Category: Book Review
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
(Cover picture courtesy of The Young Folks.)
A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy–jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel.
Sixteen-year-old Gemma has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions “for a bit of fun” and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the “others” and rebuild the Order. A Great and Terrible Beauty is an impressive first book in what should prove to be a fascinating trilogy.
Just like the title may suggest to you, there are some great things in this book and some terrible things. Let’s start with the great ones, shall we?
I loved the Victorian feel of this novel. Libba Bray’s talent here is that she never loses the dark Victorian atmosphere while still exploring things like women’s issues and teenage love. Some of the things the main characters learn in A Great and Terrible Beauty can certainly apply to teens today, so I think this book is still very easy to relate to. At the same time, there’s still that exotic feel that comes with a completely different time period.
Another good thing was the main character, Gemma. Gemma is not your typical kick-butt girl empowerment type of character. She’s a little bit shy, impulsive and struggles to fight against a society where women aren’t supposed to have their own opinions. Does that mean she’s constantly fighting with her teachers at Spence over women’s issues and boldly doing things like wearing pants? Of course not. This goes back to the whole authentic Victorian feel of the novel: Gemma rebels in a realistic way, not necessarily in a modern way that YA readers have come to expect.
Now for the terrible: Gemma’s friends. I know that they certainly had their flaws, but they were still not given much depth. Pippa only acquired some depth in the end, but Felicity was just your typical It-Girl through-and-through. Yes, teenagers do stupid things, but the idiotic thing they do at the end of the novel at the behest of a malevolent spirit just made me face-palm. I mean, really? Hardly any girl would do that today, let alone girls raised to believe that showing your ankles and wrists meant you were a loose woman.
As for the mysterious Order I was generally happy about what information Libba Bray chose to reveal as the book went along. She reveals enough for us to understand what the heck is going on, but not so much that I could end the trilogy here. For now I’m going to reserve judgment on the other realms and the magic but I’ll say that I’m satisfied with the explanations thus far.
Overall, A Great and Terrible Beauty was a pretty good novel. Was it the best I’ve ever read? No, I wouldn’t put it up there on my top 10 or even 20 list. But it was a mostly enjoyable read and I’d definitely recommend giving it a try.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Sins of the Son by Linda Poitevin
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven’s plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal who knows of Seth’s true nature, only she can save him. Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself-even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator…
[Full disclosure: I was originally supposed to review this for the Sins of the Lost blog tour, but my books got lost in the postal system. So now I’m reviewing it after the tour and, as always, my review is honest.]
After that massive cliffhanger at the end of Sins of the Angels I was very, very eager to get my hands on the second book. I had to know what happened to Alex and Aramael. Would they get back together and if they did, could it ever be the same for the two? Seeing as I’m actually emotionally invested in this novel, particularly the relationship between the two, I just had to know.
I wasn’t disappointed in Linda Poitevin either. She manages to juggle a couple of different viewpoints while at the same time writing a complicated story, plot-wise and character-wise. Seeing as I’m a huge fan of characters with depth, I’ll start with the latter.
Alex is a very different person from the one we met at the beginning of Sins of the Angels. Her love for Aramael changed her and honestly, it’s for the better. Despite the fact that he’s been banished and she may never see him again, she’s a much more accepting and tolerant person. The patience she showed with Seth later on would never have occurred at the beginning of Sins of the Angels. I was just astonished by how much she really does change throughout the novel because she goes through some pretty awful things. Still, Alex stays true to herself and I love her for that.
Aramael is changed as well. He’s immortal but without his powers and so he ends up on the receiving end of quite a few of the Fallen’s wrath. He gets kicked around and killed frequently in the beginning, until the enigmatic archangel Michael is introduced. From there on, Aramael’s character is so changed it’s almost like he’s a different person, more devoted to his mission to find Alex. I can’t say much more without giving things away, but Aramael is not perfect and sometimes his emotions get in the way of doing what’s best in a given situation.
I’m the sort of person that tries to predict the ending of books about halfway through. Usually I’m right, but in Sins of the Son I had no idea what was going to happen. Linda Poitevin had so many twists and turns in the plot that I was left reeling from the emotional shock by the end. She spares her characters no pain and has obviously planned the trilogy out well because all of the plot twists make sense.
If you read the first book and loved it, I’d highly recommend Sins of the Son. If you haven’t read the first book yet, go out and buy it now! If you love romance, awesome characters, great world-building and unpredictable plots you can’t go wrong with this trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
(Cover picture courtesy of Confessions of a Book Addict.)
“When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires. The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapated mansion. Schuyler is a loner…and happy that way. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a popular girl from her school is found dead… drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn’t know what to think, but she wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger? Could those vampire legends really be true?“
Where do I start with a book like this?
Since I usually gush about characters, let’s start with them, shall we? I hated the characters in this book. I didn’t just passively not care about them, I actively wished for their doom. Schuyler is such a stereotypical Mary Sue that I almost stopped reading. She’s the drop-dead gorgeous outcast who looks good in clothing that could be generously described as garbage. She does everything perfectly, is never wrong and Melissa de la Cruz always harps on how good she looks in her awful clothes. Bliss, the girl from Texas, is no less of a Mary Sue. She’s the typical bouncy, happy-go-lucky southern girl who is transformed into a posh New York upperclass girl by the resident It-Girl, Mimi. Don’t get me started on how awful Mimi is. She’s just the typical mean girl with no depth and not even a single trait added to make her even mildly different from the stereotypical It Girl.
The plot is non-existent. I felt like all of the characters were just wandering around aimlessly in their designer clothing (which is described in excruciating detail) waiting for something to happen in their vapid, meaningless lives. When we finally get introduced to the vampire aspect the premise could have been good, but it got lost in the tedium of the first part of the book. By the time Melissa de la Cruz actually got around to explaining anything I was already past caring. Oh, and of course the main character is special. She’s not only a vampire, but a special one at that.
It’s only due to my stubbornness that I finished this book at all. The writing seemed to be that of a wish-fulfilling teenage girl, the characters were just stock characters with no depth and the plot didn’t exist until the book was almost over. It sort of got interesting at the end of the novel, but not nearly enough to even make me consider picking up the next book. If you’re looking to read this series my advice for you is don’t. It’s a waste of paper and a waste of your time.
I give this book 0.5/5 stars.
The Eagles’ Brood by Jack Whyte
(Cover picture courtesy of 49th Shelf.)
The Eagles’ Brood continues the saga of the Colony known as Camulod, and the tale of the descendants of those brave Romans who forged a new way of life for the Celt and Roman peoples when the Roman legions departed Britain.
Most know the new leader of the Colony as Merlyn; all call him Commander. Cauis Merlyn Britannicus is responsible for their safety, and all look to him for guidance, leadership, justice, and salvation. It is a harsh life but a good community, and Merlyn is dedicated to spreading the influence of Roman culture beyond the Colony’s borders.
Uther Pendragon, the man who will father the legendary Arthur, is the cousin Merlyn has known and loved since they were birthed, four hours apart on the same day, the year the legions left Britain. He is the tireless warrior–the red dragon to Merlyn’s great silver bear–and between the two of them, the Colony knows few enemies.
As different as they can be, they are inseparable: two faces of the same coin. In a world torn apart by warfare and upheaval, each is the other’s certainty and guarantee of the survival of the Colony . . . until a vicious crime, one that strikes at the roots of Merlyn’s life, drives a wedge between them. A wedge that threatens the fate of a nation . . . .
For me, The Eagle’s Brood was such a sad book. I had to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters from the previous two books: Picus, Publius Varrus and Equus. Although Caius Merlyn doesn’t have the flair and sense of humour of Publius Varrus, I really did grow to love him as a narrator.
The characters were great in this. We see everything through Merlyn’s eyes, with all of his judgments and flaws. He’s a good person but not a perfect character and gradually realizes his flaws. He can be more than a little judgmental and arrogant at times, but I love how the perspective is told from his older self looking back on his youth. It brings a little more balance to the equation and I loved Merlyn all the more for it. Uther was an okay character, but we didn’t really get to see much of the good side of him at all. That’s why I feel I need to reread Uther (the standalone Jack Whyte later wrote from Uther’s perspective) to fully understand him better.
The plot wasn’t the most fast-moving at the beginning, but the last few hundred pages went fast. The familiar Arthurian mythology we all know and love is now present almost all of the way through the novel and combined with the other events like the war with Lot, this made for a fast read. If you’re just picking this book up without reading the first two in A Dream of Eagles you won’t appreciate it as much, but each of Jack Whyte’s books can stand on their own.
I can’t and won’t really comment on the historical accuracy of The Eagles’ Brood. Although the main events of the novel are correct: the Romans withdrew from Britain, the Saxons started raiding the shores, tribes squabbled for control while the remaining Romans in the province tried to restore some order. I have a feeling that most of Jack Whyte’s novel is historically accurate because of what I know of ancient Rome as well as how he really sucks you into that period of time. You really do feel like you’re there and that’s something I’ve always admired in him as a writer.
Despite some rather graphic, disturbing scenes I really did enjoy The Eagles’ Brood. I’d highly recommend A Dream of Eagles series to anyone who enjoys the Arthurian legends, with or without magical elements.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sins of the Angels by Linda Poitevin
(Cover picture courtesy of Were Vamps Romance.)
A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…
Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case-a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.
Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.
[Full disclosure: I received this book as part of a blog tour. Unfortunately the book didn’t ship in time, so I’m doing this review later than anticipated. Either way, the review is still honest.]
I’m not a big fan of urban fantasy in general, but on occasion I do pick out a book that interests me. Some are total duds and others are like Sins of the Angels: amazing.
The world-building in Linda Poitevin’s book is simply amazing. And, if you’re so inclined, more than a little blasphemous. God, in this case, is called the One. And she’s most definitely female, which is something I’ve never seen before in fiction of any sort, let alone urban fantasy. Sins of the Angels touches on quite a number of religious topics like free will, the fall of Lucifer and why there is so much destruction and chaos in the world. Some of the conclusions the characters draw are fascinating from a theological point of view and they do reveal a lot about the characters themselves. However, I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you’re a very orthodox Christian. It does touch on some nerves.
With that said, I loved the characters. I loved how Alex (Alexandra) was such a strong, independent character. She’s tough and struggles with a horrific past as she tries to push down the memories that surface during her murder investigations. At the same time, she can be vulnerable and stubborn especially when dealing with Aramael (who goes by Jacob Trent in human form). Her chemistry with Aramael is great and I love how both of them slowly realize just how much of a connection they really do have.
I didn’t want to put this book down at all. It’s 300 pages long and trust me, those pages go by very quickly. The plot takes so many twists and turns, but it’s never difficult to keep up with them. At the same time, you’re left guessing until the end and when Sins of the Angels does end you’ll be clamouring for the next book. I know I was.
I give this book 5/5 stars.