Tag Archives: 3-stars

Review: Aimee Bender – The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender
Rose wakes up one morning with the ability to taste the feelings of the person who made the food she eats. This feeling gets worse for her as she pinpoints things, and she ends up subsiding almost entirely on junk food. Not to mention the rest of her family is just as bonkers and aimless.
It was an easy, throwaway read that I got through, but didn’t feel any particular need to keep reading. But I had time, I didn’t have anything else I needed to do, eh, it was in the book basket at the house we were staying at.
I didn’t really understand what happened to Joe. I was puzzled throughout the narrative. I was unsatisfied by her father’s responses. And his fear of hospitals. He could have done something! He never tried it! What about her poor Grandfather? Why did she never notice anything before? Is she blind because she has a hypo sense of smell?
The ending is distinctly unsatisfying. In fact, when we get down to it, it’s all unsatisfying. I wanted a relationship with George. I thought that’s what she was going to get. But no, she gets all withdrawn and sorry for herself! Boring, everyday life, when she could legitimately be helping others.
Rose does meet an interesting way of cooking, but really? Couldn’t she just explain to someone rationally (particularly as she gets older) that she has this problem? I get that her mother doesn’t understand, but her father? Why isn’t he brought in until the very end?
Things about this book were weird just because they could be. I didn’t get the affair, the woodworking, the weird packages from Grandma. Why were these thrown in? They didn’t add anything! They just confused me!
I was irritated by the lack of dialogue quotation marks. Arg! Is it so hard to make sure that I know when they are talking to each other? Particularly when their voices all sound so similar, since everything is filtered through Rose?
I found myself confused at the end about when things were happening. What year was this in? Are we having flash backs? What is happening??
I’ve seen some mixed reviews by others since reading it -I think it’s good in theory, but could have more done with it in practice.  If you’ve got a couple of hours to spare where you can’t do anything too absorbing or you’ll miss important conversation, give this book a try and see what you come up with.

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Review: Mercedes Lackey – Steadfast

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Steadfast
Mercedes Lackey
Katie is trying to escape from her abusive husband. With Travaeler blood in her veins, yet being a cross-breed, she is unlikely to be welcome anywhere. When she finds a dream job in a music hall of Brighton, she thinks she might be safe for a while. But throw magic into the mix, and who knows what might happen?

This novel started out with so much promise. Once again, it failed to deliver. It smacked of another title in the series, even including rogue fires! I guess she’s run out of unique endings?

This book suited its title so badly, that I didn’t even realise it was based on the story of ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’. The majority of books in this series aren’t really based on any fables, so I wasn’t expecting it. Having now refreshed my memory of this tale, I can see remnants of it, but nothing major.

For several days after completing the novel, I found myself thinking I hadn’t finished it. The ending was too satisfactory and abrupt. Plus it was exactly what I expected, the minute I found out about the cellar.

Maybe my problem was that I didn’t like Katie. She was just so malleable. It didn’t seem right for her to have a special thing like magic. Although I guess she’s just a layman and so the point of his novel was that they could have powers. Her character felt inconsistent to me.  She was afraid of all men, yet her acceptance was pretty good of her new friends, perceptive as they were to what she needed. 

There was so much scope for learning more about how to train a fire mages. But instead the book dwelled on the accommodations and food of the characters.

A disappointment. I thought I’d enjoy it more than Bastion, but I was disappointed. Maybe Lackey is moving away from being my favourite current author. Other writers, such as Juliet Marellia, have published books that I’m longing to read – and perhaps I’d better give their works a closer eye in the future.

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Review: James Phelan – The Last Thirteen #2

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The Last Thirteen #2
James Phelan
Sam is still dreaming. For him, it is getting more difficult to tell the difference between dreams and reality. He’s been stranded in several countries, including Egypt, but now it’s his job to convince the 12th dreamer that she belongs with him.
18498291Once again this is an action packed novel, story-focussed and story-driven. I don’t think I spent a minute thinking about the individual characters, only the overall picture of action.
Alex, whose character development I complained about last time, certainly gets a lot more back-story. I can’t believe I picked that! Well, at least picked him out as a probable suspect…
I still wish there was more about the actual abilities of the current Dreamers. The experiments by a certain group certainly lend themselves to me learning more about it. Not to mention extending them. It sounds good in theory, but in practice? We’ll have to wait for the next book.
Each novel of this series has a nail-biting cliffhanger. I don’t know if the author came up with this method by himself, or whether this is a bigger novel chopped into serialised bits, or just a fine marketing technique. Either way, you can tell when the end of the novel is coming, because it will be just before you get a great piece of information.
Repeat from my earlier review: 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. If you’re not sure if your son/daughter is ever going to get away from comic and graphic novels, offer this instead. The action is fast-paced and there’s hardly any emotional baggage or ‘feels’ to get in the way.
I received this novel directly from Scholastic as an Advance Reader copy. This has in no way influenced my review. This novel was released to the public before I got a chance to write up my review. You can still get on it in time for Christmas!

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Review: Jodi Picoult – The Pact

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The Pact
Jodi Picoult
Chris and Emily have been friends, and closer than friends, for as long as anyone can remember. Their parents fully expect them to get married in the near future. So something must have gone dreadfully wrong when it looks like the two have entered a suicide pact, but only one of them dies.
Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting. Or maybe it was, but I had been hoping for something else. I wanted more focus, and more information from Emily before her death. I wanted Melanie to answer some of my questions, and for her to realise there was more at stake than she thought.
I felt frustration, and an inability to connect with the characters. I didn’t want to see inside the jail. I didn’t care what happened to Chris. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t suicidal, why he didn’t see the same ways out as his cellmate. Ugh! He frustrated me!
I did want to know what really happened that night, and drawing out knowledge of that until the end just drove me nuts. I almost skipped to the end just to find out, because I was so sick of the filler and the ‘feels’. This novel did take me on an emotional rollarcoaster for some of the time. I tend to feel deeply with characters, usually regardless of how well they are written.
Being open-minded, I like to think that Gus and Michael could have had something happening there. And the ending is just unsatisfactory. Melanie is such a cop out. It seems so unfair that Gus and James should also lose their friends, as well as their potential daughter-in-law.
Everything was set up perfectly. You could see that the story was constructed to fit a particular plan. There didn’t seem to be any spontaneity in the novel.
I guess what Picoult likes to do is draw in her readers, and then leave them wanting more at the end. I get that, but it still annoys me. The ending to this one, with the exception of the very last page which seemed to have been put in just to torment readers, is actually one of the more concrete ones.
I also bought Vanishing Acts at the same time as this one. I’ve just started into it, and can’t believe it’s another jail storyline. Seriously, it’s not my thing.
Sorry to all of you who love Jodi Picoult’s works – I’ll agree that they are well researched, and that they aren’t meant to be comfortable reads (they should be thought provoking), but I simply couldn’t love The Pact.

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Review: Stella Gibbons – Cold Comfort Farm

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Cold Comfort Farm
Stella Gibbons
Flora Poste has been recently bereaved of her parents. Left with 100 pounds per year, she writes to four different relatives to try get sympathy and somewhere to live. She chooses the most unlikely charity – because she doesn’t want to have to share a bedroom!
92780Flora is an annoying character always poking her nose in self-righteously where she can. She does sort things out I suppose, but some people are happy being miserable! And other people, such as poor Adam, just want to get on with life in the same way they always have.
Look, this is supposed to be comic in the style of PG Wodehouse. I’m just not seeing it! I found it rather sad, and Flora just irritating. In fact, she reminded me of Jane Austin’s Emma, right down to the last chapter. Interfering busy-body nuisance. Perhaps I’m just not tolerant enough.
I have to say that the novel is well-written, if a little repetitive owing to Flora’s own repetitive issues. I could imagine each of the characters easily, and saw the squalor of their conditions. If they were written so that I wouldn’t like any of them, it was a success.
The question that everyone wants to know the answer to – what did Ada Doom see in the woodshed – and is indeed, the whole reason I persevered with this novel, is not answered. Sorry if I just spoilt it for you. But arg! No answers! And there were a couple of other things that weren’t satisfactorily answered either, and it just irritated me.
I borrowed this from a friend who thought I might enjoy it, but sadly I can’t say I did. I tolerated Flora, but didn’t feel anything but pity for the other characters. Except perhaps the other young girl, and that was an extra helping of pity because she allowed herself to be shaped so much.

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Review: A.J. Rochester – The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit

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The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit
A.J. Rochester
A.J. has struggled with being big all her life and when she realises she is obese she decides to get professional help – Dr. Nutcase, Crusher and a nutritionist. This book chronicles how other people can follow her process and aim towards being thinner themselves.
As a talking book read by the author herself, the expression and nuances of language were amazing. It was engaging to listen to, and although I couldn’t say the topic matter was that interesting to me personally (knowing most of the things already), I was happy to listen to it on my walks to the bus.
Something that irked me were references to Pluto Pups. What is a Pluto Pup anyway? Additionally, the subscription to eating diet yoghurt. I’m of the belief that yoghurt’s fats are good for you, because that’s the way it’s made by cows. The amount of sugar added to those things to make them palatable is going to kill your diet anyway, and could have major effects on your metabolism. So my suggestion would be to eat pot-set yoghurt, because it naturally has lower sugar, and the fats are good for you.
Another thing that didn’t work in the talking book format were the lists of allowed food (too long, couldn’t remember most of them by the end) and the listed menus (boring to listen to). The passages about what to do about food in general, the psychology element and exercise were good though, and I didn’t get bored.
If you haven’t heard/read the first book (which I’m currently in the process of listening to), then the human element is slightly missing in this novel. However, A.J. does a good job of projecting her personality into it, and there’s a good chance you’ll be hooked anyway.
I think this book is a valuable addition to any ‘dieter’s’ bookshelf, provided you actually get into it. A.J. has some super valuable points that are useful. I disagree with fat being the only enemy (added sugar is also bad), but the underlying bones of the diet – eat less, move more – are solid.
I completely support A.J.’s suggestion that if you have abuse in your life, you need to get professional help before you can do anything about your weight. I often see smokers who should be thin because of the effect cigarettes have on the body that are fat. There has to be some underlying cause there, and getting psychiatric help is a great idea. If you can prove you have a problem, Australia has a ‘Mental Health Care Plan’ that means you will be able to see a psychologist cheaply. No excuses!

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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: Mickey Zucker Reichert & Jennifer Wingert – Spirit Fox

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Spirit Fox
Mickey Zucker Reichert & Jennifer Wingert
At the moment of Kiandra’s birth, her father kills a fox cub. Little does he know that he is going to pave the way for disaster, and inadvertently rescue his own people at the same time.
Despite liking the way this was written and connecting with the characters, I thought the storyline itself was uninspiring.
The ending that Bevin orchestrates – it’s just too simple. It doesn’t give me any idea of the state of the rest of things – are they going to accept the Priest of Light? Carry on with their own violent priesthood?
It wasn’t clear to me what role Kiandra actually played. She seemed to lead the invaders, but that was it. I expected more! Not to mention her children. What was even the point of including them in the text?
Class hangups are always difficult. I wonder whether if I was Indian, I would understand them better. It seems annoying to me that you can’t marry who you love. If they hadn’t had that problem, there wouldn’t have been any issues at all!
I didn’t understand why the spirit link with Tynan stayed intact. Bevin should have been shielding everyone, right? And then after that episode, things just went back to normal – the loss of a human child seemed to mean nothing.
Well, I read it. I was expecting more brilliance from an author that I like so much, but I didn’t get it. I probably won’t reread this one – the characters were ok, but the storyline just didn’t do it for me.

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Review: Sue Perry – Scar Jewelry

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Scar Jewelry
Sue Perry

Deirdre and Langston get more than they bargained for when they begin to pry into their mother’s life. Where has she been going every week? Why doesn’t she seem to have any friends? What they discover could change their lives forever.

I wanted something more concrete from the ending. Great, they’d found their family, but what about their mother? What about their father? I wanted a real answer to those questions. Not to mention where she was going on Thursdays!

I felt like there wasn’t quite enough information about their ‘dad’ in terms of letting the reader work things out for themselves. The revelations felt very guided. However, they till suckered me in enough that I finished reading this novel in less than a day.

Dierdre could have been a little more convincing as a character. She seems to be afraid of everything ,yet she manages to turn that around in the end. She does make a very convincing counterpoint to Langston though, and it’s hard to believe that they are twins sometimes.

Sandy sometimes speaks in odd ways that threw me out of the novel. There were a couple of occasions where I felt the editor could have given more attention to the dialogue in particular. It wasn’t neough to put me completely off though, as other parts did feel natural.

I won this book through LibraryThing and it took me a disgustingly long time to get around to reading it. I’m not sure I’m glad I did, but it was an enjoyable enough way to spend my afternoon.

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Review: Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff – The Meri

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The Meri
Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
Meredydd’s family was murdered, and she was taken in by the Osraeds for teaching. Showing an unusual aptitude for the Art, her path is stony. As a character, Meredydd is strong, and genuine, but lacks a little in self-awareness.
This is a traditional journey novel. Everything is focused on the Pilgrimage of Meredydd to find the Meri. The tasks she is set are quite interesting, and should be thought provoking for some readers. It really didn’t feel like much happened in the novel though, and so it was an easy read.
I’m not quite sure what kept me reading about this novel. Perhaps it was the strong female character of Meredydd who needed to hold against the odds. Or perhaps the riddles, which I enjoyed trying to solve (with little success for some).
I wanted to know more of Skeet. This is book 1 in a series, and I’m almost tempted to get the other books just to find out more about him. Almost tempted, but not quite. He was the character who interested me the most after Meredydd, although her other male friend also had potential.
I would have liked to know more of the exact teachings of the Osraeds. My academic interest in a novel has always been so inclined. I was also interested in Meredydd’s fascination with the spider and its web – was this a metaphor for something deeper?
The ending ruined the novel for me. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and I felt cheated. That knocked what could have been a 4 star book into a 3 star book for me.

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