The Elite

Second in The Selection
by Kiera Cass

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Rating:


Recommendation:
Fans of the first book, obviously. Or anyone who is ready to go into the series expecting nothing but a romance. Do not be duped by promises of a dystopia!

Bad news: I didn't like it
Good news: I finished it in one day to relieve me of my boredom at work
Better news: I liked it more than The Selection. Or maybe that's simply because I knew what to expect, so my hopes weren't high to begin with?

Incarceron

First in Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know. 

 

Rating:


Recommendation:
Anyone keen on the idea of a dark, dystopic society - yet also crave for a bit of a high-tech, futuristic world. As a warning, some readers may be turned off by the amount of concepts this book tries to cover, as if it couldn't make up its mind whether to be a dystopia, a futuristic sci-fi, or an 18th century-inspired novel.
But the combination thereof is quite interesting, and if it doesn't put you off, then you should definitely give this book a shot.

Please be warned that there will be slight spoilers in this review.

It was not easy to follow at first. Fisher does not take you by the hand and walk you through her world, so it does take a while before you understand the sentient, ever-evolving world that is Incarceron. I admit most of my ratings go for the idea behind this novel, rather than its execution.
The sheer thought of being born inside a continuously changing, expansive prison-world; of being trapped in a dimension that accomodates itself, and having no means of escape, is terrifying in itself. Incarceron is more a watchful God than it is a world of moving metals and programmed artificial lights. In fact in many ways does this novel have underlying religious tones. It is a subtle commentary on faith, on the blind extremes that one would go through on little to no evidence.

The King of Elfland's Daughter

by Lord Dunsany

The people of the Vale of Erl wanted magic in their land. And so it was that their king sent his son - young Alveric - into the strangely enchanted meadows of Faerie to find and wed the King of Elfland's daughter.

So armed with a wondrous sword forged from thunderbolts by the witch Ziroonderel, Alveric went off to do his father's bidding. And he returned to the Vale with the beautiful Lirazel as his beloved wife.

Their love was passionate and strong, but it was no match for the magic of the King of Elfland...a magic powerful enough to whisk Lirazel away from her husband and son.

Bereft, Alveric set out on the most impossible mission any mortal ever dared...

Rating:
 

Recommendation:
Well this one is definitely ...... an acquired taste. If people tell you that this is the reading material of fantasy aficionados out there, I will tell you -- eerrrrmmm no, not quite. In fact, I have a feeling a lot of fantasy lovers out there will find this book droll. Plotless. Pointless.
It would, however, certainly appeal to a select demographic of fantasy enthusiasts. If you love literary fantasy books; if you enjoyed (and I mean, absolutely loved) the whole Tom Bombadil detour in Lord of the Rings, then you might just be the target audience of this book.

If I wanted, I could point out how a thousand things could have made things simpler for our characters, saving Alveric from his quest of finding Elfland to begin with. If I wanted, I could carry on about how simplistic the characters were; how easily Lirazel dropped everything she knew, left her content life, to follow a mortal man she knew nothing about.
But that, I think, would be missing the whole point of a fairy tale; and above all, this book was a fairy tale. Perhaps it isn't your average Disney fairy tale, nor the Grimm type of fairy tales, but to overthink and overanalyze the technical details of this short story -- its plot, characterization, narration -- would be to miss out entirely on the beauty of this romance.

And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

"Ten . . ."Ten strangers are lured to an isolated island mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious "U.N. Owen."

"Nine . . ."At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

"Eight . . ."Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by a nursery rhyme counting down one by one . . . one by one they begin to die.

"Seven . . ."Who among them is the killer and will any of them survive?

First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion

 

Rating:


Recommendation:
Fans of crime novels. Much of this book, being a classic crime/whodunnit book, is now pretty standard stuff, so if you've read/watched a lot of crime or mystery novels/movies, then you'd probably see where things are going with the plot here. But it's still a real page turner, suspenseful and keeps you guessing.

 

So there I was, happily clicking away on goodreads to write my review of this book when something caught my eye:

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed this, because it was one of the things highlighted in our group discussion of this book. Of course the title was later changed for obvious reasons, and in no way did the original title influence my feelings for the book.
I don't know anything about societal constructs in the UK back in those days, but I know obviously the awareness of racial/sexist/discriminative terms were ... let's just say, a lot more lenient back then. And I'm sure Christie meant nothing by her use of the word.

Anyway. I just wanted to spotlight that, because it really did surprise me and, in a sick way, it kind of amused me -- how we have grown and changed so much as a society that what was once considered normal and inoffensive can now start wars.

But anyway -- onto the review. I will be discussing some of the motives and actions of the "villain" in this review, so there will be spoilers towards the end.

Waiting on Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, to spotlight anticipated upcoming releases.

After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back again this month with Waiting on Wednesday. Here are my month's picks, although it was particularly a really tight grab for number one this time...

The Forgotten Garden

by Kate Morton

A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, and a mystery. The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory from the international best-selling author Kate Morton.

Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

 

Rating:


Recommendation:
People who can completely immerse themselves in a good, drawn-out drama.

 

This book wasn't bad at all, albeit much longer than I would have liked it to be, and also a little winding at times. It's true what the other reviews tells you: a certain amount of patience is definitely needed to get you through it.

Hi all!

As some of you may - or may not - have noticed, I've revamped the blog a little (okay, a lot), as sign of more commitment into the book-blogging world.

To celebrate, I will be hosting a series of giveaways in the upcoming months. The first one -- a paperback copy of Suzanne Palmieri's debut, The Witch of Little Italy -- starts today!

The Witch of Little Italy

by Suzanne Palmieri

When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by “The Sight” they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can’t remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories.

Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

Language: English
ISBN: 1250015510, 9781250015518
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: 26/03/2013
Book Dimensions: 2.16 x 12.32 x 22.38 centimeters, 0.27 kilograms
Pages: 320
Categories: Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Amazon page

Goodreads page

Graceling

First in Graceling Realm
by Kristin Cashore

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Rating:

Recommendation:
Erm...... People who don't mind / don't even notice slightly questionable "feminist" agendas reeking off the pages? People who don't mind anti-climactic endings, loose ends, to an otherwise great idea in the novels they read ... or if you're just looking for an actually likeable love interest for a physically kick-ass heroine, without being too picky on its execution, then by all means give this one a try.

Warning! Long review ahead.

Go grab yourselves some cookies. I'll wait.

Now that we're well-prepared, allow me to jump right in.

Many have sung praises for Graceling, commending Cashore on a well-crafted debut that takes us through a multi-layered fantasy adventure. New York Times comments on the author's ability to pick up on ordinary conflicts of the teenage life, reflecting it in Katsa's own journey as we follow her between the pages.

And perhaps for young teens, this novel would indeed have been perfect - especially considering the rather juvenile prose - but with some of the scenes and references in the book? I'm not sure middle grade or even the "young" in young-adult is the main target audience.

Blind Spot

by Laura Ellen

There’s none so blind as they that won’t see.

Seventeen-year-old Tricia Farni’s body floated to the surface of Alaska’s Birch River six months after the night she disappeared. The night Roz Hart had a fight with her. The night Roz can’t remember. Roz, who struggles with macular degeneration, is used to assembling fragments to make sense of the world around her. But this time it’s her memory that needs piecing together—to clear her name . . . to find a murderer.

This unflinchingly emotional novel is written in the powerful first-person voice of a legally blind teen who just wants to be like everyone else.

 

Rating:

 

Recommendation:

Anyone ready to overlook the fact that this is not a crime novel. Anyone patient enough to deal with slow heroines and slower plot progression.

What happened here? This book was so mediocre, it actually bores me to be writing a review of it. I usually write my reviews a day -- two days max -- after finishing the book in question, but that was not so for Blind spot by Laura Ellen. Writing a review for it sent me on a spiral of procrastination for far longer than any Rorschach interpretive report that I've ever had to write and boy, those things suck ass to interpret!.

But enough's enough, you know? I've made a promise to myself -- as part of some whacko self-discipline training my demented brain has thought up -- to review every. single. book. I read, and I don't want to break that promise right at the start of a new year. So here we are, and still I'm procrastinating with this irrelevant introduction.

That alone should give you a general idea of how "enjoyable" I found this book. It didn't get me angry like Poison Princess by Kresley Cole did, so that's a plus side -- but they did have a couple things in common:

Pushover heroine? check
Douchebag love interest? check
Absolutely nothing of interest going on for over half the novel? check mate!

The Haunting Of Alaizabel Cray

by Chris Wooding

Thaniel, just seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline--his friend and mentor--track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed.

Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet--attracting evil and drawing horrors from every dark corner. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover its cause--and defend humanity at all costs.

Rating:

Recommendation:
Fans of Victorian horror; anyone looking for a darker YA read.

Still shrieking, she saw the thing lurking in the shadows of the corner of the room, visible only in the murk of sleep-fogged eyes. Naked, twisted, an old, old crone with her long straggly hair cloaking her bent body, she crouched on all fours with hooves for feet and a long tail twitching behind her.

People! People, people, people!

I am so distressed that not enough people are reading Chris Wooding! I really, really am.

Or. I guess, maybe this genre isn't as popular?

I remember the days The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud came out. I read it and loved it. I loved the humour, I loved the genre, I loved the plot -- the everything; and I thought it got better and better as the series progressed.
I also remember bugging ALL my readaholic friends to go out and read it, but maybe two, three of them actually did and consequently bought the rest in the trilogy.

A couple years later, Twilight came out. I tried to read it before it was even cool to hate it, yo and I couldn't get past the first chapter. So I chucked it away, and guess what. ALL. MY. FRIENDS. kept talking about the book and urged me to read it. Even my non readaholic buddies.

So, you know, maybe I'm just not in with the "cool crowd" when it comes to book genres. So feel free to ignore me, y'all ...... but let me tell you what you'll be missing out on if you brush this book aside without sparing it so much as a glance.