Review: Tamora Pierce – The Song of The Lioness 2: In the Hand of the Goddess

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Rose Herbert

In the Hand of the Goddess

Tamora Pierce

Alanna’s secret is out to a select few. Now she must decide between her love for Jon, and her love for George. At the same time, she has to overcome her weaknesses to try and get to her Knighthood.

The storyline of Alanna’s fear of love becomes more prominent, and carries through this novel to the others in the series. There is at least a conclusion to this novel, even if it feels like each thing carries through each time.

There are time jumps in this novel that could have been made more of so that I noticed them. I did think Alanna was very young to be having sex with people, even if it’s only really mentioned in passing. It feels like Jon is exploiting her – he might well be.

Roger adds the plot progression to this novel that makes things happen. Although he did start playing a role in the first novel, he’s bigger this time. And of course, he’s the meanie that Alanna must defeat.

I’ve reread this many times, and enjoyed it every time. I’ll probably want to read it again next year! If I have time that is…

The ending is a satisfactory, yet predictable one. I’d recommend the novel for adults and teenagers once again. Excellent for anyone wanting to break into the fantasy market as a teen.

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Review: Tamora Pierce – The Song of The Lioness 1: Alanna: The First Adventure

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Alanna: The First Adventure

Tamora Pierce

Alanna wants to become a knight, but she’s a woman. With the help of her twin, Thom, she’s about to embark on the biggest deception of her life. The penalty of failure is most likely death, but she wants to protect those she loves.

I have read this novel so many times I have lost count. So when I tried to pull it apart in the same way I have all my other review books, I couldn’t! I’m sure there are some inconsistencies somewhere, but I just love Alan so much that I can ignore it.

It’s fascinating to try and work out where the turning points in the book are. For me, it’s a real challenge. I just love this novel! It’s good honest fantasy with an endearing main character and a woman who knows what she wants, and most of the time isn’t afraid to go get it!

What makes me come back to keep reading this novel? Well, it’s that the city is realised nicely, and there is enough historical interest to keep me reading (but not too much). It links in really well with the other books in the series as well. Pierce has mastery of knowing when to stop a novel – a bit of a cliffhanger, but not too much and you feel satisfied after reading.

I own this novel in an omnibus, and I waited for many years to see if the other books by Pierce set in this world would be released in the same form. Sadly, they weren’t, and now I have them all in very different covers. Within each series it matches though, so that makes me happy. I find the cover on the left very attractive 🙂

Please note that I have now changed the format of how my posts will appear, and also the titling conventions. If the novel in question is part of a series, I will now put that series name in the title with a number, so that it is easy to locate series in my Reviews by Author page.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Brightly Burning

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Brightly Burning

Mercedes Lackey

Lavan is an unremarkable young man who doesn’t want to follow in his parents footsteps. Instead, his parents send him off to merchant school to see what can be made of him. Sadly, the bullying at the school is horrific, and poor Lavan can find himself getting angrier and angrier with no outlet. That anger has to find its own outlet somehow.

This novel (an old favourite) is everything that the Collegium Chronicles promised, but didn’t deliver. Lavan is fleshed out in great detail, you love hearing his perspective on things. The level of description is just right, and even if you’re familiar with the Valdemar series, you’ll appreciate the background that is thrown in.

One of the more skilful literary techniques in here is the foreshadowing. You hear very little from Herald Pol at the beginning, but that little bit is very important. A bit more between each of those characters, perhaps something from Elenor would be good, but overall I love this novel as much as the first time I read it.

I’m not sure the life bond between Lan and Kalira is that convincing and fits in with the other things in the series. Elsewhere it has been said that lifebonds only occur between those with a tendency to depression and the other partner who can save them. Lan just gets super angry, not depressed most of the time, although there are hints when his gift first begins to show.

This novel is just after the Herald Mage series and it’s obvious that Lackey has tried to tie it in as much as she can. So chronologically, it is between Magic’s Price and Oathblood. The cover on the left is not the one I have. I have one which fits in far better with the rest of my collection of the novels.

I’d probably say this one was suitable for older teens and adults. The ending is sort of depressing and uplifting at the same time.

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Review: Katie Gallagher – Catching You

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Catching You

Katie Gallagher

Welcome to Reading Addiction Online Book Tours’ stop for ‘Catching You’.

Lauren should be enjoying her holidays before starting university. Instead she’s in hospital after having a car accident.

The official blurb:

This was supposed to be the best summer of Lauren’s life. It turns out to be the worst.

After Lauren wakes up in the hospital and learns that her boyfriend Ryan has died, her life slowly begins to unravel. She soon begins receiving mysterious text messages that make her wonder if his death was even an accident like everyone is saying. She finds herself leaning on Nick, her boyfriend’s best friend, for support. He tells her tidbits about Ryan’s life that make her wonder if she even knew her own boyfriend at all. Now, she’s even more determined to learn the truth about Ryan’s death and she wonders who she’s able to trust. She starts confiding in her best friend, Bryn, until she remembers something about the accident that makes her wonder if she’s trusted the wrong person the entire time. She’s determined to get justice for Ryan, but can she do it without losing her best friends?

My review:

I couldn’t include my review for this novel, so please find instead a Guest Post.

You can purchase Catching You from Amazon (an affiliate link).

The Rejection Blues (guest post)

There is only one way to put this; rejection sucks! When you ask the captain of the football team out on a date and he says no, you end up doing one of two things; calling up your best friend and asking her if she wants to help you egg his house or two; you stock up on all the Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream you can and have a pity party. But, in the end you get over it. You realize that there are other fish in the sea and begin dating your lab partner.

It’s the same thing with writing. You spend months, maybe even years writing a manuscript that you think is really good, so you decide to send it off the agents in hopes that someone will believe that it’s as good as you think it is and sign you. But, it’s not always that simple. It’s very rare that the first agent that you send your manuscript off to will want it.

I wrote my first novel in 07’ and after revising a bit, I sent it off to a few agents. It got rejected. Although, most of them were nice about it at least, saying things like” I didn’t feel the character of Bob, but maybe another publisher will” or “It’s got potential, but it’s just not for me.” Sometimes, I’d get a full request to never hear from the agent again. I wallowed, whined and said that I was never going to write again. That didn’t last long though.

I wrote another novel and sent it off again. This time I didn’t even get a form rejection. I didn’t get one response, but I wasn’t going to give up. I just thought maybe it wasn’t the novel for me, so I decided to take a break. I spent time with my husband, read books I wanted to catch up on, and didn’t think about the novel for another year or so.

Finally, when I began to feel the pull of writing again, I pulled up the file on my computer and read it over. It wasn’t too bad, but I could tell that it needed work. I sent it off my critique partner and she sent it back with some pointers. I began editing it like crazy.

After four years, approximately twelve rejections, and eight revisions it was finally accepted for publication. So, how do you deal with the rejection blues? Don’t give up. Set it as
ide and go have a life. Spend time with your family, watch a movie, or read a good book. Your novel will still be there when you’re ready to look at it with a fresh eye.

About the Author

Katie Gallagher lives in Pennsylvania where she spends her time writing young adult fiction, and avoiding housework at any cost. She loves coffee, watching reality TV, and flip flops. She lives with her husband, who graciously tolerates her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her complete lack of cooking skills, and two very spoiled cats.

Contact the Author

Website

Twitter – @Katie_Gallgher

Other Tour Stops

December 18 – Andi’s Book Reviews – Review/Guest Post

December 19 – My Reading Addiciton – Review

December 20 – Brooke Blogs – Review/Guest Post

December 21 – Teena in Toronto – Review

December 21 – Dark Seeker Publications – Review/Interview

December 22 – Book an Appointment with Wisdom Books – Review/Guest Post

December 23 – The Cosy Dragon – Review/Guest Post

Review: Ginger Voight – Love Plus One

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Love Plus One

Ginger Voight

Shannon needs a bit of a push in the right direction to get her life moving onwards from the comfortable rut she has found herself in since she found her job working as a production assistant. She’s full of good ideas for shows, but she’s too shy to put herself out there. This time she will though, and she might find love where she didn’t expect it.

So you like sitcoms, romances and reality TV shows, but can’t find the time to watch them on TV? You could read this novel instead! Personally, I’d prefer this novel to any of the other dating shows out there.

This reminded me a bit of ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’, and the whole mole thing that Shan came up with for her idea isn’t really that big a deal. The exposure of the nasty girls, but the realisation that most of them can be nice, is a good one. However, I felt the final three came from behind, and the third girl probably never had a chance.

This novel did a great job of non-erotic romance. A real refresher after what else I have been reading lately. Nothing more than a few darkened bedroom scenes and a purple boa!

A reminder to the ‘real women’ reading this novel. This is a US novel, so when they say size 12, that’s a fair bit bigger than the Australian size 12. So that’s to say, I’m pretty sure that that might be in the obese category, which I simply can’t condone (particularly if it’s a cookie fed weight, not a medication or health induced one). I didn’t like Shan any less for this, and I though the fact that she started making herself fitter during the course of the show was great.

My complaint about this novel would be that the secondary characters are not fleshed out enough for my liking, which I suppose makes it a typical romance. I would have loved to hear more from Dixie, a bit more from Jorge and of course, a bit more from Shan’s sister.

I wouldn’t have said it was gripping, but in places it had me almost crying, and that’s a mark of another good novel for me. I’m not sure I’d read it again now that I know how it ends, but if you’re going to sit down and read this one (as I recommend you do), you’ll want a nice glass of wine and 2-4 free hours as you travel with Shan.

I received this novel as part of the Goodreads: First Reads program, but this did not influence my honest review in any way.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Elemental Magic

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Elemental Magic: All New Tales of the Elemental Masters

Mercedes Lackey

This is an anthology that fits into Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters series. There are 17 short stories, and I have given a quick review of each one.

A Song of the Sea – It fitted in well with the continuity of Lackey’s novels and it was good because of the historical references scattered throughout it (that I could actually recognise).

The Fire Within Him – This one was well written, but the concept was a little strange and I think it took the bounds of things outside Lackey’s range. I don’t think it belonged here.

Makana – I found the names in this one super strange, and it was a bit witch-doctor-y in nature. But it was good all the same.

War to the Knife – Really enjoyable, which is what I would expect from Rosemary Edghill. I did get a bit confused by the beginning because I’m not at all familiar with history, but the tale spinning itself was great.

Stones and Feathers – Oh this one was good! Very good! And it had so much more potential, and I would have loved to see it as a full length novel.

Fire’s Children – Also very enjoyable, and fitted in well with Lackey’s legacy. I think I’ll look out for more novels by Elizabeth Waters.

For the Sake of Clarity – I’m not entirely sure this was kosher with the other stories, but it was enjoyable all the same. It didn’t feel like it was too short either – it was set up, then continued very nicely. The language was a little iffy in parts, but I was able to gloss over it. This was more like the fairytales that one would expect.

To Ride the River Horse – This one went with the fairytale idea, and it was very good. I would have liked the ending to be a little clearer on what happened to the baddie though.

The Phoenix of Mulberry Street – This one I thought would be based on the fairytale of The Matchstick Girl, but wasn’t. It was really good anyway 🙂

Air of Mystery – This short story could have been made into a much longer novel, I would have loved even more from this. It had all the right notes for a short story, and a bit of research as well – brilliant.

A Flower Grows in Whitechapel – This one was obviously written by someone familiar with the series, but branched out from what we already knew of Sarah and Nan.

Tha Thu Ann – The name of this one was a bit strange, but the theme fitted in well with the short story that came right before. I really felt the characters for this one too.

The Collector – I don’t know enough about American history for this one. I’m guessing it’s accurate though, and I found that the intermingling of elemental magic was very neat.

Queen of the Mountain – Another good one, although I felt it could have been longer. A good use of irony for the reader here.

I Have Heard the Mermaids Singing – Although this one was by Lackey, it lacked some of the pizzaz I expect of her. It wasn’t any better than some of the authors in this anthology, and I’m going to branch out for sure in future.

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Review: Cherie Colyer – Embrace (review and giveaway)

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Embrace

Cherie Colyer

Welcome to Incandescent Enchantment’s stop for ‘Embrace’.

Madison thinks she’s falling for Isaac. She doesn’t really understand why she’s attracted to him, or why she gets a spark of electric energy every time he touches her. There’s way too much else going on in her life caused by this new romance, but it’s about to get even more tricky.

The official blurb:

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.

My review:

After my previous bad experience with not writing a positive review and being unable to really take part in a tour, I was so relieved to be able to write a really positive review of this book!

Amazing! I really enjoyed this book for what it was – an easy teenage read with a hint of fantasy. I wasn’t expecting too much, but I was given heaps in return.

I loved the concept of magic having a taste and smell and also that they were able to mask it. Every time there was a spark of static electricity though, I found myself thinking ‘Magic – the immediate birth control.’ It seems such a coincidence that they all share magic, but it’s not really a coincidence. I would imagine that people with it would gravitate to the area and to each other. As I wrote that, there just happened to be an explanation in the text about it!

I wish Australian schools had amazing fun things like Harvest Festivals. For that matter, I wish we had an awesome history like some parts of the USA have. Every time I read a nice American novel like this one, I wonder if Australia is ever going to have that sort of history and sense of belonging… but I digress.

I can’t impress on you enough how much I enjoyed this novel. I even ignored some of the other good things I had to read in favour of reading this one to it’s conclusion, because I really wanted to know what Madison was going to do about the huge mess she found herself in.

I find it a little strange that these teenagers can get into killing rages over nothing, and are actually willing to kill each other. I can’t say too much without giving away the suspense that fills this novel, but man, some of those kids are real nut jobs. Killing an old lady just for her powers! I really couldn’t understand the motivation behind it, or reconcile it with a teenager. How many people are actually born that evil?

The dialogue is effortless, the descriptions mainly not overwhelming, and the characters endearing. I loved them all! Well, all the ‘good guys’ anyway. It’s been a while since I connected with characters in such a way. The initial romance between Isaac and Madison, and Josh sweeping Kailey off her feet was rather transparent though, and I felt it was a little melodramatic. Another thing that wasn’t convincing were the hospital scenes and their way of getting in to see their friend.

Damn Madison, why oh why did she not see that coming? This novel is filled with irony for the reader. I knew exactly what was going on most of the time, I caught all the subtle hints that Colyer threw in, and Madison was oblivious!

I dreaded the novel coming to an end. Arg! Anticipation! I almost wish there was another book after this one, but the finale is quite satisfying and I can’t see another book in the future.

Although this novel initially masquerades as a romance, it builds into so much more. I wouldn’t say much for this having wider implications for society like some of the other novels I have read recently, but it was still a good read. I would recommend it for teenagers who enjoy romance and fantasy.

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Barnes & Noble

Giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author pan

Cherie’s imagination extends far beyond her Illinois roots through her love of books and reading. The discipline of her career as a Network Technician provides an opposing mindset for her fictional stories. Cherie combines her fascination of all things mythical with her passion for writing to weave together middle grade and young adult stories.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, meeting new people, writing, reading, and loves a challenge. While she has had many great experiences, her most satisfying experience is seeing her children and stories grow into their own exciting and distinct entities.

You can find her at:

Website http://www.embracenovels.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherie-Colyer-author/250631921629169

Twitter https://twitter.com/CherieColyer

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12931061-embrace

Not sure if you like my opinion? Good thing this is a tour! You can look at some other reviews at:
http://mymiscellaneousbookshelf.blogspot.fi/, http://andreaheltsley.blogspot.com,http://littlelibrarymuse.blogspot.com, http://booksbonesbuffy.com, http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com, http://www.kainas.com,

http://www.readergirlsblog.com, http://www.booknerd.ca, http://bookwormsavenue.blogspot.com, http://thebookloversreport.blogspot.com, http://www.crossroadreviews.com, www.danasquare.blogspot.com and http://bookaworld.wordpress.com

Think you want to just look at a promo? Find those here:
http://www.captivatedreading.com, http://1morepageplease.wordpress.com, http://threeboysandanoldlady.blogspot.com/, Booksterscafe.blogspot.com, http://thegeekgirlreview.blogspot.com/, http://youngadultbookaddict.blogspot.com.au, http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com, http://booksbycenteno.com, www.yanovelties.blogspot.com, http://www.fortheloveoffilmandnovels.com/ and www.thewitchesbrew.biz/blog

Review: Julianne Lee – Interloper at Glencoe

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Interloper at Glencoe

Julianne Lee

Where to start with reviewing this book… I picked it up (and requested it in part) because it looked a bit like Eirelan, which I enjoyed so much earlier in the year. I wasn’t feeling all too excited about my other reading options, so this was it.

The beginning is a little slow, but once things get started there’s lots of action. The characters are endearing, and I could really feel where things were going with Beth and feel Nick’s frustration and worry.

The ending was brilliant. Loved it. The only thing I would have liked to see more of would have been if I could see the life as an epilogue.

The Gaelic and lack of translations (which would have been nice at the end of the book) would have been good to have. I don’t know enough about it to comment on the accuracy.

Romance, fantasy, a bit of history – things I’m really enjoying at the moment and want more of and they’re all here in this nice book. Tick from me.

I’d say it was suitable for adults and teens alike. There are some references to sex, and some other adult themes (such as the deaths of the clan members), but I feel that those are quite minor points that don’t detract from the readability of the novel.

I’ve given this novel 4 stars, simply because despite being interested in the story, I did pick it up to read, and then put it back down again due to the slow beginning. Other than that, it’s really good and warms up to the task of entertaining. I would even consider purchasing a hard copy of it.

I received this free from Librarything in return for an honest review, but this has in no way influenced my review.

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Review: Robert Jacoby – There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Rose Herbert

There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes

Robert Jacoby

Richard has just tried to commit suicide. It’s not the first time, and who knows if it will be the last. He will be committed to a mental hospital, and he signs himself in before he knows what he’s doing. Richard is only 19.

The writing at the beginning of this novel got me worried .The stream of consciousness style doesn’t normally do it for me, as I find it really disconcerting. In this instance though, it worked the majority of the time. This was not a comfortable book to read. So if you were looking for comfort, don’t read it.

I think out of all the characters, I liked the schizophrenic the best. The depiction of depression here was quite accurate though (from my personal experience only), although I would have liked to know more clearly about the cause behind it.

The cover sort of appealed to me, and sort of didn’t. It fit in with Richard’s life, in that the colours of his life weren’t really clear, and tied in with the way he often saw strange things. The language, the strange metaphors I think they were pretty amazing and unbelievable.

I didn’t feel that the ending was satisfying. I didn’t understand about the shirt, or whether Richard was feeling better, or whether he was still hallucinating. For much of the novel it felt like nothing was happening, and then there wasn’t even much of a climax at the end.

What I would have liked was a preface telling me what time period this book was set in. The medication Richard was on seemed to make him hallucinate which is a rare side effect of depressive drugs. And isolation wards are not as common as they once were, or at least, they aren’t applied quite in that way. It’s a very jaded view of the mental health system.

Adults only on this one, unless you want to freak out a teenager. Frequent mentions of porn and sex. Three stars from me, simply because I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. A good example of this style of writing though.

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Review: Terri Morgan – Playing the Genetic Lottery

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Rose Herbert

Playing the Genetic Lottery

Terri Morgan

Welcome to Incandescent Enchantment’s stop for ‘Playing the Genetic Lottery’.

Mental illness runs in Caitlin’s family. She’s paranoid she’s going to get it, and within this novel she talks about her earlier life that makes her think this way.

The official blurb:

Lots of kids think their parents are crazy at one point or another. Caitlin’s really are. Both her mother and father have schizophrenia, and Caitlin and her older brother grow up trying to navigate the chaos of living with two mentally ill parents. Now a young mother herself, Caitlin reflects back on her childhood, her efforts to create a peaceful and serene life for herself, her family, and the emotional scars and fears she still can’t shake.

My review:

I almost want to call this book a memoir, but it isn’t – this is fiction and comes with an appropriate selection of questions for if this novel was read by a book club. It’s in the genre I’ve been reading lately, and it was super enjoyable, if somewhat thought provoking and painful at times.

I read this novel in one sitting, and although I couldn’t say it was gripping in the same way as an action packed fantasy novel, I could really feel the characters and their interactions and kept reading for that reason.

This is another handy novel in the mental health interest group. This one covers schizophrenia, depression and post-natal depression. Of those, the schizophrenia is the worst, and Caitlin and Jon spend all their time in fear that they might get that horrific disorder next.

Something I found super interesting was the research that the author has done (or perhaps has personal experience with) into the way schizophrenia treatment has changed over the years. The concept of half-way houses is also an interesting one. The point that could have made it even more relevant for me would have been if it was set in Australia, but that’s a far hope.

Four stars from me. Sorry for my horrifically short review – I will try update it when I actually have some energy within the next couple of days, but no promises.

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About the Author

Terri Morgan is an avid reader, dog lover and ocean fanatic from California’s Central Coast. She started writing to support her surfing habit, and is the author of numerous sports biographies for young adults. She has also co-authored two books about photography, including one for young readers. Playing the Genetic Lottery is her first novel.