10/09/2009 - 1 opinion

The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling

Rating: ****

The tagline of this book is "It's one thing to accept one's destiny. It's quite another to live it", which nicely summarizes both this last book and the entire trilogy. The trilogy is based on a young noble, raised as a male only to find out at the age of 12 that he was born female, and given male form though necromancy. The reasons for why her parents decided to do this is a long tale, explained in the previous two novels, while this book joins Tamír as she fights for her birthright as Queen of her country. The complex character relationships help tell this tale as Tamír struggles to accept her femininity. She's wearing dresses for the first time, and dealing with new female parts, while at the same time forced to battle her friend and cousin Korin for leadership of their country. While at time the dialogue gets a bit strange, the overall writing of the series is fantastic, and the entire idea of the series is very unique and powerful. The battle scenes are extremely exciting, while the politics and feel of the story are very believable. Even the romantic story lines are exciting, as characters struggle to understand one another. Ms. Flewelling ends the series with a note saying that a subplot of the trilogy can be followed in an additional, separate series, which I am excited to read.

Previous books in the Tamír Triad: The Bone Doll's Twin and Hidden Warrior
Follow up: The Nightrunner Series starting with Luck in the Shadows

Enjoy your reading!
-Care


Upcoming reviews:
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
The Woad to Wuin by Peter A. David
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

10/06/2009 - 1 opinion

I've decided to take a break from trying to beat all the levels of LocoRoco to bring you this opinion. I hope you're happy. :P

In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer
Rating: ****(1/2)

This is the fourth installment of the previously mentioned Bloody Jack adventure novels, based around main character Mary 'Jacky' Faber. In the last book, we saw Jacky declared a pirate by the British Navy and escaping in the aftermath of a bloody battle between the French and the British Navies. This book picks up Jacky as she is ashore in Boston, once again attending finishing school for ladies, and trying to find a way to fight the charges laid against her. However, her situation goes from bad to worse when all the schoolgirls are kidnapped and put aboard a slaver. Jacky, now 16, is as spunky and mischievous as ever, and is ready to take on this challenge of escape. A strong, admirable female lead, she helps transform the proper ladies of her school into a scheming crew, helped by her nemesis, the wealthy and beautiful Clarissa Howe. The tale turns into a suspenseful tale of womanhood and survival. One of the most touching parts of this novel is when Jacky tells her schoolmates "bedtime stories", stories of life as a street rat in London. This novel fleshes out characters from previous novels, and the historical background with the swashbuckling story really makes for an excellent read. I would declare this my favorite of the series so far.

Enjoy your reading!
-Care

Upcoming reviews:
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
The Woad to Wuin by Peter A. David
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and some guy
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

(You may have noticed by now that occasionally books will be reviewed not on the list... don't worry your pretty little heads about it. I just have literary ADD. And regular ADD, really.)

10/05/2009 - 2 opinions

Well, I was hoping to update this blog a bit more often, but I have focus issues, and tend to wander off in the middle of updates to drink beer or do logic puzzles.

Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston
Rating: ***(1/2)

While Card's name is the one most prominent on the cover, it's clear that screenwriter Johnston is the primary writer of this novel. An intriguing storyline in the near future revolves around a mysterious religious group who is found to be spreading a gene-therapy treatment, in the form of a virus fatal to anyone other than the recipient. The fast-paced novel flashes between people caught up in the group, people abducted by the group, and the government agents trying to stop it. The book has a very 'movie' feel to it, including gunfights, high speed chases, and suspenseful action scenes, which somewhat detracts from the overall 'realistic future' feel of the book. Characterization remains focused on a few key players, while others are stereotypical side personalities- the successful female agent, the overbearing federal director, the homeless woman with the heart of gold... However, the novel overall is extremely interesting, and many of the twists and turns in the plot are quite intriguing. A quick, and exciting read.


City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Rating: ****
I initially became intrigued by this book when I saw the sequel, City of Ashes, in the clearance section at Wal-Mart. I was somewhat discouraged from reading it when I discovered it was a series, and the fact that the most prominent review on the cover was from Twilight's Stephanie Meyer, despite several glowing reviews from prominent critics. However, after passing it by several times, its shiny cover lured me in. The story is an urban fantasy, centered around 15-year old Clary Fray, and the spiral her life takes one weekend night. She witnesses the death of a demon at the hands of 3 other teenagers, and is quickly introduced into the other side of New York City, populated by demons, werewolves, and other sorts, and somewhat policed by a mysterious force called the Shadowhunters. Ms.Clare's writing is fast-paced and complex, twisting and turning its way through the mystery that is Clary's past and future colliding. This is a great novel, creating a believable new side to New York City, with well developed characters, an exciting storyline, and enough romance for the intended audience. I've already purchased the second book in the series, excited to find out what happens.

Enjoy your reading!
-Care

Upcoming Reviews:
(some of which I realized I've been promising for a while now)
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling
The Woad to Wuin by Peter A. David
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and some guy
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare