I've done a lot of reading this week, and not a whole lot of reviewing. Do you ever get into weird moods that just calls for a week of non-stop reading? That's what happened here. I was able to clear out some of the books that have been on my TBR list for awhile, as well as throw in some new ones as well.
Instead of splitting up the reviews in different posts, I'm going to do quickie reviews in one post. This way I'll be able to get caught up!
________________________________________________________
Go here for synopsis. I haven't read very many steampunk novels. This is my second attempt in the genre, and there were parts I loved, and parts I didn't.
Loved: The characters and the romance. I believed in the characters and the story. It was a great concept, and I was truly captivated by Meljean Brook's ability to create characters with such hidden depth.
Struggled with: Maybe it's because I'm not very familiar with the steampunk world, but I had a hard time picturing what everything looked like in my head. I just couldn't get into the setting. I didn't see that anyone else had a problem with this, so maybe it's just me with this issue. For example, Mina was described as looking this certain way - different from everyone else. She was ridiculed and treated poorly because of the way she looked, because it reminded everyone of the horde. But I could never find out how she looked differently. Was it her hair color, her eye color, or maybe her facial structure? I kept struggling not to picture her as a neanderthal!
All in all: It was interesting, and maybe if I read it again my issues and problems with the setting and world would be resolved. Other than that though, I'd recommend it!
________________________________________________________
There is nothing that I can say that will do this book justice. Phrases like "I loved it!" and "I thoroughly enjoyed it!" aren't adequate enough to describe how much I, well, loved it. Delirium is first in a trilogy, and I can tell it's going to be one of those series that I will buy and read over and over again. It's wonderful, magical, and it will make you think about who or what is important in your life. I can't imagine a world without love! Ms. Oliver gives us a completely put together dysotopian world, down to the minute details.
Read it. It's amazing!
________________________________________________________
Go here for synopsis.
I read Poison Study (the first book in this series, which I loved!) over the Christmas holidays, and was finally in a mood to finish up the series.
Magic Study: This one was enjoyable, but not as much as the first book. I'm having a hard time pin pointing exactly why, but there was just something about it that was off. Perhaps it was the serious lack of Valek and Yelena lovin' going on. It was mostly about Yelena's life, and the romance with Valek was tacked on there as an after thought. I also didn't enjoy the side characters as much in this one as in Poison Study. The two I fell in love with in that book, were also tacked on as an after thought in Magic Study. After I finished reading this book, I hoped for a magnificent ending in Fire Study.
Fire Study: It seemed my magnificent ending was not meant to be. I'm afraid this was the worst book of the three for me. It moved incredibly slow, and Yelena's interesting character kind of went down the tube. She developed a hero complex, and it started to annoy me after awhile. Truthfully, I only read about half the book and then skimmed the last of it. I stopped to read the last pages, just to make sure there was a happily ever after for Valek and Yelena. This is not a series that I will not buy and read again, but it was good enough for a one time read.
________________________________________________________
Go here for synopsis.
Graceling: Why, oh WHY did it take me so long to get to this book?! It was wonderful! Exciting and adventurous, this book definitely made my week. I love Katsa and her strength. She had some incredible skills and Po.. oh, my dear Po. So sweet, so tragic and so perfect for Katsa. And the bad guy in this novel was the worst I've seen in a long time. Thank you Kristin Cashore, for gifting us with the wonderfulness of Graceling. It completes me.
Fire: I'm iffy about this book. It's a prequel, set 30 years before Graceling takes place. It explains a lot about the above mentioned bad guy and how he came to be. I wasn't a big fan of Fire. She had her great moments, but for the most part I thought she was kind of whiny and dramatic. Those two qualities don't go hand in hand. But everything else I thought was well done, and I'm completely in love with Brigan, Fire's main squeeze.
Kristin Cashore's next novel is called Bitterblue and will be out Sept 2011. Can't wait to see what her story is!
________________________________________________________
So apparently not only have I been in a reading frenzy, I've been in a YA dysotopian reading frenzy specifically.
I have so many books to read next, I don't know where to begin! Do I start with This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost? I love me some Bones! Or do I continue on with my YA mood and read Jane by April Lindner? I also have the first book in the Jessica Darling series, Sloppy Firsts. Apparently anyone who is anyone has read that series and I'm feeling a little left out. Hopefully it will live up to all the praise..
Happy reading everyone! Have a great week!
No comments:
Post a Comment