Friday, July 30, 2010

ERAGON Review



When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.
From goodreads.com

Alright, so let me start by saying that I didn't pick up this book by choice. I picked up this book because it has been stated again and again that this will become a classic, and the series has been raved about by many. Because of this, I decided to start reading the book, since I had bought the first two books for a grand total of $2.

The summary from goodreads does an alright job with explaining the main premise of the novel, but what it doesn't say is that Eragon's journey through this place and that place lasts nearly the entire book.

If I may, allow me to divide the novel in to three parts. Part one happens at the beginning, obviously, when Eragon lives in his hometown with his uncle who's not actually his uncle and finds the dragon egg. This part details the beginning of the relationship between him and the dragon until strangers come to town and cause a scene.

Part two is the entire middle of the book as Eragon leaves town and is on the run, searching for the strangers who made a mess of his town, wanting revenge. Mind you, this whole entire part is him searching for the men and finding disasters and fights along the way that add little to the book.

Part three is the conclusion of what happens when Eragon finally reaches a place where he can be safe. I will say nothing more about part three because I can say nothing more without ruining the ending.

But that was it. The plot only existed in the beginning of the book and at the ending. The middle part was simply an explanation of what Dragon Riders do, and what a person can do with magic in order to buy time. The lessons Brom the storyteller teaches to Eragon are forced upon the reader in a manner that I found awkward.

But here it is, the opposition I know I'm going to meet. Paolini was young when he wrote the book. You try writing something like this. I hate people who say this. He was published, and that makes him an author, age regardless. It is an author's job to work their book to the fullest, making sure it has plot all the way through, and by plot I mean something that it needed for the book to advance, not just random events thrown in to pass the time.

Though I didn't enjoy the book's plot, I did enjoy the characters. Of them, Brom stood out the most. He was witty, brave, and pushy. A great character from the start who grew even larger as the book progressed. Eragon, on the other hand, annoyed me. His inner dialog, the most. I can't quote you the page, but there is a scene in which Eragon is training with Brom and there is a paragraph describing the beginning of the training before it reads something along the lines of He's fast, thought Eragon. No, really? The old rule, show don't tell, is not reflected in this book.

Since my reading time often reflects on how much I enjoyed the book, it took me a week to read. Not a good sign. I don't know if I'll ever sit down to read the second book, but won't have time to take it on anytime soon seeing as I'm behind on reviews right now.

Overall, Eragon disappointed me. Perhaps if the hype had not been so large around the book, I would have enjoyed it more, but the book seemed highly overrated. I would still recommend reading it, as, like I said, the beginning and ending are packed with action, but the middle is slow.

Rating: C

Apology

Sorry everyone. I know I haven't posted in the last two days. I was out of town and believed I would be home Wednesday afternoon and actually came home Thursday evening, so I didn't have posts scheduled for those days. I am working feverishly to type my review of Eragon in order to post it today, but, if I don't finish, it will have to be posted tomorrow. Sorry.

For those who may be wondering, I went on a vacation of Universal Studios to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was amazing, to say the least.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Teaser Tuesday ~ THE LINE

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


The Line by Teri Hall
From page 131

"Vivian's voice was a low growl. Rachel had never seen her like this, not even in Bensen when they were trying to get away from the Identification without being noticed."

Loved this book too. It was a quick read, though.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Music Monday ~ Sebastien Gazaille

Yes, yes, yes! THIS is music. You can take a listen to Sabastien Gazaille's Before It's All Too Late below, and, before you ask, no, the song is not on the Eclipse Soundtrack. It was the only version of the song I could find on youtube.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

LOW RED MOON Trailer

Check it out! Ivy Devlin posted this on her blog earlier this week. The brand new trailer for the upcoming YA novel, Low Red Moon!

Friday, July 23, 2010

LINGER Review



WARNING: If you have not yet read Shiver yet, this review will contain spoilers.

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love--the light and the dark, the warm and the cold--in a way you will never forget.
From goodreads.com

To those of you who have already read Shiver, you know the novel ended with Sam no longer being a werewolf, and Grace slowly becoming one. It is this topic that holds the majority of the novel's attention. Linger continues in the switching narrative style, and explores Sam's emotions upon realizing that he will be spending his life as a human, and that he will be able to do all the things he never could while knowing his life would be cut short because, eventually, the wolf inside him would take over.

Grace, as well, has her hand in the story, narrating through the love story as it continues between her and Sam. But the story shifts suddenly when Grace begins to get sick and no doctors can pin down what's the matter with her. As Sam watches the girl he loves slowly deteriorate, he is at a loss as to what he can do.

But Linger adds a new twist in to the storytelling. Not only do Grace and Sam tell the story, but Isabel and Cole join in. Isabel, having lost her brother at the end of Shiver, remains close friends with Grace, and tells the story from the human point of view, looking in on the world of werewolves. When Cole arrives, a newly turned wolf that Beck created in Shiver, he and Isabel form a close relationship. This way, the book is not only the story of Grace and Sam, but also the story of Cole and Isabel.

I started this blog long after I read Shiver, so let me wrap up that review quickly for you. I loved it. Shiver was a completely unique way to address werewolves and a beautiful love story that felt complete in the end. If Maggie Stiefvater hadn't written another novel, I wouldn't have felt cheated. It felt as though the story had come to an alright ending. But Linger shook things up.

Right from the beginning, the story took off on a journey of dead and missing wolves and a love that seemed to be able to conquer all. Grace and Sam are perfectly made for one another, and it is one of the things I loved while reading. There was no choice for Grace to make, like there is in so many YA romance novels, between one guy or the other. She loves Sam, and that is that. The simply beauty of that idea is what makes the novel a must read for me.

It is the twists and turns and the rocks in their relationship which make it all the more a must read. In Shiver, Grace was in love with Sam during his final year of being a human, and they fought through it to find a cure. Now, in Linger, Sam is adjusting to being a human while he watches Grace fight with something inside of her, the same something he experienced as he was turned.

I loved being able to read the story, also, from Isabel's point of view. In Shiver, she seemed to be a minor character, and wasn't a character I was very interested in. As she narrated in Linger, she became a full person, a character with deeper emotions that could only be shown when she told the story herself.

And Cole? Say hello to the bad boy with a dark past and staggering looks. It was great to read back and forth between present day and his flashbacks of his human life. In Shiver, Sam states that no one would choose to become a werewolf, though Beck says that the new wolves all chose this life. Cole is the living example of someone who wants to escape from their human life so badly that they are willing to become a wolf without human memories for half a year each year until they ultimately become just a wolf.

The characters, like in the first book, are beautiful and have their flaws, which I love. The story continues and ends on a note that will leave you buzzing for more. Great sequel to a great novel.

Rating: A

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Things I've Learned Thursday



If something seems too good to be true, chances are all the thing is going to cave in the moment you step inside.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday ~ DARKEST MERCY


Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
The final novel of the Wicked Lovely Series

March 1, 2011

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful ...more The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the faery courts, and in the final conflict, some will win…and some will lose everything.

The exhilarating conclusion to Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

From goodreads.com

No, no, NO! This series cannot end! I've loved the books for so long, reading the end is going to be heartbreaking, but I can't wait. As always, a beautiful cover and title. Next year needs to come faster!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

THE LOST SAINT Cover Reveal

Here it is, finally, Bree Despain, author of The Dark Devine released the cover for the book's sequel, The Lost Saint, today on her blog. You can view her official post here or you can view the cover below.



Beautiful! I'm so excited. I love how it matches the cover for the first book. Can't wait for this one!

Teaser Tuesday ~ POISON STUDY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
From page 14

"'No Sir,' I whispered, all I could manage from unused vocal chords. 'I killed him.'"

As I side note, I loved this book. It is one of my all time favorites. Pick it up if you haven't.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Music Monday ~ Kerli

For some odd reason, this song has been playing in my head for the past couple of days. Thought I would share since I love her voice. Here is Walking on Air by Kerli.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

PURGE Review



Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That's what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.

The story of Purge follows Janie as she begins her treatment for bulimia at Golden Slopes with other people who, like Janie, have eating disorders. As if the rules at Golden Slopes aren't bad enough - no napkins on your lap, you must be watched for thirty minutes after eating, you must eat everything on your plate - Janie has to deal with painful memories of the events that lead to her parents sending her to Golden Slopes, the series of events that went down during her sister's wedding.

A great part of the novel is not just Janie's journey through recovery, but also the story of what happened on that fateful night: her sister's wedding. At the beginning, you hear bits and pieces about what happened, but can never fully form an entire idea of what happened until later in the novel when everything falls in to place.

In all honesty, I loved reading Purge. A lot of novels written for teens about touchy topics like eating disorders don't come through as real. The words sometimes seem fibbed and you can tell the author has no true experience with whatever they're writing on. The writing sounds, well, fictional.

The different between those and Purge was that Janie came through as a strong character with defined thoughts and characteristics. She was solid as a character and the story of what happened to her came through brilliantly. My favorite scene in the novel, and the most emotionally charged scene, is towards the middle/end of the book when Janie is eating dinner and refuses to eat the cucumbers. I won't say any more since I don't want to ruin the novel for anyone, but it was perfectly written.

I myself have never experienced an eating disorder and cannot say whether or not the novel came through with the correct description of what happens inside institutions like Golden Slopes, but the scenes between the characters and the events that happened with the staff were believable. In a novel like this, realistic fiction must be realistic. If you've been following my blog for a while, you can notice that I don't read a lot of realistic fiction, most of it is fantasy, but Purge was great.

In all my reviews, I try to find a downfall in the book. The main problem I had while reading Purge was that the author developed strong characters who had smaller roles, but didn't do much more with those characters. Callie, for example. There is a scene in which Janie discovers something about Callie which may be the reason behind her eating disorder, but then that reason is never developed further. I wish there would have been more commentary in to the other character's backgrounds, but I do understand that this was a first person story written like a journal. The main character is the narrator and therefore she is the story, not the other characters around her.

Purge is a fresh voice about eating disorders that many teens should read. Not only does it address the emotions and causes of eating disorders, but it also debunks myths such as only girls have eating disorders in a way that isn't forced upon the reader. Sarah Darer Littman admits in her biography that she experienced similar troubles with body image as a teen, and this makes the message sink in deeper. Eating disorders can be overcome.

I am highly interested to see what else comes from Littman who has another novel entitled Life After that is now on my to be read list. Purge was a strong first novel for young adults and I can't wait to get my hands on another one of her novels.

Rating: A-

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Vacation

Hey everyone, I'm going out of town for the next week and haven't figured out how to schedule posts, so I will not be posting. Sorry.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

ASH Review



Cinderella retold

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

From goodreads.com

For those of you wondering at the summary, yes, Ash is a lesbian retelling of Cinderella. Instead of falling in love with the prince, Ash slowly begins to fall in love with Kaisa. Though love doesn't come easily, as Ash has lost all those who she loved. Her mother and father are both dead, and she is forced to live with her stepmother and stepsisters who see Ash as a maid to help around the house. As she meets Kaisa and falls in love, her world changes in ways she never believed possible.

In all honesty, I have never read a romance where the couple doesn't consist of a girl and a guy, but am far from homophobic. I was surprised at how slowly Malinda Lo introduced the romance, and highly impressed at how well she was able to describe Ash's emotions upon realizing her love for Kaisa. For those of you who don't want to read it simply because the main character is a lesbian, grow up. That's all I have to say.

The entire story was beautiful, carrying small hints of the original tale, but twisting it elegantly. Passages flowed easily and the characters appeared real. I know I mention this in a lot of my reviews, but it's something that's important to me. I don't want to read about perfect characters who are only real on paper. Reading about characters who can exist in the real world is so much more exciting, and Malinda Lo crafts her characters so well they flow from the page and in to the real world.

Another thing I really enjoyed were the fairy tales dotted throughout the book. In itself, Ash is a fairy tale, but the characters read and tell each other other stories throughout the novel, which only adds to the intrigue. Each tale plays a part in understanding Ash's world and the fairies who live in it, without pushing the details on the reader, which I loved.

Lo has a great command of language. I found myself reading and becoming completely immersed in her world and ignoring my own. Only a great writer can do that. I can't think of anything negative to be found in the book.

If I may add a note. The book itself, not just the story, is beautiful. I love the cover, and, at the beginning of each chapter, the first letter is made large and decorative, like those in an old storybook. It goes so well with the story.

If you couldn't tell from my review, I loved Ash and it's a book I highly recommend to anyone who loves adventure, or romance, or fairy tales. It is extremely well written and I do have to say that Malinda Lo has the most beautiful writing style I have read.

Rating: A

Things I've Learned Thursday



Rule to live by. If the doctor says it's bad to do, DON'T DO IT!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday ~ THE THIRTEENTH CHIME


The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels

August 13, 2010

No one knew of its existence until it was removed from the attic upstairs.

In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives.

The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge.

With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago.

Hatred never dies.

From emmamichaels.com

How did I not know of this book until yesterday? Emma commented on my Waiting on Wednesday post, and I followed the link to her site and came across this beautiful cover. I read on to realize that the book sounded like a great read.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Teaser Tuesday ~ WICKED LOVELY

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
From page 85

"'What if I don't have time? The rules are changing and I don't know why.'"

Monday, July 5, 2010

Music Monday ~ The Hush Sound

Alright guys, here it is. Another great band that I love. One of their most popular songs is Wine Red, which you can listen to below.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Bag Full Of Books Contest

So the time has come for Bree Despain to release her trailer for The Dark Divine, and in order to encourage more people to view the trailer and hopefully read the book, Bree Despain is running a huge contest on her blog. Everyone who posts a link to the video or embeds on on their website and provides proof to Bree Despain that they did will be entered in to a drawing to win the bag of books. Check out her blog for all the details, but you can view the trailer here.

FEVER CRUMB Review




Fever Crumb is a girl who has been adopted and raised by Dr. Crumb, a member of the order of Engineers, where she serves as apprentice. In a time and place where women are not seen as reasonable creatures, Fever is an anomaly, the only female to serve in the order. Soon though, she must say goodbye to Dr. Crumb-nearly the only person she's ever known-to assist archaeologist Kit Solent on a top-secret project. As her work begins, Fever is plagued by memories that are not her own and Kit seems to have a particular interest in finding out what they are. Fever has also been singled out by city-dwellers who declare her part Scriven. The Scriveners, not human, ruled the city some years ago but were hunted down and killed in a victorious uprising by the people. If there are any remaining Scriven, they are to be eliminated. All Fever knows is what she's been told: that she is an orphan. Is Fever a Scriven? Whose memories does she hold? Is the mystery of Fever, adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, the key to the secret that lies at the heart of London? Haunting, arresting, and astonishingly original, Fever Crumb will delight and surprise readers at every fast-paced, breathless turn.
From goodreads.com

The summary above does a great job with explaining the main premise of the book, though, to me, it made me question my want to read the book. The summary makes the book sound obscure, strange, which it is, but in a great way. Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve is set in a fictional future world in which society has turned back to more primitive ways, such as lighting candles for light. This future London is overwhelming and very well crafted. The key word to describe the setting is believable.

Not believable in the way that it can happen, but believable in the Hogwarts sense, where it is so far away from the normal, yet it is described in such a way that it fits. All of the locations in Reeve's novel, from Godshawk's Head to Kit Solent's house, are described perfectly to create an image in my mind. I don't know if everyone appreciates details as much as I do, but in reading, if I can't imagine what is going on or where the character is, I get bored. Never was I bored while reading Fever Crumb.

But not only were Reeve's descriptions finely crafted, but his characters seemed to leap from the page. Everything they said, everything they did, fell in line with who they were. There was no jumping the shark in this book. Fever, Kit, Dr. Crumb, even Bagman, all the characters were people I fell in love with. No Gary or Mary Sues either. Loved that!

And the plot, you might ask? Brilliant. I'm forced to compare Fever Crumb to another book here in order to make my point. Any of you read The Hunger Games? Yeah? Remember how hard it was to stop reading because whenever you reached the end of the chapter, something else was thrown in that made it impossible to stop? Yeah? Same thing with Fever Crumb. The book was intense, leading the reader on a winding tale of a future society. Like I said earlier, I fell in love with the characters and didn't want to let them go. They seemed real to me.

One more thing. Reeve is far from afraid to harm him characters, which I love! I hate reading a novel where everything is perfect and people don't get hurt. In Fever Crumb, characters are abused, and pushed in to more and more terrible situations, and I loved it!

If I may make a quick note. The only reason I picked up this book was because the cover was amazing. Beautiful. Though it's funny how I never noticed that Fever, on the cover image, had two different colored eyes until I read the part in the book. It's done so subtly.

Usually, I can find something to complain about during a book review, but I can't think of anything that stuck out to me that I didn't like in this book. There were several instances where a random @ sign was inserted in to a word, which was odd, but that's not the author's fault. One thing that did strike me as odd was that, after I finished reading the book, I discovered that it was the prequel to Reeve's Mortal Engines series. Though, I do have to note, there was nothing that I didn't understand because I hadn't read the other series.

Overall, I loved Fever Crumb. Perhaps it was the way the society seemed to echo a steampunk-esque feel, but I fell in love with every instant of Reeve's brilliant story telling.

Rating: A+

You can view the (very short) book trailer below.