Tag Archives: 2015 books

ARC Book Review Round-Up: The Secrets Of Yashire and A Thousand Nights

Posted in ARC, Book Review Round-Up, Books by

Book Review Round-Up is a very random feature where I talk about several of the books I’ve read.

Today is an advanced reader copy edition of the book review round-up!  In the interest of full disclosure, I received both books as an electronic advanced reader copy (e-ARC) from netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

PrintBook #1: The Secrets Of Yashire by Diamante Lavendar

Published August 26 2015 by Smashwords|157 pages

Series: None as of now, but it seems like there will be a second book

Genre: YA Fantasy

What It’s About: The Secrets of Yashire: Emerging From the Shadows is a young adult fantasy adventure that occurs within the framework of a young girl’s subconscious mind. The main character, Brianna, finds herself thrown into a world called Yashire where she is forced to deal with circumstances that are threatening Yashire’s existence. Against her will, she is sent on a journey to restore unconditional love back to the land while also contending with the evil force in the land, Zolan.

Brianna is sent on her mission by Libban, Keeper of the Land. Along the way, Brianna travels with the mystical tiger, Angelos; a huge, whitish-tan tiger with thick black stripes who sings only the purest songs of love, and the wondrous little one-eyed bird named Abiba. During the journey, Brianna is also preparing to meet her soulmate—the one she longs to be with and the one who will bring complete healing back into her life.

Together they travel through fantastic lands filled with magical creatures that could only exist in the wildest of imaginations. Through her treacherous brushes with danger and heartwarming experiences of love and acceptance, Brianna discovers many things. It is here, amidst the powers and phantasms of the mind that Brianna receives life lessons and virtues to help her. Will one of her greatest triumphs be achieved as she learns to believe in herself? For only then can she truly see all of the wondrous things that life has to offer.

What I Thought: When I saw The Secrets Of Yashire on netgalley, I was really intrigued with it.  I really like the overall premise of the book, but unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to.

Certain things were repetitive.  There were several times where you’d read something, and a paragraph or two later, you’d see the same thing almost verbatim.

It does move at a really slow pace, and sometimes I wished that there was some action in it, because it seemed to drag on.  There was something weird about how she reacted to everything- sometimes she seemed disinterested and other times everything was awesome.  I think she was 16 or 17 and it’s labeled as YA , but she seemed a lot younger than she was supposed to do, and The Secrets Of Yashire would be better suited for a middle grade audience, I think.

I don’t know if it’s necessarily bad, but I do think it could use some work.  Something about it reminded me of one of my NaNoWrimo drafts.  I am hesitant to say it’s bad, because I do think it has a lot of potential.  A story told in the subconscious of a girl is such a cool idea, and the world seems a little bit different.  I liked that patience and perseverance are really important, but everything as a whole didn’t come together for me.

My Rating: 1 star.  I didn’t like The Secrets Of Yashire, and it’s not my thing, but if experimental fantasy is your thing, this might be the book for you.

A Thousand Nights CoverBook #2: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Published October 6 2015 by Disney Hyperion|306 pages

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

What It’s About: Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister’s place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin’s court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

What I Thought: I was really excited about A Thousand Nights, and it was one of the books I was looking forward to reading this year.  I ended up not liking it, and I feel weird about that because it seemed like a cool book.

So, I have no idea what the main character’s name is.  I don’t think we learn it at any point in the book, and if we do, it clearly didn’t make an impression.  Really, she could have been anyone, because I feel like we learned nothing about her.  The only character name I can actually remember is Lo-Melkhiin…I think he might be the only character who actually has a name because everyone is named in relation to the MC.  Her sister  is referred to as her sister, Lo-Melkhiin’s mom is named Lo-Melkhiin’s mother, and so on.  It’s hard to remember anyone when they have no names and nothing else to distinguish them from all of the other characters.

It seemed like there would be more romance, at least from the summary, so I was surprised that there wasn’t really any romance there.  I did like that the MC had growing power, leading her to be the only one who can defeat the king. I do wish the magic between them was explained more because it seemed really random.  There does seem to be a lot of folklore, and from what I’ve heard, it’s based on 1001 Arabian Nights.  Which I haven’t read, and may be why it felt like something was missing.  Or maybe it’s just me, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve read 1001 Arabian Nights.

Something about this book made me think of Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge- I think there’s something about the world and how the story is told that would make it a good read-alike for Cruel Beauty fans.

My Rating: 2 stars.  Mostly because I just didn’t care.  A Thousand Nights isn’t for me, but I can see why people would like it- the writing was beautiful but not enough to get my interest.

Book Review: Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen

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Mouse Guard Winter 1152 CoverBook: Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen

Published July 2009 by Archaia Studios Press|192 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Mouse Guard #2

Genre: Graphic Novel

Blog Graphic-What It's About

In the Winter of 1152, the Guard face a food and supply shortage threatening the lives of many through a cold and icy season. Saxon, Kenzie, Lieam, and Sadie, led by Celanawe, traverse the snow-blanketed territories acting as diplomats to improve relations between the mouse cities and the Guard. This is a winter not every Guard may survive. Collects the second Eisner-Award winning Mouse Guard series with an all-new epilogue and bonus content.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

Have you read Mouse Guard?  Because if you haven’t, you really, really need to!  Graphic novels of the non-manga variety are books I don’t read (except for Mouse Guard and my failed attempt at reading Fun Home), but I can’t help but love Mouse Guard.

Winter 1152 is the 2nd book, and it’s such a hard winter for these warrior mice.  I felt for them, trying to survive in this world, and I love these very honorable mice.  There is something very adorable about the mouse cities, and the mice, and I just love it.

I loved the story, and seeing the bats and the weasel underworld and the treachery.  There were songs scattered throughout the book which was nice to see, because we get to see their songs, but I wasn’t completely enthused about it either.

Something I really like about Mouse Guard is how great it is for all ages.  The library had it shelved in the children’s section, which I think is pretty awesome.  But it’s also awesome how great of a story it is for everyone!

I really liked the Winter setting for this book and it really went well with the story- it really makes what is going on feel really important.  You can really feel the harshness and bleakness of a very snowy winter.  Petersen captured winter so well!

And I just love the artwork.  I’m really used to black-and-white for manga, and I’m always impressed with that, but something about the color really adds to the story.  I can’t imagine it being drawn in black-and-white, and I feel like the artwork is even better than the artwork in Fall 1152 (and I really loved the artwork in Fall 1152).

The bonus content, with maps and extra information about the different uniforms and jobs these mice have really add to the mythology/world-building of the Mouse Guard universe.  It really makes me feel like there’s a lot more story to tell in this world.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

5 stars.  Winter 1152 is such a great continuation of Fall 1152, and I love the art and the story.

Audio Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

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The Martian CoverBook: The Martian by Andy Weir, narrated by R.C. Bray

Published February 2014 by Brilliance Audio|10 hours, 59 minutes

Where I Got It: I borrowed the audio book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Sci-Fi

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive, and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills, and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit, he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

The Martian is such a great book!  I know I’m not the first person to gush about it, but if you haven’t read it yet, you really need to.  Especially with the movie out!

I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, and there is definitely a lot of math and science in The Martian.  But it wasn’t annoying and all of the detail makes sense.  It was explained really well, and I thought it was pretty easy to understand.  Also: pirate ninjas as a unit of measurement.  Really.

I was really glad I went with the audio book. because something about The Martian works really well as an audio book.  Maybe it’s because a good chunk of it is essentially Watney’s diary, with chapters of what’s going on with NASA.

I once heard The Martian described as MacGyver in space, which, with my EXTREMELY limited knowledge of MacGyver, is fairly accurate.  What Watney had to do to survive is astounding.  There were points where I really wanted him to make it, but there were also points were if he didn’t survive, I would have been okay with that.  Oddly enough, I would have been okay with any ending, because really, anything could have happened and been plausible. And especially towards the end, there were a couple days where I literally wanted to drive around aimlessly just so I could keep listening to see what would happen.  Which would have been a problem considering the fact that I had groceries in the car that needed refrigeration.

There were points where I couldn’t help but laugh (pirate ninjas!), and at least Mark Watney had a great sense of humor throughout the entire book.  I really liked Bray, who sounded like the perfect Mark Watney.  I don’t know that I’d seek out Bray as a narrator, but if there was a book I wanted to listen to, and he narrated it, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.  Also: I don’t know who else I’d cast as Mark Watney for the movie, but after having listened to the book, I think Matt Damon is a great choice for him.  I really need to see The Martian, especially given how much I’ve mentioned it already.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  It wasn’t quite a 5 star read for me, but it was pretty close!  The audio book is particularly great, and I really recommend it.

ARC Book Review: When We Were

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When We Were CoverBook: When We Were by Alexandra Diaz

Expected Publication is September 29, 2015 by The Studio|Expected Number Of Pages: 247 pages

Where I Got It: I received a digital advanced copy from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way. Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Previously published as OF ALL THE STUPID THINGS, this coming of age novel is a 2011 ALA Rainbow List Book and a 2011 New Mexico Book Award Finalist.

No one messes with Whitney Blaire or her friends, which is why she can’t help but let it slip that someone spotted Tara’s boyfriend making out with one of the guy cheerleaders.

Even after spending hours training for her marathon, down-to-earth Tara can’t outrun the rumors about the boyfriend she thought was perfect.

Pinkie, the rock and “Big Sister” of their inseparable group, just wants things to stay exactly the way they are…

…but that’s not possible when new-girl Riley arrives in school and changes everything.

Suddenly Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt before—for anyone—while Whitney Blaire tries to convince her that this new girl is Trouble. Meanwhile, Pinkie’s world begins to crumble as she begins to suspect that the friends she depends on are not the girls she thought she knew. Can friendship survive when all the rules are broken?

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

When We Were seemed really interesting, and yet, I found myself thinking that it was just okay.  I really did want to like it more than I did.

I think the biggest reason why When We Were was just okay was that I felt like it wasn’t as developed as it could have been.

Like Tara, Pinkie and Whitney Blaire.  I get the girls are best friends, but they’re all so different that it was a little hard to see why they were such close friends.  They were all pretty stereotypical- Tara’s the athlete, Pinkie is the academic/glue of the group who has no mother, and Whitney Blaire is the mean girl who acts that way because her parents are never there.  There is mention that they have a history together, but unfortunately, we don’t see that history, and I think having a little bit of history would have made their friendship a little more realistic and believable.

I feel like each girl was somewhat superficial, and I wonder if it’s because we see each chapters from all three girls. We don’t really get enough time with each one for them to fully develop.  Which brings me to Riley.  I think, of all the characters, Riley is probably the most interesting.  She had a little bit more to her than the other characters did, and I wish we saw more of her.  I didn’t get Whitney Blaire’s instant dislike of her, which was for no apparent reason. Later on, I could understand her dislike of Riley, because Whitney Blaire has some abandonment issues, and feels threatened by how close Riley and Tara become.  Initially, though?  There’s no reason for it.

As much as I liked Riley and wanted to see more of her, I also felt like her relationship with Tara was sort of random and out of nowhere.  I think, because only a third of the book is from Tara’s perspective, we don’t see Tara really explore her feelings for Riley- all of a sudden, they’re making out.  The reactions from Whitney Blaire and Pinkie (especially Pinkie) were weird and frustrating.

I really need to back-track for a second- there are rumours that Tara’s boyfriend Brent was seen making out with one of the guy cheerleaders, which leads to Tara breaking up with him, and Brent denying it.  This is then ignored for most of the book, until we learn that it wasn’t actually true. Really, for the lack of attention it received, and the way it was dropped, she could have broken up with up with him for any reason.  I think I was just expecting it to be more of a thing.

Back to Whitney Blaire and Pinkie.  I get Whitney Blaire thinks Tara is believing Riley over her, but saying that Riley and Tara are dating simply because Tara believes Riley over Whitney Blaire was weird, confusing and out of nowhere.  It made no sense to me.  I felt that way with Pinkie, a little, but with Pinkie, it was more frustrating than anything else.  Pinkie is convinced that Tara can’t be interested in girls because she dated Brent and because she’s too pretty.  In particular, when Pinkie says that she has no problem with gay people but doesn’t want them near her…I was horrified by that, especially from someone who seems caring.  Honestly, it sounds more like a Whitney Blaire comment than a Pinkie comment, at least from what we see in the book, and it’s just so cruel and hard to believe that she would say it, because until that point, she’s the last person I’d expect it from.  But their reaction to it was overall believable, in the sense that I can actually see people reacting that way.

Her mom was pretty awesome, though, in how she reacted.  Yes, the mom was surprised, but she was so accepting of Tara.  Even though it seems like it would be an adjustment for her, Tara’s happiness is so important to her, and I loved that.

Even though there are a lot of things I didn’t like or thought were weird (with one or two things I did like), When We Were did keep me intrigued, and I really wanted to see what would happen with the characters.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

2 stars.  When We Were isn’t my cup of tea, but something about it did keep me interested enough to see what would happen.

Book Review Round-Up: Wolf’s Rain, Chronicles Of The Cursed Sword And Bizenghast

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Book Review Round-Up is a feature I do randomly when I have 2 or 3 books I want to review in one post.  Today is another manga round-up!

Wolf's Rain CoverManga #1: Wolf’s Rain, Volume 1 by Bones and Keiko Nobumoto (Story) & Toshitsugu Iida (Art)

Published November 2004 by Viz Media|184 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: Wolf’s Rain Volume 1

What It’s About: In a post-apocalyptic future, wolves are supposedly extinct creatures who held some sort of mythical powers. Unknown to most human, wolves still do exist, and they walk next to them, disguising themselves as humans as their kind slowly dies out. However, some, like Kiba, are answering to their primal instinct to search out the flowers of the moon, which are supposed to someday lead them to paradise.

What I Thought: I thought Wolf’s Rain was a little weird.  The story seemed interesting enough, but I also felt like I was missing something.  It, apparently, is an anime, and the manga is based on it.  I wonder if that’s why I have these feelings of missing something.  You definitely have to take the world as it is, because you don’t really get the how’s or why’s- it just is.  I really like the the story, and the art is okay.  It was a little blurry, particularly at the beginning, and I’m not sure if the copy I have is just weird, or if, for whatever reason, that part is just blurry.  It is kind of entertaining, and the characters did seem to have an interesting relationship, but I don’t think I’m invested in the story or characters enough to read the second volume.  As a story, why they were trying to find paradise didn’t make a lot of sense to me, which is a little disappointing because I thought the story itself was a really interesting idea.

My Rating: 2 stars.  It was okay for me.  I thought the artwork was fine, and while the overall idea was really interesting, I found it a little confusing.

Chronicles Of The Cursed Sword CoverManga #2: Chronicles Of The Cursed Sword, Volume 1 by Yuy Beop-Rying (Story) & Oarj Hui-Jin (art)

Published July 2003 by TokyoPop|176 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: Chronicles Of The Cursed Sword Volume 1

What It’s About (from the cover): In an era of warring states, warlords become kings, dynasties crumble, and heroes can rise from the most unlikely places. Rey Yan and his sister Syao Lin are orphans, raised by a wise master in ways of magic and combat. While war escalated around them, they managed to stay free of its politics and allegiances–that is until they met Jaryoon, King of Hahyun. This pacifist king is the target of assassins both mortal and inhuman, and when demons attack, he’ll need the power of Rey and his PaSa sword in order to stay alive. The last thing Rey wants to do is save the life of a politician, but the chance to slay demons to feed his cursed sword is just too great to pass up. Can these strangers with nothing in common become allies in order to stop a pact between demons and evil men that threatens their entire country?

What I Thought: Like Wolf’s Rain, I thought the overall idea of the story was interesting (but not as interesting as Wolf’s Rain) and a little confusing.  I felt like I was missing something, and while the fight scenes were pretty cool, there was something about it that felt a little…lackluster?  The story just didn’t catch my interest, and I felt like we didn’t get the whole story.  I mean, I know it’s the first volume and all, but I feel like I learned more about the characters reading the summary than I did reading this volume.  I did like the art, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to keep going.

My Rating: 2 stars.  I liked the artwork, but the story was okay.

Bizenghast CoverManga #3: Bizenghast, Volume 1 by M. Alice LeGrow

Published August 2005 by Tokypop|184 pages

Where I Got: I borrowed it from the library

Series: Bizenghast, Volume 1

What It’s About: Not every lost soul is a lost cause.

When a young girl moves to the forgotten town of Bizenghast, she uncovers a terrifying collection of lost souls that leads her to the brink of insanity. One thing becomes painfully clear: The residents of Bizenghast are just dying to come home.

A finalist in TOKYOPOP’s Rising Stars of Manga competition, Marty Legrow has crafted an unforgettable Gothic drama that will leave readers haunted long after the last page is turned.

What I Thought: I really liked Bizenghast!  I recognize the title, but never picked it up until now, and I’m glad I did. There is a very gothic feel to the book, and if I had to pick what genre it falls into, I’d say it’s gothic/horror. I have a tendency to not think of manga in terms of genre, for some reason.

I did like the story, but it did randomly jump ahead to different points, and I think the pacing could have been a little slower and been fine.  I also liked the artwork and it had a good balance of light and dark.  I also liked the newspaper articles and telegrams before each chapter, and they gave you such a great idea of the world and what was going on. I do wish we know a little more about Dinah and why she can see the ghosts and why she’s the one who can help them, but that is something that we might learn more about that in a future volume.  We do know enough about them, though, to stay interested in what will happen next.

A really good read-alike is The Dreaming by Queenie Chan, and I think anyone who likes one will like the other.  It has a very similar feel to The Dreaming, and while the artwork in Bizenghast is a little lighter than the art in The Dreaming, I think the art (and story) have the potential to be at least a little more dark than what we see in this volume.

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked it, and I can’t wait to read the next volume to see what happens next!

Audio Book Review: Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

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Cracked Up To Be CoverBook: Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers, narrated by Khristine Hvam

Published December 2009 by Audible Studios|6 hours 19 minutes

Where I Got It: I got the audio book from audible.com

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

Cracked Up To Be is a book that I’ve wanted to read for a long time, and it’s a book I’ve had for a while, and it seemed like it was time to actually read it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t like it.  At all.

On the surface, it does seem to be a book I’d like, but it didn’t work for me for several reasons.

While I felt for Parker at times, and while I can relate to wanting to be perfect (before going in a self-destructive downward spiral), she was really hard to sympathsize with.  She’s mean and pushes everyone away and goes on and on about how she doesn’t like or want to be around people and how she just wants everyone to leave her alone and is mad they won’t.  For someone who wanted to disappear and blend in, she certainly did a horrible job of it.  She was still the center of attention, and it kind of seemed like she secretly wanted all of the attention to be on her, even with how much she wanted to be ignored by everyone around her.

I understand she’s punishing herself for what happened- at least, that’s how I took it- and she feels like everything in her life is bad.  I understand it, and yet it made it hard to care.  I felt like there wasn’t a lot to her character, and she definitely has a lot of things that she needs to work through.

We do see the party that changed everything, and what led to her downward spiral was something that I never expected.  I knew it was something, and even though it was unexpected, by the time we learn what Parker did, I had no interest in what she did.

We slowly learn what happened by flashbacks, and that didn’t work for me at all.  I listened to, and the transitions into/out of the flashbacks were clunky.  With them, I didn’t even realize I was listening to the flashbacks until they were over.  It just made things really confusing, because you’d get these random memories that didn’t fit with everything going on.

I get why Chris still seemed to be into her- there is that history, but I could not get why Jake was into her, especially by the end of the book.  After everything, he still wanted to be around her?  I don’t get it.

Another thing I didn’t like was how we didn’t see her life before the party.  We get the idea, but for me, I think not seeing her “before” made it hard to care about what happened “after.”  An after that she caused by what a horrible person she is.  What we do see of her isn’t good.

The only thing I did like was the narration!  Hvam (who narrates part of the Beautiful Creatures/Dangerous Creatures series) can narrate the heck out of a teenage girl.  Why have I not looked to see what else she’s narrated? Anyway, her narration was great.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

1 star.  Parker is such a horrible person, and it was hard to care about someone who tries to push everyone away, but also seeming to like the attention she got from people.

Audio Book Review: The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi

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The Secret Sky CoverBook: The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi, narrated by Ariana Delawari & Assaf Cohen

Published September 2014 by Listening Library|7 hours, 39 minutes

Where I Got It: I got the audio book from audible.com

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

A novel of love during a time of war by NBC’s Afghanistan correspondant.

Set in present-day Afghanistan, this is the story of two teenagers, one Pashtun and one Hazara, who must fight against their culture, their tradition, their families, and the Taliban to stay together. Told in three rotating perspectives—the two teens and another boy in the village who turns them in to the local Taliban—this novel depicts both the violent realities of living in Afghanistan, as well as the beauty of the land and the cultures there. And it shows that love can bloom in even the darkest of places.

This is an absolute must read not just for teens but for anyone who has lived during the time of America’s War in Afghanistan.

“[The Secret Sky is] a tale of the indomitable Afghan spirit of hope and love. Among the many novels set in Afghanistan for young people or for adults, The Secret Sky stands alone. Unputdownable. Unforgettable.” –Trent Reedy, author of Words in the Dust.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I am so glad I finally listened to The Secret Sky!  It was hard to listen to in certain parts, but it was so worth reading, as uncomfortable as it made me at times.

We get 3 different perspectives- Sami and Fatimah, who are the couple, and Sami’s cousin Rashid.  If you’re expecting something more swoon-y and romance-ish, this is not that book.  This book is the fall-out of a complicated romance.  I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like to not be able to even talk to a childhood friend, especially one who is a different ethnic group.  Even though the book is set in Afghanistan, that was something that is still very familiar.

The one thing that really struck me was how little I actually know about other countries and what life is like there. It’s hard for me to picture a world where two people who care about each other can’t be together, even though I know it’s a thing that happens.  This is a village where a boy and a girl talking leads to them being accused of being sinners, and this is what we see in The Secret Sky.  This book gives a voice to the people who live this reality, and it really opened my eyes to what it’s like elsewhere in the world.

Rashid was easily the most interesting character in the book.  He is angry and jealous and full of hate and hell-bent on punishing Sami, and he’s very caught up in a group who are doing things in the name of God…but really aren’t. As much as I wanted to hate him for the things that happened as a result of his actions, I also believe he did realize that as much as he wanted to punish Fatimah and Sami for their actions, he never wanted it to happen the way it did. I think Rashid’s arc shows (very well) how it’s not limited to one particular religious group or part of the world.

Fatimah’s story was also very compelling, and my heart broke for her.  It really did.  Sami’s was the least compelling of the three, and even though he is essential in the telling of this story, his, for some reason, was the one I cared the least about.

There are a couple of scenes in particular that were really hard to listen to.  I can’t imagine reading it, but listening to it?  It really immersed you in what was going on, and those couple of scenes were really heart-breaking.  As horrible as some characters were, there were also some really good characters.  Like the Mullah who helped Sami and Fatimah.  And I was surprised (but also glad) that initially, Fatimah’s dad didn’t want her to be married off to just anyone because they might not treat her well, even though that’s what her mom really wanted for her.

This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time- it really got me to live in their world for a while, and it’s one of violence and hostility but also one of hope that things will get better.  So while the book doesn’t have a true happy ending, it is one that leaves us with hope that things will get better for Sami and Fatimah.

I really liked the narration, especially Delawari’s narration.  Something about her narration in particular reminded me of Jessica Lawshe’s narration of A World Away, and while The Wrath And The Dawn was already a book I wanted to read, I specifically want to listen to the audio book because I like Delawari so much as a narrator.  Cohen’s narration was fine, and you can distinguish between Rashid’s sections and Sami’s sections, but I don’t know if I like one male narrator narrating two male characters- even though both Rashid and Sami have distinct voices (particularly Rashid), it was hard to see them as different people when one person is narrating two different people.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

5 stars.  The Secret Sky is such a good look at a world that is very different from the world we know. The audio made me feel like I was immersed in a world that was hard to hear about at times, but I recommend it so very much.

Audio Book Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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Station Eleven CoverBook: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, narrated by Kirsten Potter

Published September 2014 by Random House Audio|10 hours, 30 minutes

Where I Got It: I borrowed the audio book from the library

Series: None

Genre: Adult Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalytpic

 

Blog Graphic-What It's About

An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur’s chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten’s arm is a line from Star Trek: “Because survival is insufficient.” But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.

Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

Station Eleven is one of those books that I feel is sort of a buzz-y kind of book, and for some reason, it was a book that I didn’t pick up until recently.  I am not completely sure how I feel about it, though.

I thought the non-linear timeline was really interesting, especially since we see Jeevan, Kirsten, Clark, Miranda and Arthur throughout the book.  We’d get one person for a while, and then we’d get someone else for a while, and it’s the death of Arthur and the impact he had on people against the backdrop of a flu pandemic that results in a lot of death. Which is an interesting idea, but I am definitely not enchanted with it the way other people are.

I listened to the audio book, and while it worked fine for an audio book, there was something about it (that FOR ME), didn’t quite translate to audio.  Kirsten Potter was fine as a narrator- I couldn’t figure out why she sounded so familiar…until I realized that she narrated If I Stay by Gayle Forman.  I liked her narration for that book, and I wish some of the emotion in her narration for that book were in her narration for this book.

I also spent some wondering what happened to certain characters, particularly Jeevan, who we saw at the beginning, and didn’t see for quite some time.

Everything is very much connected, and I am somewhat amazed at how connected so many of the characters were. But I was kind of expecting something more interesting.  I was interested enough to keep listening to the end, and I’m a little intrigued by the idea that art and culture is important in the worst of times, but for some reason, it felt a little overwhelming at times.  And I was surprised she didn’t draw more connections to Shakespeare.  Unless it was there and I missed it, because I remember nothing from the little Shakespeare I did read in high school.

And I did find myself, particularly with the last couple of discs, wondering how she was going to tie everything up. It was an okay ending, and I liked that there was a little bit of hope that the world was starting to re-build.  But…I don’t know.  Something about the ending was also a little too unresolved for my liking, and I’m usually okay with unresolved endings.

I would like to see a Station Eleven comic book/graphic novel, though.  I want this to be a thing, because that is something I’d want to read.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

2 stars.  I get why people like it, and there were things I liked about it,  but I felt a little too disconnected from the book.

Book Review Round-Up: Vampire Knight And MeruPuri

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Book Review Round-Up is a random feature where I do short reviews for 2 or 3 books in one post. This is one is another manga round-up.  Enjoy!

Vampire Knight CoverManga #1: Vampire Knight, Volume 1 by Matsuri Hino

Published January 2007 by Viz Media|192 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: Vampire Knight, Volume 1

What It’s About: Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy’s secret. Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

What I Thought: I really liked Vampire Knight!  I randomly picked it up at the library, because the title caught my eye, and it seemed really intriguing.  It was definitely a good choice on my part, because I really liked the idea of a day class and a night class really interesting.  And two students who attend the day school but also know about the Night Class and are doing everything in their power to keep the secrets of the Night Class.  Zero reminded me of Kyo from Fruits Basket.  I have no idea why I am suddenly reminded of Fruits Basket characters in some of the manga I’ve been reading, but I am.

It was a little darker than I expected, with vampire-hunters and revelations- mostly the one surrounding Zero, which I want to know more about.  Certain things were repetitive, like Zero being from a vampire-hunter family and the only survivor of an attack on his family, and Yuki being saved from Kaname.  They seem to have an interesting relationship, as do Yuki and Zero.

It also felt like a prequel of sorts, because we were introduced to the school and characters.  I know that’s what first books do, and even though it’s volume 1, something about it felt more like a prequel than a first volume.  It was still enjoyable, and I can’t wait to get into the story a little more. I really liked the shading and detail for the artwork. It’s something I’m also impressed with, mostly because I can’t draw if my life depended on it.  But the detail, especially in black and white is really impressive.

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked the story, but certain things were pretty repetitive, and that got to be frustrating. But overall, I would definitely recommend it.

MeruPuri CoverManga #2: MeruPuri, Volume 1 by Matsuri Hino

Published July 2005 by Viz Media|192 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: MeruPuri, Volume 1

What It’s About: On the way to school one morning, Airi loses her mirror – one that had been passed down to her through generations – and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Aram, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!

What I Thought: So, when I checked out MeruPuri, I didn’t realize that it was the same person who did Vampire Night!  There are things I liked about MeruPuri, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as Vampire Knight.  I thought the curse on Aram was interesting- it makes me wonder about his relationship with his brother.  Even though it is explained later on in the manga, I still can’t help but wonder about it.  And the magical mirror that leads to the world Aram is from!  I liked that part of it, but I couldn’t tell you much of anything about the characters.  Although I could tell you a little more about Aram and his brother than I could tell you about Airi.  She’s a little bit forgettable, considering it’s her mirror.

The artwork is pretty awesome, which isn’t surprising, considering how much I liked it in Vampire Knight.  I just didn’t find the story as interesting or compelling as Vampire Knight, but I may pick up the other volumes sometime in the future.

My Rating: 2 stars.  There were some things I liked about MeruPuri (like the artwork, and a couple of the elements of the story) but it didn’t capture my attention the way I thought it would.

Book Review: Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine

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Ink And Bone CoverBook: Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine

Published July 2015 by NAL|298 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the e-book from the library

Series: The Great Library #1

Genre: YA Dystopia/Alternate History/Steampunk

Blog Graphic-What It's About

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

When I heard Rachel Caine had a book coming out, I knew I had to read it!  She is definitely an author I have on auto-buy, so I knew I’d be reading it, and it didn’t even matter what it was about, because I think she writes some really cool stories.  Ink And Bone was no exception!

I really liked the idea of the Great Library Of Alexandria still being around, and having daughter libraries all over the world.  The Library is also extremely powerful, and as far as their power goes, I was very much reminded of the Catholic Church.

There’s something about Ink And Bone that’s both steampunk and sort of futuristic at the same time.  But it really works, especially with some of the technology in the book.  Particularly with how they get copies of the books to the daughter libraries.

I can’t imagine a world where the flow of information is very restricted, to the point that owning books are illegal. There’s a black market, of course, and even groups of Book Burners.  It’s amazing the lengths people will go to in order to have books, and it really makes me glad I don’t live in that world.

Can you imagine a world where there is no Gutenberg Press, because it’s deemed too dangerous?  I can’t, and it’s sort of scary to think about.  I was struck by how much the Library didn’t like progress…and it did make me think of the e-reader/print debate going on today.  It’s really the closest parallel I can think of.

The characters, particularly the secondary characters, didn’t particularly stand out to me, and it took me most of the book to figure out who was who.  At least where his classmates are concerned.  I think they have a lot of potential, but I also felt slightly distanced from them, so maybe that’s it.

I think, of all the characters, Wolf and Santi were the most interesting.  There’s a lot more to them, especially Wolf, than we see in the book.  Wolf is particularly interesting, because of why he was teaching, and him wanting to protect his students.  I want to know more about him!

I have such a vivid picture of the library, and the different jobs there, and Caine created such an intricate world. There are quite a few mysteries in this book, and I want to know more about this world.  I also really liked the letters and such we got before each chapter.  It really added to the world and I hope it continues in the next book.

I also can’t wait to check out the playlist at the end of the book.  It’s one of my favorite things about her books, and I’ve always found some really cool music because of it, so I’m sure this one will be just as good as the other ones.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  I really enjoyed it, and even though it wasn’t quite 5 stars, it came really close.  It’s a great book about books.