Tag: book review

book review · Covers · I love books

What I’m Reading: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

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Earlier in the year I mentioned that I’d be blogging more about the books I read that aren’t Young Adult, so long as I think they are a reasonable match to the YA books I know and love. I think Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman fits this bill.

Dovekeepers is an historical fiction about the persecution of the Jewish people by the Romans. I hadn’t ever read anything about this period of time before and Hoffman did a great job at inspiring my interest in both her characters and this specific piece of history. One of my favorite pieces of the novel was the touch of magic. The magic was never written about as ‘real’ magic, but it was written as real as the people of the time would have believed. Or maybe it was real, who knows? Sometimes I think that magic are the little things that happen that are overlooked by our modern sensibilities.  There was a strong romantic element in this book, and also quite a bit of violence, as it is depicting a true and brutal time, but it is never over the top.

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This book is written in four parts instead of chapters, and it took me until the second part to get into the book, but I was glad I did. Each part features a different character. This was really refreshing to me, reading something that didn’t follow the usual novel conventions.

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially about strong women, then I recommend checking out this book.

4/5 Stars

JEH

 

book review · I love books · Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

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I loved this book! An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir brought back all the good feelings I got reading the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Not that this was like the Hunger Games… I mean, it was a dystopian world, but a fantasy one, and there were some elements of death match style competition, but mostly it was a very unique story.

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The tale is told from two alternating perspectives, Laia and Elias. They worked so well with each other and each voice was independent and unique, so i never forgot who was narrating that part of the story. The fantasy elements had their own uniqueness to them too, though they did not play that big of a role in the first book of this series. I have a feeling these elements will play a bigger part in book two. In fact, that was almost one of my pet peeves about this book: that the fantasy elements were almost forgotten about and then dropped in there here and there. There wasn’t much consistency with that. But I still loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of the Hunger Games, The Throne of Glass Series, or Rebel in the Sands. I can’t wait to read the next one.

5/5 Stars.

JEH

book review · I love books

What I’m Reading: Spirit Animals Vol 1. Wild Born by Brandon Mull

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The title is kind of a lie. I actually listened to this on audiobook and didn’t read it. But I did enjoy it. I haven’t read the books, so I can’t compare the reading experience to the listening one, but I really enjoyed the audio book of this children’s fantasy adventure.

Spirit Animals: Wild Born by Brandon Mull follows four eleven-year old kids who call The Fallen as their spirit animals. There is quite a bit of set-up in this book, but there are seven books in the series, so I appreciate all the time taken to give the story a good base. Even with the set-up, there was a good amount of action. The story had me longing for a spirit animal of my own, and I keep hoping one will just appear any day now.

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Spirit Animals Wild Born is definitely children’s fiction, not young adult, but I think for any fan of the fantasy genre, the Spirit Animals world would be an enjoyable one, especially if you have a secret longing to be a veterinarian, like I do. This is the kind of book that I would like to read to my children one day—maybe once they are old enough to sit through more than on sentence from a board book. This is the kind of fiction that is uplifting, and good to read on a stressful day.

As for the audiobook, it was read by Nicola Barber and I thought she did a wonderful job with all of the varying voices and accents and characterization. Though I think she actually did a better job of the male voices than the female voices, which I find to be a problem with a lot of audiobooks. Or maybe it’s just me.

Have you read or listened to this book? What did you think?

4/5 Stars

JEH

book review · I love books · Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: As I Darken by Kiersten White

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One of the books I fininshed reading while on vacation was As I Darken by Kiersten White. This is an ‘alternate’ history, taking place during the time of the Ottoman Empire and Mehmed the II. The ‘alternate’ comes from the fact that White has made Vlad the Impaler a girl. This bring such an interesting dynamic to this story. The whole book was well written, rich with detail and character and raw emotion.

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There are really three main characters in this book, Lada, her brother Raul, and Mehmed. Lada is just what I love in a heroine, she is fierce, fiery, and needs no one (or likes to think she does). It makes me wonder what other histories would sound like if famous males were females. It’s an interesting concept to say the least. I’ve never read any of White’s other books, but I’ve heard from other people that they are great reads as well. As I Darken has definitely encouraged me to seek out more of White’s work.

5/5 Stars.

JEH

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What I’m Reading: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Ruthfoss

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I’ve decided to branch out a bit. I read a lot, and I read quite a bit of stuff that is not Young Adult. I’ve decided to blog more about books I read that I enjoy, though these won’t be included on my Young Adult Fiction Book review page.

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To that end, I’ve spent the past month devouring The Name of the Wind by Patrick Ruthfoss. I LOVED this book. Yes, I love a lot of fantasy, it is probably my favourite genre, but there was just something so immersive about The Name of the Wind. This was the kind of book that I would read past my bed time, only to put it down and then dream about it. It had it’s own kind of plot-style as a story, within a story, and a central mystery which very little is revealed in the first book. Ruthfoss is a beautiful writer and I cannot wait to read the next book. In face, I bought book two as Christmas present for my husband, even though he hadn’t read the first one yet. So yeah, I really bought it for myself.

5/5 Stars.

JE

book review

What I’m Reading: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

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Since I heard about the release of The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher, I was excited to read it. I put the book on my Christmas List and was pleased to find it under the tree, though it came with the depressing news that Carrie Fisher had suffered a heart attack on her flight home for the holidays. I consumed this book in three days, eating chocolate and drinking coffee and enjoyed it immensely, especially the bits where Fisher describes her interactions with fans.

It became a bittersweet read when Fisher’s death was announced, and came the realization that I would never again read a wittily written account of some piece of her life that she treated with respect and humor, all in her own unique way. I so wish that things had taken a different direction, that she had survived, or never been subjected to, her heart attack so that I, and the world, would be able to read more of her work, watch more of her movies, and just enjoy her on this Earth. But I’m thinking that she’s in a better place now.

There was a lot of controversy when The Princess Diarist came out, as Fisher spent a lot of time discussing the affair she had with Harrison Ford during the filming of Star Wars in London 1976. The first and last thirds of the books are Fisher’s narration, with the middle third containing excerpts from her journals written in 1976. The way Fisher described that first love, that agonizing nowhereness of an affair, felt both raw and true and I felt like I could relate.

If you’re a Star Wars fan or a Carrie Fisher fan, or like reading other people’s journals, then this book is for you.

5/5 Stars!

JEH

 

book review · Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

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Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton a Young Adult Book Review

I found this book browsing around my e-library. It sounded different than a lot of Young Adult fantasy I’d recently picked up so I put it on my wait list, and I loved it. Rebel of the Sands is a fantasy/western Arabian Nights full of Sultans and Djinnis and kick-a** heroines. There were so many unique aspects in this book that I’m not going to get into them all (plus, I wouldn’t want to ruin the story for you).

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What I enjoyed most about Hamilton’s book is how complete the world felt, from where the story begins in Dustwalk to where it ends (not going to say). And the ending itself. This is the kind of book that keeps a lot of secrets, but reveals them in a well timed manner that makes complete sense and is so fitting for the book. I wasn’t sure if this book was going to be a series, however, so I looked it up, and apparently a second book will be released in 2017. I get the feeling that Rebel was written with the intention that it could be left a standalone book, but it is so delicious that I’m glad it’s not. Though I have to say, I’m not a fan of the cover art for the sequel which can be preview on Goodreads if you’re interested.

If you’re a fan of Aladdin or Sinbad or just want something mystical but a bit different, pick up Rebel of the Sands, you won’t regret it.

5/5 Stars.

JEH

book review · Covers · Young Adult

Books I Love: Queen Of The Tearling by Erika Johansen

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Way back in April or May I briefly mentioned that I was reading this book. When I finished it, I didn’t post a review, because I only review Young Adult fiction on this site, even though I read a smattering of other stuff. But lately I’ve come across a few different posts and lists that include Queen of the Tearling under Young Adult fiction.

My own opinion is that Queen of the Tearling isn’t ‘Young Adult’, because to me, Young Adult has a certain voice, a certain sassiness to it that other fiction does not. But I can see where the crossover occurs, and that’s with the 19 year-old Queen herself. Sometimes, books are classified as Young Adult just because the main character is young adult. But that’s not what makes something YA. But regardless of where you find this book shelved, it is a wonderful read, one that will most likely top the list of favourite books I read in 2016, which is a post I’m planning prior to the new year.

       

(Associate Links)

Queen of the Tearling is considerably darker than, say, the Throne of Glass Series, because, for one, there isn’t the same filter. Dark deeds aren’t just hinted at, they are spelled out. The atmosphere itself is dark and dreary, unlike TOG, which always feels fun, somehow. The writing is more immersive in QOTT, which means less reliance on dialogue and more longer, lingering passages of exposition. But QOTT is beautifully written and a pleasure to read. If you love fantasy and YA but want to read a book that is a slightly different pace than what would normally be found on the Young Adult shelves, try Erika Johansen’s work. The last book in the trilogy was just released last week, so if you want to read the whole series in one go, you now can!

5/5 Stars.

JEH

Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

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Young Adult Book Review of The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead.

The Glittering Court (associate link) wasn’t completely what I expected. It follows Lady Elizabeth, a rather rich and spoiled young woman who doesn’t want to marry the one man who can save her family, instead, she runs off to join The Glittering Court, in the hopes of finding another suitor. This book was half romance, and half alternate reality or half western, I couldn’t quite decide. The land of Osfrid is loosely based on colonial Europe, and the land of Denham is loosely based on colonial America. I got into this book around the time it turned into a western, but I’m still not sure it works.

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The writing was fairly fluid and moderately paced, but there was a lot of inner dialogue that could have been shortened up. Sometimes I wonder if publishing houses make authors add paragraphs just to make a book thick and heavy. I would have been happy with a shorter book that got to the point more quickly. I didn’t like this book half as much as I like Mead’s Vampire Academy series, but it was still a decent read. You might enjoy this book if you really liked The Selection, though I believe Cass’s series is much stronger as the romance is much more addicting and compelling and I preferred the dystopian setting over the western one. But hey, maybe Westerns are your thing.

As for reading the rest of the series, I don’t think I will continue since the next book sounds like it will be a parallel storyline which will feel like a rehash of at least the first half of The Glittering Court. The Midnight Jewel is slated to be released in April 2017.

3/5 Stars

JEH

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On Coldness and Fantastic Beasts

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It’s a grey, frigid day and I’m stuck in my office. I’ve been horrible at both writing and reading and I don’t even know where my time has gone this past week. I’m really hoping that December can be my reading month, but unless I find buried energy somewhere I may not get around to reading my last seven Goodreads Challenge books. The good news is that I did finish reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them this weekend before going to the movie. I was glad I did, since so many of the beast make an appearance. However, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is not a novel and is therefore nothing like the movie, which I found surprising and quite…dark. I really enjoyed reading the screenplay for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child this year, but I’m not sure reading the Fantastic Beasts screenplay is something I want to do. Especially since I’ve now seen the movie, and I’m pretty much a strictly book-before-movie kind of person.

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My lunch today consisted of a takeout container of French Onion soup and an accompanying bun. It’s the kind of weather for soup. I will probably eat soup and only soup for the next four months…. at least at lunch time. img_2046It’s also that time of  year for tea, so I better go make a cup of that right now, before the chill sets in. Tomorrow I will be posing a review of The Glittering Court, and I’m hoping to have two more up in the next week as well. Have you seen the FBWTFT movie yet?

JEH