The Book of Life

Book Title: The Book of Life

Author: Deborah Harkness

Series: All Souls Trilogy #3

Date Started: July 15th 2014

Date Completed: July 20th 2014

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Mystery

Rating: Four stars

Review:

The Book of Life was a satisfying end to the All Souls Trilogy, but I have to admit, I wasn't blown away. Though I really enjoyed delving back into Diana's world, I just wish it hadn't been so anchored to herself and Matthew. I really would have loved to see the other characters start to go their own ways, and also discover more of the world past the usual locations.

When Diana Bishop returns from the past, now welcomed into the de Clermont family, it seems trouble has followed her through the centuries and is now lurking back at Sept Tours. Still with two pages of The Book of Life to recover, and a pregnancy neither Diana nor Matthew are sure she'll survive, the new weaver must double her efforts to find the ancient book and uncover the secrets of the four species. But Matthew's rogue blood-rage-driven son has emerged, and now everyone in her world is threatened by what he plans.

I'm not sure whether it's the fact I've grown as a reader, or I've grown to miss the characters, or whether the book was written slightly differently, but I found the last instalment in this trilogy far less heavy than the previous books. I progressed through it quite quickly, and found the explanations made at least some kind of sense. (Though I still admit, while I did pick up the general gist, the genetics explanation for everything still went over my head.)

I also felt that the characters worked together a lot better than I remember. The layers and layers of relationships, though hard to keep track of, actually started to make sense in order to move the story along. Also, they were quite cute a lot of the time.

Most of my faults in this book were to do with the story. Admittedly, they were just little things, but they bugged me quite a bit throughout the novel, and stopped me from being blown away. The first thing is that not much happens in the whole book. Again, the All Souls Trilogy isn't designed for fast paced events and action, and the reasons for these slow parts were valid, but reading about the little mundane things didn't help winning me over.

The other little thing was that no one seemed surprised by the existence of other creatures. Though I like the nice change from the typical reaction, it wasn't really justified with anything: people were comfortable with there being other species among them and then it wasn't mentioned again. It just bothered me.

And then there was the big problem for me. I really do love all the male characters, and all the female ones. But I'm not convinced that these women were the strong, fierce characters they're referred to as. Whether this was because of their actual presentation, or just the abundance of male domination everywhere, I can't say.

When it came to the climax, I felt suddenly quite detached from the story. When I had finally become used to the slow, complex pacing of the first two thirds, events suddenly started happening everywhere in so quick a succession I hadn't entirely worked out what was going on before something new occurred. Because of this, it didn't really feel like a climax to me, hence not being blown away by this finale.

Though the story may have its faults, I have to say how I'm completely in love with all the characters. Though they're all a bit full of themselves, they do have their moments and I wouldn't mind being friends with a few of them, despite the vigorous mood swings.

I'm not exactly tired of Diana and Matthew, but I'm definitely more interested in the secondary characters. The protagonist couple just become a bit predictable before long, though they do work well together in the story.

On the other hand, Marcus and Phoebe are my life. My biggest issue with the whole thing was that there wasn't enough of them. Marcus has always been my favourite character since the beginning, and now that he has an equally amazing significant other, I honestly couldn't get enough of them. But put aside the fact that I'm biased, they had a really interesting dynamic that I wanted to learn more about, and each of them individually impacted the story in a new way.

I could write all night about which characters I love the most, and why they're so loveable, but instead I'll just mention a few because I couldn't write my last review for the series without them being included. Gallowglass expanded even more as a character and was just as lovely as the past books. I was so happy when Jack turned up, and I loved his relationship with Matthew especially. Ysabeau and Nathaniel were brilliant as always. And Chris and Miriam are quickly becoming two new favourites - and I was so happy to have some properly sarcastic characters.

The Book of Life definitely isn't a heart pounding ride, but it isn't that kind of book. Though the smaller things that I didn't really care about did get on my nerves a couple of times, the pacing wasn't a major issue, as the story is built on the thought-processes and intellect of the characters, rather than the rapid action scenes and fights.

I've really enjoyed the whole All Souls Trilogy, and would recommend it to anyone who likes urban fantasy romances. The is definitely an adult book, so don't go in expecting an easy read with non-mature content. You'll be very surprised. As always, start at the beginning, but I'm sure Diana and Matthew's story could be enjoyed by many.

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The Messengers

Book Title: The Messengers

Author: Edward Hogan

Date Started: July 5th 2014

Date Completed: July 8th 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary, Mystery

Rating: Four stars

Review:

I enjoyed The Messengers a lot more than I first expected. Though I was intrigued by the concept and interested in reading something a little different to my usual selection, I didn't think I'd fall in love with the characters and have a little bit of me broken inside by the end.

When Frances is sent down to the sea when her brother goes on the run and their mother needs some space, she expects a few months filled with awkward interactions with her cousin's friends. But then she bumps into a man with a postcard depicting a death she witnesses later, and he tells her she is like him. Before she knows it, Frances is given a terrible choice: deliver the message of death to the people she draws, or let someone close to her die instead.

I really liked the simple, but detailed style of Hogan's writing. There's a lovely flow to the words, and the dialogue fits in nicely with the narrative. The speech itself was realistic and humorous enough to make me smile at a times. But the best part was the communication of emotions. There's a specific part towards the end where Frances really loses her control, and at that point I felt so much for her and I empathised with the character, despite clearly not really knowing how it would feel in that position.

The plot for this novel is a nice break from the typical Young Adult story lines, and takes a great concept that I haven't really seen before and questions it as soon as the reader's been told it. I loved the fact that Frances was constantly trying to find ways around her gift, and then going on to follow them, because it's what I feel I'd probably do in her situation. There's so many stories out there where the protagonist complains about the situation they're in, but doesn't do anything about it. Frances takes the circumstances as they are, but won't let them stop her from trying to do the right thing.

My favourite part of the book were the relationships between our protagonist and the people around her. It’s fairly obvious that, while Frances isn’t particularly shy, she still doesn’t reveal everything about herself to the people she meets. I really enjoyed the way Frances was shown around the other people because it told us a lot about her and the type of people she trusts. I also loved the issues brought to light in this context, especially her brother’s actions and consequences. I’m always interested in the brother-sister bond, but Frances and Johnny were among my favourites.

The only issue I have with the plot of this book is the fact that everything new became a little too comfortable too quickly. Until towards the end, nothing ever seemed to fight back when Frances or Peter tried to change things. I would’ve liked it if something had gone seriously wrong near the beginning, and had then frightened Frances off or pushed her to work harder.

However, I can’t really complain after the ending. I loved the foreshadowing earlier in the book, but also it’s twist. You might predict what happens, but there’s something a little different thrown in to catch you off guard. Though I can’t explain why (no spoilers) the finishing climax was a perfect end to the book, and, while it broke me, I don’t think it could’ve ended with the required outcome otherwise.

(And then the very ending with Sam broke me even more - read it and you’ll understand.)

Though characters are one of the main driving plots for this book, I felt there were only really two that developed throughout the story. I did still love a lot of the minor characters, and thought their relationships primarily with Frances were well-orchestrated, but they were sidelined where further information could have deepened the plot.

I absolutely adore Frances' character. At the start of the book, I immediately loved her sarcastic, half-interested attitude. It told half of her story even before she started explaining it. I also loved the way she acted around the other characters (namely Max and Johnny), where she was affectionate, but still partly detached, like she didn't kept to herself mostly. As the story carried on, I feel more and more in love with Frances, and the progression of her emotions and actions made her such a realistic character.

I also really liked Peter's character. Aside from the interesting sub-plot of his controversial relationship with Frances, he himself was a person that developed a great deal throughout the story. He's a very different person by the last chapter than the first.

For me, this book was too short. I wanted so much more time to explore the concept and learn about the characters. Having said that, the length works well for the story: it lets things move along at a good pace and doesn't drag parts out.

I recommend The Messengers to anyone who likes contemporary reads with a twist or paranormal or fantasy in them. There's controversial issues, great climaxes and realistic characters. This is a great story with a unique concept that I found really enjoyable and interesting to read. I'm looking forward to reading Hogan's other works.

Image Source: http://www.walker.co.uk/walkerdam/

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Shadow of the Wolf

Book Title: Shadow of the Wolf

Author: Tim Hall

Series: Shadow of the Wolf #1

Date Started: July 2nd 2014

Date Completed: July 5th 2014

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Historical

Rating: Three stars

Review:

As a huge fan of the original Robin Hood story, I was excited to have finally found a new retelling with a bit of a twist. Though retellings are never as good as the story they're based on, some can be really entertaining and change the plot in really interesting ways. Shadow of the Wolf did that here, and I think it's a good read for fans of the original tale, though it does have its issues.

Robin Loxley was left in the forest when he was a child. With no warning whatsoever, he returns to find his family have abandoned him to live in a village of people who despise him. So one day he leaves, and he finds himself living deep in the forest with a miraculous girl who teaches him to read and makes constellations out of the stars. But when Marian is taken from him, Robin must find a way to train himself and find a way back to her. Whatever it takes.

Hall's writing is of a high quality. He has a wonderfully vivid writing style and a way of presenting characters in a subtle, mysterious way. I specifically enjoyed the parts where the characters themselves aren't entirely aware of what was happening around them, since this came through well in the narrative despite the third person perspective.

I liked the story well enough. It wasn't as predictable as I'd expected, which was a nice surprise. Furthermore, I loved the historical setting and the brief nods to the culture. I did, however, wish there had been more involvement of the medieval life, and I also want a lot more of the fantasy aspect throughout the whole thing, rather than the hundred pages in the middle. I felt this fantastical element was really well done, but seemed to completely vanish after its time in the spotlight: it seemed to have no lasting affect on Robin, and it was never mentioned again.

This was a big issue throughout the whole book, actually. I felt there were a lot of details that were never really explained properly or revisited after they were first mentioned, just because the plot moved on far too quickly. This also tied into the fact that, while reading, I knew parts I was going through were going to be important at some point, but it really didn't feel it at the time because nothing was built-up enough to be exciting and fully engaging during the actual reading. Looking back, I can think of some really good scenes. But I know that if I was to go back and read them, I'd fall into the dull half-paying-attention phase because it just wasn't catching me.

There are an awful lot of secondary characters in this book, and I found it really hard to tell them apart, let alone understand their motives, as none of them were given enough time to be explored or have any development.

Robin was a bit underwhelming as a protagonist. He didn't strike me as a particularly exceptional person, and the only driving feature that made him stand out was his shadiness, and utter devotion to a character I didn't really feel he had any chemistry to.

Marian herself, while being an awesome concept, was not a nice character. And while I'm completely for bad people as characters, Marian was horrible to the point where Robin should have left her a long time ago. This was disappointing, since she probably has the most development throughout the plot, and is likely the strongest character.

The pacing still confuses me. Whilst I couldn't put this book down, and ended up reading the whole thing in three or four chunks, the story could be really boring at times. The pace itself is extremely fast moving: we experience about seven or eight years in the book, and most of this is concentrated into the first half of the book. The only problem with such a quickly moving story is that no tension was really built up anywhere. There was very little time for situations to become more atmospheric and scary, as they were over very quickly. And each part of the story happened fast, and then we jumped on quite a bit. I'm not a fan of slow books, but when it goes so fast so much is lost, it's a problem.

Though this wasn't the best structured book I've ever read, I still did enjoy it and it's got some potential. Fans of the story will enjoy the new interpretations I think, and even readers who aren't familiar with the tale will find this interesting. if you like fantasy, adventure, romance and historical aspects, though not the most accurate or explorative book out there, Shadow of the Wolf could still become a favourite.

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More Than This

Book Title: More Than This

Author: Patrick Ness

Date Started: June 25th 2014

Date Completed: July 2nd 2014

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Dystopian

Rating: Four stars

Review:

I loved the beginning of More Than This, and the overall message was written so well. But unfortunately, I feel like this book was two separate stories. The first section, I absolutely adored. The second section, more the typical kids mystery adventure.

Seth died. He drowned. He remembers it. So how can he be all the way across the sea, in the English house he spent his childhood in. Why is he barely scratched, when he can remember being thrown into the rocks. But here he is, alive and breathing, in his now wrecked hometown. Completely alone.

While I might be harsh on the story itself, I can't fault Ness' writing itself. The narrative works for so many people, and it captures so many real emotions and situations perfectly and realistically. I stopped at several points in the first hundred or so pages and to quietly swear and absorb what just happened. Ness definitely knows how to create a thriller that gives the reader more than a few tense false-starts.

However, this did ultimately end in Ness losing the full appreciation from me when it turned out that Seth was not, in fact, alone. The atmosphere had been built to such a height, it would've been extremely impressive if the reveal of other characters had still shocked me. It also disappointed me that the writing lost a great deal of its depth and intrigue once Tomasz and Regine entered the picture. For me, More Then This was about those thoughtful monologues, and presented them incredibly well. But they all disappeared after the others arrived.

Like I've mentioned before, I felt this novel was split in two: the thoughtful, mysterious beginning, and then adventure of three kids in an empty world. If I hadn't been enjoying the intriguing part of the book so much I might not have been so irritated by the drastic change, but as it happened I preferred the first section far more than the second.

Furthermore, the first part had been broken quite early in, and I felt real empathy for Seth. But then the unoriginality of the main twist and the unnecessary inclusion of things such as the Driver just tore down the expectations I had built up. Another part that I didn't like about the latter portion of the book would be the lack of explanations we get - though I understand why these were not included, since the characters themselves are never really entirely sure what's happening.

For a story that only really has three principle characters, each person involved is presented in a way that tells the reader enough about them to understand their part, but leaves enough room for exploration.

Seth was a great protagonist. He felt very real to me, and was a sensible and wise, if slightly reckless, person. This fitted into the story exactly, as it gave plenty of time for Seth to wander around this empty hell by himself and prevent the reader form becoming bored. I also think the character himself is incredibly strong and resilient, to go through the things he has and come out as a hero at the other end.

I really liked Tomasz and Regine, and would have loved to learn more about their stories, but their arrival coexisted with the deterioration of the book for me. Though both are loveable, I can't help but wish they were presented in a way that didn't change the dynamic of the story.

More Than This is supposed to be a slow and thoughtful book. I was content to travel at the book's own pace when I was taking in the complex and confusing jumble of thoughts in Seth's head. But when new characters came in, and the pace still didn't pick up, I started to get bored. Finally, when the little action scenes did occur, I didn't really care enough to be fully engaged with the story.

Although More Than This did disappoint me, it was still a good book, and I think other people might like the second part of the book more than I did. Though the beginning of the book revolves around mystery and intrigue, I think you need to be interested in the adventurous side as well to enjoy the whole book.

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Ruin and Rising

Book Title: Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: The Grisha Trilogy #3

Date Started: June 19th 2014

Date Completed: June 24th 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Rating: Five stars

Review:

Ruin and Rising was a very good conclusion to the Grisha Trilogy. The biggest problem for me was that the book itself wasn't big enough, but what was written was amazing and everything finished in a way that I wasn't expecting.

Stuck underground and struggling with her powers, Alina still has yet to face The Darkling and liberate Ravka from his rule. But with only a rough idea of where the third amplifier is, and few allies at her back, her chances of escaping the White Cathedral, finding the Fire Bird and defeating her enemy are slim. But the fate of the world lies in The Sun Summoner's hands, and she's ready to use it.

I really love Bardugo's writing style: the description and flow of the narrative especially. I can fall so easily into Alina's world and its vivid collection of magic and mystery. My only criticism would be that I wish the narrative held some sort of implication to Alina's feelings and emotions without having to say it straightforwardly.

The overall atmosphere is also amazing in these books. The build-up to climaxes or action scenes particularly - there's definitely a feel of 'calm before the storm' - but even the more subdued scenes hold a certain weight to them that really help the threat become real.

Ruin and Rising had even more twists than the first two books, and a few of them I didn't see coming at all. Each these made me pause and consider the greater impact it had on the overall story; they weren't little details, they were game-changers.

I was also impressed by the mature reactions the characters had to these situations. Namely the relationship issues: I'm used to Young Adult fiction having stroppy teenagers that overreact when they're circumstances change away from their preference. However, I felt Bardugo maturely handled what Alina and the others felt like when they were pushed towards people they didn't necessarily want to be with.

The conclusion to the book was definitely bittersweet, and not for obvious reasons. I do wish there had been more to read, and possibly more peril during the final showdown, but I still think it concluded in a way that ticked all the boxes.

Although I really enjoy reading about the main characters, the secondary ones blur into each other for me, and generally aren't very likeable characters anyway (barring Toyla, Misha and Harshaw). I kept getting confused between who was who and which person I thought was the most vain etc.

Alina was a very strong protagonist. I loved the balance Bardugo got between her vulnerable side and times when she rightly didn't know what to do, and the times when she was independent and took control and led the others. This could quite easily have fallen to one side, but instead was perfectly equal the whole way through.

Mal grew on me through the course of the book, as he did in the previous novels. I always find it hard to get on with him at the start of the stories, but then I like him more and more as it goes on.

I forgot how much I adore Nikolai, but I was really disappointed that he wasn't in it as much as I'd have liked.

Finally, The Darkling had a very good ending, in my opinion. Like Nikolai, he wasn't featured as much as I'd expected, yet his inclusions were well orchestrated. His send-off was particularly good, as I was worried Alina wouldn't react realistically. But she did.

The pacing was very good in this novel. The plot progression is steady throughout the whole book, even though I felt everything was over too quickly. I do, however, understand that if the book had been longer, the pacing may not have been quite as solid.

I think Ruin and Rising was a very good ending to the Grisha trilogy, and the series is definitely in my favourites. If you like fantasy, adventure and romance in a completely unique and intriguing world, then try this trilogy.

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Fangirl

Book Title: Fangirl

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Date Started: June 11th 2014

Date Completed: June 18th 2014

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

Rating: Four stars

Review:

Fangirl is a heartwarming, light and fluffy read with that relatable side for teenagers, but specifically writers. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of light and fluffy, which became evident when I read this book, but I still think Fangirl is a nice new contemporary worth reading.

Cath has always had her twin sister Wren with her. But when they move into college, it seems that Wren wants her own space to become her own person, leaving Cath, and her stacks of fanfiction, to fend for themselves in this new situation. But with a seemingly moody roommate and her quirky boyfriend, Cath will find her feet again and possibly even fall in love.

The writing was good, though I can't say anything jumped out at me as amazing. The sentences had a nice flow and the dialogue fitted it well. The narrative also communicated the atmospheres of the scenes very well.

Like I've said, I wasn't thrilled by Fangirl, just because it's wasn't my type of story or genre. So, for me I was pretty neutral the whole way through. However, the one parts that did get me interested were the short excerpts from the Simon Snow books or fanfiction (probably because it was fantasy). I thought they tied in really well with the story and helped tell it, even though the two weren't directly related. It was also nice see in the very subtle style differences between Cath and the actual author's writing.

Another thing I feel Rowell did very well was the balance between the fanfiction culture and the day-to-day life of a teenage college student. Though I can't say I know in detail what either of these are like, I felt they were portrayed in a way people could relate to. I also think it was really important to keep the two balanced in order to make sure the story remained realistic. However, I did think this started to crumble towards the end of the book, and things started to get a little fantastical.

The characters in Fangirl all fitted into their places in the story, so I feel some developed more than others.

Cath is a very nice person, and she has a way of making the reader want things to work out for her, even if she can get a little irritating at times.

I didn't like Wren very much from the start, and I felt her behaviour wasn't really explained as well as it could have been, but she still turned out okay.

Again, Levi seems like a really nice guy, and he definitely fitted into the adorable, geeky but cool boyfriend. I did have a bit of trouble feeling a different chemistry between him and Cath to the chemistry that everyone had around him, but the story allowed other things to be more important than this.

Reagan is probably the best character since she does the typical comic relief, but in a quirky, funny yet kind of scary way.

Finally, I really liked Nick, and I thought his change of heart was a little out of character if I'm honest.

I can't say there were any pace issues because the novel itself didn't have a pace as such. Like in a lot of contemporary novels, it's more a string of consciousness than of events.

Even though I wasn't too thrilled with Fangirl, that's just because it wasn't really my thing. It's a nice, enjoyable read that is extremely relatable for the teenage generation right now, and it incorporates a variety of issues into the story, as well as making sure there's plenty of funny and adorable bits.

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Fire & Flood

Book Title: Fire & Flood

Author: Victoria Scott

Series: Fire & Flood #1

Date Started: June 7th 2014

Date Completed: June 11th 2014

Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Adventure, Action

Rating: Two stars

Review:

I really didn't like Fire & Flood. Maybe that's just me, but there were just too many faults that hit the story too hard too many times. It was a clumsy version of too-well-known story.

Tella's brother is sick. So when a mysterious package appears on her bed with the promise of a cure, she doesn't stop to think until she's run away from home and become a Contender in the game. But before she knows it, Tella's in the middle of something she never could have imagined as she fights to win the game and leave with her life.

The writing, for me, was far too simplistic to catch my interest and didn't have any sort of depth in it. I feel like Scott just wrote down her first thoughts and never decided to develop it. This also carries on, since the continuity in the book is quite frankly ridiculous. At one point it feels like we're in a modern world, and next it's a dystopian apocalypse; sometimes Tella's aware she's fighting for her life, and the next second she can't understand why people are trying to beat her to the finish.

Furthermore, the writing just seemed three steps ahead of itself in a rather basic plot line. Tella started making assumptions with no evidence whatsoever, just so the story could keep going. It's fair enough to want a fast pace, but you can't just keep running forward when you haven't even taken the first steps.

I could rant about how Fire & Flood is a bad copy of a story we all know, but that wouldn't be constructive. Instead I'll complain about almost the same thing.

In dystopian novels (which I assume this is, though I'm not entirely sure as you'll find out) it's quite important to explain the situation the world is in. The main premise of dystopia is that it's a world that perhaps used to be our own, but is now twisted and wrecked. In this novel, there is virtually no world-building at all. We're never told what condition society is in or anything. In fact, it's implied that Tella's world is very similar to ours: she speaks in stereotypical slang a lot of the time, and has a phone; dresses the way a popular queen-bee might; and seems to have no qualms about what's happening outside of her little bubble. We even get to go out into the world and nothing is described at all. That then raises the question as to why it's being advertised to all ages that theres a race that you might die in to get a cure only lasts a few years.

The other vital flaw in the story was that there was no threat. It's important to make the reader feel tense in an action adventure like this, but the biggest danger to the characters felt like their pets having a disagreement. And, of course, the genetically engineered 'Pandoras' weren't really used for anything but being commanded around by their owners.

The characters were the lowest point of the book for me, which is a shame. Firstly, I couldn't even tell them apart - barring Tella and Guy. This is a really annoying aspect, but was actually extremely damaging to the story since this death game - where everyone seems awfully friendly and helpful - is fought by a mix of ages. Firstly, I'm convinced we weren't even told the ages of the characters to start with, so when people start talking about having older children it's a bit of a shock. But the biggest issue with this was that the characters were all written so immaturely, I couldn't tell some of them were adults. And this is very, very bad.

Generally, I find irritating protagonists bearable since they are the driving force of the story; and because of this you see the story through their eyes and somehow feel a little sorry for them when, even though they're annoying, bad things happen to them. This is not the case with Tella Holloway. From the very start I found her vain, stupid, bratty, arrogant and ignorant. She honestly shouldn't have lasted five minutes in the game, but then she did, and I was willing to let that slide - until she couldn't look after herself later and had to have her boyfriend step in and save her every three pages.

Guy a character that - whilst overused in Young Adult fiction - could've been good and had room for development. Instead he makes no progress as a person for the whole book, is only seen as the good-looking leader, and have absolutely no chemistry with Tella whatsoever.

Harper, I feel, was supposed to be important to the story. I literally didn't notice her existence out of the mush of secondary characters until the last few chapters.

This was obviously intended to be a fast paced book, but ended up tripping over itself after a short time, because it wasn't thought-through enough to start with. I did try and read the whole thing fairly, but I started to skim read half way through because I just wanted it to be over.

I honestly wouldn't recommend Fire & Flood to anyone. Usually, I'd say that my personal opinion was low, but some people might enjoy it. However, due to the overwhelming amount of YA dystopians out there with similar stories, I don't feel any particular need to sugarcoat the fact I felt it just wasn't worth reading.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667210-fire-flood