Category: Book Review
The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
(Cover picture courtesy of A Reader’s Journal.)
A story rich in passion and legend, The Lady of the Rivers is the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.
When Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.
The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of their royal York rivals. As Jacquetta fights for her king and queen, she can see an extraordinary and unexpected future for her daughter Elizabeth: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York…
The Lady of the Rivers is, so far, my favourite book in Philippa Gregory’s The Cousins’ War series. It was even better than The White Queen, mainly because we never saw the downfall of the Yorks, which always made me a bit sad. Jacquetta was one of my favourite characters in the first book, so I was definitely glad to see that she got a book to herself. The story of her childhood, first loveless marriage and subsequent marriage for love is fascinating. And to think, all of this (the broad events of her life) actually happened.
Jacquetta is an amazing narrator. She’s strong, cunning and yet vulnerable when it comes to love. She truly believes in Melusina and her special gift of seeing and healing, which adds another layer to the plot of the story. Unlike Margaret Beaufort, I felt that I truly understood this incredible woman; Philippa Gregory brought her to life in the pages.
The plot is faster paced than you would generally expect in historical fiction, which is definitely a bonus. It’s also fascinating to see Jacquetta’s rise in the English Lancaster court while she foresees an incredible future for her daughter Elizabeth that involves England being under the house of York. This is definitely Philippa Gregory at her finest.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Chasing the Falconers by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of J & J Books and Coffee.)
Aiden and Meg Falconer are their parents’ only hope. The Falconers are facing life in prison—unless Aiden and Meg can follow a trail of clues to prove their innocence. The problem? They’re trapped in a juvenile detention center. Until they escape one night—and find themselves on the run, both from the authorities and from a sinister attacker who has his own reason to stop them. The Falconers must use their wits to make it across the country—with plenty of tests along the way.
I admit it: this book is way too young for me. I wasn’t in the target age group when I read it and I’m certainly not now, but it’s still a book I like to re-read about once a year. Why? Because it’s a well-written book with a cliché yet interesting premise.
It’s kind of predictable, but I’ve read a lo of books and watched a lot of movies with a similar premise. However, for the target age group, this would be their first exposure to a premise like this (proving the innocence of someone who’s been framed) and as such, is a great introduction to crime fiction. Gordon Korman is an excellent writer and has obviously done his research when it comes to all of the exciting scenarios in his first book in the On the Run series.
Meg and Aiden are great characters; they’re sympathetic and Chasing the Falconers appealing for both boys and girls. They also don’t like resorting to stealing to survive while they hunt for evidence and feel a lot of guilt when they do, but it shows that they at least refuse to sink to a really low level. Gordon Korman makes the siblings sympathetic (especially when we learn more about their backstory) while at the same time keeping the plot moving at a fast pace.
I would highly recommend it to people ages 10-12.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.
Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters.
Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.
Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.
But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
Finally, a real vampire story!
I can’t tell you how ridiculously happy Julie Kagawa’s version of vampires made me. Vampires are stone-cold killing machines; they’re designed to kill humans. They don’t sparkle in the sunlight and they certainly aren’t century-old virgins. And vampires are powerful, so they naturally end up ruling the world, rather than being in hiding like they are in so many modern books.
Allie is a great protagonist. She’s strong and accepts being a vampire relatively well, even though she got off to a pretty shaky start. Kanin is an awesome vampire and I suspect we’ll learn a lot more about his mysterious backstory in the next book. Or at least I hope we do because there’s a lot of hints about his past.
The plot is fast-paced, the characters are amazing and the world-building is nothing less than I would expect from an author like Julie Kagawa. Blood of Eden looks to be a promising series and I honestly can’t wait for the next book. Even if you don’t like vampires in general, you will love this book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
(Cover picture courtesy of Tertulia Moderna.)
An instant classic upon its original publication in 1949 and winner of the first International Fantasy Award, Earth Abides ranks with On the Beach and Riddley Walker as one of our most provocative and finely wrought post-apocalyptic works of literature. Its impact is still fresh, its lessons timeless.
When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all bu wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly, inexorably, breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into barbarism…or extinction.
This is the story of one such survivor, Isherwood “Ish” Williams, an intellectual loner who embraces the grim duty of bearing witness to what may be humanity’s final days. But then he finds Em, a wise and courageous woman who coaxes his stunned heart back to life and teaches him to hope again. Together, they will face unimaginable challenges as they sow the seeds of a new beginning.
Earth Abides is a novel I would describe as ‘haunting’ in that it forces you to think about the fact humanity may not always be around. It also clings to your memory, even years after you first read it. This passage about Captain Maclear’s rats haunts me even to this day.
Consider the case of Captain Maclear’s rat. This interesting rodent inhabited Christmas Island, a small bit of tropical verdure some two hundred miles south of Java…
Yet such was the luxuriance of the tropical growth that the rats had not attained such numbers as to provide competition among members of the species. The individual rats were extremely well-nourished, and even unduly fat.
In 1903 some new disease sprang up. Because of their crowding and also probably because of the softened condition of the individuals, the rats proved universally susceptible, and soon were dying by thousands. In spite of great numbers, in spite of an abundant supply of food, in spite of a very rapid breeding rate, the species is extinct.
Sound familiar to anyone? Yeah, I thought so and it’s pretty scary because the scenario described by George R. Stewart really could happen one day. And, like Maclear’s Rat, even our evolutionary advantages may not be enough to save us.
Enter Isherwood Williams, an intellectual who decides to stick around to see what happens to humanity when he discovers everyone he ever knew was dead. Ish has a way of remaining emotionally distant that keeps him from going mad or making stupid sentimental decisions that would be detrimental to him. Some people hate him for being so ruthless, but I found him to be empathetic (if not always sympathetic) and a very interesting character.
George R. Stewart has an amazing writing style and even though as Ish dies in the last part of the book things get a bit confusing, I had no trouble imagining the apocalyptic scenario he created. The decay of buildings, the cropping up of bizarre religious beliefs, the lack of intellectual pursuits because survival is more important…all of this rings true and makes it a more enjoyable read.
I would highly recommend Earth Abides. It’s one of the few classic novels that should be required reading in school.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Image Courtesy of Goodreads
Synopsis: 12.07… a time of dread and anticipation for 13 year-old Conor. Every night a monster knocks at his bedroom window; but it’s not the monster that plagues his nightmares. This one is of a different kind, one that tells Conor that he called him. Yet Conor doesn’t recall calling such a ferocious and strange creature. This monster is old and has walked the earth for a long time. It claims that he is here to help Conor tell the truth. Will Conor find the courage to tell and feel the truth he has been running away from all this time?
Cover Gushing Worthiness: I think the cover of A Monster Calls is one of the most beautiful and dark covers that I’ve ever seen for a children’s book. Funnily enough when I showed the book to my brother he didn’t believe that it was a book written for children. As he glanced at it, he even said “It seems really dark to be a children’s book. Are you sure it’s meant for kids?”. The truth is that it’s meant for everyone. I like the darkness of the cover because the moment you see it, you instantly feel drawn to it and the story grips you in the exact same manner.
I should say that the original idea for the story was author Siobhan Dawd’s idea. Sadly she lost her battle with cancer before she could write the story. This is Patrick Ness’ tribute to her, where he states that he wanted to write “a book Siobhan would like” and I believe she would have loved this book. I first heard about the book through Stacey’s Blog when she posted some pictures of the book. I became curious about it when I read that it was about a monster visiting a 13 year-old child and that is where the story begins.
The plot of A Monster Calls is universal because it looks at how loved ones of cancer patients attempt to come to terms with the illness that takes over the body and later the lives of those involved. I don’t want to dumb down the story and say it’s a simple plot because I don’t believe that it does the book justice. But this book literally ‘spoke’ to me because I experienced a similar situation personally. However I was older than Conor when I went through it. But I still remember the pain, the grief and the feelings of horror I felt for some of the thoughts I had. The monster is very much Conor’s own creation because it is in the form of emotions Conor has pushed down to the depths of his being. However when the emotions resurface, Conor comes to accept the reality of the situation. The monster tells Conor three stories in an attempt to get Conor to reveal the truth he has been running from all this time. As a reader you know how the story is going to end, but it doesn’t stop you from finishing it because you’re taking this journey with Conor. You feel his pain and anguish. You feel the anger and helplessness and I think this book teaches you a lesson in the human condition.
Character wise I adored Conor. Maybe because I related to what he was going through so much. I felt his emotions so much that I teared up a few times and it forced me to put the book down because I didn’t want the pages to get all blotched up with my tears. After all it’s the library’s copy. While I was older when I went through my situation, I can’t imagine what it must be like for a 13 year-old to watch the life you know literally fall apart as you watch without being able to do anything about it. I have to say that I was happy to have recognized the monster as it introduced himself and a I had a small moment of triumph where I went “Yes! You were in Robin of Sherwood” except he was in a different form. While the monster was a mixture of Conor’s emotions, there was a wisdom to it; like a mentor or a wise old loved one. The relationship between Conor and his grandmother was both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time because it reflected how much of a toll an illness on loved one can affect those involved. The relationship reflected the strain that both Conor and his grandmother felt because everyone deals with these situations differently.
Before I end this review I want to take a moment to appreciate Jim Kay’s illustrations. They were beautifully done. I liked that the illustrations were done in black & white because the colour combination helped bring the story to life. It reflected the emotions one feels when you’re in a situation like Conor’s. There’s no longer the colour grey because you know there are only two ways to the end of the story.
Overall I will say that A Monster Calls is going to be one of my favourite reads of 2012. It hit close to home for me and it brought up painful memories, but it also reminded me that I got closure, just like Conor did. I’m so glad that this was the first book I read by Patrick Ness because I will definitely be going back to read his Chaos Walking Trilogy. Ness has a mellifluous way with words which resonate with you. I think I might even purchase a copy of A Monster Calls because I know it’s a book that I want to read again.
My Rating: 5/5
Would I recommend it? Absolutely
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Also here is the book trailer for A Monster Calls