Red

Aug 312011
 

I enjoyed this take on the red riding hood fairy tale, the premise that somewhere in Elodie Rose’s heritage was the woman who spawned the myth.  The book itself is a very sweet story of Elodie, a seventeen year old girl who just wants to be normal, but tragedy and a shocking truth divert the course of her life.  Her father, a man who would do anything to protect her from the curse that follows their family, drills and trains her to survive in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Sawyer is a young man who has his own family secrets and when Elodie comes to work on his father’s research project in the Park, he finds there is something irresistible about her; something that draws him to her but raises his suspicions.

Both characters are solid and likeable and work really well together.  You can believe their instant attraction and the struggle they have dealing with more than just the usual teenage hormones.  The intensity between them was well written, powerful and tasteful, leaving me and them just on this side of wanting more.

I liked the plot, that tragedy had followed Elodie’s family for generations and it was poignant that she believed she would succumb to it too.  The scenes in which she acts out her worst fears were especially emotional.  I enjoyed seeing Elodie’s confidence grow as she dealt with the more mundane bullies.   I also liked that she was willing to stand up for a new girl, it said a lot about her character.  The choice of ‘bad guy’ was good and made a lot of sense after the reveal, and it certainly had me fooled!

The pace was good and well judged, there were no moments where nothing happened, and there was always something pertinent to the story going on.

An enjoyable and engaging read in the Young Adult genre and Kait Nolan is an author I would like see more of.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Exciting Kenyon TV Series News!

Aug 292011
 

I can’t even begin to say how excited I am about this.  Having seen (and enjoyed) the success and quality of the True Blood TV series, it gives me high hopes that Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books can be brought to the screen in a way that reflects just how good her novels are.

Amber Entertainment has signed a partnership with prolific paranormal novelist Sherrilyn Kenyon to develop and produce films, television and webisodes based on her books.  First project to be developed is “Chronicles of Nick,” based on the young adult series. In the first book, “Infinity,” 14-year-old Nick Gautier discovers that the football team has been turned into zombies, sets out to stop the attacks and learns he has a key role in an unseen world.  Kenyon will serve as producer alongside Ileen Maisel, founding partner of Amber.

Full article can be found at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118040186

Now I just have to stop making high pitched squealing noises when I think about it ;)

I think the character I am most apprehensive about being cast is Acheron.  He is such a fundamental part of the Dark-Hunter world and probably the most liked, so it will be a tough call to get the right actor.

Particular stories I would love to see brought to the screen would be the first book in the series, Fantasy Lover with Julian, then Dark Hunter with Kyrion.  Of the Were-Hunter books, Night Play with Vane.

All else I can say is SOON PLEASE!

Press photo by Sheri Reno/Nashville

Bloodlines

Aug 272011
 

When I finished reading the Vampire Academy series, I knew Richelle Mead had created something very special.  She put her own original slant on the vampire mythos and blended Moroi, dhampir, humans and the evil Strigoi together in a common world.

Bloodlines focuses on the human Alchemists, the main character being someone we met in the last series.  It was great seeing Sydney Sage again, I already liked her despite her professional bias, and I’m glad Mead decided to explore this character more.  The book is from Sydney’s perspective and picks up after she’d returned home in disgrace for helping Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir.

What follows is a touching story of Sydney doing her best to overcome years of instilled prejudice, trying to do the right thing and finally stand up for herself.  She’s not quite there yet but she comes a long way in this novel.  She is a brilliant character, well written and likeable; more so than in the last series, as we finally see the world through her eyes.

I loved the cameo from Rose Hathaway, as Sydney embarks on her mission.  It made me want to cheer and I understand why she couldn’t actually be a part of this story, as she wouldn’t have let anyone else get a word in!

There were other familiar characters that were part of the story and it was good to see them again and in more depth than before.

Adrian Ivashkov; my favourite Moroi playboy.  It was really good to see him again and I loved his role in the book.  He is a complex and interesting character and while his excesses might not be quite a thing of the past, this series is hopefully the start of something better for him.

Jill Mastrano is such a sweetheart and in the unenviable position of being Queen Lissa’s sister.  I think her emotions and actions are spot on for a fifteen year old girl and my heart aches for her as she struggles to find her own purpose and self worth, rather than just being the reason Lissa can hold her Throne.

Eddie Castille is along as Jill’s Guardian and it was great to see him play a larger role after everything he went through in the first series.  He is a solid, dependable character although I get the feeling there will be a bruised heart ahead for him.

The new characters are just as interesting.  The majority of the story is set in a human boarding school, and both friends and enemies are to be found there.  Although it’s not too different from St. Vladimir’s it has the added element of the major cast having to hide who and what they are.  The other Moroi and Alchemists we’re introduced to added yet another facet and I definitely had a love/hate feeling about them.

The actual story was well crafted and brought together several different elements, including how the human and vampire worlds interact or clash.  There is also a bit of a magical mystery in there too which was very nicely done, and I didn’t see the resolution of that coming until it was ultimately revealed.  The crime that Sydney just couldn’t ignore was the big shock and Mead hid several hints along the way that I can now only see, looking back.  The pace is fairly steady throughout, with a few exciting action scenes breaking up the tension the characters feel as they just try and stay safe.

I started reading the book this evening and it was so engaging, I couldn’t put it down.  Now I’ve finished, I just want more; I absolutely call Richelle Mead out as a tease with the very last line of the novel.  Especially when it causes me to make very undignified squealing noises for a woman my age!

A wonderful start to the new series and a book to be enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel

Aug 232011
 

I’m not a huge fan of comics and graphic novels but there are a few I love, generally ones that have been created from books I love.  When I heard a graphic novel of Vampire Academy was being made, I was excited and had a lot of hopes for it.

I’ve just finished reading it and quite honestly, it exceeded my expectations.

The artwork is beautifully rendered by Emma Vieceli and I think she caught the characters really well.  I sometimes wonder if an illustrator has even read descriptions of  main characters let alone read the books, but I think a lot of attention was given to getting it right in this graphic novel and the characters matched the images I have in my head.  Lissa, Christian, Rose and Dimitri were all captured perfectly.

The scenes from the book were well chosen and adapted by Leigh Dragoon, it tells the main story of Vampire Academy neatly and has the key scenes which I would say were essential to making this a great experience and an enhancement to the first book.  Definitely one I will read again and again.

Whether a fan of graphic novels or just love the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, this adaptation is a must.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

Flip This Zombie

Aug 222011
 

Flip this Zombie follows directly on from the events in Married With Zombies.

Sarah and David have lived through the initial outbreak and not only survived but saved their marriage too.  They have even become rather good at the survival game, so much so, they set up as Zombiebusters Extermination Inc. and travel to different survivor camps, looking for jobs (no zombie too squishy!) and any news of the mythical MidWest wall.

David and Sarah are still brilliant characters, solid and realistic and I absolutely love their sense of humour.  With their world gone to hell, they still manage to hang on to their sanity although David struggles more in this book.  They still have their arguments and react like anyone would, but also realise extreme reactions could get them killed.  I have to point out as well that I mentioned the first book was told from the perspective of both of the main characters but it’s actually from Sarah’s point of view, and she is wonderfully snarky.

There are a couple of additional characters in this book who stood out;  ‘The Kid’ is obnoxious but smart as hell and provides a great counterpoint to David and Sarah,  Jimmy No-Toes who has them collecting Zombie heads and finally Barnes, the not-mad scientist who gives them their biggest and most dangerous job to date. There are others but those three stood out the most for me.

The pace and story are very similar to the first book and since I read Flip this Zombie straight after, it felt like I was just reading a much larger book.  This one does have a slight twist at the end that almost had me in tears and I thought both twist and the repercussions were very well done.

I meant to mention book length in the first review – Although the books are short and a reasonably quick read, you still have time to get invested in the characters. I think they are both the perfect length for a light fast read.  With teeth and squishy bits.

As entertaining, funny and macabre as the first book and a worthy sequel!

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Married with Zombies

Aug 212011
 

Married with Zombies is a fresh, fun, and very gory look at the Zombie apocalypse!

It’s told from the perspective of David and Sarah, a normal Seattle couple, and how the arguments and annoyances of everyday life have left them on the brink of divorce. When they turn up for their next marriage counselling session, they find their therapist literally eating her favourite clients.

What follows is an often funny, and extremely squishy tale of how they survive. Surviving the outbreak, and neighbours arriving to snack on them, leads them to work together for the first time in a long time.  Killing zombies might just save what six months of counselling hadn’t; their marriage.

The tone of the book flips back and forward between very funny and very macabre in very few words, and that is a huge part of the charm.   In amongst that are moments that made me want to cry and their timing had maximum impact (no pun intended).

The characters are so realistic and well written, you instantly like them, even when they are bickering about all the usual things that couples do.  When they finally realise what is going on, I felt the shock, the surreality, and the laugh or you-will-go-stark-raving-mad situations right along with them and they didn’t let go of me until the end of the book.

The zombies themselves were unsurprisingly a major part of the book and some of the descriptions were very entertaining;  messy with quite a major ick factor.  I liked that Petersen used the ‘accepted’ rules for them and also didn’t attempt to explain ‘how and why’ other than the inital ‘where’.

The plot is actually very simple and follows what I think a lot of people would do in this scenario.  First and foremost, survive the initial outbreak, then attempt to contact or find relatives.  Try to remember everything you can from zombie movies you’ve watched,  you never know when it comes in handy and finally, everything can be a weapon if used creatively enough!

A very entertaining zombie rom-com, that I think a lot of fans of different genres will enjoy.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Fizz, the Book Guardian!

Aug 172011
 

Books should be guarded by fierce felines… or cute ones at least ;)

 

Fizz has taken to lying on my books when my lap isn’t available, it can’t be comfortable yet she seems very happy ;)

What do you think?

 

The Silent Girl

Aug 152011
 

This book has so many layers to it.  It’s not just a great crime novel but also gives an insight into Chinese culture and mythology.  I don’t know if I am biased because I heard Tess Gerritsen speak about her heritage and what it meant to her, but it felt like a very personal book nonetheless.

It was great to catch up with Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles and find out where they were at in their lives.  I thought it was interesting how differently the two friends view the world, and this is something that becomes a theme throughout the book.  Maura sees things in black and white, that evidence is fact and she follows the evidence, even if she, and others, might not like the outcome.  Rizzoli is more practical and can see the grey areas in between.  Again she might not like it, but having been a cop for so long, she doesn’t have the luxury of seeing things the way Maura does.

I loved the new additions to the cast; Bella Li, Iris Fang, and Detective Johnny Tam.  All three were well rounded, believable and likeable, in spite of the subject matter they were having to deal with.  Detective Tam in particular is a character I hope we see again as he is very personable.  I hope his quest to join Homicide full time is realised in future books.

Two characters from a previous book came to visit Maura and I loved seeing Rat and Bear again.  I love that Maura, for all her logic, wanted to maintain the connection with them, even if she struggles with what to do.  Rat proves he has a sharp intelligence as he spots some things in the case files that Maura hadn’t seen.  I believe the next book by Tess Gerritsen will feature the boy and his dog as the central characters when Maura visits and realises that all is not well at the school.  I can’t wait for that!

The pace of the story was a little odd, not Gerritsen’s usual style but the reason is very much bound up in the story.  The flow gets interrupted by monologues and memories of one of the new characters but rather than jerking me out of the story, I found it made it more intriguing.  Brief glimpses into a complex personality that has been strengthened by more grief than anyone should know.

The crime itself starts very simply, a hand found in an alley in Boston’s Chinatown.  It builds from there into something far bigger and shocking as each piece of the puzzle is found.  I didn’t actually want to believe the picture the puzzle was revealing.  Interwoven with the crime is the history of a tragedy decades ago, starting with a massacre at a restaurant in Chinatown.  The attitudes and racism of the time meant things were missed, assumptions were made which led to mistakes in the investigation.  Families that had been torn apart suffered, and with long memories and deeply seated grief, they refused to let it rest.  What really happened that night? Was it as it seemed? And how did it connect to this disembodied hand now?  It was fascinating and gripping and I couldn’t stop reading until I knew, even as disturbing as it was.

The Chinese mythology of the Monkey King was brilliantly used and added one of the layers I mentioned before.  It was both compelling and confusing, which I think was the intention.  Monkey was as mischievous as he was helpful in the legends, and the use of that throughout the book was really well done.

Not a book in Gerritsen’s usual style but just as gripping a read and it really proves why she is at the forefront of the Crime genre.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Book Information

Ghost Story

Aug 142011
 

It’s incredibly hard to write this review without spoilers.  I keep wanting to go ‘ooh and there was this and that!!’ but I shall try not to spoil it. If you haven’t read Changes yet though, you need to go and read that first, before Ghost Story.  You just have to!

This book has so much that is good about it.  The humour, drama, action scenes; all part of Jim Butcher’s unique and engaging writing style, but in Ghost Story, somehow he’s turned that dial up to eleven.  It is simply phenomenal and such a fantastic read that I couldn’t put it down.  I laughed out loud, I cried, I even shouted at one point, so I’m glad I was reading it at home.

I think the best of Harry comes out in this book.  Because of his situation, he has to think and plan, rather than fireball first and ask questions later.  It lets you see more of the man behind the wizard and how intelligent he really is.  That’s not to say he isn’t still running full pelt into trouble, he wouldn’t be the Harry we know and love if he wasn’t.  Just without his usual methods of dealing with things, he has to get… creative.  I also have to highlight the puns and pop culture references in this book, they provided much needed laughter and were brilliantly used.

The pace of the books in the Dresden Files is as much a part of Butcher’s style as the stories are, and Ghost Story is right there, leaving you breathless.  There are moments of reflection and realisation but they are most definitely the calm before the storm.  You know it’s only a brief respite, time to gather yourself, before you are off again.  In some books that relentless pace might be considered a bad thing but in this series it’s an integral part of the experience, and I would be disappointed if it was any different.

The story itself is amazingly well written, gripping and has more twists and turns than a twisty turny thing.  There is one definitive ‘Oh my God‘ moment and it was gloriously done and I did not see it coming.  At all.  If you’ve read it, you will know exactly what I mean.  If you haven’t, hopefully you will have to read it now!

Because of the events in Changes, some of the usual cast of characters are different and not necessarily in a good way.  You see the effect Harry has on the people in his life and what happens when he is not there for a time.  I fear some things are too broken now to repair, but I still hold out hope.  Just two simple paragraphs towards the end reduced me to tears, and they weren’t even about any of the human cast.  The characters, as always, are vivid and well realised.

The Dresden Files is a series that just gets better and better, and I honestly think this is the best one so far.  So much so, I worry where it goes from here, can it actually get any better?  Does it need to?  I don’t have an answer to that other than, I need the next one now!

Jim Butcher is the absolute ruler and master of Urban Fantasy and long may he reign!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Aug 132011
 

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