Tag Archives: 3-stars

Review: Amanda Hocking – Crystal Kingdom

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Crystal Kingdom
Amanda Hocking

Bryn is exiled from the life she knew before. With her lover and friends left behind, she’s faced with her oldest enemy and needs to come to terms with the wider world. That world involves all of the other troll tribes – some of whom will be friendly, and others who are against the side of ‘right’.

25574705While the conspiracy is deeper than it seems, it wasn’t obvious why I should should care about it. Having a terrifying overlord is bad, but without actual threats to people I cared about, meh, I didn’t care. That being said, the depth of plot turns and the like was very nice, and kept me guessing.

The fighting scenes in this were perhaps the worst part of the novel. It felt very dry, and I didn’t feel even a shred of emotional angst over Bryn potentially being harmed. The dialogue between Bryn and various troll leaders was far more convincing, and I liked the way that Bryn and Ridley interacted.

I would say that the style on this is similar to the last book – sometimes I was too busy reading the words and terminology to really get into the story. It didn’t push me along, rather I found myself dragging myself further. I did eventually get into the plot, but I probably could have put it down at any point.

Although this would like to bill itself as a romance, I certainly didn’t get any sort of ‘triangle’ happening. Sure, there were some wayward kisses, but those are bound to happen when people are under stress. The sex scene in it is textbook simple, and if not for that inclusion, I’d be firmly placing this in the teenage fiction category.

The ending just wraps things up too neatly. Yes, some people die, but honestly, I wasn’t very attached to them. Or if I was, it was obvious why they couldn’t be allowed to live. All things peachy. Hint – don’t read the blurb, or you’ll find yourself reading half of the plot and being mislead as to the contents of the novel.

I found this novel disappointing, but I think that it could resonate well with those enjoying urban fantasy that has a mystery element to it. For me, the style wasn’t to taste, and so I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any more novels by this author – although I remain able to be won over.

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Review: Amanda Hocking – Frostfire

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Frostfire
Amanda Hocking

24059777Bryn’s job is to rescue her people that have been placed in human homes to generate revenue for their real parents. But her dream is to be part of the elite guard protecting the royals – made difficult by the fact she’s just a little bit odd compared to everyone else.

At first it isn’t obvious what is special about Bryn. But Hocking gently guides the reader, until bam! You know what she is, who she likes, and everything else in between. Except the writing was poor. This felt dry, and not too well written. I simply couldn’t get into the story. There wasn’t enough feeling attached to the Bryn for me. She felt like a placeholder just put there to be different, and let the story revolve around her.

The romance element in this novel that I was promised in the blurb, and the chance of her to ‘lose her heart’, are slim as far as I can see. I wasn’t buying the touching romance, in fact it just felt like a set up. Can’t she keep a hold of herself? She’s going to live a while longer right?

This novel felt incomplete at the end. It felt like it was waiting for a sequel – and it fact, it has a sequel so that’s not so bad. But! It just didn’t feel complete, and had I needed to wait to read the sequel, it’s possible I never would have picked it up.

I received this novel free in preparation for reading and reviewing (plus interviewing!!!!) the newest novel in this trilogy, Crystal Kingdom. The boss has said I can’t read it until I’ve done these reviews, so here I am.

Nothing special to see here folks, a 3 stars from me. But when you combine it with the second novel in the series, things do improve. Stay tuned for that review.

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Review: Tracy Alexander – Hacked

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Hacked
Tracy Alexander

Dan is a hacker. When he drifts from one side of the law to another in order to get justice for his friend, he suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the law – with no-one listening to what he can do to help.

22678001Ok, first off. It’s a plot driven novel. That basically means you can kiss goodbye to character development. In fact, if you ignore character development all together, you would be better off. I found the characterisation of the main character patchy, and I never really got into the motivations of the other characters.

The premise of this novel is that it is easy to cross a line with hacking on the internet. There’s a couple of different terms I could use, but the easiest is ‘White Hat’ and ‘Black Hat’. Basically, the Black Hats are the guys with a malignant intent – they want to destroy things just to prove they can. Then there are White Hats, those who find the holes in security and help out the ‘good guys’.

The ending was particularly unsatisfying. Yay, happy for everyone. But not really… I wanted more meaty bits of details! How many other people were scammed? The second half of the book was far weaker than the first.

Dan didn’t seem like he was 16 years old. He could have been younger. In fact, his friends also acted very young, with the exception of the girl he liked – who seemed a bit up herself to be honest. She saw only black and white, no grey.

I didn’t like the explanation of ADHD being the reason Dan wasn’t to blame for anything. it’s a diagnosis. It’s the first line of the blurb. But it doesn’t do anything for the story. It’s about the computers, and I don’t think the author should be trying to sell anything else with it.

Other reviewers have given this one star. I don’t think it’s that bad, honestly, provided you read it for what it is, and you hit the target market just right. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, that’s for sure.

I put off reading this novel because I was warned it wasn’t very good. I actually enjoyed it, and read it in one sitting. Granted, I had nothing else to do, but I just couldn’t seem to put it down. The more I think about it, the more holes I want to poke in it though. My initial assessment was 4 stars, and I’m going to leave it at that (err on the side of nice). It’s a driving plot that should keep people enthralled – even those people who ‘hate’ reading.

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Review: Eve Ainsworth – 7 Days

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7 Days
Eve Ainsworth

The fat kid in old clothes is always going to be bullied. Jess doesn’t know how to stand up for herself, and Kez takes advantage of that fact every time. Kez has her own problems, but she refuses to admit anything, or back down.

18679049The world-building in this novel was vivid. I realised that it was based on a real place, but I’d never been to the place in person. But the end of the novel though, I had a really good grasp in my head where everything was, and I could ‘see’ the action happening. The characterisation was ok, but that was sort of secondary to Ainsworth’s bullying agenda.

I have to say that Ainsworth really got her teeth into the subject matter and tried to provide some really decent insight into how a victim and the bully feel. I can’t see this a school reading material – but maybe it should be. With concerns about bullying going rampant across Australia and other places, another expose can’t hurt – particularly if it’s one that teenagers can actually relate to.

Look, the hype about this book simply didn’t live up to my expectations. There are many rave reviews on GoodReads, but honestly I wasn’t left with too much of an ’emotion-hangover’ at the end of reading this, despite feeling somewhat invested in the characters throughout the novel.

I didn’t even really feel tension at the end of the novel. I felt that they were both shallow and weak, and I couldn’t care whether they died or not. I had some sympathy for Jess, but I couldn’t believe that Kez could get away with so many things, even in her household.

If it was read squarely by its target teen audience, I think you’d be looking at 4 stars. But for me, I simply didn’t feel enough compulsion when reading about the characters to give it that. 3 stars from me. Don’t let it be said that I don’t enjoy other teenage novels – I am capable of giving them 5 stars, but it has to be a particularly great novel for me to do so.

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Review: J.D. Watt – Burnt

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Burnt
J.D. Watt

Michael meets Simone at a bar, and finds himself suddenly smitten with her, despite being 20 years older. Their relationship develops through text messages, skype and emails, until Michael finds himself deeply in love with her. There’s a rival for Simone’s affections though, and what the men don’t know could harm them both irrevocably.

burntHow much do you love this cover? I absolutely loved it! It’s one that is going to get people talking, particularly if you’re reading the novel out in public. That can only be a good thing. There’s plenty of talking points to be gotten from this novel, particularly that both men and women can be unfaithful, even if it always seems to be the man’s fault to other popular fiction! These days, I think it’s equally likely in both sexes, even if men have gotten away with it with a pat on the back so far.

The blurb is probably what destroyed the novel for me. I found myself completely uninterested in the early dating stages of Michael and Simone, simply because I was promised that things would get messy and there was no chance this was actually going to work out. I wanted to see the ‘train-wreck’ happening faster! Particularly since once I worked out what was going on, it was obvious what the next stages would be.

The text message dialogue didn’t work for me at all. I found myself skimming over it, which is never a good sign. It seemed highly repetitive, and I would have much preferred traditional text. Even emails would have been preferable, as the text wouldn’t have jumped around so much, and I would have gotten more out of each dialogue exchange. Also, the sex scenes could have just been left out – they weren’t necessary to the text and I felt vaguely offended that they had been included without a real purpose.

I came away from this novel wishing that it had just somehow been ‘more’ in a way. I didn’t connect enough with the main character. I feel like that in the writing, the author’s attempts to continue distancing himself from his painful past hindered the reader’s understanding of it. Maybe it would have worked better had it not been so autobiographical?

I was lucky enough to receive this copy in return for a review. Despite my complaints about this novel, I think there is still some real writing potential and I can’t wait to see how the future pans out. 2.5 stars from me. I can’t tell you not to read it, because it truly is a one-of-a-kind book, particularly in Australian fiction, and there’s a good chance it will resonate better with someone else.

2star

Review: Paul Collins – Wardragon

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Wardragon
Paul Collins

Jelindel is never given a break to rest and study. Although she might like to relax as a mage, she always has more to do – new evils and old evils arrse, including those that she thought were dead. With her old friends and companions tricking her intentionally or unintentionally, she needs to find a clear way through to win the day (and the series).

Something that confused me was that in the first book, I had thought that after Jelindel pulled her trick on the mailshirt, she hadn’t completely finished it, but when it comes up again in this novel it is. So I don’t know? Maybe it has magical properties to get itself away from dead ground and make its way back into living hands?

Whoever thought of the flying chicken/bats and growing house was marvellous! Just goes to show that everyday items, infused with a bit of magic, can do wonderful and new things.

This novel focusses on the importance of magic vs cold science. As it is, Q’zar is a very magical place, and that allows for hope. With cold science, things are too sterile, and too fated towards those that are lucky to be rich at the right time.

I loved the Farvenu! I mean, yes they’re nightmares, but the explanation for their fear inspiring properties is clear and sensible. This is one of the stronger parts of a series that I would have liked to see more of.

This isn’t as strong a novel as the first in this series, Dragonlinks, but it’s a no-brainer that you’ll want to finish the series off. For an ‘additional’ novel to a trilogy, it fits in well enough.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Elementary, All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters

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Elementary, All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters
Mercedes Lackey
This collection of short stories is a combination of new tales in Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters world, with a weird injection of some authors who have no idea what the Elements should be like.

“Fire-Water” by Samuel Conway brings a fishhawk to a rabbit to stop a small war. I found this entertaining because it was from a different perspective, and it was not what I was expecting from this short story collection at all.

“Fire Song” by Diana L. Paxson takes a young boy out of the city with his family. Fascinating bit of history to be had this one. it was predictable though, of course the son was able to do wonderful things. Masters of the elements do tend to be a bit strange, particularly double masters. I wanted to know more about the future of that child though.

“Sails of the Armada” by Kristen Schwengel forces a Galician sailor into the Spanish Armada. I did know the background for this one. The ending wasn’t quite what was typical for novels, which was actually pretty good. I only wish I knew more about his earlier life.

“The Wild Rogue” by Fiona Patton puts a young water mage into the drunk tank. This one – complete loss. I had no idea what was going on.

“Feathers and Foundations” by Elizabeth A. Vaughan induces an earth mage to seek a rift. This was more like what I would hope from a story! Yes, it had the history element, but it was also well-written and fitting in with the way Lackey writes her stories. I was just waiting for the ‘ah-ha’ moment the whole time. I wish it has been a novel.

“Hearth and Family” by Dayle A. Dermatis solves a problem for a woman without a family. This was just as good as the previous short story. This reminded me of a fairytale for some reason, but its basing in history worked well.

“Secret Friends” by Louisa Swann draws unexpected assistance to a girl who is about to lose her brother. This was perfect for a short story.

“Fire’s Daughter” by Elizabeth Waters musters new friends for Eleanora.  This would work well as a longer story. It was right within the vein of Lackey’s works. I did have a moment thinking she was trans, but she wasn’t.

“Picking Up the Pieces” by Cedric Johnson introduces another victim of Marco. I think this had Pearl and Garnet in it, and ugh, they were just too tidy and annoying.

“The Price of Family” by Jennifer Brozek presents Josie with a problem of ethics. I don’t appear to have written notes about this one…

“Arms of the Sea” by Tanya Huff challenges a crippled water master. I loved it – it highlighted stupid menfolk and the power of healing.

“London Falling” by Ben Ohlander leads a fire mage to his missing brother. This was powerful and disturbing, but I don’t think it was canon within Lackey’s works…

“The King of the River Rats” by Michele Lang involves a fire mage reporter in multiple disappearances of young women. This had the potential to be bigger, but I was personally frustrated by Jane’s minor role. Not to mention I was confused by the ending.

“Air of Deception” by Jody Lynn Nye mixes an apprentice parfumeuse with a spy. This was excellent. I feel sure however that I have previously read this or something very similar.

“Fly or Fall” by Stephanie Shaver compels an air mage with a bitter choice. This was well-written and quirky.

“Bone Dance” by Rosemary Edghill & Rebecca Fox follows an earth master in a desperate hunt. I’m not sure why it was called this. It was very good and I enjoyed the different perspective and empathised with the Captain.

“The Flying Contraption” by Ron Collins guides a young air mage into the workshop of the Wright brothers. Arg! Why was she not taught air magic responsibly? This was an interesting take on the Wright brother legend.

“A Peony Amongst Roses” by Gail Sanders & Michael Z. Williamson relates the trials of a young earth mage whose talent is growing flowers. I felt like I had read this before, but it was enjoyable and crafty all the same. It could have been a good start to a novel.

“Into the Woods” by Mercedes Lackey tells the adventures of a young earth mage in her red riding hood. This was the Mercedes Lackey original. However it didn’t have much substance and ended the way I expected – a fairy tale! Absolutely online with her other stories but nothing new, and certainly nothing exciting. This is just the beginning of Blood Red.

I read this selection of short stories a very long time ago now. While some of them were good, others failed miserably. I waited so long on posting the review because I didn’t have all the story names and authors. Even now, I think I have two of the stories mixed up…

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Review: Holly Golderg Sloan – I’ll Be There

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I’ll Be There
Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sam and Riddle have lived with their father for a long time. They are closely knit into one fabric, yet their father keeps tearing holes in it. When Sam sees Emily for the first time, about to throw up from a forced singing recital, something stirs in his heart for someone other than his brother.

9415957Why did the book grab me? Well, Sam seemed pretty cool, and Clarence had something wrong with him that I could relate to. But then again, Emily. Ok, so Emily could have been a character to hate. She’s completely trusting, naive, no idea. And her parents? Well, you think that they could be a bit more chill. Everything is a bit see-through.

I guess that that could be to contrast Sam. Sam hides so many things, and yet at the same time, he doesn’t know that it’s ok to talk to some people. It’s made clear how this situation came about, but I find it difficult to believe that life was like that for a long time. Something I didn’t understand was why Sam was still with his father even though he was 17. I understand wanting to look after his brother. But really? Something should have twigged that there was something more seriously wrong with their father and that something might need to be done about it.

I’m not sure how I felt about Clarence. It’s easy to push him into the bad guy role, it’s true he’s not nice to his kids and he’s a thief, but he has other things going on. It sounded to me exactly like he had schizophrenia. And if he did, then he wasn’t in control of himself at all really. Who knows? He could have been nice if he had been on medication.

I would have loved to have seen more done with music. Being recognised as a genius doesn’t mean much unless you’re able to write music, performing is not enough in my opinion. It started off as a theme, and could have been used to link more of the text together.

There were some jolting parts for me, such as Riddle’s asthma. Sam didn’t know about it before. No-one knew about it before. But suddenly it becomes all-important. And funnily enough, it’s not Riddle’s fault that things are going to hell! He’s survived so long in his life so far, I don’t see what all the upset is about. Maybe it is to show his growing relationship with his ‘mother’.

I couldn’t decide if I liked the ending or not. I certainly felt all the feels while I was reading it. It seemed like the happily ever after would never come. But the simplicity of it urked me, even if that was entirely proving Emily’s point that everything happens for a reason.

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Review: Lizzie Wilcock – Thirst

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Thirst
Lizzie Wilcock

Karanda has passed through 5 foster homes, and it’s not exactly clear why. But the thing is, her behaviour has been getting worse over time. She’s snarky and completely wary of people – so when she gets the desert all to herself, it seems like the best thing for her. Sol is used to being abandoned – in fact, if you were to count foster homes, he’s been through more than her! But he craves human contact – and Karanda is all he has left.

24866854There is a lot of ‘Auzzie’-ness in this novel that is going to appeal to locals and overseas people alike. Who doesn’t love cute possums? Something that I felt was an inconsistency was how Karanda’s blood lust rose and fell. Is it just the environment, the challenges, allowing her to cry? It doesn’t seem like something she does very often.

Even as their lives entwine, Sol and Karanda have a past together that only one of them knows. The thing that got me going was that I didn’t know what colour their skins were – I assume Caucasian – but it didn’t matter to them. The adversity exposes their secrets, even if all the reader usually hears is from Karanda’s perspective.

It urked me that the author kept referring to Sol and Karanda as ‘children’. Both of them have seen enough of life to no longer be considered children in my mind, and most of their behaviour was as adult-like as it could be in the situation. Otherwise they simply wouldn’t survive.

The ending was very satisfying, right in line with the rest of the novel. What I enjoyed best was that things were never predictable. I fully felt that one of them could die at any point, they could starve, they could die from infection. It adds a bit of spice to a novel which could otherwise because just another bush-survival tale, just pointed at children.

Did I think it was coincidence about the helicopter coming at that point in time? No. Now that I think about it, it’s obvious that it is the natural events going on, not the two kids.  And the car? I don’t even know.

Was I blown away by this? Not really. But for the right audience? For sure. It’s pleasurable, light reading. 3-stars for adult readers, a generous 4 for it’s designated audience of younger teens.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Closer to Home

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Closer to Home
Mercedes Lackey

Despite having a somewhat unorthodox upbringing and a shiny life respectively, Mags and Amiliy have gone though a variety of challenging situations together. Upon their return to Haven and their Whites, they have to balance their private and public selves to provide a stable face for the kingdom.

20893366Ok, so the summary I just gave you is probably a little too rosy. To confirm your dismay, once again this novel has Mags at its centre. If only this Lackey novel could have had a different hero. There’s plenty of minor meaty bits to work with, but Mags eats them all up with his low-levelview of life and his expectations.

Mag’s terrible speech continues as an ongoing annoyance. I know it’s part of his street persona, but he doesn’t need it to make him stand out from the other characters at all. The other characters seemed defined by their words, rather than their actions, even though a new mind-power mean that more actions could have been described with a hint of emotion.

It took me a little while to get around to writing a review for this novel, simply because I was searching around for other things to read that might be more compelling! I did make a note to jump start my mind for the review though – Another lackluster Lackey offering.

I’ve seen other reviewers complaining that Lackey is simply coming up with ideas for novels from things that have worked previously. In this case, it’s a Romeo and Juliet-esk drama, seen through the eyes of a small dog. Nothing against the small furry dog, just a lot against idiotic noblewomen.

I borrowed this novel from the library. Unless it’s super on sale, I wouldn’t even buy it as a mass-market paperback – nothing new to read here. 2 to 3 stars from me – a bare pass.

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