Category: Book Review
The Necromancer by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
San Fransisco:
Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And they’re both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they’ll need to protect themselves, they’ve lost Scatty, and they’re still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Can they trust anyone?
Alcatraz:
Dr. Dee underestimated Perenelle Flamel’s power. Alcatraz could not hold her, Nereus was no match for her, and she was able to align herself with the most unlikely of allies. But she wasn’t the only one being held on the island. Behind the prison’s bars and protective sigils were a menagerie of monsters, and now Machiavelli has come to Alcatraz to loose them on San Fransisco.
Perenelle might be powerful, but each day she weakens, and even with Nicholas back at her side, a battle this size would be too much for her. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight, to protect the city, but the effort would probably kill them both.
London:
Having been unable to regain the two final pages of the Codex, Dee has failed his Elder and is now an outlaw.
But the Magician has a plan. With the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. All he needs is the help of the Archons. But for his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. For that, he’ll have to train a necromancer.
Despite what this gigantic blurb may make you think, The Necromancer is not an overly complicated book, I promise. The only thing you should take away from this blurb is that whoever wrote it desperately needs to learn the art of summarizing. Moving on…
As usual, Michael Scott’s writing is pared down and easy to read, which also makes for a nice, fast-paced plot. He knows just when to switch to another thread of the storyline to keep the plot moving along quickly. It is incredibly hard to put The Necromancer down and, as usual, it kept me reading until the very early hours of the morning.
Aside from the excellent pacing, the thing I love most about The Necromancer is the character development. Michael Scott allows his characters to develop at a natural pace, so they feel a lot more authentic than most characters in fast-paced novels. Alliances change and the line between good and evil blurs as Sophie and Josh Newman are put to the test again and again as Litha approaches. They are supposed to be the ones to save the world, but the ending of this book will leave you in severe doubt that there will be a happy ending to the series. Trust me, you won’t see what’s coming, but the cliffhanger at the end makes sense when you look at the series as a whole.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
(Cover picture courtesy of Simania.)
In a feat of virtuoso storytelling, Anne Rice unleashes Akasha, the queen of the damned, who has risen from a six-thousand-year sleep to let loose the powers of the night. Akasha has a marvelously devious plan to “save” mankind and destroy the vampire Lestat—in this extraordinarily sensual novel of complex, erotic, electrifying world of the undead.
The Queen of the Damned is, out of all the books in The Vampire Chronicles, the one I enjoyed the most. Why? Because I’m shamelessly obsessed with ancient Egypt.
Now, no one really knows much about Pre-Dynastic Egypt and Anne Rice paints a vivid picture of what could have been. The reasons behind the cannibalism practiced by Maharet and Mekare’s tribe are very intriguing, however, there is little to no evidence supporting the practice of such ritual cannibalism in Egypt. In fact, the only real evidence of cannibalism in Egypt is found in the autobiography of Ankhtifi, a man who lived during the First Intermediate Period. As much as it makes a nice story, I have to point out that it was not Akasha and Enkil who united Egypt. It was Narmer (Menes to the Greeks) and his queen Neithhotep who first ruled over a unified Egypt.
Aside from inaccuracies most people wouldn’t notice, The Queen of the Damned is a good book. The plot is not very fast, but Anne Rice made up for it in her sensual descriptions and intriguing characters. Unlike most villains, Akasha is a three dimensional character, with redeeming qualities to complement her gaping flaws. She also has realistic motivations behind her deeds, which makes her stand out from the crowd.
As with all of Anne Rice’s books, this is not recommended for young or sensitive readers. There are explicit sex scenes, cannibalism and violence. Personally, I would not recommend The Queen of the Damned for anyone under the age of fourteen.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
(Cover picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy. Here, hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets…
After escaping from their cruel aunt and uncle, orphans Prosper and Bo meet a mysterious boy who calls himself the “Thief Lord”. Clever and charming, the Thief Lord leads a band of street children who enjoy making mischief. But the Thief Lord also has a dark secret. And suddenly Prosper and Bo find themselves on a fantastical journey to a forgotten place. What they discover there will change the course of their destiny.
In The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke transports readers to the enchanting world of Venice, a city filled with canals, gondolas and ancient buildings. But there’s a dark side to this beautiful city, a side that no one hears about—the side that homeless children like Riccio, Mosca, Hornet, Bo and Prosper deal with every day. Luckily, the children are taken care of by the Thief Lord, Scipio (as in Scipio Africanus, the long-haired Roman general). Of course, not everything is as it seems.
Cornelia Funke’s writing style is second to none when it comes to children/tween literature. She doesn’t usually write stories that take place in the real world, but when she does, she still manages to insert her signature hint of magic. The Thief Lord seems like your average realistic fiction novel, until the climax, where the magic that was there all along finally reveals itself. And trust me, even the most attentive reader won’t be able to predict half of the things that happen during the climax.
Full of twists and turns, heartbreak and humour, The Thief Lord will captivate its young readers. Readers will also be able to identify with at least one of the children, if not all of them, which is the beauty of Cornelia Funke’s stories. Her writing is fantastic and her pacing is excellent, but what sets her apart from many writers is that she writes characters you will always remember.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins
(Cover picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Now, with the third prophecy fulfilled, Gregor is drawn ever deeper into a brewing crisis. For generations, rats have run the mice—or “nibblers”—out of whatever lands they’ve claimed, keeping them constantly on the move. But now the mice are disappearing, and the young queen Luxa, who credits them with saving her life, is determined to find out why.
When Gregor joins her in a fact-finding mission, he is relieved that this time, at least, there’s no prophecy on the line. But when the true fate of the mice is revealed, it is something far more sinister than Gregor or Luxa had imagined—and it points the way to the final prophecy he has yet to fulfill. Gregor’s role as warrior and his abilities as a rager are put to the test in this suspenseful, action-packed penultimate installment of Suzanne Collins’s thrilling Underland Chronicles.
Gregor and the Marks of Secret is a really great build-up to the final book, in my opinion. We learn about the aftermath of the plague in the third book, characters become much better defined and the ever-present threat of war finally becomes a reality. Honestly, what’s not to like about this book?
Unlike in The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins allows the romance to develop at a natural pace. The young love between Luxa and Gregor begins to bloom, with all of the awkwardness and heartache that it entails. Collins does not neglect relationships between other characters as well, as evidenced by Howard’s almost brotherly protectiveness of Luxa and Vikus’ rocky relationship with Solovet. These relationships are in the background, but they have certainly not been neglected.
As always, the plot moves along very quickly as Gregor rushes head-on toward his ultimate destiny. There are rarely any slow scenes, but the ones that are present are a welcome reprieve when you need to put the book down and go to sleep. Both boys and girls will enjoy this book because the themes of love and loyalty are universal and Gregor is an excellent narrator. Suzanne Collins’ Underland Chronicles have long taken a back seat to her more famous Hunger Games trilogy, but it’s time that they were recognized for the great books they are.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Discord’s Apple by Carrie Vaughn
(Cover picture courtesy of Carrie Vaughn’s blog.)
When Evie Walker goes to spend time with her dying father, she discovers that his creaky old house in Hope’s Fort, Colorado, is not the only legacy she will inherit. Hidden behind the basement door is a secret and magical storeroom, a place where wondrous treasures from myth and legend are kept safe until they are needed again.
Of course, this legacy is not without its costs: There are those who will give anything to find a way in.
With the help of her father, a mysterious stranger named Alex, and some unexpected heroes, Evie must guard the storeroom against ancient and malicious forces, and protect both the past and the future even as the present unravels. Old heroes and notorious villains alike rise to fight on her side or to do their best to bring about her defeat.
At stake is the fate of the world and the prevention of nothing less than the apocalypse.
I received Discord’s Apple as a late birthday present from a friend last year, which brings me to two points. 1) As you read this review, keep in mind that I am biased because this is not a book I would normally read. 2) For whatever reason, when I receive books as birthday presents from friends, they always end up being late birthday presents. This last point is nothing but trivia, however, keep in mind that I never would have read this book unless it was a gift.
Discord’s Apple is a very fast-paced book, a bit too fast for my liking, to be truthful. To me, it seems like Carrie Vaughn sacrificed natural character development for a fast plot. Sinon is a well-developed character, but Evie Walker, the novel’s protagonist, doesn’t seem real enough to me. She falls in love with Sinon very suddenly and accepts that she and her father are the guardians of a magical storeroom quite readily.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t exactly accept that Hera was after the legendary apple of Discord very quickly, especially if it was a complete stranger telling me that the apple in question was sitting in my basement. My general feeling about the characters is that Carrie Vaughn spent far too much page time on Sinon’s backstory and neglected Evie, who had great potential as a protagonist.
Aside from the characters, I didn’t really mind Discord’s Apple. It has a very interesting premise and Carrie Vaughn’s writing style is very clear and direct; she does not ramble on for pages about how exotic the landscapes are or how handsome Evie’s love interest is. The ending was very satisfying in my opinion because I love symmetry. The ending really does bring the story full circle, so that probably coloured my perception of the book as well.
So if you don’t mind a slightly unbelievable protagonist, but a decently written book with an intriguing premise, I would recommend Discord’s Apple to you.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.