Category Archives: Book Reviews

Review: Raymond E. Feist – King of Ashes

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King of Ashes
Raymond E. Feist

The Fire kingdom has been betrayed an decimated. But a Prince may have survived… Hatu, Hava and Donte are being raised in the way of the Hidden assassins, and Hatu has to constantly hide both his affection for Hava and his fire red hair. In the mean time, a blacksmith’s apprentice is getting ready to perform his Masterwork and go out into the world.

The thing for me about this novel was the pacing. It was just so incredibly slow! I figured that the three perspective would end up together eventually, but that ‘eventually’ wasn’t until the end of the novel (trust me, I haven’t spoiled it for you). The multiple perspectives worked against the suspense in this novel. Despite the blurb being very keen to state that there is a price on Hatu’s head, and the Hidden ones ulterior motives, I didn’t feel a sense of danger.

I actually liked the blacksmith the most. He was portrayed as a simpleton for the most part (not worldly etc) but he wasn’t as gullible as he might have seemed. His character didn’t ring true for me – why didn’t he go back to the town if he was so concerned? And in the end, I didn’t see his place in the bigger picture at all.

I was surprisingly disappointed in this novel. Raymond Feist is a huge name in fantasy and so I was really excited to be lucky enough to receive a review copy. Maybe this set up my expectations to be too high. It was easy to be bogged down in the details of life and not see what the novel was trying to set up. The whole novel feels like a set up for the last chapter – maybe the action will occur in book 2?

I’d read the second novel in this series, but I wouldn’t reread this one. There wasn’t enough depth or foreshadowing for me. I found myself constantly comparing it to The Way of Kings by Sanderson and finding it lacking.

HarperVoyager | 5th April 2018 | AU$39.99 | hardback

Review: Veronica Roth – Allegiant

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Allegiant
Veronica Roth

Tris has shattered her Faction-based society, yet still finds herself under the thumb of a despotic ruler. When she is a given a chance to explore the world outside the fence, she takes it and runs, hoping that whatever is out there will calm her rage and allow her to forgive herself her wrongs. Tris has only just begun to realise what is happening when it is almost too late to right those wrongs…

The revelations of Insurgent come back to bite Tris in this novel. It seems like there is only one way to solve things when you are Tris – and that’s by irritating and hating the other people around you as much as possible. Tris is such a frustrating protagonist! Her self-destructive urges often just get everyone else into trouble, but she never learns.

I feel like this novel is in the same era as The Hunger Games. The heroine is spunky and rough, and always determined to ignore love as much as possible. The outside rules don’t mean anything in comparison to their own problems and rules. By trying to do what they think is best, they make a huge mess of things!

For the first time, we see both Tris’ and Tobias’ points of view. This novel left me feeling ambivalent. The first novel was worth rereading, but this one doesn’t hold the same appeal. Tris’ character development seems to have stalled and the great reveal has already happened. I didn’t feel anything much as more of the characters were killed off – and I still felt that if Tris was killed the novel wouldn’t have lost anything…

This is the third and final novel in the Divergent series that started with Divergent and Insurgent. I would strongly suggest that you DO NOT read this novel or the blurb without having first red the first two novels. Otherwise you will have significantly ruined the storyline as it builds. 4 stars from me. If you’ve read the first two, you’d better read this one for your peace of mind.

Review: Karelia Stetz-Waters – Worth the Wait

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Worth the Wait
Karelia Stetz-Waters

Once upon a time Avery Crown and Merritt Lessing were the best of friends – but only friends. Then, neither was willing to admit that they loved the other, but now 15 years later they might have a chance together. But Avery’s career would be ruined by coming out as a lesbian, and will Merritt be willing to wait for her to work things out?

Avery, get your head in the game! Merritt, I love you the mostest but please get over yourself and get started loving Avery properly. Even if it’s just sex, enjoy the time you have, grab it! In line with this, there are sex scenes, and I can’t decide whether they helped with the storyline or hindered. As the author is a lesbian, you’d be able to assume that the sex scenes are not unrealistic and pornographic.

I liked how Avery was guilted into continuing with her career by the threat of her co-star being bankrupted by the show ending. However, Avery, grow a spine and admit that you’ll need to look after your co-star a bit better, and keep your mother in line. How old are you now?

I’m really sorry, but I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as the others by Karelia. I much preferred The Admirer and Something True. It just felt sort of ‘meh’ in comparison. Neither of the women really had jobs or personalities that I connected or empathised with.

I’m giving this 4 stars in the knowledge that this book may be someone else’s cup of tea, particularly people who enjoy ‘reality’ or ‘makeover’ TV shows. Identifying as a lesbian isn’t enough for me to love this novel.

Review: Jenny McLachlan – Truly, Wildly, Deeply

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Truly, Wildly, Deeply
Jenny McLachlan

Annie’s ready to move on from being the disabled kid at school. She wants to be accepted as Annie, awesome character! The last thing she wants is a boyfriend to stifle her. But then there is Fab, who is over the top too but is looking for romance to anchor him in England.

I pounced on this novel the minute it walked in the door. I’d previously read Stargazing for Beginners by McLachlan, and I wasn’t disappointed in this one either. Annie is a plucky and atypical protagonist that you empathise with right from the very first scene. It’s fitting that the first thing you learn about her is her sense of humour and her love for her mom – not her disability.

Something I simply didn’t get was the title of the novel. It’s just a bit… abstract? I can understand the artistry though, one of the best realized scenes in the novel was the blackberry picking. I could see myself there, being scratched by the thorns and doing The Blue Experience.

I reread this novel to provide a decent review, and I didn’t regret it. This is a fantastic novel that plucks at your heartstrings, even as you know that everything will work out in the end (or will it?). This is a light little read, but well worth the $14.99. Since it’s coming up to Christmas, I highly recommend this novel for any teenage girls in your life (or perhaps you are one). 4 stars from me, leaning towards 5 stars.

Bloomsbury | 1st April 2018 | AU$14.99 | paperback

Review: Klester Cavalcanti – The Name of Death

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The Name of Death
Klester Cavalcanti

Julio Santana committed his first kill at the age of 17 at the behest of his uncle. Despite his initial anxiety about the kill, he later went on to kill over 490 people. His strict code of ethics meant that despite this, he only killed for money and never out of a personal rage.

If only Julio had been taught about money management from  young age, and then perhaps he would have gotten as rich as he desired. I’m not familiar with the currency conversion, and of course the price of living is cheaper in Brazil, but I feel like he still could have done more. When he stated that he had left school at the age of 14, I understood that education was part of the problem. It is a systematic problem that led to Julio being able to lead a profitable life as a killer.

This novel was translated from Portuguese and it shows in parts. Some of the language is very formal and jostles the reader out from the story. I felt like I never really got inside Julio’s head. but then again, I wanted to understand more of the psyche behind the killer.

I wonder whether I should tag this under ‘Real Life Crime’. But Julio has never been charged with a crime, and this perhaps reflects the extent of Brazilian corruption more than anything else. I didn’t really follow the Brazilian Olympics, but I didn’t hear great things about the country then.

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about a real life killer-for-hire, rather than a movie blockbuster version, this will be the book for you. Get it for someone for Christmas who you know enjoys a look into the darker side of human nature.

Allen & Unwin | 24th April 2018 | AU$29.99 | paperback

Review: Fleur Ferris – Wreck

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Wreck
Fleur Ferris

It’s impossible to write only positive news articles. But Tamara is determined to do so, believing that life needs more good news in it. However when she finds a piece of evidence that could be her breakthrough piece, she finds herself being hunted down for what she knows.

Aw, Tamara, you’re so naive! Tamara is so ‘lucky’ that her parents aren’t there! Otherwise none of the story would have happened, or they would have all been killed in a home invasion. She’s plucky and a little bit stupid, and willing to stand up even at great expense to herself. Amazing, really. A protagonist that you can’t exactly empathise with, but can understand.

This novel moves very, very quickly in the last couple of chapters. Almost too quickly. I wonder for example why Zel hasn’t approached Carrington before. I think that Ferris captures the aftermath of an accident like this one beautifully, with a range of reactions from the parties involved.

This novel reminded me of The Successor where there is also a  scavenger hunt where you can’t trust anyone and everything is a danger. I have to wonder where the original note went… Tamara doesn’t have it, and the bad guys keep hunting her, so maybe they didn’t find it on her colleagues either.

I really enjoyed Ferris’ first novel, Black, and I was so excited to see this one come my way. I was not disappointed. I reread Wreck in order to write this review and enjoyed it almost as much the second time around. 4 stars from me.

Penguin Random House | 3rd July 2017 | AU$19.99 | paperback

Review: Richard Yaxley – The Happiness Quest

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The Happiness Quest
Richard Yaxley

Tillie is sad. Tilly doesn’t know why she’s sad. Tilly’s mum takes her to the doctor, who suggests exercise and healthy food. Tilly’s mum takes her to laughter group. Tilly’s best girl friend doesn’t understand her, but her friend Snake does. How will Tilly get happier?

I literally slogged through this novel. I feared reading it from the beginning, because I read Joyous and Moonbeam by this author and didn’t really enjoy it. Imagine my surprise… that I didn’t enjoy this novel either. It takes until the middle of this novel that Tilly starts getting closer to thinking about The Happiness Quest.

That ending. I think it’s cool and all that researching what makes other people happy could help you, but at the same time – clinical depression doesn’t tend to lift like that in my experience. The treatment Tilly received from both her doctor and her mother was pretty typical. I’d hate to think of someone reading this novel and blaming themselves or putting down medication as a treatment. Sometimes it is just the chemicals in your brain!

I think there are important things to be gained out of reading this novel, and it made me want to make notes about its teachings. But at the same time it was such a struggle for me to read it because the style was terrible. I’m sure it suits some people, but just not me. If this novel makes one young person with depression speak up or tell someone the way they feel, then the novel has served its purpose. 2 stars from me.

Scholastic | 1st August 2018 | AU$18.99 | paperback

Review: Victoria Schade – Life on the Leash

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Life on the Leash
Victoria Schade

Cora is a successful dog trainer who thrives on organisation. Her rescue pit bull counts as the man of her life, and she’s content writing a blog about best-practice training techniques. However a run in with an incredibly sexy client who she just can’t seem to say no to, as well as a dog-in-need with a cute guy in tow means that Cora is starting to rethink her priorities.

This is a lighthearted romance with a spot of dog-loving thrown in! Cora’s a likable enough character who creates laughter with her descriptions of dogs-gone-wrong. There are sad parts to the novel too, but nothing particularly cry worthy. If you’re looking for a beach-side read, this novel could be it. This novel is decidedly chaste, so don’t go looking for sex scenes.

From the blurb, I expected that this novel would be all about how Cora copes with being a dog trainer on TV, but it’s not that at all. Most of the novel is taken up by her escapades with her clients and her friendship with the irrepressible Maggie. When I tried to explain the plot to my fiancee I found myself struggling for relevant details of the plot – because normally I wouldn’t go for a romance that doesn’t have a unique protagonist (eg. The Kiss Quotient).

Go into this novel expecting a light read that will take you around 2-3 hours. You might even get some dog training tricks out of it – the author is a well known dog health expert, so you can trust what is written here. I’m giving this 3 stars.

Allen & Unwin | 1st December 2018 | AU$29.99 | paperback

Review: Jonathan Cranston – The Travelling Vet

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The Travelling Vet
Jonathan Cranston

Jonathan Cranston writes an interesting non-fiction book composed of short anecdotes from his years of veterinary practice both in Britain and in more exotic locations. Each chapter concludes with a fact sheet on the animal discussed in the chapter. I found out some very interesting facts; such as that a group of Leopards is a Leap and a group of Rhinos is a Crash!

Despite the somewhat gory descriptions of Rhino poaching, this book is definitely suitable for younger readers interested in animals. I’m going to try it for a 9.5 year old girl who is passionate about reading and David Attenborough films. It’s a great primer about both the glory and the boredom of being a vet in practice.

This is a very attractive hardback book that I felt proud to be carrying around with me (is it strange to say that?). My old James Herriot novels weren’t a matched set and were properly beaten up by the time I had read and reread them (I once upon a time wanted to be a vet). It begs the questions though: why are all vets with popular mainstream novels from Britain? Why don’t we have any Australian vets with great stories? I mean, I’m sure we do, but it hasn’t come to my attention yet.

I used this as light reading that I could dip in and out of before bed, and while travelling in the car. It’s not in my pile for rereading, but I think it has earned a place on my shelf as a modern veterinary book.

Allen & Unwin | 28th November 2018 | AU$35.00 | hardback

Review: Veronica Roth – Insurgent

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Insurgent
Veronica Roth

Tris has broken free from Dauntless and come into her own as a Divergent. She has her trusty Tobias by her side – but is there anyone else she can trust? Even as she protects others with her selflessness, Tris doesn’t know what to do next.

Tris seems to lack a survival instinct, as well as an ability to actually communicate with people! So much drama could have been avoided by ‘using her words’. The same goes for the rest of the characters – talking is a good thing, people! This frustrated me at times because it meant that the perspective was very limited from Tris and I thought there was so much more about this world that I could have enjoyed if I had been given a chance.

This is a plot driven novel, you won’t really find much character development here. Also, there is very little information for the reader to come to their own conclusions about traitors or not. I also didn’t feel very attached to the characters that died, and I think I wouldn’t have blinked too much if Tris herself was killed.

The ending of this novel is a real surprise, but given other novels I have read, not that surprising after all. Every author seems to want to jump into dystopian fiction (with all honesty, Roth was one of the first, given that Divergent was made into a movie released in 2014). The Red Queen by Isobelle Carmody comes to mind or 2094 for other similar novels if you want a more fantasy or adult slanted novel to read.

This was an engaging novel, but in my opinion it just didn’t have the same pizzaz as the first novel, Divergent. I remember finishing that novel and saying to myself – I have to get Insurgent right now! The feeling is not the same here, but as I have Allegiant sitting next to me, I’ll probably read it next. Stay tuned for my opinion on the whole trilogy.