Stormlord Rising by Glenda Larke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sigh...another book falls under the weight of being that Awkward Middle Book, the one that doesn't really need to exist but does so that the author can release a trilogy, because heaven forbid anyone go against what's acceptable and write two books, or even one, because obviously it's trilogies people want and we mustgivethepeoplewhattheywant...breathe!!!!

I can sum this book up very simply. There was walking, and there was talking and not a lot else, unless you count that any strongish female character from the first book had all their strength leached from them as soon a they smelt a potential mate on the horizon! Relationships that help so much promise just withered, dried leaving naught but a formless husk. It's just so relentlessly vexing when female characters go against their personalities, doing stupid things for the sake of their men folk. If the character is weak to start with then fine, at least she's being true to her nature, but when they were once strong willed, it's galling, the brainless things they'll endure. Remaining a slave in an enemy camp because they can't bear the thought of leaving their husbands behind so they won't escape without them, is one example. I can't even tell you the two things that made this even more infuriating as they could be construed as plot spoilers, but both are very good reasons not to hang about being a slave. We were led to believe in the first book that this particular woman was intelligent, strong, pragmatic and yet she seems to forget all that as soon as her man is in trouble. Every page we have to hear her bemoan her fate, how difficult it is to see him suffer, blah, blah, blah. How it hurts her so blah, blah, blah. Easy solution there love, LEAVE WITHOUT HIM. That may seem harsh, but there is a reason for it but like I said, I don't want to give away any spoilers. The woman from the first book would have done what she needed to do to survive. It would have been difficult, but she would have done it regardless. It was so disappointing to see this simpering (slightly harsh but I can't think of a better word) woman taking her place.

Another example. Two characters get thrown together in book 1. Over the course of about three chapters, they start to develop feelings for each other, it's all very rushed and lazily done. In book 2, they go their separate ways, each with their own destiny to fulfil. Well Mr. Man, despite worrying about the lady every page, wanting to know if she's safe, lamenting his broken promises to keep her safe, the wonderings that perhaps his feelings go deeper than friendship, jumps into bed with two other women. Now like I said, they didn't really know each other that well, but because he thinks about her so much, we are led to believe he most likely loves her. So him bedding two other ladies is a bit of a surprise, especially considering he is quite honourable and loyal. It goes completely against his character then that he spares not one thought for this girl he spends a lot of pages mooning over. She doesn't even cross his mind. There's no hint of remorse. Granted they never had any kind of agreement as to their relationship, but Mr.Man knew the girls feelings from an outside source, knew that she probably loved him. Did he care? NOPE!!!! Oh he protested at first, but a pretty face and a bit of transparent flattery and he's on his back. Don't get me wrong, it's not the act that offends. Boys will be boys and I know this isn't the case with all, but a large number think mostly with their penises. It's the fact he didn't feel even slightly guilty with regards to his lady friend. That to me was a severe lack of character continuity and not in keeping with his personality at all.
But that's not the worst part. While he's off dipping his wick, his lady is off doing her thing and not having a particularly nice time, all the while worrying that he's in trouble. Half way across the country, she gets a message, asking her to return. Bearing in mind she's had a pretty arduous journey, she does. She thinks he needs her, that he is in fact, in trouble. So at no small amount of pain and suffering to herself, she returns, only to find him reasonably comfortable. He needs her help certainly, but that's only to use her gifts for his own ends (can't say more...spoiler!!! It's not as dastardly as it sounds either. He has reasonably good intentions, the greater good and all that). Then she finds out about one of the women he slept with. He apologises, but in almost the same breath sticks up for the girl, saying she's been through a lot etc, saying this to a girl he knows almost certainly has feelings for him. In his infinite wisdom. He decides it's best not to mention his other dalliance, not out right lying, but that's still not exactly going to endear him to readers.
But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that she pretty much just takes it all. She grumbles a bit, moans, but ultimately helps him out, without even a bit of shouting or throwing things...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! Since when did this character become such a fucking doormat. 'No, no, you bump uglies with whomever you like, keep secrets, while I sit here day after day working tirelessly to help you not look bad when in fact I've got other stuff I need to do and that by keeping from it is actually causing me pain.' It just made me so mad that she just accepted it with so little fuss.

All in all, there were few characters who I liked, mainly because they were generally badly written and inconsistent. That's not to say the writing was bad. The descriptive stuff was fine, a bit too much for my tastes (started skipping paragraphs towards the end I thought weren't integral to the story) it was just the author's characters and their ever changing personalties to suit the story.
There was also a lot of repetition. A lot of conversations that seemed to happen more than once. I would read them thinking, 'didn't you guys already talk about this a few pages ago?' Like I mentioned earlier too, if a character had gone through some sort of trauma, we were reminded about it constantly. Now, in real life, yes, people will dwell on the past, especially the bad stuff, but you can't apply that to a book because is just gets boring. Sure, you can't have a character completely forget an event like it had never happened, that wouldn't be realistic, but a few reminders here and there is all you need. A few words, preferably different words so it makes it more readable. A quick, fleeting memory of the past triggered by something in the present. A moment of weakness where the past comes back to haunt. Not paragraphs of samey sounding recollection!!! It's a difficult balance to strike, but the great authors can do it in a way that feels effortless, natural. Everything the characters felt in this book seemed forced upon them.

Is this review even making sense?

So why three stars instead of two. Simple. Because for some bizarre reason I still needed to know what happened. There's a good story in here somewhere, a lot of it no overly original, but gripping enough to keep me reading. If the characters weren't so bad it would have got more.

Apologies for the hideous detail I go in to. It was just these things bugged me soooo much!!! Hopefully I was successful in avoiding spoilers. I honestly don't understand though how the quality has changed from the first book to this. I actually quite liked The Last Stormlord...

Annoyingly though, I will need to read the third book. I get the feeling it won't get better...

...sigh. Why do I do it to myself?

EDIT: I changed it to two stars. I'd given books I liked a lot more the same amount of stars. It didn't seem right

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The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finally!!! A decent fantasy series I can get my teeth into. There's plenty here for everyone one to find something they like, from the intriguing story to the wealth of characters and the promise of what is to come.

The reason this didn't get five stars is because one, despite being a brilliant storyteller; not getting lost in too much pointless description or overly flowery prose, her relationship building was a little slap dash. You know it's coming, the inevitable meeting, the wondering how their relationship will begin, will they hate each other first, be indifferent, shy?!! I'll admit, I was looking forward to it, hoping for something like the awesomeness that was Damin and Adrina from the Demon Child trilogy. Unfortunately it all happened a little to fast for my tastes. One minute they meet, the next they're noticing each other, sneaking glances, feelings start being felt, then BAM...it's love...or at least they think it is. I'm not that much into romance. I'm not a fan of being promised a good story and getting a sappy love fest instead, but I will admit, I do like a bit of romance on the side. Well built, the kind that makes you smile, makes you feel like you are sharing a good secret. The relationship between Terelle and Shale just felt rushed. I didn't have time to enjoy it, saviour it. But then again there's two more books, so plenty of time for that hopefully.
So the second reason this didn't get five stars is that, as ever, I compare every fantasy I read to the aforementioned Demon Child trilogy (my favouritest EVER!!!) and while a really strong contender, this just didn't write make my blood pump, or stomach churn. But then, I don't think anything will. It came pretty darn close though.

Thank fuck though that the other two books are available, or that would've have been really annoying!!! Now bring on book 2!!!!

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Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was, all in all, a really great finale to the series. It was highly readable, had enough enough action, excitement and general plot stuff mixed in the with the romance to keep me interested without rolling my eyes. There is a simple elegance to Clare's writing that I find ridiculously enjoyable. It is easy to overlook, but I find myself thoroughly impressed, which perhaps isn't the greatest praise coming from me, but I find that a lot of YA authors tend to sacrifice their prose in favour of bland writing so they can concentrate on the story (and by that of course I mean the romance as that usually IS the story).

The reason then, that this didn't get four stars, was that there was something about the ending that just didn't sit well with me. It was all a bit too 'they all lived happily ever after'. Ok, I'll admit that without giving anything away, some characters take a bit longer than others to get their Happyily Ever After (from here on referred to HEA's), but that they all do, somehow seems to be a bit of a cop-out, a bit of a cheat. Almost like the author couldn't bring herself to choose between any of her characters, so she just didn't. I don't know, maybe it's just me. In these kind of stories there has to be a bit of suffering and sacrifice, it's what makes the HEA's more meaningful. Don't get me wrong, there was both of these things present, but they never stuck, as if the author just couldn't do it to her characters.

But on the other hand, a part of me is really happy that most of the characters got their HEA. Because some of them really did go through a lot of shit, and they did deserve it.

Ahhhh, the ending has me really torn. I really can't put my finger on how I feel about it. I am completely divided!!! Overall, I did really like the book, but that ending!! I am not a fan of time-spans being recounted in a few pages, or time jumps, so that was always going to taint my opinion slightly, but I really don't want to say any more because I would have to give away major spoilers and 1) I hate doing that and 2) it would make this review hideously long. So I will leave it here I think.

I still much prefer this series to the Mortal Instruments, which started well but should have ended three books ago...just saying. Oh and I liked the characters in this series LOADS more!!!

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Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess by Phil Foglio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my. I was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, but it was truly such an original and brilliant novel, that I couldn't help but be swept along with.

We enter right where the first one left off, but where as Agatha H and the Airship took half the book to really get going, this one steamed ahead from the first page. I feared for maybe a slight dip in the narrative, as it is about twice the size of it's predecessor, but it didn't. It kept up it's relentlessly enjoyable pace through-out, throwing so many surprises our way that it was impossible (for me at least) to know where the story was going.

I mentioned in my review of the first book how impressive the scope of the imagination that went into creating Agatha's world. I want to reiterate that point again, and again, and again, because this to me, is what Steampunk should be and what all authors should aspire to. Ok, the idea of airships, automatons, bizarre weaponry and even the fashion aren't really anything new, after all, there are hundreds of books claiming to be Steampunk, but somehow this one to me should be allowed to lay to the right to calling itself Steampunk more so than the others. Every aspect of the story bares reference to it. Every aspect of the world and the people in it, their lives are surrounded by clockwork and mad-boys tinkering with nature, science, and that to me is true Steampunk. Not an odd invention here and there, a bustle and corset teamed with a pair of goggles, but some reference to something fantastical and mad on EVERYPAGE.

Then there's the story. Oh boy, I don't even know where to begin with the story. It's just one brilliant twist after another, like I said, there's no way of telling where the plot will take us next. Agatha is such a wonderfully well rounded lead, the circus folk a motley, but delightful crew of diversity. There is fun and mystery, shocks and revelations to be had on every page. Seriously I wouldn't know where to start with describing the plot, only that it is utterly original and utterly, utterly brilliant, fantastic, stupendous, marvellous, intelligent and, and...I have run out of words, but it is sooooo worth reading!!! I have even come to love the Jagermonsters, who I moaned about in the first review. They really come in their own in this one and I actually love how they speak. It still takes a fuckin' to work out what they are saying, but it wouldn't be right now if they spoke any other way.

To sum, up I loved it, and you will too. If you decide to give the series ago, prepare yourself for a most rip-roaring adventure. Goggles on!!! (^_^)

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Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil Foglio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bit worried about this one at first as I had absolutely no fucking idea what was going on or what anything was...there were a staggering amount of new concepts introduced and it felt like, as a reader, I was supposed to know what they were with little or no explanation whatsoever. I always find that kind of start to a book not only a little daunting but off putting. I'm sorry author people but I can't see inside your head and therefore if you are creating a new reality filled with odd inventions and ideas I am not familiar with, I'm gonna need a little more information. My own imagination can only do so much.

Luckily, as the story wore on things did become a bit clearer, though not necessarily because of specific descriptions, rather hints were given as to the nature of some of the things the authors were introducing us to, and bit by bit I was able to fit the pieces together to form a more accurate picture, or at least one clear enough to satisfy me. They are probably completely wrong, but oh well, give a shit!!!

Once I had a better grasp on things, the story did become much better. A lot of books will say they are steampunk, but in reailty that will turn out to be a slight exaggeration, with maybe a brief mention of a wacky device or a pair of goggles, which I'm sorry is not steampunnk, but someones poor attempt to try and and make their book more appealing to certain audiences. This book however is truly filled with all things steampunkery, and once the story really began, about a third of the way in, it became really rather enjoyable. Floating airship castles, clanks of every shape, size and purpose, constructs...so many imaginative ideas all woven together into what became a fun romp. Slightly disappointed as to the humour side of things, or lack thereof, but there were a few funny moments, the rest of the time it just felt like the authors were trying to hard.

Also, continuing on the humour side of things, as I understand it we are supposed to view the character of the Baron as a sort of ruthless overlord who will do whatever it takes to maintain the rule of his Empire. So naturally people should be afraid of him yes? But here's the thing, there was a scene early on, a confrontation between aforementioned leader and a group of his subjects. Rather than trembling in fear, what transpired was a rather odd comedy scene, with a bit of banter, a little slapstick and in general no sign of any fear from any of the characters whatsoever. The narrative felt a smidge confused. If the characters were supposed to fear him, why were they behaving like buffoons and circus clowns? But hey, that could just be me...

A few things still remain unclear, or shall we say a tad fuzzy for me. The nature of the Jagermonsters for one, are they men, beasts, machines or a mixture of all three? And the Lackya too, not 100% sure what they are. I also found the way the Jagers spoke slightly irritating. I have been taught to read words a certain way from childhood, so when you start fucking about with the spelling trying to making them sound German, it kinda stagnates the flow of the story some what as I am having to read the sentence stupidly slowly to try and figure out what, in the name of arse, they are on about. Yet I won't say it was a completely wasted effort, as this did lend a certain charm to the creatures, machines, whatever they were.

But on the whole, an enjoyable adventure> The fact that I have picked up the sequel before I had even finished and have already started should give you an idea of how much I liked this, considering the fact I am willing to dedicate more reading time to the series.

I will ask you though to excuse the slightly poor review as I have a rather nasty cold and this is about all I can manage at the moment. Thank you.

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The Chaos Crystal by Jennifer Fallon
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The most infuriating ending to a series EVER!!! My God I don't think I've ever been so disappointed, mainly because I know the author is capable of amazing things a but also because this was just ridiculously sub par!! It's shocking to think that the author of this is the same woman who gave us the staggeringly brilliant and epic Demon Child Trilogy. I feel like crying. Never did I think I would be giving this kind of review to a book by Jennifer Fallon. But I cannot lie, as much as the truth pains me. Here we go.

So, the specifics. Firstly, for a properly published novel, there were a ridiculous amount of errors. Not so much the grammatical, though there were a few extra words here and there. No, this book had the sort of mistakes that really shouldn't have made it to final print. Full stops and commas in the wrong places, words given capital letters after commas...it gave off the impression that the book was still in the drafting stage. Not what I would expect from a novel printed and published by a quite well known publishing house.

Then there was the writing. Now I'm going to be mentioning a bit, but one of my favourite series EVER, is the Demon Child trilogy by the same author. It is quite simply spectacular. So I know what this author is capable of. Her prose might not be elegant or lyrical but it is extremely gripping and ridiculously readable. But in this series, it's like she's lost her touch. Nothing really flowed. I got the overwhelming impression that perhaps the authors heart wasn't really in it. Maybe she had her mind on other things and wasn't solely focused, but again, it felt like the story was still in it's early stages of development. The author had got as far as laying down the basic story, but was waiting to go back through it with a fine tooth comb to add the wit and sparkle that I know she can produce when it accidently got printed before it was finished.

And my God, did she repeat herself a lot. I wish I had counted the amount of times we were reminded that Immortals don't feel the cold. Every flippin' paragraph there would be a mention of the weather and without fail she'd pop in a little reminder, just in case we'd forgotten. We are not morons!! There were other occasions as well too numerous for me to go through them all, but in some cases the repetition would come in the same goddamn sentence. That's the only reason why this book's as long as it is, because it's just the same points made over and over again.

The characters weren't up to her usual standard either and I can't help but feel that the author thinks that the only way a female character can be strong is if they had some sort of shady past that either involves being raped or selling themselves. Which is so completely and utterly WRONG!!!

And the problem with Arkady, the female lead, is that despite the fact that we were supposed to see her as a strong, independent, intelligent woman, she was actually anything but. I can only speculate, but if a woman sold herself to men the way Arkady did, rather than go on and on about it whenever we were reading from her perspective, she'd be so ashamed of herself that she'd want to push the memories from her mind and never think about them again. She's supposed to proud, unwilling to submit to the men that would govern and rule her, a scientist full of curiosity and brimming with her own ideas and opinions, but the amount of times she seems to think the only way to get herself out of trouble is to offer up her body, is just ridiculous. If she's supposed to be so smart, surely she could have figured out other ways to outsmart these stupid men that all seem to lust after her. To me she came across as weak willed and a bit of an attention seeker. 'Oh poor me, look at all the bad things that have happened to me, feel sorry for me and love me and think I'm wonderful because I've managed to persevere,' blah, blah, blah. It got seriously boring, ridiculously quickly. In the end I just wanted to smack her for being so pathetic and spineless.

WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK YET AS I GIVE AWAY QUITE A LOT OF THE ENDING!!!!

(view spoiler)[Then there's the ending. Oh boy, what an ending, and not in a good way. We've spent four books in the world Amyrantha, getting to know the cultures of all the different nations. Then there's the sheer number of characters, all whose stories we've followed and personalities we've got to know. Despite the many flaws of the female lead, there were a few that had really grown on me.

So when she killed them off all bar a handful, it came as quite a shock. And I'm not just talking about the characters she killed off. The author destroyed the entire planet. THE ENTIRE. PLANET!!! What was the point of me reading all of those frickin' books when you're just going to blow them up? When I think of all the hours I spent it makes me want to rip my hair out, then cry, then throw things.

And that's not the worst part. All through the series, we've had the ongoing saga of who Arkady was going to choose, her childhood friend or the charming if suicidal Immortal Prince? I spent four books reading as Arkady kept bouncing from one to other. At one point I thought maybe she was going to stick two fingers up the pair of them and tell them were to shove it, which whilst being slightly irritating, would have made a refreshing change. But oh no, the author had something really special in store. There was no final showdown, no final choice and happy ending. In fact we get diddly-fucking-squat. Nothing. By the end of the book, to two blokes haven't seen Arkady in a while, shall we say. I'm still waiting for the fateful meeting between the three, but it never comes. At the end of the book, they still haven't spoken to her, she still hasn't made her choice. In fact, and this is a ridiculously major plot spoiler, Arkady has spent the last few million years stuck in a magical spell induced paralysis trapped in a meteor that was once a part of Amyranthia IN SPACE. IN FUCKING SPACE!!!!! In the last few chapters we find out the Immortals are now inhabiting Earth and apparently have them to thank for wiping out the dinosaurs and quite possible for the climate being well and truly buggered! WHATTHEFUCK?!!!!!! (hide spoiler)]

The ending was just beyond ridiculous. It was frustrating, unsatisfying and quite honestly, just plain crap. Ahhhhh, it still makes me angry. The main problem? The author leaves it completely open, as if she's going to back to it and continue the story. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I'VE JUST HAD TO READ FOUR BOOKS WORTH OF POOR WRITING, TYPOS AND IRRITATING CHARACTERS, FOR AN ENDING THAT'S A COMPLETE AND UTTER LET DOWN AND YOU'RE EXPECTING ME TO READ MORE?...NOT A FUCKING CHANCE.

In conclusion if you are thinking of starting this series DON'T. Read the Demon Child Trilogy instead, it's miles better than this!!!!








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Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This started off really strongly. I found myself eager to get home from work, collapse in a chair with a nice cuppa and immerse myself in an interesting plot that looked to be a real corker, characters with a sense of humour and splendidly witty and slick writing. Unfortunately though, this one seemed to suffer the same affliction that is affecting many in the YA book world at the moment. That is that they have all the right elements there ready and waiting to become something special...then it all gets thrown out the window in favour of the generic teen drama.

In this one all we have to do is substitute the high school for a training academy type set up and you've pretty much just got an episode of High School Musical, except with less singing and more magic. It stopped being about the mysterious Fold, a blanket of darkness dividing a nation, or the threat of war from neighbouring countries looking to take advantage of any weakness. No, instead we have balls and trying on dresses and bitchy classmates. There are even different cliques. All the Summoners sit with the summoners, all the fabrikators (or whatever they're called) sit with, yep, you guessed it, the other fabrikators. I was all ready and fired up for a compelling story, but what I got was somewhat lacking. Watered down shall we say.

OK, that all sounds quite harsh, but that's only because I'm not doing a very good job of hiding my frustration. It wasn't that bad. It's just I get pulled in by something, my interest piqued and then it all fizzles out like a firework in the rain. I feel cheated. It might be because I'm getting a bit bored of the whole 'normal girl discovers she has magical powers and saves the world, with a bit of room on the side for romance' type scenario. A situation that could be rectified if I were given a proper exciting story with which I could sink my teeth into and characters that I can engage with, not ones that I want to shake in a attempt to wake them up so they realise there are more important things going on in the world other then clothes and boys.

Sigh, I am probably being a bit too mean, but I can't help it. I glimpsed so much potential in this book. I'm just disappointed it didn't get the chance to shine as it should have.

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Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, so if I was to have given this book a rating halfway through, it would not have been 4 stars as it was a real muddle. As far I could see there was no real plot, beyond the fact that Bitterblue was trying to unravel and uncover the secrets left behind from King Leck's (her father) reign.

Which is fine, I do love a bit of mystery and secret unravelling, but the things Bitterblue was investigating seemed to have no real correlation. Nothing seemed to connect or fit together which made me wonder why Bitterblue was investigating them to begin with. They were just plain random and there seemed to be no real starting point for where Bitterblue could begin her investigations and she ended up just going round in circles. Plus there was the fact that everyone seemed slightly unhinged. Which was a triumph if the author was trying to give the impression of a castle full of people not quite all there and poor Bitterblue stuck in the middle. It worked. but it made for a rather confusing narrative. Paragraphs would jump from one subject to another, conversations too would make little sense, though at times it seemed that the characters knew what they were talking about even if I didn't. It made the whole experience confusing and very hard to follow. But again, if we were supposed to be experiencing events as Bitterblue, then the author got it spot on, because I knew exactly how she felt. I had no frickin' idea what was going on, most of the time.

But then about halfway, there was a breakthrough, a wonderful and deeply satisfying breakthrough. Mysteries began to come together and resolve themselves. Plots that you thought bore no relation to anything, suddenly found themselves making sense, and linked in perfectly with other elements of the plot. The conversations still puzzled me every now an then, lots of instances when Bitterblue would be thinking one thing, but then say something in a completely different vein. There was much head scratching as I tried to figure it out. There was also a strange insult involving whether or not someone's child would be born with ears...yeah, that still makes no sense to me at all.

If the author had intended to confuse the crap out of us, so we could empathise with Bitterblue and the madness left in her fathers wake, to then reveal all in that wonderfully gratifying way, then, my hats of to you Kristen Cashore, you executed it perfectly!!! I shared so my of Bitterblue's confusion, then her pain and sadness when certain truths came to light.

Bitterblue herself was a character of depth and emotion. Of all Kristen's heroines, she is my favourite, with the right mix of characteristics and traits to make her believably human, her wish to believe in the people she surrounded herself with but also the ability to do the right thing, no matter how hard, was incredibly endearing. The poor girl goes through a lot, but never in that self pitying way. She struggles through, and we the reader, along with her. She has guts and gumption by the bucket load, but thus is perfectly offset with a vulnerability and a need for her life to be filled with the people she loves, yet still be able to let them go when she has to. Her drive to do something with her life and to right the wrongs done by her father truly make her a wonderful, delightful and inspiring character to read.

By the end of the book, I was well and truly hooked. When the threads came together they created something quite marvellous. This is, in my opinion, Kristen Cashore's best. I loved Fire, thought Graceling was OK, but Bitterblue was something else all together. I just hope that whatever she gives us next, whether another in this series (yes please XD) or something new, I hope she does it soon!!!

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Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

*headdesk* Why oh why do I do this to myself? I knew about halfway through that this was going to be one of those books that I was going to regret reading, but did I stop reading? Nope! That's because I still have this ridiculous need to reach the end of a book in the vain hopes that the story will get better, the characters will be less annoying, that it will stop being so gosh darned feeble and tedious. BUT THEY NEVER DO!!!

To be fair this book started out ok. It was never going to be amazing, or knock my socks off, but it held a certain amount of promise. I was intrigued by the Steampunk/faerie mix, two genres I enjoy and hoped would work well together. And they did for a while. Then all the other stuff started getting in the way.

The plot was nothing special. Headstrong girl unwilling to conform to social standards gets in trouble. She gets sent to an institution full of stereotypes, from the mean girls out to get anyone they see as a threat to the evil teachers deluded into thinking their way is what's best for everyone when in fact they're just plain psychotic. There was even a pervy doctor for crying out loud. This cast of completely unoriginal characters then do their up most to quash all of the things that make the girl 'special'.

Then we have the faery element. A sacrifice of a girl possessing a 'special' quality so that they can lavish her with wonders and trinkets, make her feel like a princess then kill her to restore the balance of the world. Guess who the lucky girl is. The rest of the book is spent twatting about not actually telling a story. Rather it turns into the Kevighn-Noli-Steven show, the plot taking the back seat to the inevitable love-triangle. Oh goody.

That being said, the plot might not have been too bad, if it hadn't kept being so over the top and forced. The author just seemed to be trying too hard to shock, rather than taking the time to build an atmosphere or explore a situation.

And the characters!!! Utterly generic. The main character had promise, but by the end she had turned into one of the simpering ninnies she was trying so desperately to avoid. The last third of the book she spends hurt, upset or crying. Most of the time all three. What happened to the strong girl who liked to fix machines and didn't want to end up a mindless drone? Enter the love interests. As soon as the males vying for her affections had been identified, it all went tits up. There was endless prattling on about out which one was better, which one should she choose, which one was the least dickish. Even when she made her choice, 100% and completely decided which one she wanted, she still faffed about, even though she declared that she had made up her mind. A. Nnoy. ING. I don't give a rats ass who, just PICK ONE GODDAMMIT!!!! The worst part is it's a split narrative, meaning we have to hear from the boys point of view, which included hearing about how amazing she is, how much they want her, how much they want to protect her, blah, blah, blah.

By the end of the book the girl has absolutely no spine left whatsoever and is more than happy to let one of her boys shower her with affection one moment, then push her away to next (most of the time literally). Then she lets him do it, all over again. Now, she says she will ignore him, that after trying to tell him how she felt and getting it thrown back in her face, she won't let him toy with her emotions anymore. Literally two sentences later she's letting him pull her into his lap for a hug. But it's ok, she doesn't help him pull her into his lap, she makes him do all the work. Thatta girl. You stand firm!!! Oh yeah and then she starts crying. What a shock.

Her characters are also all stupid. For the sake of the story, there are things they don't think of or miss, so it can be revealed as a big plot twist later on, but they are so glaringly obvious they just come across as feckless idiots. How many times did they repeat, 'be careful when making deals with the fae'? but they missed out one of the most important terms of their bargain, even though they apparently went over all the points in theirs heads over and over. They still missed it. How stupid can you get? There was also a lot of fobbing off in the narrative. A lot of cliches thrown in, a botch job at covering up the holes in the plot, so the author didn't have to try to explain inconsistencies. Some examples were lines like, 'I was trying to protect you' and, dammit I can't remember any more. That's how quickly my brain wants to be rid of this book.

There is also the fact that the ending just kind of fizzles out. A solution is reached in rather lack lustre fashion, again with more stupidity on the part of the characters, the lead in particular, but it just carries on...and gets really stupid. Plus, for some reason, the author refused to stop writing about a character when his part in the plot was over long before the ending. The only reason he remained was most likely to retain the 'excitement and drama' of the love triangle. As it had already failed to begin with, there was absolutely no need to follow the continued escapades of the man who lost. Especially when he just ended up in a brothel.

Then it turned into a seedy porn fest. Nothing up to 'Fifty Shades' standards, but it was just unnecessary and cringe-worthy. Not all females want or need soft porn in their books to enjoy them. I did NOT need an chapterly update of the goings on in the main characters nether regions.

The overuse of the word 'dollymop' made me want to hit things.

Oh heck, there's more, but that goes against my non spoiler giving principles. Heaven forbid I ruin it for you just in case you still decide to pick this up.

Suffice it to say I shall not be reading the further adventures of Noli the insipid.

Wow, that was harsh.


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Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wahhhhh why? Why Maria would you do this to me? I love your books, all of them (though admittedly some more than others) but this?!!! I cannot speak, I am too overcome with all consuming disappointment....

...ok I'm done now. So that was a little over-dramatic and ever so slightly misleading. This book wasn't bad, in fact to most people this would probably prove to be a really worthwhile and rewarding endeavour. For me alas, this book held nothing new. I have read it before. It was called Poison Study, and was the authors first and best book to date.

The similarities are unfortunately many, from almost carbon copies of a number of characters to relationships developing in much the same fashion. For example, in Avry we have a new Yelena, Valek has been renamed, Kerrick. Even Ari and Janco (can't remember his name) make and appearance as Quain and Loren. As much as I liked the characters in Poison Study, I was hoping for something new, in fact I was expecting it, as the author has never let me down in the past.

Then we have the relationships. We have comradery of the dominantly male group, which harks to the bromantic affections Ari and Janco show to Yelena. The most notable similarity though, lies between the two leads. They begin hating each other with a passion (which was way too forced), then once they to get know each other, inevitably and unsurprisingly, feelings start to change. Shock!! There was one difference between this and Poison Study on the relationship and that was that I saw this blooming admiration coming a mile off. There was no subtlety, the characters quite stupid in their obliviousness to their feelings and of each others. Which was to say, devastating, as one of the reasons I loved Poison Study so much was the unpredictability of the relationships.

Not everything in in these two books was the same (as mentioned above). Where Poison Study had a plot that was both engaging and exciting, Touch of Power was sadly lacking. All they did was wander about and camp in caves. Every now and then they would get into some spot of trouble, but before long, they would be back to camping in caves. What we did see of the plot was brief and rather unsatisfying. I feel that if we had stepped away from the characters for two seconds, it could have been promising, but instead it was just a bit odd and random. Hopefully more will be explained in later volumes.

There was also a rather Mills and Boonish feel to the whole thing. A certain cheesyness that I found difficult to ignore. What with Kerrick and Avry's relationship being blindingly obvious, there was also a bit too much 'damsel-in-distressing' for my liking, which was at odds with Avry's personality. The end especially, when we are introduced to a fellow who pretty much wants to own Avry, claim her for himself, mostly just so Kerrick couldn't have her. It was just a bit bodice rippery, not in a graphic 'fifty shades' kind of way. I mean the guy pretty much brainwashes her into wanting him, controls her with his magic so she is powerless to resist him. And he's such a control freak. He goes ape shit when she doesn't wear the dress he picked out for her. What?!!!! I spent most of my time rolling my eyes whilst reading and truthfully, I'm finding it hard to explain exactly what it was that didn't sit well with me, without giving too much away (I fear I may have already said too much). The whole thing just seemed too contrived and pandering to the assumption that all females have fantasies of being dominated and rescued whilst pretending to be strong and feisty. Oh yeah, and the bad guy kept calling her 'my dear'. All. The. God. Damn. Time. It got VERY ANNOYING.

Everything was a bit too stereotypical and there wasn't much in the way of originality. It may seem like I am being way too harsh on this, but it's only because of how highly I rate Maria as an author. It is killing me having to say these things. Her stories usually inspire and shock and delight, but this one did none of those things, mainly because it held no surprises. If you are undecided as to whether to read this, I would say that if you have read Poison Study, then I wouldn't bother, you will find nothing knew here. If you haven't, then go read that instead!!

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The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a great book recommend to those who love Roald Dahl. It has the unique child with the amazing gift but is stuck with despicable parents (and I mean it. I was appalled at how awful the mother and father were in this book. They should not have been allowed to have children and wanting to be THAT normal, is itself not normal at all!!!!) a la Matilda, with the kind of fantastical adventure (visits to a whole host of foreign countries, not to mention Outer space, or I should say Middle space) as seen in James and the Giant Peach (though with slightly less insects). Charming, fun but carrying the important message to those impressionable kids, that it's ok to be different, this is a great little read for youngsters.

It took me a while to get into as it's been a long time since I've read a book aimed at younger kids, but after I realigned my inner child, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Barnaby is a wonderful character and someone young people can really relate to (well, except for the floating).

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Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston


This was a book that I wasn't in a huge rush to get to. I read the last two a while ago, and this one's been sitting on my TBR pile for a loooong time. I read it mainly because it was bugging me and it was preferable to the alternative. In the end, I liked it. It was ok. It didn't blow me away and the writing could be a little clinical and simple at times. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand overly poetic and flowery prose that spends three pages describing a door handle, but I need something more than a list of stuff that is happening. The author also had a habit of repeating herself, but I do that too, so I am willing to overlook it. Don't want to be a hypocrite now, do I? XD

Still, there was always a lot going on, it was relatively engaging and wraps up the series nicely. I started to get a little bored of the whole 'will they, won't they', Ross 'n' Rachel-esque relationship between Kelley and Sonny, which, by the way, remains one the the worst character names I have ever come across in literature. I mean come on, I can't take someone seriously if they're called Sonny!!!! It's a name right up there with Patch from the Hush, Hush series, which I think we will all agree takes the trophy for THE WORST name in the world books. Anyhoo, characters. It just didn't have me feeling all squiggly with glee as other book relationships have in the past. Plus there was a slightly pointless attempt at a love triangle which didn't really need to exist but still, as everyone else is doing it... There would be moments as well when the characters would feel a little flat to me, but then other times when they were actually quite funny and charming, so...

It's one of those books that I can easily see people loving. I have to say that I didn't LOVE it personally, but I did like it. It certainly didn't bore me, the finale in particular was pretty fun!! So you should probably give the first one (Wondrous Strange) a go, if you haven't already.

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Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, it has been so long since I have been able to give a book 5 stars. But this is one that has most definitely and comprehensively earned them.

Good fantasy is easy to come by, great fantasy less so. This is, in my opinion one of the greats, for far too many reasons for me to write here, but I will share some of them.

Firstly there was the story. What a story. Full of bleakness and despair, hope and light, and so much emotion and spirit that I couldn't help falling into the world the author had created. It felt so alive, capable of twisting and turning in ways that left me reeling. There were so many peoples, so many cultures and somehow she was able to paint such detailed portraits of each with so few words. And that's the real marvel. It's not a long book, nor is it a series, yet the wealth of detail is miraculous. There were no gaps in the narrative, no moments of head scratching. I worried in the beginning as in the first few pages it felt as if I had turned to the middle of the book, but as I read, the author revealed her story through her characters. As each appeared, a new piece of the puzzle would fit into place. She paced it beautifully as it felt neither hurried nor stagnant. I have read authors who have tried to attempt the 'slow build'. They could learn a thing or two from Marchetta on the perfect execution of a well told tale.

And her writing, oh my. Lyrical without being ridiculous, but with sudden bursts of humour that had me snorting. Though there is so much sadness in this story, there is a balance. The humour is quick and sharp and delightful to read. One part in particular, as I wasn't expecting it sent me into a fit of giggles. Quite possible one of my favourite lines from a book ever. I will let you discover it for yourselves. Then through all the pain and suffering came the rewards, the parts that filled me with pure joy and warmth, for her poor characters really did deserve some happiness.

The most important part of this story though, and the part executed with the most loving care and attention, were her characters, the marvels that they are. Finnikin was a lead who was not afraid to show fear, but was not a coward. Nor was he looking to be the hero. He was honest and charming and the kind of character an author dreams of writing. Then there's Evanjalin. A ruthless and sometimes evil soul who was always on the path to good, she is a character of so many conflicts, but she was never confused as to what she was. A strong but broken girl that had pieced herself back together, so she could do what needed to be done. She wasn't a simpering brat, desperate to prove her worth and be worshipped for her selflessness. Yes, she had been through horrors, but somehow Marchetta made it impossible to dislike her for her unwillingness to share her ordeals, which can often times come across as forced, a character seeking pity so people would love and cherish her more. That wasn't Evanjelin, mainly because she just got on with the task at hand, no matter what it was.
If I could, I would mention the entire cast, as there are so many memorable characters, but that is the problem, there are just so many! All with stories and personalities of their own that Marchetta somehow managed to squeeze in amongst the dazzling unravelling of a fantastic plot.

Oh, boy. There is so much more I could say, but you'll just have to trust me and go read this yourself, so you can discover the things I have not said.

Quite simply I loved this book. It has everything I look for and more and will be one I hope to be able re-read again and again.

I seemed to have gushed quite a bit!! But it's just SO GOOOOOOD XD



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The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This isn't an easy one to review. As a whole, I did really like it. I loved the Latin influence in the invented cultures, all the place names etc, that was a nice touch. As well as this, all the right components were there, brilliant and engaging plot, characters I either wanted to hug or punch, effortless writing, seemingly this book has it all. Yet there is something niggling at me.

I think the easiest way to explain it is that the book feels like a trilogy in one volume. There are three parts and each is very different, from settings and characters to tone and atmosphere. Thinking of them as separate bits of the same story helps me figure how I feel about the book. The issue really is with the first and second part as these hold the most differences.

Part 1 is my favourite. She introduces her story and characters marvellously. I started reading late at night and though trying to go to bed, I would start the next chapter without realising because I was completely drawn into the story from the very first line. It also helps that I do love bit of palace intrigue!! XD The relationships that are built up in this part are wonderfully done and just how I like them, especially the romancey bits. Slow but not painfully so, rather they tease and tantalise leaving you wanting more. I was so invested in everything about the story that when part two came along, it was a bit of a shock, like a pie to the face.

Part two involves not just a rather dramatic setting change but also an almost entirely new cast. I will admit that I was little disappointed in the direction the author took. It's not that it was bad. There were still the same high standards of writing etc as in the first part, the new characters were well developed and believable and the story still engaging and exciting. So really it's just that I wanted more of the palace stuff and maybe there might have been a possible romantic interest in the first part that I really, really, really warmed to. It was the way she was leading up to it, it was sooo gooood!!! Deepening friendship, meaningful glances, growing respect etc all things that I love as I watch a relationship unfold. But in part two, we are introduced to another romantic interest, but this time there is none of the unhurried build up and for the male at least, the attraction is instant, which is no fun at all. I think it's safe to say that I am a big fan of the chase, rather than the end result. But I need to stress again, this is just my preference and others may have no problems with the changes in the story. The book is GOOD and I can understand the need for the second part as it is conducive (if that's the right word) the the development of the main character, Elisa.

Speaking of, my what a delightfully likeable and endearing character she is. Her battles with her body image are treated with equal amounts of sensitivity and humour, with a part in particular involving a young boys honesty that made me chortle!! I can find no real fault in her at all. The author has succeeded in creating a multi-dimensional character who can convincingly portray naivety, fear, courage and love with vast amounts of realness and genuineness, making her a wonderful narrator.

Lastly, part three took us back to the palace, and though still good, just felt a smidge rushed. It was refreshing reading a book with a proper and actual honest-to-goodness ending, but which entertained the possibility of more. This is most certainly a world I am eager to return to.

Also...PRETTY COVER!!!! XD

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Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Well, I'm glad I didn't go all the way to America for this. That would have been a huge chunk of money wasted. What a load of blah. Firstly I got confused as to the setting. In most cases, when a book contains some deadly virus-plague thing that slowly wiping out all humanity, I automatically think Dystopia. But when they started going on about steam carriages and corsets, I figured I was wrong. I know Steampunk can be set in an alternate future, but most of the time they hang about the Victorian era, where they belong. Also referring to the city they lived in as 'The City', also didn't really help. Don't get me wrong I like a bit of mystery, but at least let me know if we're in an alternate reality or not. That could be one of those silly things that just bugs me. I am aware that I am fussy.

Then there was the fact that the whole thing was told not just in the first person, but also in the present tense, which meant that we were finding things out when the main character did. Unfortunately the snag there was that no-one seemed willing to tell her anything. Sometimes she'd take it upon herself to ask a question, but then for some inexplicable reason, wouldn't (that was actually used in the book). Then you'd finally think they were going to tell her something and there'd be a distraction of some ilk and they'd forget all about it. Which wasn't annoying at all (it was, I'm being sarcastic). It really stunted the pace of the book, not that there was anything going anyway, but still, nothing was happening, really slowly. What did happen was lots of cliches I can imagine the author just shoving in willy nilly because she wanted a Mask of Zorro-esque scene with all the sword fighting and dress slashing, goddammit and no-one was going to stop her. That's the only explanation for it I can think of because THERE WAS NO REASON FOR IT, IT MADE NO SENSE AND WAS STUPID!!! Not to mention being pong-wiffy with cheeseyness.

And don't even get me started on the characters. E-gads. They just got worse and worse as the book progressed. The main character was a complete contradiction to herself and couldn't decide whether she wanted to be vulnerable or strong. She ended up being neither, rather a simpering self centred attention seeker (not in a show off kind of way, more in a woe-is-me I'm so alone and misunderstood kind of way) who wanted to play the hero but when it came down to it always managed to wheedle her way out of it. Other characters (mostly male) kept telling her she was brave, but I'm sorry, I saw not one shred of evidence of her apparent heroics. They must have been saying that just to get into her pants (and by that I mean undercrackers). All she did was moan about how no-one cared about her, ramble on about how guilty she felt over her brothers death and generally wallow in self pity. It's a wonder she got up in the morning. On that topic, it was mentioned that she was suicidal but apart from a couple of mentions, to me she didn't really come across as someone wanting to off herself. She just whined. A lot. The two male leads for just funny in their stereotypical-ness (not really a word but it'll do).

I'm not even going to talk about the god awful love triangle (or not much anyway), because I'm eating dinner while writing this and I don't want to up chuck into it. Suffice it to say there was lots of to-ing and fro-ing, sappy lines, denial and 'it meant nothing's' usually in the space of a few sentences. Yay

There'd also be random bits that were quite graphic and disturbing that felt a bit out of place.

Did I mention the main character was annoying...I did? Well, she really, really was. I think it was the fact that she was so spineless that got to me. There are just too many strong, female leads in the world of literature that there's just no room for self-centred girls like Araby...I've forgotten her surname, that's how much I didn't care about her or her problems.

I usually try to find a positive, but I can't even say the writing made up for everything. It was pretty basic and kinda obvious, just a series of lists describing things or events in rather unimaginative fashion.

I was originally going to give this 2 stars, but during the course of writing this I've changed my mind. So, sorry. This one for me at least, is a dud, though after looking at the reviews, I see I may be in a minority.

Edit: Oh crumbs and I completely forgot that the main character takes drugs. Because her life is soooo terrible and she has nothing to live for...blah, blah, blah!!! Doesn't that make her seem like a wonderful and noble person. Things start getting iffy? Time to space out and go to a happy place!!!



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Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Is it my fate that I must read books that get my hopes soaring only to get them dashed on the rocks of bitter disappointment?! Every part of me wanted to like this, and there were some points that I did, though mainly in the beginning. However the further I delved, the greater my confusion, frustration and befuddlement (I am aware befuddlement and confusion mean the same thing. I use both to emphasise the depths of my perplexity) over a story that wasn't really sure what it wanted to be. Was it a sweet and heart warming fairytale of love and redemption, a dark and twisted thing that the brothers Grimm themselves would be proud of, full of wicked spells and dangerous obstacles? Maybe a coming of age story shrouded in fantasy? A mystery, family saga...? In truth it was a mixture of all, yet none of the elements to me,seemed to get on very well with each other. It plot conveyed an sense of not being sure in which direction it wanted to go, or whether to go in all directions at once.

We add to this already confusing mix the storyline itself. I believed this to be a re-telling of the Frog Prince, yet what it proved to be was far more cluttered. Though the Frog Prince is at it's core, many other classic fairy tales make an appearance, burdening an already weighty plot. The end result was not quite chaos, but it was within spitting distance of becoming a broiling concoction of far too much told with far too little. By this I mean that rather than deepening the story, exploring more the relationships of her many characters, the author seemed far more concerned with squeezing in as many fairytale references as she possibly could, most of them shoved in with what felt like little thought to how they worked as a whole. What this resulted in was a hodgepodge tale which got more and more bizarre and random as the book drew to a close. It all just seemed a bit, untidy.

I wanted to explore the blooming relationship of Sunday and her froggy companion. I would have liked to uncover a little more the mystery of the Godmother Sorrow and the nameless King, the tale of the sister's who were gone and the enigmatic Jack who never actually appears. The author introduced us to so much but didn't seem overly fussed about digging deeper. It's not a particularly hefty volume. A few more chapters could have worked wonders on a plot that overall felt a little heavy and cluttered and could have done with a bit of stretching out.

The best way I can sum up 'Enachanted', is by likening it to a dream, of the kind that will one minute have you sitting on a bus playing a game of cards with Papa Smurf, the bloke who works down the local newsagents and a trilby wearing panda, then suddenly transport you to the depths of the ocean and leaves you completely unconcerned by the sudden change in scenery, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, or simply unaware of it the change altogether. There was simply too much going on, each element a part of different a puzzle that won't fit together no matter how much you try.

However, after all that, I did still give it three stars. The reason, is that you strip everything back, there are fragments of light hidden beneath to fog. At it's heart, there are characters you can like, an ambitiousness on the part of the author in her attempt to weave so many threads together, though she may have lost sight of the essence of the true plot, that I have to admire and the simple fact that I didn't dislike it. There was still something that drew me in. That could partly be the sheer unpredictability of the plot though. Looking back, it was quite mad.

It's one of those books that, where I found fault, others might find charm, inventiveness and a story that certainly leaves you guessing.

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Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would consider myself a fan of dragons (well, who isn't?) and though perhaps I haven't read a great many novels containing the winged beasts, I still get excited when I find a book that's gone out on a limb, pushed the boat out, taken a chance and tried something different. As much as I love the glorious creatures in all their fearful majesty, sharp toothiness and limb rendering awesomeness, I found myself being drawn to Hartman's vision of Dragon. A proud race of mathmagicians and scholars that fought for the land they had lived in for centuries, but where steadily being pushed out of.

Skip ahead to the events of Seraphina, and we have an uneasy truce between dragons and humans built on a simple wish for peace. What makes Hartman's dragons unique for me, is that to better understand and appreciate their former enemies, they take their form and walk among them. This of course is the cause of all the troubles and tribulations that occur, much of this down to the Dragons refusal to allow themselves to become befuddled by troublesome emotions and forget what they are. What this creates however, is an intriguing tale of two peoples seemingly complete opposites of each other, yet perhaps have more in common than you think.

The storytelling is delicious, Hartman spins her tale with grace and a deft hand. She will pull you slowly at first, so you don't notice how involved you are until it is a few hours later and you are turning the last page. I found someone I could relate to it Seraphina, the focus of this tale. Her unease in her skin resonated with me as I'm sure it would with many. I empathised with her seemingly impossible situation, the dark secret she carried that few would understand and would more likely shun her for. The relationships between characters were built on solid foundations and well explored The author was able to make it so you could understand the actions taken if perhaps you don't agree with them.

The only gripe I had appeared towards the end. It involved a certain male member of the cast, a man who valued honesty above anything else, sought the truth in all, told no lies and his willingness to live one the biggest lies of all. To me, it seemed to go completely against his character. Also some of the names where a bit annoying, but it wouldn't be proper fantasy if there weren't a few tongue twisters thrown in to make sure you're awake and paying attention =D

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Geekhood by Andy Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Haha, this was pretty gosh darn funny. It took a little while to get into, mainly because I don't know any 14 year old boys, so I was uncertain as to whether the narrator was particularly accurate. I kept forgetting he was a 14 year old boy. But what do I know, maybe there are insightful, astute, intelligent 14 years old's out there. I think the problem I have is that not only do I not know any right now, but as far as I can recall, I never met any either. No-one springs to mind from my school days, though that was a rather long time ago...and I didn't really talk to boys much ¬_¬ To be fair to Archie (the main character/narrator of this tale) he does spend most of his time alternating between putting his foot in it and generally making things worse, yet he does this armed with plenty of wit and charm, which helps remind us that he is but a hapless youth on the cusp of manhood.

The author does an excellent job of creating a character you feel you know. He also has a flair for banter of a highly amusing nature. Archie's observations ring with an alarming amount of truths, and as a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and possessed of geeky tendencies myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the use of all the nerdish references.

I really cannot stress enough the quality of the writing. It often had me chortling to myself, which didn't make me look like a nutter at all (sarcasm). Other than the over use of the word Tosser, I can find no fault with it whatsoever.

What the author also does very well is use humour to deal with tougher subjects, divorce, being an outsider, but he doesn't do it in a way that's patronising. He manages to make the feelings and emotions accessible. In a way, he's saying that all the things young adults feel when they grow up are normal, that they don't have to be ashamed of them. And that's the kind of thing young people need to hear, especially when it is delivered with such

In a time when Geek is the new cool, and smart is the new sexy, Geekhood is a welcome sign that we are entering a new era.

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So finally got round to writing a review. Egads I am getting really lazy at this, mainly I think it's because i feel like a am constantly repeating myself. Oh, well it's not like I have to read it >.<

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book had me completely hooked from within the first 20 or so pages, then again, killing your main character right at the beginning is going to grab peoples attention. And no, that's not a plot spoiler because it says that in the synopsis!! What could be considered a spoiler is that she doesn't stay dead long, but it would be a much shorter book if the main character stayed dead, so I think it's kind obvious. Apologies though if you disagree.

The pace it moves at is really something. For once, the likenesses on the front cover are accurate. It is just like a mix between The X Files and an episode of 24, though Janelle has 23 days rather than 23 hours. You get a real sense of the desperation as the clock winds down to it's unknown conclusion.

Janelle is likeable and her narration easily readable. I've got much love for the relationship that build builds between her and the mysterious Ben too, who is just too hugable for words. I felt myself getting swept up into their story, which is obviously good news.

Now for the bad. I found the idea that Janelle could steal and hide her fathers research a little hard to believe. Him being an FBI agent and those files being highly classified, I'm pretty sure that she should have been arrested, but rather than that she completely gets away with it. Even though other agents know she has them. Really?

There was also a point where the story started getting a little flimsy. I had to stop reading at one point (it was after midnight after all on a work night!!!) and it was getting seriously good. But when I picked it up the next day, something felt off. I can't quite explain it (no surprise there). It just didn't feel like the same story. It was at the point the supernatural element was introduced, and from then it just fell a little flat. Things started to feel a little difficult to believe. I've said this many a time, but if an authors got an idea that is impossible and could never happen in a million years, or is completely made up, they still need to make it plausible. Norris just wasn't overly convincing when explaining certain bits.

Then again, I am very fussy!! It still gets four stars though because other than a couple of hiccups it was still immensely immersive and tremendously enjoyable so big thumbs up!!

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Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I'm actually reviewing this about a week after I finished it, which means I have almost completely forgotten everything about it. That doesn't mean this book was in any way forgettable, only that my memory has more holes than it that Swiss cheese...is that the one with holes in?...never mind.

So, on to the book review. This one's a bit of a contradiction really. Mainly because on the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot was super immersive (yeah, that's right, I said super!!!) and always had me guessing as to which way a situation was going to swing or how a character was going to react. Which is obviously a plus because predictable books = major snores and drool puddles!!

And on the other hand? Lots of stuff that really annoyed me. The point though, is that it didn't. I didn't care that the main-ish character (I say 'ish' as there are lots of characters vying for the lead role) is a bit of an idiot and suffers from doormatitis. It also didn't bother me overly much that the author had a habit of repeating herself every few pages...you don't need to keep stressing the extreme danger her characters are in. We get it. Repeating it over and over again isn't necessary. Instead rely on your writing abilities to convey the tension and atmosphere of a the situation. We'll fill in the rest. Ok, it bothered me a bit, but no-where near as much as it should. There were more bad points, but I can't remember them, soooo, they can't have been that bad.

More on the plus side, we had split narratives, with each chapter told through the eyes of a different character. Even bigger plus, it was third person. Don't get me wrong. I love, or should say, loved first person perspectives. They're a real asset to a character driven story and give some real insights into their inner workings. But I've had enough. Every YA novel out there seems to be first person. It's BORING!! The danger was that some plot lines would be slightly less interesting and you'd be rushing the chapter to get to a more exciting part. But actually, they were all rather interesting, which I must say was delightful.

Though I mention earlier the main characters short comings in the brain department, I still empathised with her. Especially when we, as the reader, know things that she doesn't. It was frustrating, but I'm guessing that was the point. We are supposed to feel anger for her in her place. Or at least till she finds stuff out, then the shiteth will really hiteth the fan. Or I hope it does and she doesn't just accept it like she does some of the other revelations, which would have made me Hulk smash the shit out of everything within reach. In regards to the rest of the ensemble, there were plenty of good guys to root for and bad dudes (or dames)) to hiss at.

The world the author built was fascinating. Not the dull run-of-the-mill Earth one, but the world of The City. She gives an excellent impression of a debauched and dangerous city, not bothering to hide it's flaws, but that for all works well because every one who lives their knows their place in it and how it works.

To sum up then. By rights this should have irritated the flooping heck out of me. But it didn't. Huzzah!!

Wow, I managed to right more than I though. Go me!!!

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