically - as friends, another thing I'm proud of in this series is the strong ties of friendship as well as love) and we really get to see this relationship in this novella.

I think the ending was really quite sad. You definitely sympathise with Viola when you first hear about her story in The Knife of Never Letting Go, but reliving it brings it to life quite a bit more. I think it can sometimes be hard to recreate a story you're thought of, and have mentioned so many times it's turned into something of a story you tell people commonly - but Ness managed to actually tell his story again without it being predictable and boring.

The Chaos Walking series has always found a way to have morals in them, and even in this tiny collection of passages, there's still a reality about our impression of hope. As so wonderfully put by Viola's father 'hope is terrifying', 'but life is more terrifying without it'. I'm always impressed by how Ness can include these simple, but true points in his writing without losing his exciting plot.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes the Chaos Walking trilogy, and sci-fi, dystopian books. It's quite good if you just want to try out Patrick Ness' writing, although his actual series' are better, since you get to see the characters develop as they go on their journey.

Image Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxp9A2O1EDKMqZ2wF3hzNlhr50zMwJQyeL9cbdLBhU3KkBiT1FIzHFrTQREow6K6XuQ9R5c7910FijSjHAVT6AhfJDyThZPSDFfrkAjA27A1DF3hq15pkEXsIpvAZ80txsT0GG2nhe1AX/s1600/TheNewWorld.jpg

Goblin Fruit



Book Title: Goblin Fruit
Author: Laini Taylor
Date Started: June 10th 2013
Date Completed: June 23rd 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:

This was a really nice novella - nice seems like the wrong word to use, but I'm using it anyway. I actually took forever to read it, because I was reading a lot of other really good main books, but actually when I did read it, it was very easy to slip back into the story.


Goblin Fruit is set in the same world as Laini Taylor's bestselling Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It tells of how Kizzy, having grown up in a family famous for their superstitious beliefs in ghosts and goblins etc, yearns for the love of someone - anyone. So when a beautiful new boy turns up at school, Kizzy overlooks the warnings for her dead grandmother and allows herself to be tempted into the dangerous world of goblins - goblins who lust for girls just like Kizzy...

Taylor's writing style is as brilliant as always. I didn't fall in love with the characters or places as much as I did with Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but that's probably more to do with the fact that I didn't have the time to get to know them that well.
Her writing made her characters perfectly believable, and I'm always impressed by how well she can integrate modern language and behaviour into such an old, timeless theme.

I felt like the story could have gone on a bit longer, so that a little more could have happened; the plot wasn't really resolved, almost like it's the first part of a story that has yet to be finished.
I did like the building up of the relationship between the two characters though: it wasn't rushed, yet it still happened fairly naturally in a short space of time.

I like Kizzy - not much more than that to say. Because we don't have much time with her, it's hard to fully understand her or feel something about her character. Having said that, you do get the impression that she's not the brightest girl - since she allows herself to be tempted, which endangers her even further - yet I found myself agreeing with a lot of her actions and admitting I probably would have done the same.
Jack was good - not the typical love interest, but he still managed to get the audience's approval and work effectively. I feel he should probably have been more sinister, but it didn't effect the story too much.

The pace was quite slow throughout the whole thing, even near the end when we were getting to the climax.

The backstory of Kizzy's grandmother was a key part in the story that I really liked. Although it's only giving the reader background information, it's actually really important, and was very well presented; I didn't get bored.
The pictures at the beginning were also really, really good. I love the illustration style and it managed to tell the first parts of the story so well I already knew what was going on by the time I actually started reading. And the last picture was perfect to say what eventually happened in the end too (although I wish there was a little more detail of how). I was hauntingly good.

Looking over what I've written it seems like I didn't really like this short story, but I really did. I suppose because Taylor has written such an explosive series I'm partly comparing the two, when they don't need to be compared. But I really did like it, and I think it was very well written and planned.

I would recommend this to any who likes short stories about fantasy and romance. The plot of this novella is short and sweet, but the haunting story stays with you for quite a while afterwards.

Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBVwa13MjAU/UH2uQnKv5WI/
AAAAAAAAEpM/IgIkaF2O_uE/s1600/Goblin+Fruit.jpg

The 5th Wave



Book Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #1
Date Started: June 20th 2013
Date Completed: June 23rd 2013
Genres: Action, Romance, Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Thriller
Rating: Four stars
Review:

When I first started reading this book I was really worried. The first hundred pages or so is quite confusing and, being the impatient person I am, I didn't like the fact I didn't really know what was going on and who all these people were. I would have stopped reading it, had it not been for the hype surrounding this book. I'm very glad I didn't stop reading it - because once I got my head around the baffling set-out the story was good enough to make me want to read more when it was over.


The 5th Wave happens during an alien invasion. No one has seen the aliens, but a huge mothership is in constant orbit above the earth, and four waves of destruction have been sent out, wiping out around 75% of the world's population. The book starts by following the story of a sixteen-year-old girl, Cassie, and her fight for survival as she tries to find her little brother and reunite what's left of her family. But when her father is murdered soon after her brother's departure, Cassie finds herself attacked and alone in the wilderness. She has one rule: trust no one. But can she save her brother if she sticks to it?

One of the things that confused me about this book was the writing style. There's nothing strange about it, but since the story is shown from two people's first-hand perspectives it got a bit confusing to understand who was narrating (until you realise that each 'part' is told by a different character - where is becomes incredibly simple). I think I was trying to read a little bit too hard into the structure, when actually the very simple style had enough detail to make the reader understand everything and appeal appropriately.
Usually, I'm not all that fond of humour being used in first-hand perspective in dystopian books like this, because I feel it takes the seriousness out of the story; the futures portrayed in these books are bleak, and sometimes I find it hard to take seriously if the characters are constantly making jokes about everything like they're in a high school drama. But actually the humour was strict in this novel - just so that it lightened up the plot when it became a little too dark, but didn't take away from the story.

The plot was very well done. It did confuse me at the beginning, but that's my fault for being so impatient. Although the story does start off quiet slowly, it does build up reasonably quickly, so that by the second 'part' it's already quite action-packed.
What really impressed me was how well the plots fitted together. Different sub-stories are usually intertwined in books, but these ones snapped together so well that you can tell Yancey actually sat down and worked out how everything was going to work thoroughly before actually writing the book. The story was actually very detailed, as well. Most Young Adult novels tend to have fairly simple plots and focus more on the characters and their development. The 5th Wave did focus a lot on characters, and I feel I did see them change and grow as the story continued, but the plot and twists and turns were actually very interesting and engaging also.

I really liked the characters. I don't think there were really any characters I disliked, apart from maybe Ringer.
Cassie was a good protagonist: she isn't the best I've seen, but she was still very good. Clever, funny, sensible, and still a little reckless and childish. She was very real to me and I liked the way her story was probably the main one, but it still didn't completely overshadow the other parts.
Ben (Zombie, whatever) was also very good. I kind of wish he hadn't been a popular boy, just because it didn't really come out later on, where you might expect it to. But I was surprised when he wasn't really the main love interest - which was good; he didn't fantasise all the time about kissing girls or anything. He actually thought about his job and surviving and the things you should be thinking about in his situation.
Sammy is completely adorable. I don't usually like little kids, but Sams is a strong, loveable character who was presented very well considering his age.
Evan is my favourite character, because he's the most interesting. You know throughout the whole thing that there's something a little off about him, but it's subtle enough so that you don't get it right away. I love him the most because he's honest, both in his personality, but also his character. I think Yancey did a brilliant job of emphasising with him and the way he might react. I'm also glad that Cassie was always wary of him, even if reluctantly, because it stopped the novel from being a chick-flick romance.
The only person I'm not sure about is Ringer. I can't tell if there's actually something going on with her, or if she's just there in the background for the sake of it. Her arrogance also really annoyed me - I know it's part of her character, and I don't think it was a bad idea to include her, I just don't like the kind of person she is.

Continuing on from a previous point, I was very happy with the way the romance was written. It's definitely there, but it didn't take over the story - yet it was a big part in it. Cassie and Evan's relationship was always on the tipping scales; sometimes they were both fine with it; sometimes suspicion got in the way. I think that really worked well, because it's the kind of thing the characters would probably do in the circumstances. It also kept the tension up for the reader.
I have no idea what the hell's going on with Ben and Ringer. Or Ben and Cassie.
I just don't know.

The pace was pretty constant: always something going on, but not so much that when it actually got to the main climaxes, that they were lost and didn't mean a whole lot. It was evened out very well.
However, I don't really like the way it was set out. Most books that are written from alternate perspectives break them up through chapters. This novel, however, separated the different stories through whole 'parts'. I found this a little harder to understand when the stories were supposedly going on at the same time, but were a hundred or so pages apart; by the time you got to a different person's perspective, you had forgotten what had happened in the first place.
It was also a little slow for some parts, since you were waiting to find out the resolution to a cliffhanger from a previous part - this made it quite distracting from the story you were actually reading.
Also, near the end, when the stories start to come together, the parts became very short - this just made it a little inconsistent. There's nothing terribly wrong with this way of writing, I just prefer to have more of a variety throughout the book.

I didn't really realise how attached I was to the characters until right at the end, where my heart was ripped out. Didn't cry, I'm afraid, and there was actually no definite of what actually happened, but it still hurt. Since this book leads on to a trilogy (thank god) there is plenty of opportunity to get that disaster back - which I suspect was planned (tut tut). But yes, good ending.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action (there's loads of it, and really detailed well and excitingly too), romance, dystopian, sic-fi etc. If you're like me, very impatient, just remember that is does actually make sense a little further in - and it's actually better because of that. If not, you're fine.

Image Source: http://www.seventeen.com/cm/seventeen/images/za/5thwavebook.jpeg

Thursday 20 June 2013

The Ambassador's Mission



Book Title: The Ambassador's Mission
Author: Trudi Canavan
Series: The Traitor Spy Trilogy #1
Date Started: June 14th 2013
Date Completed: June 19th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Romance, Mystery, Adventure
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I remember when I finished Canavan's Black Magician Trilogy that I wanted more. Even though the story draws nicely to a close in this book's prequel trilogy, I really wanted to read more about Sonea and Rothen and Dannyl and Cery etc etc. Which is why when I found out there was actually more of their story to be told, I fangirled a little bit. And then I actually got to reading it and it was just perfect.


The Ambassador's Mission takes place twenty years after the Black Magician Trilogy. Sonea is now Black Magician for the Guild and her son, Lorkin, has grown up into a popular alchemist that takes a lot of the girl's fancies. But the Thieves in the slums are being murdered, and Sonea's old street urchin friend fears for his own life when his family's is taken. He sets out on a mission to bring the Thief Hunter to justice and to avenge his lost sons. Meanwhile, when Dannyl, another old friend of Sonea's, applies for the Ambassador position in the distant - and previously enemy territory - Sachaka, Lorkin allows his curiosity to get the better of him and decides to go with his mother's friend - much to Sonea's dismay. But when her protests of danger for her son are overruled, Lorkin is thrown into a dangerous country where his safety may not be as secure as he once thought it to be.

Trudi Canavan's writing is amazing. I've always loved the clear sophisticated style and techniques that still seem to flow smoothly, despite the challenging structure. The world comes to life off the page and the characters develop and change and act irresponsibly and wonderfully. She definitely knows what she's doing to the point where she hasn't written a book; she's written an entire world in the pages of a novel. For a Young Adult series, she's really very clever in attracting and entertaining her target audience, but not boring them at the same time.

The story was amazing as ever. I seem to be reading more and more books that incorporate several subplots to make one big story. Although, out of all the books I've read that do that, I definitely think Canavan is the best at carrying it out. I don't feel like any one of the plots is supposed to be more important than the other, so you really get the feeling that everything draws into one and another, and each need the other to completely make sense and continue to flow.
I think I enjoyed Sonea's story the most, but I've always loved her character, so I may be biased. But I loved all of them; I wasn't skimming through certain chapters to get to a person that I liked reading. Dannyl's story is definitely the political one, yet I was still quite interested in what happened.
Lorkin's was the most adventurous, as you'd expect; and Cery's was like a murder mystery. (I love the way each story almost has it's own genre and they still all worked together despite the clashing themes.) The links between the stories are masterfully written, especially Sonea's involvement in her son's plot, and then Cery's inclusion in hers.

Sonea is a wonderful protagonist. I loved her as the main character in the Black Magician Trilogy, and I love her now, even though she has less of a main role. She makes mistakes, and she's reckless - but she has reasons for both (e.g. she isn't the typical character that takes risks for the hell of it just to impress the readers - she actually has valid reasons for acting the way she does.) You can really see how she's grown from the first trilogy into the woman she is now, yet you can still notice those little flares of her youth in her stubbornness. I do wish there had been more involvement in her reaction to what happened to her after .......'s (can't write it because spoilers) death - I think she'd probably worry or think about it more, but it wasn't that necessary to the plot, so I can see why it was left out.
I really like Lorkin; I was a little worried at first, because I didn't know how you could create a character that was different from Sonea, yet still have the features so you could relate the two together, but actually Canavan did just that. You can definitely see aspects of Sonea's personality in her son's, but he's still a new character with his own way of thinking and keeping the audience interested.
I was glad to see Dannyl again, since he has always been a favourite of mine, but I think my heart was cut out of my chest fairly near the beginning of the book when he decided to leave someone (sorry, spoilers) behind. I didn't see it coming and it hurt.
Cery was also one of my favourites, and he's just as good when he's twenty years older. I always found it hard to imagine the troublesome street urchin older with a wife and children of his own, but it actually suits him quite well - until Canavan decided to cut my heart out there too. But his inclusion was brilliant.
And Rothen! Oh my god I've missed Rothen so much. I wish he was in it more, I really do. Rothen is just perfect and wonderful and asdfghjkl;.
I like the change in Regin took - I definitely prefer him to the novice version.
I miss ....... (sorry), just saying.And what the hell happened to Dorrien? The epilogue in the High Lord says he didn't leave Sonea's side after the battle - so where is he twenty years later? (There isn't even any explanation or anything. Sorry, but he was in my top three characters from the books, I miss him.)

The pace of the book was pretty consistent throughout the whole novel; of course there were times when there wasn't action or magic or whatever, but I never got bored, as such.
There may not have been strictly exciting, but there was always something going on to aid the story. That's another thing I really liked: every chapter was there for a reason and had a purpose - they weren't there just to fill time or catch up with a character. Each one was specifically needed for something in the plot.

I didn't expect such involvement from the old characters of the prequel trilogy to appear in this book, so as each one emerged in their chapters I did freak out a little - I missed them, okay.

Imardin has changed quite a bit since the Black Magician Trilogy. Although the general foundations and such are the same, I would have found it practically impossible to imagine the city without the Thieves' Road when I was reading the first books - yet now it's all gone. The slums and Guild seem to be quite different too. The integration of slum magicians into the Guild was presented very well, I think, since it clearly wasn't simple, yet no unnecessary dramas took place to draw attention away from the vital plot.

Canavan's portrayal of magic is very original, yet still draws inspiration from the typical folklore we all know. Her characters are new and different and real and interesting and vibrant. Her world presents all the thrilling and dangerous places you would expect from a content ruled by sorcerers. I'm also very impressed by Canavan's dedication to creating a full and flawless history for her countries - you can tell she's spent a long time working out how everything played out and has taken her time to make sure she's written it just right for the audience.
I loved it.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It has so many different genres woven into the plots that you can read what you love, and also try something a little different at the same time. Cery's plot is definitely a mystery; Lorkin's is adventurous and has a little bit of romance poured in; Dannyl's is political and Sonea's is everything in between. There's action and magic and new lands to explore and learn about. I would recommend reading the Black Magician Trilogy first, just so you know a little bit about the characters, but it isn't vital if you want to go straight onto the Traitor Spy Trilogy (although if you want to fangirl as each of your favourite characters from the original books appear in this novel, definitely start with the Magician's Guild and work your way up.)

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uploads/2012/02/the_ambassadors_mission.jpg

Friday 14 June 2013

City of Fallen Angels



Book Title: City of Fallen Angels
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Mortal Instruments #4
Date Started: June 9th 2013
Date Completed: June 14th 2013
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Action, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: Four stars
Review:


I don't want to start this review off sounding really negative, but I'm quite disappointed actually. I have a feeling the first three books in the Mortal Instruments series were written as a trilogy, and then the extra novels were added due to the success of the preceding books - this would explain why I feel like everything didn't tie in with the other stories particularly well; as the first three novels had. Although, I did still enjoy it and the last 100 pages was to the standard of the last two books, which were my favourites.

City of Fallen Angels starts on a high for Clary, Simon and the others; Valentine is no longer a threat and they're slowing coming to terms with their new lives of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Then Nepilim corpses start showing up in each Downworlder's district, and the Clave suspects Vampires are to blame. Under the threat of war once again, Clary is torn between her friends, her mother and Luke's upcoming wedding and her relationship with Jace (who seems to be growing apart from her). But something darker is lurking behind the scenes ready bring Clary's world around her.
(I apologise for how terrible I've made that seem.)

I've always liked Cassandra Clare's writing style: it's reasonably basic and simple, yet she manages to get an awful lot of information to the reader whilst also making it really interesting and vivid in its imagery. The emotions come through, if a little too obviously.
Overall, everything flows really well and it's a nice, fairly easy read that still has the ability to capture the reader and draw them into the story.

I've also always been impressed by how Clare can have so many subplots going on at the same time and then weave them together to make one main plot. I used to think she must have planned it out in an exceptionally detailed way, but now I seem to get the impression it's just how she writes: which is a very useful talent that I wish I could steal.
I do admit that I felt Clary and Jace's story was a little detached from the rest of the plot, but it didn't lower the standard of the book too much.
I really, really liked the mystery side of the plot though. Clare tends to include a lot of mystery in her stories, but it's never really the main theme. The same goes for this book, and yet I still found myself trying to work everything out before the characters did.
Ultimately, I did work out a fair bit of it - but it wasn't your typically predictable whodunnit.

Clary is a very good protagonist, but I have a horrible feeling I'm getting a little bored of her. When I read reviews for this book - and even the blurb - they implied that Clary was suddenly a different character: now, she was never weak and she always had a strong character with attitude and a lot of courage. But I feel like after her Shadowhunter training she'd be a bit more sarky like any of the Lightwoods. (However, I am glad that she still got scared in the attack situations - because even after a few weeks of training, who wouldn't be terrified of a seven-foot hellhound that was out to kill you?)
I'm annoyed about Jace. I absolutely love Jace, and his character has always interested me and he's always been a brilliant addition to the plots - but Clare just seems to be repeating herself with his conflicting emotions. I know the way he feels isn't going to be gone in a second, but it really doesn't change at all, which just gives less to look into in his character. (After the plot twist though, hopefully we'll see a few more dimensions from now on.)
I have and always will love Simon. He's the most believable character and he's just a lovely person, even though he makes mistakes - the biggest of which are definitely shown in this book. I love his and Clary's relationship, and I'm really proud of Clare for actually not making it all about a love-triangle, but actually showing that friends can have just as tight bonds as lovers can. Isabelle continues to be awesome and kick ass.
Alec continues to be adorable.
Jocelyn still gets on my nerves a little bit.
I like the new character of Kyle - he's cool and awesome and I completely sympathise with his situation.
And Magnus continues to be utterly fabulous and adorable and amazing and hilarious. The Mortal Instruments would not be the same without him.

I understand that Clary and Jace are supposed to be the main love interest in the books, but I actually find the other relationships a lot more interesting - and realistic. It's not that I dislike either Jace or Clary, I just find their story a little bit too repetitive - and since they have the most 'screen-time' together, I feel like I know pretty much everything there is to know, which just takes out a lot of the thrill of it.
Alec and Magnus, on the other hand, have very little time in the limelight, but my favourites parts of the book are when they are having their conversations. I think it's rare to find a relationship like theirs, especially in teen novels, that's presented in such an affection way - yet still shows the inevitable fights and disagreements. The reactions both characters have are completely reasonable, and I just find their relationship a lot more dynamic and interesting than the others.
I also really love Simon and Izzy together - and it's nice to see the softer side of Isabelle.
(Maia and Jordan was also a nice little thing to add in there, and I was glad it was drawn out for a while so it was more believable - yet it still didn't interfere with the main story.)

I like the way the chapters follow the story of a variety of characters. Simon has just as much narration time (although in the 3rd person...) as Clary does. And I always look forward to Jace's chapters too. And we also got a bit of Magnus and Isabelle in there too.

Where has the humour gone though? There's the occasional sarky comment, but I didn't laugh out loud that much, like I did with the other three books. I don't know whether it's because the story is getting more serious and dark, or if I just wasn't in sync with the comedy, but I didn't find it as funny as the other books.

Like I've already said, the last 100 pages was the best part: we had epic fights scenes and finally a really tense ending that involved pretty much everyone. It was fairly typical for a Young Adult hostage/stand-off situation, but actually there were other elements included that made it different enough to still be interesting and engaging. And the last plot twist was very, very good. I always tend to like Clare's endings, and this was no exception. I can tell where the plot might go from here, but I can't actually predict how everything will spin off, so I'll just have to read the next book to see.

I would recommend City of Fallen Angels to anyone who likes romance, fantasy, mystery or action. I would usually say comedy, but it wasn't as obvious as it has been in other books. But don't be disheartened by this review: I really did enjoy it, and the other books are even better, so you should have a look at them. If you are going to read the Mortal Instruments, you need to read them in order to fully understand what's going on since Cassandra Clare lies to span her stories and developments over various novels at a time. Enjoy.

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Sunday 9 June 2013

Origins: The Fire



Book Title: Origins: The Fire
Author: Debra Driza
Series: Mila 2.0 #0.5
Date Started: June 9th 2013
Date Completed: June 9th 2013
Genres: Adventure, Action, Thriller
Rating: Three stars
Review:

I was a bit disappointed to find out that this is literally 17 pages long, and that the rest of the ebook is the first seven chapters of Mila 2.0. I didn't read the excerpt, because I'd much rather read the whole thing in one go - something I'm doubting now if I'm honest.


Origins: The Fire tells of a girl who wakes up in the middle of the night to find her house on fire. After climbing out of her window and working her way down to the ground she notices a car in the driveway, and realises her parents are back home early and inside the house. Instinct kicks in and she goes back into the house to get lost in the flames trying in vain to find her parents.

It wasn't written terribly badly, but nothing caught my attention particularly. The style is very simple and evidently aimed at Young Adults due to the lack of detail and adventurous description. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I feel that the story had a lot of potential to become very interesting, and just didn't.

The story was your typical dramatic YA theme. As this is a novella, I'm not completely disheartened for the novel; this was obviously made to get some kind of attention and make readers get through the first seven chapters, to encourage them to read the whole thing. Like I said, I haven't read the seven chapters because I'd rather read it in one go. But it was pretty obvious what was going to happen in the fire, although the end had a nice unexpected twist that I assume is where the actual novel continues from.

The protagonist, which I assume is Mila, even though there is no name mentioned at any point, annoys me a little. Perhaps it might be because of her utter brainlessness in the fire, but she annoys me a little, and I'm not entirely sure why. She just doesn't seem to think through things - and let's face it, very few people would go back into a burning house when they're just got out of it to find people they don't even know are in there, especially not a kid (and there's fair enough).

I was expecting a futuristic, sci-fi kind of setting, but it turned out to be a typical suburban household. I'm not really interested in normal life like this, so I do hope that the actual novel is different.
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. I am slightly dubious about what Mila 2.0 itself is going to be like, but 17 pages of a very short novella isn't going to completely decide my thoughts.

I would recommend it to...I'm not really sure. I read this to see if I would like the novel, but I'm not really encouraged. Despite saying that, I do think I am going to try the book in the hopes that more time and effort has gone into it to make it more interesting and better written.

Image Source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351585321l/16118288.jpg

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord



Book Title: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.1
Date Started: June 8th 2013
Date Completed: June 9th 2013
Genres: Adventure, Action, Thriller, Fantasy
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I really liked the look of the Throne of Glass series, and I thought am good taster for the books was to try one of the novellas that had been released. I'm really glad I did, because I enjoyed this story massively and I can't wait to read the other novellas and the actual novels.


The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is a short story about the Throne of Glass' protagonist, Celeana Sardothien (I think I spelt that right). Celeana is a sixteen-year-old female assassin, and one of the best. When she's sent off to conduct business with a pirate, but finds when she gets there that the circumstances of her mission were not quite as she expected, herself and Sam, another young assassin whom Celeana grew up with and is constantly bickering with, decide to create a plan to free a group of slaves. But just because they're trained assassins doesn't mean everything will go quite as smoothly as planned.

I really love Sarah J Maas' writing style. It's simple, but you get a lot of attitude and emotions from the characters even though it isn't told from the first person.
The action is also flawlessly detailed; I could picture everything that went on vividly, despite the lack of long-winded descriptions. All the sentences flow really well together and I just really enjoyed it.

The story was original and carried out very well. The concept is simple enough but the world around the ideas was built up so well in such a short amount of time, I knew what was happening almost immediately, which allowed me to pay more attention to the finer details and just enjoy the story. (Maybe it wasn't the kind of story that makes a reader think, but I don't think every book has to have that; this story worked perfectly well without that kind of style.)

I really like Celeana. She's kick ass and awesome and has a lot of attitude, but not to the point where she gets annoying. Her arrogance is definitely there, but she doesn't play around with it too much, and it's realistic. She definitely has the relevant emotions too, and they're presented perfectly for the situation. She's a very believable character in my opinion.
I also love Sam. I can see why he and Celeana are always at each other's throats, but I think they're a brilliant pair. (There's definitely chemistry there - and it's shown very subtly, but enough to imply something's going on. I'm curious to see whether this is continued on in the other novellas and the actual books.) I think their relationship is really interesting because it has the different dynamics and sides: their full-on anger at each other; the childish bickering; the reluctant affection; the brother/sister bond they seem to have.

I think it's very hard to create whole stories within novellas because there's so little space for development of the plot, but actually this book had a complete story in it and was done very well so that none of it was rushed, but the pace wasn't too slow either. I'm very impressed.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read action and adventures. It's a really thrilling story, but also has one quite moments that work really well. It's a brilliant introduction into the author's work and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Maas' writing.

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/uploads/2012/07/The-assassin-and-the-pirate-lord.jpg

Across the Universe

8235178



Book Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Series: Across the Universe #1
Date Started: June 6th 2013
Date Completed: June 9th 2013
Genres: Romance, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rating: Three stars
Review:

My expectations for this book weren't that high, if I'm honest: I suspected it was going to be a typical Young Adult romance novel, so I had already accepted that when I began reading it. But actually, even though I didn't expect a brilliant novel, I was quite disappointed by what I read - admittedly, because the beginning started off so well I thought it was going to be better than I'd first thought. It's a shame really that the quality wasn't consistent in my opinion.

Across the Universe is a Sci-Fi novel set on a spaceship that is headed for a new planet. Professionals on a wide range subjects have been frozen in stasis until they reach the new planet after an estimated 301 years of flight; including seventeen-year-old Amy Martin. But when Amy is mysteriously woken up early and nearly drowns in the process, she is thrown into a new world she doesn't understand: one with strange new people that stare at her flowing red hair; one where a Plague wiped out half of the ship's population long ago; one where a shadowed murderer is killing off the frozen people on by one.

Beth Revis' writing was quite good for a Young Adult novel. It was reasonably sophisticated and flowed quite well so that it wasn't too hard to get through word-wise. I did feel that some of the words used (e.g. gah, ech etc.) lowered her standard, but at the end of the day that's just my control-freak writing instinct kicking in - it didn't affect the overall text too much.

The story had a lot of potential, but I really don't think it was carried out as well as it could have been. Looking back on it, the main basis of the plot was really interesting and exciting: a crime mystery while on a ship with a girl that has no idea what's going on has promise for a huge range of twists and turns. But not that much actually happened. And what did happen didn't always connect with the overall story very well - it was almost like a TV series: a strong base plot running through everything, but all the other components and parts were a bit isolated from the general synopsis.
I also think some of the involvement and graphicness of the Season (you can probably guess what that is) was overused, over exaggerated and just uncalled for.
I'm not saying the idea wasn't good - and relevant - but its was presentation was just over done to the point where I felt it was created just for the hell of it.

I like Elder as a protagonist. He was a good protagonist, if not always believable, and his personality is likeable enough for me to enjoy his chapters and understand his judgements and actions.
Amy, on the other hand, is the perfect stereotype for the helpless girl. I was really not happy about this. I'm not saying that all female protagonists have to be able to kick ass or make a sarky remark, but I don't like them being shown as completely useless when Amy is obviously a very intelligent girl. And then, halfway through, she suddenly has a reason to be small and timid - and then she suddenly starts making her own decisions and standing up for herself. This might be quite believable, but the contrast between her before and after is just too much: I feel like Amy was two different characters in this book. (But I suppose better late than never.)
Harley is my favourite character because he's realistic and lovely and misunderstood. I really wish he'd been more involved. Also, his main part in the story wasn't build up to enough - I usually like sudden happenings like that, but it didn't feel like a climax to me because there really was no indication. (I also wish she'd presented some of the issues in a more sensitive way. She wasn't being downright blunt or mean about them, but I do think that the subject wasn't addressed in completely the right way - especially not for a teenage audience.)

The pace was all over the place. The beginning started off really well, I feel. I was actually reviewing my first impressions of the book and starting to think that maybe I'd like it overall. It was a real shame when things started going downhill from there.
The pace was just really inconsistent. I admit, near the end I started to like it again. The last 70ish pages were really good and the ending was brilliant. But the middle 300 or so pages just didn't work for me. No a lot happened, everything started to crowd in on itself and it was like twenty other little subplots were thrown in to try and claw back some interest.
(I also felt that Harley's story wasn't shown in enough detail. I was really interested in that, but Revis neglected to explain everything to the reader and the opportunity was lost fairly early on.)

I also really liked the ideas: the mysterious Plague; how the mental patients are actually more normal in our society; the conspiracy of the flight etc etc. But I don't think they were explained in enough detail. This may be because there are two following books to Across the Universe, but unfortunately my curiosity isn't enough to make me want to read them.

The romance was okay. But there were hints of a love-triangle that never happened (I can't decide if that's a good thing or not) and Harley's previous relationship wasn't explained enough for my taste (but then again, Harley was the character I found most interesting). The love didn't consume the entire plot, so to speak, but I did feel it got a little in the way.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it was that I didn't like about this book - the characters were mostly good and and the main plot was exciting and interesting - I just felt it didn't tie together.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Sci-Fi romances, but don't expect too much. I know a lot of people really like this book, so it might just be my personal opinion that it wasn't that good. It's not completely awful - as I first thought - but it isn't a really good read either.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8235178-across-the-universe?from_search=true

Saturday 8 June 2013

How to Talk to Girls at Parties



Book Title: How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Started: June 5th 2013
Date Completed: June 8th 2013
Genres: Romance, Mystery, Fantasy
Rating: Five stars
Review:

I really need to read more Neil Gaiman novels. They're brilliant and engaging and mysterious and wonderful and I need to read more of them.


How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a very short novella that tells the story of how Enn goes to a party with his friend Vic and has the common social-awkwardness of struggling to talk to girls. However, when Enn finally does manage to stutter a word out, it seems that the girls may not be quite as ordinary as he expected.

Gaiman's writing is always amazing. It's engaging, it's exciting, it's humorous, it's realistic. The flow and pace is so perfectly set that you really involved in the plot within the first sentence.
I think, especially in this book, he is able to infer a much more detailed and mysterious plot line below his actual words that creates a menacing and puzzling atmosphere for the reader.

The actual story left me wanting more. At the beginning, it does state that this story continues in another of Gaiman's books: which explains the abundance of loose ends on the last page. I definitely want to know what happens next, as so little is revealed, and yet so much is suggested like clues for a detective. In a way, I'm not sure how well it does work as a novella, since it's left open so wide at the end.

I really like Enn - he's the typical nerdy guy, but he's got a kind of naive innocence that's narrated so believably that I really emphasise with his character and want him to do well.
I quite like Vic too, he's definitely the cool kid who abandons his friend at the first girl, but there is a sense that he genuinely wants his friend to get somewhere in life.
There aren't really any other characters that have much significance other than that, which is why I wished it went on for a little longer so I could learn a bit more about these characters or at least get introduced to a few more.

The concept of the girl's bizarre nature (can't really say more than that if avoiding spoilers) caught my attention, forcing me to actually get the rest of this story and read on. I'm really eager to find out where exactly these girls are from and how they'll affect Enn and even Vic.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes little reads that are brilliantly written. There's a lot of humour, as well as a flare of mystery in the story. You'll want to continue the story. This novella is also a brilliant introduction in Neil Gaiman's writing if you haven't tried anything of his before.

Image Source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81zYz6Q76DL._SL1500_.jpg

Thursday 6 June 2013

Angelfall



Book Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Series: Penryn and the End of Days #1
Date Started: June 2nd 2013
Date Completed: June 5th 2013
Genres: Romance, Dystopian, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Action, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: Four stars
Review:

I've been hearing about Angelfall for a very, very long time. Described as an 'internet phenomenon', I knew that the hype for this book was already incredibly high. This actually made me doubt how good the actual book was going to be. In my opinion, it didn't live up to the madness surrounding reviews. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a absolutely brilliant book that will be sitting on my favourites shelf for quite a while.


Angelfall is set in a dystopian Earth after angels have invaded and destroyed everything with their superior power. With only a few hundred survivors, Penryn Young is among those who escaped the first waves of death. She's on the run with her wheelchair-bound sister Paige and her schizophrenic mother when they run head-first into a execution by the angels - of one of their kind. In a desperate attempt to create a distraction for her family, Penryn attacks the angels and manages to save their victim, but her sister is carried off in the process. What follows is an adventure across the US to San Francisco for Penryn to rescue her younger sibling, with only the help of a wingless angel.

The one negative thing I have to say about this book is the writing. Since the book is a debut from Ee, I wasn't surprised to find that the writing didn't really flow in a lot of places and words were repeated a great deal (e.g. beginning practically every sentence with I).
However, there's actually a lot of potential in the description and movement of the text - I'm slightly disappointed because I felt it was almost like this version was still a draft that just had to be revised a couple more times to get the writing perfect.

I read a lot of dystopians - and most of them are violent. But none are presented as so hauntingly horrific and violent as this one. I usually feel that clashing genres like dystopians and then supernatural and fantasy as well are hard to make work since the overload of different cultures just doesn't move smoothly against each other. But actually, it kind of worked here; the mixture of magic and demons and destruction were relevant to the plot rather than being throw in there to attract more readers.
The romance was just right. I rant a lot about plots becoming romance focused - and I would essentially call this book a romance novel. But actually, I found it very bearable and subtle enough to noticeably be there, but not have the plot revolve around it. Very well done.

I really liked Penryn - she was still able to find humour (that was actually funny) in a lot of serious situations without making it too comical and hard to take seriously. She might be the typical strong female protagonist with all the martial arts talents and resourcefulness, but there's something else about her that I can't quite pinpoint - but it makes her a lot more relatable and enjoyable to read from the perspective of. She's also more concerned about her missing family that swooning over her wingless angel (thank god).
Raffe is a very good male interest as well: I thought he'd be the typical strong, moody, emotionally-distraught angel - and he was - but he was also a lot more likeable because Ee presented him as actually caring, but being more concerned about his predicament. Like I said, the romance is just right.
(I also really like Dee-Dum - don't ask me why, I'm not sure myself. But the twins are really interesting in my opinion and I hope they're in the next book.)

I was dubious at first of the pace, since the first chapter implies that not a lot is going to happen, but things picked up pretty fast from there. Angelfall is a short book, so there's always something going on. I just wish it was slightly longer so the characters had time to get into more trouble and we got to learn a little bit more about them. I feel like the book was over before it had really begun - which is a shame because I actually really really enjoyed it.

I would recommend Angelfall to anyone who likes to read romance, dystopians, action, fantasy, comedy. It's quite a light read - although some parts are harder to get through because of the inexperience of the author - but it's still enjoyable to read. There's a lot that happens, and everything's obviously open for a sequel. Can't wait.

Image Source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1319887835l/11500217.jpg