Review: Larry Rodness – Perverse

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Perverse
Larry Rodness
Emylene is a second generation Goth princess. Little does she know that she is soon going to be trapped in a picture frame for 2 years while her new best friend takes over her position and turns the world to bad.
I spent the first chapter wondering when the perspective and tone of the novel was going to turn into present tense. In the second chapter I figured that this was a very long prologue. By the third chapter, I’d basically given up, and resigned myself to the awkward storytelling.
I can’t say why I kept reading this novel – it annoyed me a fair bit in the way things were told to me, rather than shown, and also Emylene seemed just plain stupid. Seriously girl, get a hold of yourself! She was so prissy and rude I wouldn’t have minded if she died.
If this wasn’t an ebook, I would have been drawn in by the beautiful cover art anyway. It’s a simple design it’s true, but also all the more attractive for it. The transformations of Emylene seem hollow when compared to her original self. She should have stayed true to herself from the beginning!
Another element that disturbed me was the frequent references to sex and death, particularly in conjuntion. I believe this is a book aimed at teenagers – and I would find it inappropriate for my own teenager to read such things.
It wasn’t clear to me at the end how they survived the fire. See, I’m being nice and vague so you don’t know who I mean! But anyway, it’s a bit confusing as to why all of the specific type of creature would die, if the other progenitor was still living.
I wouldn’t recommend this novel, unless you’re a complete sucker for everything vampire. I was drawn in because of the Goth concept, but the blurb didn’t deliver in a satisfying way for me.
I received this book free in ebook form for review purposes. I was in no way compensated for this review.

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Review: Suzanne Collins – Mockingjay

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Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Katniss is isolated in District 13. Her role is to provide the face of the rebellion. With Peeta gone, and confused feelings about Gale’s role in her life, Katniss is cast adrift. Somehow she must kill President Snow, or die trying.
The deaths in this novel are even more futile than in the second novel. Too many secondary characters are introduced, and it feels like the deaths are just tossed in to add ‘suspense’ – which failed miserably as far as I’m concerned.
Katniss completely loses her humanity in this novel – and so she completely loses me as a character. She’s coldly calculating, which is pointed out by the other characters, yet noone seems to do anything about it. She’s just unlikeable, and gets people killed on a regular basis.
I didn’t love the ending either. I didn’t feel any sadness at the ending of the Capitol – even with some key people dying. I felt that a better ending would have been if Katniss had died – her rehabilitation wasn’t convincing either.
I’m on team Gale. Peeta is just a wuss. Yeah yeah, he’s been affected by Tracker Jackle poison and everything, but still, he’s all ‘Just let me die, I’m a casualty already’, and doesn’t make an effort to fix himself up.
It seems like the future of the world is quite doomed too. If District 13 is to control the new empire, those food rations and everything else are going to stay just as strict. As far as I’m concerned, they’re going from one tyrant to another.
Did I like anything about this novel? Not really. It had action – but it was better in the first book. It just felt forced. I realise that it had to have a conclusion, but this wasn’t what I wanted or expected.

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Review: Suzanne Collins – Catching Fire

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Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Katniss thought that she was free of the Arena and the Hunger Games. But now she is being sent back in, because she defied the Capitol. Faced with the choice of keeping herself alive, or Peeta, she doesn’t know what to do.
Her mentor is singularly unhelpful. Would it have killed him to tell her the plan? It seems like there are a lot of unnecessary deaths. They don’t even fill me with sorrow, or even indignation. I feel like most of them are unlikeable anyway, and I didn’t ever get attached to them.
Katniss seems to have lost a lot of her humanity, which was what attracted to me in the first place. Despite professing that she’s in it to save Peeta, she acts completely selfishly the whole time. Even the desire to save Peeta is selfish.
The Arena design is pretty fancy. I really liked the idea of it. I think it would be fun to have one like that to play games in. Not deadly games like the Hunger Games, but fun games.
After the awesomeness of the first novel, this one was a let down. It felt like the deaths were useless, people were unfulfilled in their roles, and the resistance quite futile. It is near unbelievable that the Districts could have such an effect on the Capitol.

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Review: James Phelan – The Last Thirteen #1

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The Last Thirteen #1
James Phelan

Sam has had horrific nightmares almost every night since his best friend was killed. When odd things happen to his school day and he is whisked away two different warring groups (with a third trying to kill him) he doesn’t know which way to turn. With dreams getting more confusing, it’s hard to know who to trust.

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Sam has had horrific nightmares almost every night since his best friend was killed. When odd things happen to his school day and he is whisked away two different warring groups (with a third trying to kill him) he doesn’t know which way to turn. With dreams getting more confusing, it’s hard to know who to trust.

I’ll start off by saying that this is an action packed novel, story-focussed and story-driven. Although you might feel a little sympathy for Sam, who is the focalising character, other times you will feel like there is no depth of character and instead will be caught up in the whirlwind of exciting action.

I found it difficult to put the novel down, and devoured it in very short order. It feels like there is a lot of back story which should be in the others of this series – particularly regarding Alex. Action, action, action. With a bit more action thrown in.

I only wish there was more about the actual abilities of the current Dreamers. Eva in particular intrigued me, and I would have liked to see a bit of things through her eyes. Who knows, I might get that in the next novel!

Unbelievably enough, this book is the first in a series of 13! From the set of release dates in the back of my novel, they look like they will be released every 1-2 months for the next 2 years. Considering how much I think teens would enjoy this novel, and the suspense of the end of the first novel, it looks like a fine marketing technique that is going to keep readers engaged.

It’s fortunate that there are going to be a lot of books, because this one took me less than 2 hours to read. I’m not exactly it’s target audience though, so I’m not disappointed in that. It’s a bite-sized spy/genius/warfare novel that’s going to get your non-reader interested in reading again. If you’re not sure, to me it seemed similar to Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series.

I received this novel directly from Scholastic as an Advance Reader copy. This has in no way influenced my review – I genuinely enjoyed this book, and think it will be a hit with teenagers.

This novel will be released in September 2013 – get on it in time for Christmas! As yet, I can’t see a link on Amazon for it, although you will find it on Dymock’s website at least.

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Review: Suzanne Collins – The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Katniss has been selected as a tribute for The Hunger Games, run by the Capitol to keep their Districts in check. Thrust into the arena with no friends that she knows of, she realises that she must kill to survive – even if it means overcoming old alliances.
Katniss appeals to me in this novel. Her personality is consistent and attractive, even if I don’t agree with all of her actions. You feel her anxiety at the choosing, and her excitement over the food on the train. All excellent character building.
I don’t quite agree with the amount of paranoia Katniss engages in. She thinks everything is a trap. The scene with Rue is particularly out of place – why should she trust her? Poor Rue.
Something I would have enjoyed was a bit more perspective from Peeta. He’s the weaker character of the two – now that they are both older, it seems like Katniss is the only one doing any work. He’s good at moping! I guess in his own way he does try to protect her, but he doesn’t do it in a particularly bright way every time.
The Arena is well imagined, although not as awesome as the Arena in the second novel. What I wouldn’t give to be a Gamemaker or a genetic engineer working for the Capitol.
After having put off reading these for a long time, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality overall. I was a bit urked at the beginning that there was so much annoying description, but it improved as the book proceeded.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Exile’s Valor

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Exile’s Valor
Mercedes Lackey
Alberiech must protect his Queen without her knowing it. With intrigues abounding, is these anyone he can actually trust?
It’s nice to see him falling for someone! If you didn’t see it happening in the first section of this set of two novels, you’ll see it here. It adds a human element to an otherwise manly man.
The glass window and mirrors are a nice touch. I liked hearing about them being made. To me, some of the highlight of a fiction book is that you can learn things without realizing it. I only wish more authors made an effort to teach things in an interesting manner.
The game of Hurlee is also present in other novels in a slightly different form. It appears that finding a way to simulate warfare is pretty important to Weaponsmasters. Not surprising really. I find the game interesting at least, and only wish there were more byplays. It reminds me a bit of Polo in a way.
These set up nicely for the novel ‘Take a Thief’. Alberiech is often wishing he had a thief, and he’ll eventually get one. It’s amazing the amount of work he does. I only wish he had more apprentices.
A thoroughly enjoyable novel, especially after the disappointment I have had lately with other novels in this series.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory – When Darkness Falls

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When Darkness Falls
Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Kellen has come into his own as a commander of armies. Little does he know that the final battle will not be as he imagined it, nor that things may not work out the way he wanted them to.
There is a definite character progression for Kellen in this novel compared to the first two. Kellen is spunky, and decisive, yet vulnerable as well.
I find it hard to believe that the end would work the way it did, but it did, and it was satisfying. Nothing like having an Outcast (or three) telling you what to do!
It’s all a bit misleading, with each of the miniature climax points really leading to the final battle – which is not at all short. It’s well depicted and satisfying, even for a greedy reader like me.
I find it hard to believe in reincarnation – why wouldn’t everyone else get one if they gave up their love? And it seems like Kellen and the demon girl would want to have children – would they have halfbreeds? Something else? It’s never answered in this trilogy or the next.
I enjoyed this novel almost as much as I enjoyed the first in this series. I’m moving on to read the next set of books in this series as soon as I possibly can!

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Review: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory – The Phoenix Endangered

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The Phoenix Endangered
Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Harrier is faced with a challenge – he hates killing, yet is fated to become a legendary Knight-Mage. Tyr, his friend and the hope of the elves, is just as lost and confused. Yet they must triumph over Bisochim, who is determined to wreak the peace of the light.
This novel is a bit unsatisfactory, particularly the ending. There could have been far more fitted into this novel. The journey is long, its filled with unnecessary details between Harrier and Tyr arguing about what to do next and their various character flaws that they know about each other.
I’m not sure of the significance of the missing desert tribe. Yes, they feature near the end of the novel, but they aren’t really necessary as far as I can see. Does everyone else spot the potential conflict of love interest?
I like the Telchi. I only wish there was more of him, and that perhaps he didn’t have to die. That’s the difference between this trilogy and the last one is that people that they care about die more often than not. It should add an element of suspence, but I never really felt attracted enough to these secondary characters to care.
Oh! The height of irony! Bisochim is so desperate to save his people, but instead he finds himself being the element of their destruction. Pretty frustrating for him, I’d have to say. And yet he’s not bright enough to realize that perhaps he’s doing the wrong thing.
I don’t have the third book in this series at the moment, and it’s a bit frustrating for me. I will read it eventually though.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory – The Phoenix Unchained

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The Phoenix Unchained
Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Tiercel is the newest High Mage in 1000 years. Harrier is his best friend, dragged after him on a quest to find Wild Mages and elves. Neither of them know what the end of this will be.
This entire novel is basically about the journey. They reach their destination in the end, but not in the manner you would expect. Me, I feel sorry for their parents that they have left behind – something you didn’t have to worry about for the first trilogy in this world.
I prefer the down to earth Harrier over Tiercel. It’s not a bad thing, since most of the novel is written from his perspective. He’s gritty, although sometimes he is also a bit annoying.
The sections with the Wild Mage gone to the bad are the least interesting for me, on this second or third rereading. How hard can it be to bring darkness back into the world? And how idiotic would you have to be to think you can control it?
I read this novel in a couple of hours, and despite it being a reread, couldn’t put it down for all that long. I was plagued with wanting to read it, because I remembered a fair bit, but not the bit that happened at the end!

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Review: Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory – To Light a Candle

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To Light a Candle
Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Kellen has come into his full powers. Now part of an army to protect the elves, some think that his loyalties are divided. Others ignore what he has to offer, to their detriment. Can he triumph?
Kellen once again plays a decent hero. The mage from the Golden City also has a small role, but it’s quite understated until near the end. It doesn’t seem like they’ll ever be able to work together though.
There was a fair bit of repetition at the beginning of this novel to remind you of what happened in the first. I found it kinda annoying, and also not entirely accurate. I guess it would be convinent if you left a gap between reading the two books though.
Plenty of action in this novel, to satisfy those cravings for battle. Kellen is learning more things, and the reader learns more things about elves and commanding an army. I find those little details, as always, interesting and worth my time.
I did find myself skipping over some of the bits occurring in the city, because there just wasn’t the appeal of the Kellen storyline. Yay, Kellen! I just wish he didn’t have that vow to the unicorn, because it seems to me like it would be a very hard thing for a young man to follow, even in war time.
Idalia is sure that she is going to die, yet never seems to! Some of the other mage prices, particularly the one for the calling, don’t seem to make sense in the bigger picture. As the Wild Magic wills though.
Elven courtesy to me seems quite a sensible idea! Nothing wrong with being polite. I can tell how it might be irritating though. Bells on tents, who would have thought it?

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