Review: Alison Goodman – Eon

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Eon
Alison Goodman
Eona is masquerading as a boy in order to become a Dragoneye. Little does she know that the dragon she thought she would have would never be hers! Well, not in the way she imagined anyway.

7261699I thought that the beginning of this novel, perhaps the first third although compelling, was a little slow to get started. There weren’t any wasted words, but nor was there a thrilling progression. The different plot points are slowly introduced, and the various characters fleshed out.

As befitting a well-crafted novel, it was obvious to me things that Eona just did not acknowledge. Like the pearls getting looser on her arm when she takes the Sun drug. And a whole host of other things that suggested that being a female is an asset, not a burden.
Eona has to suppress her emotions so much of the time that it can become muddled to the reader whether she really feels anything. This novel is written in first person, so it may be frustrating at some points. I think I really didn’t feel was the secret that Chase held for the Master, although that all was ok in the end too.

I did want more more more from this book. The ending is thrilling! I didn’t even realise I was holding my breath. It’s hard to tell what is going to happen next, because the end seems bleak. I guess that’s why there is a sequel! There is a definite advantage to picking up popular book late when the series is already finished or well started. No waiting to see what happens next!

I picked this book up 1. because it had dragons and 2. it had a recommendation from Tamora Pierce on the front! It didn’t disappoint me – a pleasant and easy teenage read. I would certainly recommend it, and I have the sequel siting in my luggage just waiting for me to read and love it!

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Review: Kristin Cashore – Graceling

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Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Katsa is Graced with fighting. In fact, not just fighting, but killing and maiming effortlessly. In working for her uncle Katsa has performed multiple things that she regrets – but she thinks of herself as a killer anyway, so nothing matters.

3236307The perspective of this novel is third person, usually focalised through Katsa. If I put the book down briefly (you know, for those essential stops like toilet breaks and food!) I sometimes found it hard to slip back into the narrative. Once I was in there though, Katsa’s character was laid bare the majority of the time. Po’s insights into her character also assist with that. He knows how she is feeling before she does!

Just as I noticed in the last book I reviewed, the start of this book is a little slow to get going but it quickly builds up. There is no sense of danger for me until they get to dealing with Leck, but I suppose some of the fighting and so forth had potential. It did sustain my interest – I wanted to see how Katsa could improve as a character, and then there were so many other things happening!
I’d even go so far as to say this book is inspired, I loved the concept of Graces. It seemed unfair to me that the ‘useless’ ones were just sent back to their families if they failed at court. Some things, like climbing trees, surely that has to be good for warfare, or mapping a forest? Or swimming seemed like a versatile talent, perfectly suited for being a sailor. You wonder how many Graces there really are, how many different varieties. I suppose it is ironic that Katsa seems to fear mind-reading Graces, but usually she doesn’t know her own mind anyway.

Something I didn’t understand was Katsa’s utter dislike and mistrust of marriage! I mean, it didn’t sound so bad, particularly with her chosen partner. Yeah, she didn’t like dresses, but that was because her uncle insisted on forcing her into them, and so surely she will like them later? Surely at one point marriage might be a survival tactic.

The ending of this book had the potential to be heartbreaking. Poor Po! So strong, and yet his Grace both hinders and helps him concentrate. Oh man, and Leck is so evil. You never know what he is going to suggest next! I don’t know why they didn’t think of wax for Katsa’s ears though, that would have worked quite well.
You know, all the recent hype about the Hunger Games, and I still haven’t read them. But I do know that the main character is called ‘Katniss’ or the like. So the naming of this character Katsa (although I’m pretty sure this book has been around longer)
The ‘sequel’ to this book, Bitterblue, will be published soon in a paperback I hope, so then I can read it! There is also a ‘prequel’ called Fire, which I would also like to pick up. This book was that enjoyable that I can’t wait to get my hands on the others. They aren’t really related, but they are placed in the same world and there is some character crossover (obviously enough for Bitterblue).I’d recommend this book firmly in the teenage category. The style is not particularly adult to me, because it was an easy read. A very enjoyable read, but easy nonetheless. If you’re like me, and enjoy teenage fiction despite being an adult, go for it! There are some minor sex scenes in this book, nothing that is going to offend an advanced child reader either.

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 picked this up from Barnes and Noble while I was overseas!4star

Review: Blake Charlton – Spellwright

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Spellwright
Blake Charlton
Nicodemus Weal is both blessed and cursed. Once thought to be the saviour of humanity, his ability with spells is actually warped so that he misspells everything creating chaos. This sound bad enough, but add re-emerging golems and a couple of murders and you have a real recipe for disaster.
6703145The idea of this book came from the author’s own dyslexia which I think adds a lovely depth and essential detail to the novel. Personal experience can be such a weath to mine and produce something wonderful. In this case, it is an extremely complicated and novel system of word forging. As the novel progresses, the reader is introduced to more of the complex spellwriting languages.
The introductory chapter of this book was unnecessarily wordy, even if it did explain well the system of magic operating in this world. The magic system was what redeemed this book for me, and I only wish there had been a better way of explaining how it worked, and I also would have liked some more information about the other languages.

Nicodemus and Shannon are really flat, transperant characters. Nicodemus was sure he was the chosen one, even when he wasn’t obviously one. Even with the million hints pointing to him being something else, he wasn’t able to realise that! Plus he should have kept a better grip on that damn emerald. As if you wouldn’t sew it into your skin so you didn’t lose it again. I actually liked Shannon, and although he wasn’t fleshed out, I still empathised with him, and felt sorry for him.

The twist with the Druid wasn’t lead up to properly, and I didn’t understand her stupid fits at all! Nicodemus was far too trusting, and noone seemed able to make the obvious connections that were there. The rest of the time the Druid didn’t make sense, and her place in the Arc’s protection was not obvious. The reader wasn’t even able to make the same connections as Nicodemus about her magic abilities, because they weren’t given enough information.

The perspective changes in this novel could have been used more, but they did work for me. I just wished I had had more information on the motives of all parties, rather than the focus on Nicodemus (although he was the main character, the other characters were equally important I think).

I’d say that this book was suitable for both teens and adults in terms of content, although the style of writing is certainly for adults. It wasn’t a bad book, just not an outstanding one because I didn’t connect with the main character. There is another book in this series (it is a triology) and although I enjoyed this book (mainly due to the magic system, not the characters), the sequel is not on my ever-growing to-read-soon list.

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 I purchased this book while I was on holidays from Barnes and Noble.3star

Review: Tanya Huff – The Enchantment Emporium

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The Enchantment Emporium
Tanya Huff
Alysha, or Allie, is a third circle Gale. A little confused? I was too. Anyway, Allie is in deep, suddenly moving across country to find the cause of her Grandmother’s sudden appearance.

5552232Ok, so the magic in this world seems based on sex. They have everything going, the couples partner themselves up for the circle rituals, and then they have to have sex right away because they’re all horny. But it’s not expressed that way, and the sex isn’t explicit. Just that every time they hand out some magic, sex is required.

I have to confess I’ve never read or bought any of Tanya Huff’s novels before. I’m not really sure why. I’ve enjoyed several short stories she has written in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar anthologies and have certainly seen her name around.
The first, second and third circle things involving Gale girls were really confusing for me. As far as I could tell, aunties were in the first circle because they had already had multiple children, and perhaps had their husbands die? Anyway, they seem to be the most powerful but only if they are in a group. Second circle makes connections and are a bit wild. They also appear to be partnered. Third circle are those that aren’t partnered and have less power.
Some of the family connections were confusing. Michael seemed important, and I thought maybe he was part of Allie’s family, or whether it was something else. Her brother David, I couldn’t work out why they were so worried about him when Allie’s grandfather was normal.
Huff is very good at describing things. I got stuck into the story and I couldn’t put it down, particularly towards the end. So there were a couple of things that jolted me out of the story, which I’ve mentioned, but overall it was enjoyable and I’ll certainly go on to read more of Huff’s books.
Getting past all that, the plot is really quite complicated, and very enjoyable. There’s the Gran disappearing line, and then Allie’s developing complicated relationship with a sorcerer’s sidekick, and then the dragons and the spare dragons and everything!
I found the perspective changes at the beginning quite confusing. It was a bit of a mystery story for a while, even for the reader, which I found slightly frustrating. Things cleared up though and there was far more action going on.
 
The ending! Yes! Man, I never worked that out at all. I loved the way this book covered a range of genres – romance, mystery and a heavy helping of fantasy.
I’d love to see a sequel to this book. I feel like if only there was just that little bit more explanation for what the Gale girls actually are, and the abilities of the different people in the circle, or maybe even just some more background information on the Gale family, this would be an awesome book, not just a great one.
I’d recommend this book for adults only. Sex magic is a common theme, which is relatively spread throughout the book (no avoiding it, sorry). I didn’t find it uncomfortable to read, but some teenagers may object.

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I picked this up from Barnes and Noble while I was overseas!4star

Review: Kathryn Lasky – Daughters of the Sea: Hannah

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Daughters of the Sea: Hannah
Kathryn Lasky
Hannah has been brought up in an institute for orphans, yet she feels a yearning for something more. She is surprisingly well educated, yet she can’t guess what she is going to become. Some transparent drama complicates Hannah’s life, yet she doesn’t know she can move on.

0-439-78310-0Hannah was tolerable. I was really very disappointed in this book. There was no depth. Hannah is a flat character, the three sisters are flat characters and the painter is rather like a cameo. Something I did like was the way the beautiful painting was described in great detail. I would have liked to see more of the painter’s work, and know what happened to the painting once it was defaced.

The family’s rather sudden sympathy for Hannah makes no sense. The reader doesn’t see her socialising with the staff, and although she gets along well with Ettie, I don’t think it was shown clearly enough that Ettie had come to love her. I’d almost say there was too much telling and not enough showing.
I knew almost from the beginning what Hannah was, it was so blindingly obvious. Transparent, that’s what I’d call this book. Transparent and unsatisfying. Not unreadable like Wit’ch Fire, but still not great. No real danger in the book to satisfy the reader, not even really any anticipation. The cat Jade and her owner Lila are nasty, irrational and mean but they don’t really do anything to Hannah.
 
The book is Americanised to an extreme. Hannah travels from Boston to Kansas. See, I have some knowledge of geography, but only very little bit. So I felt almost completely lost. I’m sure Americans might appreciate the localisation more.
The ending was quite unsatisfying. Too open ended for me, and I just couldn’t love the way Hannah thought she could choose anything she wanted. The question of Lila wasn’t answered. Worse still, the next book in the series (there was a small excerpt at the end of this book) doesn’t seem to be about Hannah, and what she found. I’m just glad I didn’t get the sequel which was right next to it in the store.
I picked this book up while on my overseas holiday, and was actually tempted to just leave it at the house I was staying at. If I’ve met my weight limit when flying home, this one will not be returning with me. I don’t think it’s worth a second read – not enough depth.
Although this is marketed to young adult readers, I’d recommend this book for children who can’t see through transparent plots. Normally I would be relatively tolerant of perceived inadequacies in children’s books – they aren’t aimed at adults like me – but in this case, I’m not sure there were any really good redeeming qualities.
In my opinion, save your money, but if you’re still interested:

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – The Fire Rose

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The Fire Rose
Mercedes Lackey
As a scholar of ancient history Rose is a well studied young woman. Unfortunately, her father has left her with multiple debts and no way to pay them. A position found by her old teacher seems to be the answer to her problems, but all is not as it seems.

176881Rose is such an insightful character. If she wasn’t a scholar, I would probably call Lackey out for fancifully making a character too knowledgeable – but Rose is believable, if you think of her as the PhD student she almost was.

It seems at some times like the entirety of this book is based on irony! All the time Paul and Jason are at opposite ends of the spectrum, both thinking that they have the upper hand, when really it’s Rose who has the idea of what is going on! And other times it is Rose and Jason who don’t seem to be compatible.
As one of Lackey’s earlier works (the first in the Elemental Masters series) this is a great example of Lackey’s style before she started churning out lesser quality books recently. The characters are well developed, there are several minor plots going on, and the whole thing is seamless.
Paul is disgusting. I really don’t like him – and I’m not supposed to. His character alters this novel from being a simple Beauty and the Beast fairytale retelling into something with more depth. By rights this novel should have been part of my offerring for the Midsummer Night’s Giveaway, but I was overseas and away from my bookshelf.
I thought that Rose’s initial idea of suicide was reasonable, but the way that Lackey brought it back in later in the story seemed a little absurd, and really stuck out for me. There was no need to talk about it several times – Rose has enough going on as it is.
I’d recommend this book for adults and older teens. There are many hints of rape and torture and various other unsavoury practices, but none of them are actually described in real detail, other than the horrible little cribs.

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Personally I buy all my books from The Book Depository because shipping is cheaper to Australia.4star

Review: Nina LaCour – Hold Still

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Hold Still
Nina LaCour

Caitlin is trying to recover from the unpredictable suicide of her best friend. Something that they had always shared was photography, but now even that is soured for Caitlin. Caitlin is left without real friends to face the nasty high school world.

hold stillCaitlin is so sad. You really feel with her. I loved the inclusion of her relationships with the other students, and the holiday at the beginning of the book that couldn’t do anything for her. The guilt she feels is something that can only fade with time, and so it makes sense that the book is separated into the seasons.This book made me cry. It was so well written that Ingrid became a real person to me, even though she was dead. At some points I wanted to hold Caitlin and explain to her that it wasn’t her fault. I couldn’t believe she rationed the journal to herself so well.Caitlin had so many things going for her with building with the wood and taking photographs, and I was happy that she didn’t throw it all away. There were so many negative things that we saw could have happened to her, but she stayed strong and pushed through them.In the discussion questions and comments from the author at the back, LaCour says that she didn’t really purposefully research about suicide and depression. It was apparent to me that Ingrid didn’t display too many signs openly, and eventually she gave up on finding help. I could understand where she was coming from.

This book was everything I wanted 13 Reasons Why to be. Heartbreaking with real reasons behind the suicide, subtly revealed by Ingrid’s journal. The parcelling out of the journal entries, and the final end were so appropriate, and I felt that Cailin had done the right thing.

The only thing that could have made this novel more perfect for me would have been if Caitlin was really a lesbian, but I had to settle for her new best friend being a lesbian which was almost as good! It was nice to see that included and not glossed over as gays being a complete minority (which they tend to be, but recognition is always good).
For once I was satisfied by the conclusion of the novel. I didn’t feel like I was left hanging – Caitlin had moved to a better place with her life, and the friends she had had helped her reach a conclusion. Fantastic!

I recommend this book for teenagers. If you liked Scars, there’s an even better chance you will like this book!

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Personally I buy all my books from The Book Depository because shipping is cheaper to Australia.5star

Review: Mercedes Lackey – Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar

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Crossroads and Other Tales of Valdemar
Mercedes Lackey
Another collection of short stories edited by Mercedes Lackey. They encompass a wide range of topics, some tastefully sexy, some very sad. Overall a remarkably good collection that adds to the Valdemar world.
“Transmutation” by Larry Dixon is extremely well written and seamlessly fits in with the rest of the novels by Lackey (fitting since he’s her husband!). I’ve never liked the way griffins spoke; I find it hard to read. It’s a long story, and Dixon makes the most of it to tell his tale. Very good.
“The Feast of the Children” by Nancy Aspire goes along with the idea of the burnings of children in Karse. The God is able to act in small ways, particularly through his cats!
“Death in Keenspur House” by Richard Lee Byers is strange, I didn’t like it and I think it’s by the same author that I didn’t like in one of the other anthologies. The murder mystery type thing. It doesn’t fit in with the rest of the stories for me.
“Dawn of Sorrows” by Brenda Cooper is touchingly sad. The story takes place after the Storm Warning trilogy, and depicts what the back story is for those that are left behind after a Choosing.
“Horse of Air” by Rosemary Edghill is also rather sad. I didn’t get into the story (perhaps it was the use of first person), but I don’t think I was meant to either. It was a bit of a story within a story actually.
“A Change of Heart” by Sarah A. Hoyt and Kate Paulk concerns Ree and Jem. I’ve never really liked the style, although the idea of it is interesting. It does fit in with the Valdemar world convincingly enough, although I naturally would have liked to see more Heralds.
“All the Ages of Man” by Tanya Huff has the return of Herald Jors! Yay, Jors! This time he is required to act as a mentor, but it’s not working out for him because he feels that he isn’t old enough. The writing is engaging, and I’m always happy to hear more. I’m glad Huff stuck to expanding the same character throughout her short stories for these collections.
“War Cry” by Michael Longcor is touching. I guess a purpose of these stories is to dispel the myth that everyone who has Gifts will be chosen. Others have a different  role to play. This story fits in neatly with Exile’s Valor.
“Strength and Honor” by Ben Ohlander is the return of Tregaren and a part of Vkandis’ army in Karse from the first set of short stories. The perspective has changed slightly, but it’s just as good as the first one. Another bit of background on Solaris.
“The Blue Coat” by Fiona Patton is surprisingly good, I enjoyed the storyline, if not entirely the execution.
“Safe and Sound” by Stephanie D. Shaver is a story for twins. A young Bard is chasing a song, and is willing to do anything to get it. Written just as I would imagine Lackey would – very enjoyable.
“Song For Two Voices” by Janni Lee Simner is about a lifebonding in the Holderkin. It isn’t a surprise for me that this is the way the Holderkin live, and although I didn’t like the splitting of the two parts, I could understand why it was written that way.
“Finding Elvida” by Mickey Zucker Reichert is in the same style as The Legend of Nightfall, which means that I loved it! It’s a little hard to believe that a Herald has been sent out on circuit without proper training for all of her Gifts, but if this was occurring during the mage wars, it’s understandable.
“Darkwall’s Lady” by Judith Tarr is creeply sneaky. Well written, not technically about Heralds, although one plays a role. Interesting that that type of magic was able to survive in Valdemar after the advent of vrondi by Vanyel.
“Naught but Duty” by Michael Z. Williamson is a tricky one! Well written, and intentionally confusing at times. I keep thinking of Good Duke Arden from the Bardic Voices universe, but this is an entirely different kettle of fish.
“Landscape of the Imagination” by Mercedes Lackey fits in with the By The Sword collection of short stories about Tarma and Kethry. Just as good as I would have hoped.
My gripe for these stories is probably that for some of them it is hard to know where to place them in the Valdemar chronology. The thing that I like is that lots of them are about Karse, and the Sun Priests, which is something I have always wanted to know more about.
This is a good collection, I’d recommend it for both teens an adults. Anyone who enjoys the Valdemar world will appreciate having this set of short stories to read when there isn’t time for a longer novel.

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Review: Maria V. Snyder – Magic Study

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Magic Study
Maria V. Snyder
Yelena has been exiled, and now heads home with her new mentor. But the brother she never knew she had seems to be against her, and there are too many threads to sort out what is really happening.
3244135Yelena’s relationship with Cahil moves much too quickly compared to what I expected. Also, the way it develops seems very warped. You’ll understand if you read this book.
Yelena makes friends easily now, yet reacts violently to rape, and it just doesn’t seem quite right. The focus on rape of young girls is uncomfortable. I feel like it doesn’t really serve a purpose, and it and the bloodletting add unnecessary drama. People can be kidnapped and killed without needing all that.
I’d like to see a little more development of Yelena as an adult. Yelena’s friend-making abilities have moved far too fast, and her need for contact with Valek seemed a little odd. They were forever having sex! It made me wonder when she’d end up pregnant.
Sometimes there seems to be too many plot points going on at once, and at the same time they seem so superficial that you don’t want to follow them.You know the minute Yelena befriends someone she is going to be using them later. This is particularly true of the beggars.

I don’t think that this book is really reflective of its title. Although Yelena does study a little more magic, it’s not really like she seems to learn anything – she just does things the way she always has and has discovered that she is different. Yelena might be a SoulFinder, but noone is willing to tell her what that is. There are a couple of inconsistencies there too, as she is mocked by the SoulStealer. Souls can’t be returned without creating husks.

I was enveloped in the story, and I couldn’t put it down. Yes, it was that good that I finished it in an entire morning while trying to study for an exam the next day, but some aspect were stilted. It took me a number of pages to become involved with the story, but once I was, I was hooked.
The ending was a little predictable. Sorry, but true. I knew what Yelena would do before she did, even though there was a total lack for me with getting inside Yelena’s head.
Suitable for older teens and adults. Rape, bloodshed, unmannerly torture and murder. I couldn’t say I loved the way this book was written, but the plot is certainly compelling and left me with my heart in my mouth.

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Review: Patricia McCormick – Cut

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Cut
Patricia McCormick
Callie doesn’t talk about what she does. In fact, Callie doesn’t talk at all. At Sea Pines she is expected to reveal all about what she does. What she does should be obvious to you! The book title says it all.

So this is yet another angsty teen novel I have read lately. And sadly, I found it lacking in a couple of ways. The storyline was very predictable, thin and unsatisfying. There wasn’t enough fleshing out even of the environment. I couldn’t imagine anything except the laundry and the bathroom, and even then there wasn’t enough detail to satisfy me.

In a way, I found it pathetic. Each of the characters, although they tried to support each other, I just found it a bit lacking. Especially Amanda. Her character is so much in opposition to everything that is trying to be achieved by Callie and the other girls. I wanted to know more behind each of them! Just giving them problems and names wasn’t enough.Yes, this book did touch me. I felt some shivers. It did disturb me a little. For a book written by someone who has never cut, it’s not bad. I guess I’m comparing this book to Scars (Cheryl Rainfield) and The Burn Journals (Brent Runyon). Those books are built on true stories, and the sincerity really shines through to make a well-rounded and developed character.

Some things I find absurd, such as the therapist visits. I find it hard to believe that the therapist could lie so blatantly to Callie about Becca. Also, the whole thing about her scars fading – that’s something that Callie could have worked out for herself – no they won’t fade completely, but there is makeup! I guess for a 13 year old girl willing to believe anything she is told, it’s ok.

This book is very female biased. There are no men, except Callie’s brother, Sam, who is very sick and so understandably sympathetically portrayed. In contrast is Callie’s father, who she doesn’t talk about. It seems like there is a deeper issue there – I was hanging out for it to be rape, or something serious – but it was simply something else. Callie did a great job with the situation she found herself. I can’t give too much away, or I’ll ruin the little suspense the book had.

There is something about the show Rescue 911. I’ve never watched it. But apparently everybody loves it! And of course it has relevance to Callie’s situation. It’s not a subtle reference, and I guess that ruined it for me. This book is going to be dated within a couple of years for sure, and it doesn’t even make any attempt to be universal (not that it necessarily should, just an observation).

I was particularly dissatisfied with the ending. Arg! Would it have killed McCormick to give Callie a decent ending? Sorry, but I know how cutting works, and a on eoff idea that you’re going to stop isn’t necessarily going to carry on. And I didn’t have much faith in talk therapy like that (with no cognitive behvioural therapy) fixing a problem. No wonder some of the girls were still sick.
The bonus of this book was that it was short and cheap! So I don’t feel like I wasted too much on it. I’ve ripped it apart, but surely there are other people that like it. The cover is surprisingly attractive to my mind.

I’d recommend this book for teens. It’s not a great insight into how Callie’s mind works (and certainly not how all cutters’ minds work), and I think maybe it could be negative for some other people who have never thought of the idea of cutting before. The idea of a residential facility fixing all mental problems is absurd, and out of reach of most people anyway – they’ll never be able to relate.

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Review Update: 22nd December 2021 – Wow. I didn’t remember that I only gave this two stars. A reread mostly cemented this for me though, it doesn’t deserve a place on my shelf. I still hold true to a residential mental facility being unnecessary and not helpful. Also, that cutting is not necessarily a problem in itself, it is more the trauma that needs to be dealt with responsibly by a trained psychologist to do any good.