13 to Life by Shannon Delany
This is a book about Jessie, 16 years old, struggling to come to terms with her mothers death and living with her father and sister on a horse farm in a small town called Junction. Jessie becomes responsible for the new boy at school when she is asked to act as his guide. Peitr Rusakova has just moved to Junction with his brothers and sister and he’s much more than a good looking boy with a Russian accent. Pietr’s whole family is surrounded by a dark mystery and Jessie soon becomes caught up.
I actually really enjoyed this book and read it in two evenings as it was just such an easy read. And, it’s strange really, because I probably have more criticisms and unanswered questions than I have with any other book that I’ve read for a long time. In terms of criticisms, for example, there are a lot of similarities to other books of this genre, high school romance, bitchy girls, love triangles, always absent parent/parents, scenes in the gym, plus all the references to Pietr being a monster (lot of similarities with Twilight – where it is dangerous for the girl to be left alone with the boy). But, there are bound to be similarities in this age range – of course the stories will revolve a lot around school, of course the parents will be absent at convenient times of the story – otherwise things just wouldn’t happen after all, of course there are bitchy girls and jealouses.
Then there are all my unanswered questions, for example, why on earth is Jessie such a good friend to Sarah – to be perfectly frank it wouldn’t have surprised me if she hated her given the circumstances and yet Sarah just walked all over Jessie constantly. Why were wolves lingering around the farm at the start of the book? Why was Pietr so determined to stick with Jessie in school – he had so much attention from all the other females (including the adults) and it wasn’t immediately obvious that he liked Jessie (or that she had any attraction to him)? What was the whole Derek line about?? And why on earth did Pietr let Jessie push him into a situation that in the end neither of them were happy with??? Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition (do they?)!!
But, in spite of all the above, and more, I did like this book. I liked Jessie – even though she got on my nerves on a few occasions. I liked Amy and thought Jessie should definitely pay her more attention. I liked Pietr and his family. I thought the romance was nicely written and I didn’t mind the fact that up until the end of the book it read almost like an everyday highschool drama with no paranormal activity involved. And, in fairness I think this book is just setting us up for the next installment which promises to be good.
I would recommend this book.
Rating B+
13 to Life
A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond Feist (Riftwar Sage Vol III)
4 November 2010
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A Darkness at Sethanon, Raymond Feist
Just finished reading: A Darkness at Sethanon. The third and final installment of Raymond Feist’s Riftwar Saga…
This is a really excellent series that any readers of fantasy will enjoy. Obviously there are many similarities to Tolkien and certain elements of this third book are very familiar but Feist does bring a fresh element to his story by introducing a whole new world with different magic, different cultures, different people and then joining these two worlds by using a rift in magic (hence the Riftwar Sagas).
The third book brings us the final battle between good and evil with Arutha leading the charge with all his old companions playing a part.
I have really enjoyed this series of books and would recommend them. To be honest, I probably prefer Tolkien because I read his novels so long ago and so I suppose for me they set the standard but that being said these books are well written and fast paced with plenty of action and likable characters.
If I have any criticism it would probably be the whole magic element – which personally I thought became a little bit too much – too much description of the magic involved and with Pug, Tomas and Macros becoming almost invincible which seemed to make everybody else’s efforts pale into insignificance. I think this is why I probably preferred the second book (as it seemed to rely less on the magic element – or at least the overly descriptive chapters) – the first book also had a very large section dedicated to Pug’s gaining a whole new level of magical ability and I found that particular chapter/chapters a little bit drawn out. Which isn’t to say I just like the action. I do like the fact that there are magicians in the story, but I find the whole ‘path of discovery’ chapters a bit much.
Rating B.
A Darkness at Sethanon
No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
29 October 2010
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Michelle Richmond, No One you Know, Non One You Know
This is a story about a family and the impact that the murder of one of the daughters has on them. The story is told by Ellie, younger sister to Lila. At the start of the book Lila, who is a maths prodigy, is murdered. During the emotional aftermath Ellie befriends her English professor (Thorpe), and confides in him, all sorts of feelings and family affairs. Thorpe then goes on to use the information that Ellie has provided him with to write a best selling novel (non fictional) about the murder, the family, etc. Of course the family are devastated all over again at this betrayal and the way that the murder of their daughter has been used to provide entertainment. In the book Thorpe speculates about who the murderer is and actually names one of Lila’s professors (McConnell) – who Lila was having an affair with. McConnell is never convicted of the murder but his career and marriage are ultimately ruined.
Years later Ellie meets McConnell again and following their chance encounter no longer believes that he is Lila’s murderer and starts on a path of discovery of her own.
To be honest, this book was not what I was expecting. I imagined this book to be ‘darker’ and also maybe to be a bit more of a thriller but it is more an emotional type of book. Exploring Ellie’s feelings, particularly of guilt, and the impact that the death of her sister had on her in terms of her inability to relate well or trust other people. That being said I like the author’s style of writing and it is an easy read and a decent story – I just personally feel that it missed an opportunity somehow to be an excellent story.
Rating C.
No One You Know
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Crescendo is the second novel by BF – the first being Hush Hush – and continues the story of Nora and Patch.
Frankly, this story was… very, very good. I liked Hush Hush but Crescendo was better. At the time of reading Hush Hush I had already read Fallen. I liked Fallen at first, I was enjoying the story and the setting, which was quite gothic, but frankly I found the ending a bit surreal, one minute you’re in a sort of reform school and the next there are angels having a full on war – and nobody seems to bat an eyelid (because that happens all the time after all). To a certain extent it made me have second thoughts about reading Hush Hush but I was glad I read it and to be honest I did prefer it (although I do prefer the Fallen/Torment covers to Hush Hush/Crescendo).
Back to Crescendo. At the start of the book Nora did get on my nerves a little bit at first but as I read on I couldn’t really remember why that was! Looking back it was probably just her immaturity as she is only 16 after all!! The story in Crescendo picks up where Hush Hush left off and after a very short time becomes addictive. There are plenty of dark and creepy moments – the scene in the library gave me the chills – and there are plenty of intense moments between Nora and Patch – particularly thinking of the time when Patch first appeared in one of her dreams. There are so many twists and turns in this story that I think I could do with rereading it. I must admit that I wondered if we were going to have yet ANOTHER love triangle on the go when Scott arrived on the scene but thankfully that wasn’t the case and I actually kind of liked Scott and felt sorry for him on a number of occasions in the book because he seemed genuinely afraid.
What can you say about Patch, he seems to be the bad boy, but is that because everybody wants him to be? I don’t know. In Hush Hush I never really felt like he was a threat to Nora because he had plenty of opportunity to hurt her if he wished to but didn’t do so. And, similarly, in this novel, I think Nora misunderstood him (although he didn’t go to too much trouble to convince her to the contrary I suppose). Even so, I don’t really see him as a bad boy – more that he’s just cynical (how could you not be if you’d been around for that length of time???)
I also really liked the characters more in this book. Vee was so funny (also I laughed out loud at the scene when – and not trying to give away spoilers here – when Patch phoned Nora and she was in a very compromising position – you’ll know immediately what I mean if you read this), back to Vee, I really liked her in this book, she’s like the light relief element. And, I liked Marcie, (which you’re probably not supposed to) but I tend to like the super bitchy girls in these novels (it’s just that they seem so untouchable and totally unphased by anybody else as though nothing can affect them – and yet, actually, they’re always more vulnerable than they seem).
Now, the ending, which can sometimes be such a let down. Not here, I’m not saying that I hadn’t second guessed some of what was going on, but I certainly hadn’t seen everything coming! And the whole setting in the fairground was excellent.
If I had any criticisms (and you always have to have a couple don’t you??) I was surprised that Nora didn’t stand up to her mother more – for example, if I tried to arrange some sort of blind date/set up/ dinner party for one of my daughters – no, nope, no way, absolutely no way would they go along with it – no matter how much I might scowl (or beg, or shout, or bribe)! Plus, here you have a situation with a family – living out remotely in some creepy setting in the middle of nowhere – the father has been murdered and the daughter has had all sorts of near death experiences (in Hush Hush) – but here they are, in the second novel, still living in this remote farmhouse – with the mother practically never there. Really, I’d be scared to go to bed. There’s no way that as a mother you wouldn’t just move out of there – especially after what happened in book one – you would be out of there and living smack bang in the middle of civilisation – probably not in the police station but as near as you could get.
The book ends on a cliffhanger and we’ve got a long wait to find out what happens next..
My verdict. A definite must read.
Rating A+
Crescendo
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
22 October 2010
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Becca Fitzpatrick, Crescendo, Hush Hush, The Heretics Daughter
Just finished reading The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
This story is set during the period of the Salem witch trials and is told in the voice of Sarah Carrier, daughter to Martha Carrier. The Carriers are farmers and the first half of the book pulls you into their life – and what a hard life it is. The carriers move to live with Sarah’s mother when the pox infects their village and unwittingly carry the disease with them. The result of this is that they are held in suspicion and resentment by a lot of the villagers in Andover.
I don’t particularly know much about this period in time – other than bits and pieces in films and books – and therefore I’m far from being an expert. I think in a way this is what made this book more interesting reading and picking up all these little random pieces of information that I’d never heard about before. I never really quite understood before exactly what the whole ‘witch trials’ were really like. I mean they were basically horrendous and seemingly all caused by greed, jealousy, envy and hysteria.
Reading the trials, for example, was so frustrating that I could have thrown the book against the wall in anger. Just so annoying, innocent people having to confess to all sorts of wrong doings or otherwise be tortured. What sort of a trial was that anyway – nobody was innocent – they were already guilty before they stepped into the room.
Anyway, rant over. This book is good. It pulls you into the lives of the Carriers and makes you care about them and the outcome.
It’s a harsh tale and frankly sad but it’s well written and by an actual descendant of one of the condemned witches. Difficult to believe that this is a first novel.
I liked this book, it didn’t take long to get involved in the story, it was interesting and at the end gripping.
Rating B+
Went mooching at weekend and bought a few books (don’t want to run out after all!!) The Heretics Daughter – Kathleen Kent; Remarkable Creatures by Tracey Chevalier, No One You Know by Michelle Richmond – all these were my charity shop bargains. Plus I bought Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Decided to read the Heretics Daughter first…
The Heretic's Daughter
