Red Glove by Holly Black
1 August 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Holly Black, Red Glove, White Cat
Just finished reading Red Glove by Holly Black. This is book No.2 of the Curse Workers series of books and continues the story of Cassel started in White Cat. I think this series is a really refreshing new idea combining paranormal activity with mobsters. It’s a bit like The Sopranos meets Grifters meets alternative universe where magical abilities exist meets mystery (that’s a pretty impressive meeting, no?). And, Holly Black manages to achieve a second installment that is as good as the first!
The magic in Curse Workers is split into a number of areas, emotional, death, dreams, memory and transformation (the latter being incredibly rare) and the opportunities to turn these abilities into criminal activities is enormous. That being the case everybody must wear gloves (to prevent cursing somebody accidentally – or intentionally – by touching your fingers to somebody’s skin) and the Government are trying to draw the net in around curse workers by proposing to make compulsory a test which reveals if a person is able to perform magic. Working magic is illegal and results in prison which basically means that most magically gifted people will have broken the law simply when they performed their first curse, whether knowingly or not! The prejudices in this book are unbelievable and well written – I hated the way the curse workers were treated, looked down upon by some, feared by others and pushed and pulled about by the Government who want to basically tag them and use them for their own benefit.
Anyway, that’s enough background. This book continues almost straight from where White Cat left off. Cassel has been vacationing with his mother (I like his mum, she’s far from perfect, she is very naughty and can’t resist a con but she does love her family, and I particularly like the stunt she plays when attending a certain brunch!). On his return to school things pretty soon begin to spiral downwards and once this starts it quickly gathers momentum.
You just can’t help feeling sorry for Cassel. He’s basically not bad, he’s from a family of criminals but he is trying to make the right choices, but he’s been manipulated and used and this is a trend that is set to continue with him being torn by people on opposite sides of the law, including his own family. He’s very well written and I find him easy to like. He’s intelligent and creative – I loved the description of him being like a leopard pretending to be a house cat (not the exact wording there so don’t quote me!!) Then there’s Lila, she’s something completely different, she knows what she wants, she knows what she will become and she has no qualms at all, and on top of this she can be a bit ruthless and frankly scary. You definitely wouldn’t want to get on her wrong side. I don’t particularly like her but having said that I don’t suppose we’ve had the chance to really get to know her and on top of that she is the daughter of a fairly well connected gangster and so has been brought up thinking she is superior which gives her a sort of arrorgance that isn’t appealing. That said, she shows a more vulnerable side in this book – although it is rather quickly covered up.
I won’t say too much more, this is a great story and best discovered whilst reading instead of having the experience spoilt here. The plot and momentum start building straight away and there is no shortage of action. The ending is just full of twists and I didnt second guess the outcome at all. There is also a good bit of character development and although this doesn’t end with a cliff hanger it definitely sets the scene for the next installment.
I definitely recommend this book. It’s original, punchy, witty, sexy and comes with a leading character who is easy to care about.
Give it a go!
Rating A (also – love the cover below – a hand not wearing a glove at all but red and dripping with blood – how sinister!
Red Glove
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
29 July 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Blood Bound, bone crossed, Patricia Briggs
Just finished reading Bone Crossed, book No.4 in the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy stories.
I thought Iron Kissed was an excellent addition to the series and was really looking forward to reading Bone Crossed. And I’m so glad I did. It’s so good. I don’t know where I’m going to go with my ratings after this because they’ve reached the top of the ceiling now! So basically no disappointment here. I guess there’s going to be a book somewhere along the line in this series that I won’t enjoy as much but so far I really enjoy reading about Mercy.
This story basically comes to life from the very start. At the beginning Mercy is clearly still suffering from the events in book No.3 (no surprise) and I thought this was so realistic, no wand waving magic and a few cuddles and all’s okay – no we have panic attacks, feelings of inadequacy, flashbacks, nightmares, etc. I thought it was all dealt with sensitively and realistically – so, if you just want Mercy to shrug it off you can expect to be disappointed. That being said, Mercy has her usual adventures which she deals with in her usual style.
The Queen of the vampire seethe has unfortunately found out Mercy’s (and Stefan’s) little secrets and is deeply vexed! Recriminations come thick and fast although not necessarily as you would at first suspect but the Queen has been around a long time and she knows how to play people like puppets on strings. The secret being out, and in an attempt to shield her friends and pack from harm, Mercy takes a little trip to help out an old friend. Again, this came very out of the blue for Mercy and seemed uncharacteristic for the friend in question, but, needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle, and so off Mercy set on her little trip to Spokane – with Stefan in toe. Of course, as soon as Mercy lands in Spokane she immediately lands smack bang in the middle of trouble and attracts the attention of one who is known as ‘the Monster’ – even the Vampire Queen stays out of his sights.
Mercy and Stefan find themselves immediately turning tail and running for the hills – or Adam’s house. Anyway, not to give anything more away we quickly have negotiations, strange ghosts, new fey – not to mention the return of the fey walking stick – which is actually becoming almost a favourite character of mine in the series – how is that possible?? This is an inanimate object but I feel strangely sentimental towards it. Get a grip woman! We also learn more about Seethe politics and pack bonding and lets face it Stefan plays a large part in this book – and I’m finding I really like Stefan. The Scooby thing and van alone is pretty cool but he’s cold, calm, collected, fierce and yet loyal and caring (if that is even possible for a vampire).
I really love the way that Patricia Briggs keeps finding new and interesting elements to add to her themes of paranormals, little things such as the Oakman. Not to mention the strange what The Monster was actually up to. We also see a little more of Mercy’s elements come to light in this book as she realises a little bit of her own potential in relation to ghosts. And, I also liked the way that there wasn’t a great deal of recapping from the previous novel – there were lots of mentions but they didn’t go into great detail but are simply related with confidence – because clearly you will have read the other novels! Which I have (so gloats happily).
The other thing I like about this series is it’s described as a romance but it’s not all about the romance. Mercy spends a good deal of time on her own and she’s not some slim version of herself when she doesn’t have a man around – she gets on with it, quite often taking herself into very dangerous situations in order to protect people who she likes and are more vulnerable. And, she’s a good character. She works hard, has a sense of humour and quite often takes a severe beating but still keeps on going.
In terms of criticisms – I don’t really have any – I could have used a little bit of explanation about what had actually occured with Mercy and Adam with the letting down of the barriers scene! Perplexed. But I’m sure this will become clearer in due course.
Overall, definitely recommend.
Rating A+
Bone Crossed
Heartless by Gail Carriger
20 July 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Gail Carriger, Heartless
Just finished reading Heartless by Gail Carriger. I do love this series as it’s just so original, tongue in cheek and witty.
In a nutshell the fourth book starts with Alexia trying to outwit the vampires who are trying to kill her and, following a tip from a ghost, attempting to uncover a plot to kill the Queen which involves delving into her husband’s past. Okay, that’s a very small nutshell but I don’t want to give too much away!!
In this edition Alexia is heavily pregnant with the ‘infant inconvenience’ and waddling around the place trying to uncover potential assassination attempts. I did wonder what this novel would be like with Alexia being 8 months into her pregnancy but there was no need for concern, Alexia remains true to form, witty, stubborn and hungry. Lord Akeldama plays a much larger part in this edition which is most welcome. I love his little endearments and turn of phrase ‘oh la’, not to mention the descriptions of his ever more outrageous wardrobe. Ivy and her hats make a return and come in particularly handy in this edition and I loved the forming of the ‘Parasol Protectorate’ with the pledge and code names – Puff Bonnet and the Ruffled Parasol. Alexia’s troublesome sister Felicity also plays a role – and frankly I was quite cross with her. Similarly I thought Madame Lefoux’s actions left a little bit to be desired – although I guess she had provocation.
Now, this instalment definitely has a different feel to the last one. There is a plot but this has to take into account Alexia’s condition and accordingly this story has a much more ‘homely’ feel to it. The ending is quite fast paced but the first two thirds of the book enjoy a more detective orientated feel. And the ending, lots of twists and turns and people moving from A to B and from C to A – and what on earth does the actual finish signify (I may have mentioned that patience is not my most endearing feature and how long do I now have to wait to find out what on earth is actually going on??? For goodness sake!!
Anyway, the writing is consistently brilliant, intriguing and inventive. We have the usual inspired creations – zombie porcupines putting in an appearance and where else are you going to be able to read a story where the word ‘folderol’ is used? Or, ‘oh bully’. I love it. Not to mention sexy scottish werewolf – Lord Maccon. I rest my case.
Would I recommend this novel? Certainly. Give yourself a break, a nice cup of tea and a light hearted romp through an alternative Victorian London.
Heartless
Rating A
Divergent by Veronica Roth
17 July 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Divergent, Veronica Roth
Finished reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and I must say this book definitely deserves all the amazing reviews it’s receiving.
At first, I was a little hesitant to read this. Not because of all the furore surrounding the book and the potential for huge disappointment on the back of all that but because I seem to have read a lot of ‘dystopian’ novels just recently and so I guess I was a bit worried about whether this book could bring anything new to the scene. But, there was no need to worry. This book is excellent. I like the concept, the world building is really smooth, the characters are really easy to read and the writing style is lovely. There is plenty of action and also romance.
I’m not going to particularly go into the plot. In Divergent the world has been separated into different factions based on people’s own character traits. The idea of this is to try and find a more peaceful way of living and also to stop corruption. For example, one of the factions is known as Abnegation. Abnegation is based on selflessness. There is no vanity, no mirrors, no wealth, no comforts. The people who belong in Abnegation help others and in fact put others before themselves, therefore, they are ideally suited to positions where their decisions are based on the benefit and good to all and not themselves, such as positions in Government. There are four other factions, Candor (truthfulness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peace) and Erudite (knowledge). At the age of 16 a test reveals which characteristic is most prevalent in each person and they then choose which faction they wish to be part of. Of course, most children change the same faction as their parents although this is not always the case and choosing a different path has consequences.
The story is told by Beatrice (or Tris has she becomes known). I really liked Tris. She’s a great character. She’s flawed and she knows it, in fact she worries about her decisions and traits all the time. But I really liked the fact that she wasn’t perfect and she has such a tough time once initiation starts. Then there’s Four, one of the trainers, he’s a really pretty hot guy. I don’t normally like the good guys in these books, I usually go for the baddies as they tend to have a bit more character. Not with this book. I really didn’t like the bad guy this time and Four definitelyhas character. So basically we have two very likable characters plus a really solid supporting cast.
On top of this there is no shortage of action. Despite the fact that people are grouped in factions where their own character traits are prevalent it doesn’t unfortunately stop other less negative traits from surfacing jealousy, envy, pride, etc, and frankly some of the initiates are very ambitious which makes for lots of back stabbing. Similarly, if you are brave it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t seek knowledge or that you can’t be selfless. Certainly a book that makes you think. At the end of the day people are people and they will act according to their nature. Nature will out!
The ending is gripping, exciting and emotional. I can’t wait for the next book. There are so many unanswered questions – like the wall?? Factionless??
Do I recommend this book. Absolutely.
Rating: A
Divergent
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
11 July 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Susanna Kearsley, The Winter Sea
So, just finished reading The Winter Sea. This is a story within a story told by Carrie McLelland. Carrie is an author writing an historical novel focusing on events that took place around 1708 (concerning James Stewart). Experiencing writer’s block Carrie visits her agent in Scotland following which she changes not only the focus of her novel but also her own writing base (renting a house close to Slain’s castle). The novel is partly the story of Carrie and the developing romance between her and her new landlord’s son and Sophia who has become the main focus of the story that Carrie is actually writing.
I can’t remember how I came to pick this book up and I confess that I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to like it so I was pleasantly surprised. I thought this was a very enjoyable and almost sweet read. I can’t comment about how accurate the historical content actually is, but I was intrigued to read about the events of 1708 and would be interested to read more on the subject. I loved the setting (as I do enjoy the Scottish location) and on top of this there are two romances (so if you like romances it’s a must win!).
On the whole I thought this was a lovely combination of history and romance, I thought the writing was good and the characters likable and, importantly I liked the way the information was introduced, mainly through dialogue, rather than huge info dumps that break the story up.
In terms of criticisms – and be aware that the next paragraph will contain a plot spoiler – I read a lot of books that require you to suspend your disbelief but, for me, I found the whole idea of genetic memory a bit too odd. I would have just preferred if Carrie undertook her research and then wrote her novel as a work of fiction based around the facts she’d uncovered, or maybe it could have been treated more like a haunting – not this revisiting of memories. Also, I think the romances, both of them, could have maybe used a bit more tension to set the pulse racing. It felt as though both of the romances were a bit too easy (and, I will say, if you’re looking for a bodice ripper this is not the book for you). Also, I found the ending predictable, but in a good way.
Criticisms aside however I would definitely recommend this book – it would be a great beach read.
Rating -A
The Winter Sea
Books and travelling with Lynn 