Category Book Reviews

May 27 2013
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Your Pick for Nik! – May’s Review: Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

b4Title: Darkest Minds

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: Darkest Minds #1

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

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The Review:

This book gives me turmoil because there were a lot of things I loved about it and only a couple of things I didn’t. Unfortunately, those couple of things were a rather big deal.

Story: Bracken really knows how to weave an engaging story. Not many books can make me dig down deep inside myself to feel genuine pain for what the characters are going through. The story tugged at my heartstrings throughout the entire novel before making me feel anguish and frustration for all of the last fifty pages.

This great use of emotion in storytelling is probably why the relationships within the book quickly became my favorite element. The friendships the main character develops were natural and gradual and led to one heck of a love story without ever turning the book into a “romance.” It was subtle and beautiful and I might actually go back and reread certain passages to experience it again. It was by far the strongest part of the story for me.

Conversely, my least favorite element of the book also had to do with story. I have come to expect many elements of brutality and shall we say “unsugar-coated” events from dystopian novels. It is what gives them their edge, raising the stakes and adding to the overall suspense of the plot. While there are many dystopian novels with far more tragic events than I saw here, Bracken piled them up in a way that made me incredibly unenthusiastic about reading the sequel. She took a lot of risks with the plot and, while it was highly unexpected, I don’t think it did her any favors. Other books like Partials and Divergent had many heart-wrenching and difficult moments. The difference it, at the end of those novels, what keeps the characters (and therefore the readers) moving forward is both hope of a brighter future and and some sort of plan to get there. From what I’ve seen in this first book, Bracken didn’t have those elements leaving me nothing but depressed and dissatisfied.

World Building: I am a sucker for a good concept. The idea of children with varying degrees of dangerous abilities excited me right from the start and Bracken did a great job creating the world around those ideas. On a side note, I get personal pleasure out of seeing things color-coded (I drive my coworkers crazy) so any time an author uses color to organize something, I am on board.

While Bracken does a great job with the concept side of her world building, I felt her settings could have used a bit of work. Not once throughout the novel was I sure if this world was truly suffering. There was one specific moment where we went from an abandoned town like any other post-apocalyptic one you read about to a suddenly crowded freeway where life seemed to move along unaffected. It was a contradiction that showed up many times throughout the book and I had a difficult time getting a feel for what life was supposed to be like for the average person in this world.

Characters: Part of the reason the romantic element was so good was Bracken’s ability to create great relationships between characters. We got to know each one organically and their personalities were perfectly rounded and deep making me feel like I was reading a journal log of real people – they were so lifelike! If I do continue reading this series, it will be because I miss the characters and wants to know where their journey ends.

Writing: Even though I had an issue with elements of story and setting, I still found Bracken’s writing style to be incredibly strong. It was always evoking, gut retching, and beautiful making me feel for everything with a passion. It took me by surprise and impress me with how the many pieces of the story came together with the fluidity that was effortless. she really has that kind of style that draws you in and keeps you there until you finish the book – into the wee hours of the morning and everything.

Pacing: At first I made several notes that her pacing was a bit slow. having now finishing the book I see that the only way to make those relationships develop naturally was to slow the story down a bit. It also provided a great contrast for when the plot really started to take off, building up into a breathtaking momentum that made my eyes weary near the end from trying to keep up. It was very well done, and I’m hoping she carries that same excitement into the second book.

Recommendations: The good news is – my biggest objection revolves around a decision with the storyline which means my lower rating has more to do with personal preferences than any flaws in the author’s craft. The bad news is – I can’t get totally behind her when making personal recommendations. I may change my opinion with the second book, but for now I would probably only recommend this to people who have already read my first 5 dystopian recommends (or if someone just HAS to have a book with a naturally-developing love story).

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

May 25 2013
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Book Review: A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham

a1Title: A Shadow in Summer

Author: Daniel Abraham

Series: The Long Price Quartet #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit, Seedless, an andat bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, a juggernaut of an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht, though, has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity. If they can dispose of Heshai, Seedless’s bonded poet-sorcerer, Seedless will perish and the entire city will fall. With secret forces inside the city, the Galts prepare to enact their terrible plan.

In the middle is Otah, a simple laborer with a complex past. Recruited to act as a bodyguard for his girlfriend’s boss at a secret meeting, he inadvertently learns of the Galtish plot. Otah finds himself as the sole hope of Saraykeht, either he stops the Galts, or the whole city and everyone in it perishes forever.

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The Review:

I will be the first one to admit that the overview sounds a little boring and convoluted. The first time I picked it up in a bookstore, I almost disregarded it right away and put it back on the shelf. The reading gods must have been looking out for me that day because for one reason or another I cracked it open to read the first page… And didn’t stop for thirty minutes. It was fascinating and engaging – starting out by introducing a complex communication system that involves intricate hand gestures that conveys everything from emotion to social status. And you know what? It only got better! Abraham then went on to developed a mind – blowing magic system that was as dangerous as it was beautiful. These elements combined with an unforgettable writing style made for one of the most original stories I have ever read!

Both the communication and magic systems went a long way to build this world, but Abraham expanded on it anyway and created a stunning city that I can still remember vividly years later. Top that off with an incredible cast of characters (who will have you laughing and crying with them by the time the series ends) and you have one of the most memorable stories on the market. All of the characters were amazing and they only got better with each book.

I loved every minute, and I’ll say it again: this was easily one of the best series I’ve ever read. I will definitely be reading it again and will DEFINITELY be buying anything else this author publishes (be on the lookout for my review of The Dragon’s Path – the first book in Abraham’s latest series – hitting the blog sometime next month). Outstanding!

Recommendations: If you have read all the classics, from Robert Jordan to Brandon Sanderson, and are looking for your next great series, this is definitely the author for you! I recommend him as often as I can because of how profoundly his work affected me. Fantasy fans out there – this is a must-read!

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

May 22 2013
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Book Review: Chill Factor by Rachel Caine

A oneTitle: Chill Factor

Author: Rachel Caine

Series: Weather Wardens #3

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has protected the human race from monster storms, been killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. Now she’s throwing the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid-who is holed up in a Vegas hotel-from bringing on a new ice age. 

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The Review:

After reading the first three books in both this series and the Morganville series, I have come to the conclusion that Caine’s work just doesn’t sing with me. There is something missing, and I’ve wracked my brain and analyzed the snot out of these books and I think I have finally figured out what it is (see below). I’m pretty sure I’m alone in this, too, because my best friend/favorite-go-to-person for book recommends ranks Morganville number one as far as vampire books go and really enjoyed the first few books in this series as well. It happens, I guess, but I’m still going to take a couple of paragraphs to explore why the book was just “okay”.

My favorite element to this book was the concept – it was the major reason why I bumped the book’s overall rating up from a 1.5 to a 2.5. People with abilities to control the weather with the help of mysterious, beautiful, and downright hostile djinn that are kept as slaves. It is a really neat idea, and for the most part Caine does a great job expanding on it. My only gripe here is that she sometimes managed to turn a fun ability into a highly technical event that made me feel like I was reading a textbook.

I actually really like the writing style – I am a sucker for good use of description and Caine had a couple of really stunning passages that I made note of to study for my own writing. What she accomplishes so well with that great description is a fantastic overall mood for the story. It takes me to a very distinct world with a very distinct feeling, and honestly if I pick the next book up it will be because I miss the overall feel of these novels.

With all of those good attributes, what’s my problem?

The only thing I can figure is that something about the main character, plot, or love interest wasn’t working for me. With this book in particular, I found myself constantly questioning the main character’s rationale (which incidentally took the plot to places I wasn’t invested in). I also didn’t really care for the love interest – while the main character is running around thinking ” OMG, this guy is the most important wonderful thing in the world, I can’t lose him!” I’m over here like, “Whatever, you could totally do better.” I guess this book goes to show just how important it is for me to be invested in the characters, otherwise it’s like pulling teeth to get through the novel.

Recommendations: with all of these things in mind, I probably wouldn’t recommend these books unless someone specifically said they liked the Morganville series (as I had all of the same struggles with those) so if you liked one you’ll probably like the other. As of right now, it’s pretty low on my urban fantasy totem and would have to go somewhere totally amazing in the next one for that to change. For any wary readers out there, this particular book contains language and violence.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

May 19 2013
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Book Review: The Spirit War by Rachel Aaron

a1Title: The Spirit War

Author: Rachel Aaron

Series: The Legend of Eli Monpress #4

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

The Overview: Eli Monpress is vain. He’s cocky. And he’s a thief. 

But he’s a thief who has just seen his bounty topped and he’s not happy about it. The bounty topper, as it turns out, is his best friend, bodyguard, and master swordsman, Josef. Who has been keeping secrets from Eli. Apparently, he’s the only prince of a rather feisty country and his mother (a formidable queen who’s every bit as driven and stubborn as he is) wants him to come home and do his duty, which means throwing over personal ambitions like proving he’s the greatest swordsman who ever lived.

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The Review:

I want to start out by sharing the overview for the first book:

Eli Monpress is talented. He’s charming. And he’s a thief.

But not just any thief. He’s the greatest thief of the age – and he’s also a wizard. And with the help of his partners – a swordsman with the most powerful magic sword in the world but no magical ability of his own, and a demonseed who can step through shadows and punch through walls – he’s going to put his plan into effect.

The first step is to increase the size of the bounty on his head, so he’ll need to steal some big things. But he’ll start small for now. He’ll just steal something that no one will miss – at least for a while.

Like a king.

I don’t know about you, but that short teaser convinced me right away that I wanted to give the series a try – and it was even better than I could have imagined. The first three books have to be, by far, one of the most memorable trilogies I’ve ever read. There was a high level of originality and it was spectacularly funny without ever crossing over to stupid or overdone.

I have to give major kudos to Aaron for pulling off two things you rarely see done well in fantasy: creating a feel of wonder, and doing so using almost poetic imagery. A lot of authors try to introduce wonder into their stories but it usually comes off ridiculous rather than awe-inspiring. Aaron pulls it off in a cheeky, fun manner without losing any more serious and thought-provoking overtones. She did this through exceptional character development and dialogue and introducing epic world-building and magic systems. I can’t say enough good things about this series. I am hooked, and will definitely read anything Aaron publishes in the future.

Surprisingly, compared to the first three novels, I thought the Spririt War started out a bit slow. Luckily, it was still rich, quality writing, so the pace didn’t bother me like it might have in other books. Regardless, the slower pace can be attributed to Aaron’s choice to expand on some minor characters and introduce some new ones, which means that she couldn’t possibly take it any faster if she wanted to develop them properly. I have criticized authors in the past for telling their stories from multiple viewpoints. I believe the key to doing this well is making sure all of your characters add directly to the overall arc – with each perspectives taking nothing away from the story’s momentum. All of Aaron’s viewpoint characters help maintain this momentum, adding a complexity to the story that still blows my mind.

Aspiring writers out there, including myself, could learn a lot by studying the way this author weaves the story, creates and maintains characters, and describes her world. She brings things to life and does so in a beautifully effortless manner. I will definitely be rereading this series for tips because there were moments of pure brilliance in every aspect of her writing.

Recommendations: As I said before, this series is whimsical without being ridiculous. I find myself recommending it to many types of readers because it’s one of those stories that has appeal for all ages (but for the sake of a few “scary” moments, I keep the recommends to 10+). It is probably best for fantasy lovers who are in the mood for something different. Its also my number one choice when someone says they want something “fun” to read.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

May 15 2013
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Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #1

Genre: Teen Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself–and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

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The Review:

I picked this one up expecting a light, romantic read and that’s exactly what I got. I knew this would be the perfect book for me because #1 I love competitions (which oddly really was the number one draw) #2 I’m in a dystopian phase #3 my guilty pleasure is The Bachelor (don’t tell anyone, I’ll lose my street cred) and #4 I love sweet love stories. The Selection satiated all those cravings and more… I also really liked the writing style and overall voice.

Interestingly enough, there were lots of elements that evoked images of a watered-down Hunger Games. Something along the lines of “the life and times of the people in the Capitol,” only in this version, the fight to the death is figurative… And over a boy. I found the comparisons fascinating and delighted in the fact that Cass managed to flip it into a lighthearted romance – and as that’s what I was in the mood for, it was perfect.

There wasn’t a whole lot of complexity in the story. Everything was pretty straightforward. So if you’re looking for a well-developed dystopian society where secrets are revealed around every corner, this may not be the novel for you. While I actually liked the hierarchal systems and the post-America histories here, there were a few too many implausibilities for me to take it seriously. That’s okay though, because I didn’t expect it to be profound – I just went with it.

Recommendations: I would mention it in passing to dystopian fans, but would probably hand this to someone looking for more of a romance. Unlike some of the more intense dystopians, I would feel comfortable recommending this to younger teens. This definitely made my “Top 10 Books When you Need Something Light & Fun” list and I liked it so much I’ve already devoured the second book.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

May 11 2013
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Book Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

A oneTitle: Walking Disaster

Author: Jamie McGuire

Series: Beautiful Disaster (Companion Novel)

Genre: Romance/Fiction

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

The Overview: Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees. Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

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The Review:

After reading this novel, I’m convinced Jamie McGuire is someone I’m eager to read more from in the future. Her writing style makes you want to stay up all night devouring and her characters make you feel like you’ve known them for years. Walking Disaster was grabbing, and that’s saying something considering I already knew what was going to happen (for those of you who don’t know, it is meant as a companion novel to Beautiful Disaster, following the exact same storyline but from the male lead’s perspective).

Both novels illustrated McGuire’s exceptional writing skills. Not only was the voice in this one a complete contrast, but the observations and emotions she chose to highlight gave it a totally different spin. Even though it was the same basic plot, each character went into situations with different sets of perspective and inner turmoils. All of the issues I had with Abby’s conflicts in the first book were practically nonexistent here because Travis was focused on different things. McGuire managed to make it just as fresh and exciting as the first one, if not more. It kind of blows my mind.

Character development was probably my favorite element of the book. She doesn’t hit you over the head with matter-of-fact statements of each character’s temperament but rather lets them develop organically through their actions. It was really subtle, and she achieved it through compelling dialogue mixed with superb body language and facial expressions. It sounds odd, but the little nuances of physical description really spiced up the characters and overall story.

This is probably the best companion novel I’ve ever read. If you haven’t read the first book, however, it would not be near as compelling. Readers got to know Abby intimately in book one and were able to understand her rationale behind her actions. Not much of that inner dialogue is represented in this book, however, which makes her come off as a self-centered brat. If I didn’t already know and love Abby from her story, I would’ve had a difficult time trying to figure out why Travis found her so appealing.

Recommendations: these books are a little more robust than your average romance novels but I would probably still recommend them to fans of that genre. I would also hand it to anybody looking for a fun, fast read. Fair warning: these books contain a great deal of language and sexual content.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like: