February Book Wrap-Up
5 books read in the month of February, not bad, but not that good. I def. read more in the summer when I can sit outside in the sun and zone out reading :)
Raven's Tears by Michael Matson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Let me start off by saying I have no problem with erotic sex scenes in a book, if that is one way to show how two people feel about each other, its not a problem, or even just a sex scene just to try to spice up a story is fine. The problem I have is when I find the scenes more funny then sexy. When they read like badly written fan fiction, the scenes tend to distract you from the rest of the story, rather then entice.
I actually really enjoyed the theft part of the story a lot, that was well written and interesting. Reading about the actual theft was great and fast paced. Like a lot of thefts in stories, you know how an item was stolen, the interesting part is reading how the story characters figure out the theft. It was a good idea, and added a nice little twist to the story to have one of the main characters, Raven, an ex-thief himself, investigate the theft of the precious item. Use a thief to catch a thief. You read of him getting closer to the solution and then it rips his world apart when he figures it out.
I found the world interesting, but wish it had of been built up a little more. Near the end you do get to to read more about why this area of this world is the way it is, so that helps to explain why the people live the way they do. More about the religion of the world would have been nice, since it does play a big part in what makes people of this world tick.
The main female character, Angelique, has secrets of her own that are revealed to the reader as the book progresses. I preferred Raven as a character, partly I think because while he is a thief and sleeps with almost every women he sees, as a character he doesn't really stray from who he is. He stays true to what he believes at this point in his life. I get the feeling that we are supposed to pity
Angelique, which I didn't, since she brought most of her problems on herself. She flip flops back and forth from being a strong women mentally to a weak one.
Its not a bad book, would give it 2.5 out of 5 if I could. I just wish more energy had been given to writing the theft part of the story, rather then the cheesy sex scenes.
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
692 pages can feel like a lot to read at times, but Joe Hill manages successfully to build up the story, starting slow and building up to a dramatic conclusion. The beginning is a little too slow maybe, but its worth it to keep reading.
The story starts with Victoria McQueen as a child who uses her bike to cross an old bridge, (that really isn't there, trust me, it makes sense in the story). At the other end of the bridge she can go anywhere she wants, whether that is to go find a lost bracelet or to find trouble. She does find trouble one day, Charles Manx. Manx likes to kidnap children and take them to a place called Christmasland in his Rolls-Royce,(NOS4A2 licence plate). Can't say what happens next with our spoiling things tho (obviously she doesn't die, not much of a story if the main character dies near the beginning). The story then follows Vic as she grows up , and the consequences of her meeting Manx.
There was a lot of is he or isn't he a type of vampire in the story and I liked how he threw in the little nod to one of his dad's stories near the end.
If a person likes suspense/supernatural, this would definitely be a good choice for the book shelf.
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Really liked this story. It might be a little confusing at first to someone who doesn't read a lot of sci-fi, but by the end, all of the little puzzle pieces are fitted in place and things make sense. The author is a fan of the "show don't tell" method of writing, which is great since it means you are not getting hundreds of lines of info dumped on you to try to and make sense of. Some sci-fi can have pages and pages of information to read and that can really put off a new reader.
Looking forward to starting the next in the series :)
Horde by Ann Aguirre
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Thought this was a fitting end for the series. The series as a whole got better as it progressed, and this one I didn't find boring at all. Its violent and bloody, so stay away if that grosses you out. Great world building as we get to read about other settlements in the area and we see how different they all are. We are finally told the why and how of what happened to cause the world to go to hell, and while not 100% believable, it works for the story.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
grrr another review gobbled up :/
Wish I had of read the book first and then watched the movie. Still really enjoyed the book, but would I have picked up on the written clues as much as I did if I didn't already know what was going on?
I have a few art books I need to finish and review, and yep, also bought a few more :p I def. need another book shelf now lol
Raven's Tears by Michael MatsonMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Let me start off by saying I have no problem with erotic sex scenes in a book, if that is one way to show how two people feel about each other, its not a problem, or even just a sex scene just to try to spice up a story is fine. The problem I have is when I find the scenes more funny then sexy. When they read like badly written fan fiction, the scenes tend to distract you from the rest of the story, rather then entice.
I actually really enjoyed the theft part of the story a lot, that was well written and interesting. Reading about the actual theft was great and fast paced. Like a lot of thefts in stories, you know how an item was stolen, the interesting part is reading how the story characters figure out the theft. It was a good idea, and added a nice little twist to the story to have one of the main characters, Raven, an ex-thief himself, investigate the theft of the precious item. Use a thief to catch a thief. You read of him getting closer to the solution and then it rips his world apart when he figures it out.
I found the world interesting, but wish it had of been built up a little more. Near the end you do get to to read more about why this area of this world is the way it is, so that helps to explain why the people live the way they do. More about the religion of the world would have been nice, since it does play a big part in what makes people of this world tick.
The main female character, Angelique, has secrets of her own that are revealed to the reader as the book progresses. I preferred Raven as a character, partly I think because while he is a thief and sleeps with almost every women he sees, as a character he doesn't really stray from who he is. He stays true to what he believes at this point in his life. I get the feeling that we are supposed to pity
Angelique, which I didn't, since she brought most of her problems on herself. She flip flops back and forth from being a strong women mentally to a weak one.
Its not a bad book, would give it 2.5 out of 5 if I could. I just wish more energy had been given to writing the theft part of the story, rather then the cheesy sex scenes.
NOS4A2 by Joe HillMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
692 pages can feel like a lot to read at times, but Joe Hill manages successfully to build up the story, starting slow and building up to a dramatic conclusion. The beginning is a little too slow maybe, but its worth it to keep reading.
The story starts with Victoria McQueen as a child who uses her bike to cross an old bridge, (that really isn't there, trust me, it makes sense in the story). At the other end of the bridge she can go anywhere she wants, whether that is to go find a lost bracelet or to find trouble. She does find trouble one day, Charles Manx. Manx likes to kidnap children and take them to a place called Christmasland in his Rolls-Royce,(NOS4A2 licence plate). Can't say what happens next with our spoiling things tho (obviously she doesn't die, not much of a story if the main character dies near the beginning). The story then follows Vic as she grows up , and the consequences of her meeting Manx.
There was a lot of is he or isn't he a type of vampire in the story and I liked how he threw in the little nod to one of his dad's stories near the end.
If a person likes suspense/supernatural, this would definitely be a good choice for the book shelf.
The Quantum Thief by Hannu RajaniemiMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Really liked this story. It might be a little confusing at first to someone who doesn't read a lot of sci-fi, but by the end, all of the little puzzle pieces are fitted in place and things make sense. The author is a fan of the "show don't tell" method of writing, which is great since it means you are not getting hundreds of lines of info dumped on you to try to and make sense of. Some sci-fi can have pages and pages of information to read and that can really put off a new reader.
Looking forward to starting the next in the series :)
Horde by Ann AguirreMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Thought this was a fitting end for the series. The series as a whole got better as it progressed, and this one I didn't find boring at all. Its violent and bloody, so stay away if that grosses you out. Great world building as we get to read about other settlements in the area and we see how different they all are. We are finally told the why and how of what happened to cause the world to go to hell, and while not 100% believable, it works for the story.
Fight Club by Chuck PalahniukMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
grrr another review gobbled up :/
Wish I had of read the book first and then watched the movie. Still really enjoyed the book, but would I have picked up on the written clues as much as I did if I didn't already know what was going on?
I have a few art books I need to finish and review, and yep, also bought a few more :p I def. need another book shelf now lol
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