Category: Book Review
Through the Crimson Mirror by Daniel Alexander
(Cover picture courtesy of Beyond the Bookstore.)
Have you ever felt lost as a parent?
Do you really know your children?
As a child, have you ever felt alone?This is not your ordinary parenting book. The cover images depict something raw and naked. The topics dealt with are real and visceral. It is a story that we do not often tell: the story of parenting from a child’s point of view. A roller coaster of emotions awaits readers as the author chronicles the highs and many lows of his life. It blends sound research and experience with gentle storytelling to show parents the effect their parenting has on their children.
Inspired by dysfunction and tragedy, the author opens his life in order to help others better understand the human condition, and ultimately prevent other children from growing up the same way he did. The aim is to help parents notice the signs of dysfunction. More importantly, to do something about it before it is too late. In addition, to tell others who grew up lonely, or in imperfect circumstances, that they are not alone.
Warning: many of the topics dealt with are of an adult nature. For this reason, the book comes with a warning for children under the age of 13. However, all teenagers who read it should do so with parental supervision.Topics discussed in this book
what is parenting?
education
communication
secrets and lies
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from Daniel Alexander in exchange for an honest review.]
It took me a really, really long time to read Through the Crimson Mirror, even though it’s less than 100 pages. Normally a book that length should take me less than an hour. Now, that’s not because it’s a bad book I had to suffer through. No, it’s because Daniel Alexander’s book was good; I had to slow down and digest all of the information being presented to me quite thoroughly.
This isn’t just a book on parenting—it’s also a book for any teenager/young adult who wants to gain more insight into the choices their parents made. In some cases, it could be a lesson on what to look out for if you decide to become a parent. In other cases, it could offer an explanation for the behavior of parents. Daniel Alexander covers everything from educational reform to lying to your children in his book and it makes Through the Crimson Mirror a thought-provoking read. Do I agree with everything he talks about in his book? Of course not. But that’s really not the point: the point is to get people thinking about the choices we and others make as parents and how to see through the eyes of a child.
Through the Crimson Mirror is not a book for everyone, but if you’re looking for some thought-provoking commentary and insight all in less than 100 pages you’d do well to read it. Whether you’re a parent or not, you’ll enjoy it and start thinking critically about the world around you. That’s something very few authors can achieve, so I have to congratulate Daniel Alexander on that.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*Only available as an ebook.
Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh by Katie Hamstead
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…
The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.
Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
First off, please don’t judge Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh by the tacky cover. The story is so much better, I promise.
Since so little is known about the real Kiya (we don’t even know if she really was Tutankhamun’s mother), I’m willing to suspend my disbelief at the premise of her being Hebrew. Okay, fair enough. Most theories place her as Nubian, but they’re just theories and I thought the whole premise of Naomi offering herself to Akhenaten to save her sisters was just too good to pass up. After being presented with an Egyptian name, Naomi embarks upon a dangerous journey through the intrigues of a dysfunctional court and an even more dangerous harem.
Now, this great premise would have been ruined if Katie Hamstead’s characterization wasn’t as strong as it is. Naomi/Kiya carries the whole story on her shoulders as she learns to feel affection for and maybe even love Akhenaten, a man she was always taught was evil. She also makes friends and enemies in the harem, the most notable being her rival, Nefertiti. Or rather, Nefertiti considers Naomi her rival and the lengths she goes to in order to preserve her place as Great Royal Wife are incredible. Whenever I picture the real Nefertiti, I can’t help but imagine her as the vain, ridiculously beautiful, scheming woman Katie Hamstead has portrayed. Other notable characters of the time like the ruthless, but oddly considerate Horemheb feel spot-on to me. The characters don’t always appear to be consistent, but the big reveals throughout the story show that they were acting believably the whole time.
The details of ancient Egyptian life are generally accurate, although Katie Hamstead used the modern name of Amarna to refer to Akhetaten. But Akhenaten’s fits, the fact he discarded the old religion in favour of one god and his utter lack of desire to make war are well documented and I couldn’t spot any glaring factual errors. In writing about Akhenaten, Katie Hamstead had quite a bit of leeway as there are very, very few records from the time. Still, I can’t complain about the historical accuracy.
As for the plot, it was quite fast-paced for historical fiction and kept me reading into the early hours of the morning, far past when I should have gone to bed. It was really that good. Naomi was just a fascinating character and her confusion about Malachi and Akhenaten, her hot-cold friendship with Horemheb and the constant threat of Nefertiti’s jealousy kept me on my toes the whole time. Some of the plot twists were predictable, but others (especially at the end) I didn’t see coming. Especially the big reveal at the end involving a certain male character.
It’s that big reveal that makes me want the next book this instant. Although we know generally what happens to Akhenaten and Naomi’s son Tutankhamun from history, I just can’t get enough of Naomi. She’s definitely one of my new favourite characters and I’ve just found a new author to watch because if Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh is any indicator, we can expect great things from Katie Hamstead.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
As much as I hate to use the expression frequently, my overall observation about The Maze Runner was ‘meh’.
It wasn’t that the premise or the plot was lacking, it was just that I couldn’t be bothered to care about any of the characters. When Thomas was angry or frustrated I didn’t feel any of those emotions because James Dashner was telling me this rather than showing me. Moments (that I can’t reveal without spoiling everything) that were supposed to be poignant and depressing didn’t even provoke emotion in me. Thomas is supposed to become friends with certain members of the Glade and his mysterious past relationship with the girl Teresa was supposed to be touching, but I felt none of that. It was just boring and I couldn’t emotionally identify with those relationships.
The whole premise of a mysterious maze is a good one, I suppose. It could have been done better, though. The air of mystery James Dashner tries to maintain about the maze just ends up being frustrating because Thomas doesn’t know anything and practically none of our questions are answered by the end. Yes, I know it’s a trilogy but there should be some questions answered. Some of the things Dashner did to maintain the air of mystery were just plain dumb: none of the boys answered any of Thomas’s questions. Really, none. At all. That’s ridiculous, in my opinion; they should have at least answered basic questions.
Sometimes the plot moved forward at a very fast pace and other times it just dragged on and on, which isn’t a thing to be praised in a book that’s less than 400 pages long. Sure, Dashner uses mystery to keep up the suspense, but at times his writing was so pared down that I had no idea what was going on. It’s frustrating when you know an author has pictured everything perfectly in their head but thinks it’s so obvious that they don’t describe the setting to readers. That’s basically the entire story of The Maze Runner.
I give this book 2/5 stars.
Insomnia by J. R. Johansson
(Cover picture courtesy of Skye’s Scribblings.)
It’d been four years since I’d really slept, and I suspected it was killing me.
Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.
Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that’s utterly addictive. So Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.
Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster after Mia is him after all?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ARC ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
When I was flipping through the NetGalley catalog first I noticed the cover of Insomnia. Then when I clicked on it to see the blurb, I knew I would have to request it. The whole idea of entering the dreams of the person you last looked in the eyes is both intriguing and horrifying as we learn. It also comes with severe mental and physical consequences.
Parker was really a character I could connect with, in part because I’ve suffered from a lack of sleep lately. You see, when he enters other people’s dreams his mind is actually awake, meaning he is for all purposes getting no sleep. I don’t know about you, but even after one night of poor sleep I get cranky and irritable, so imagine poor Parker enduring that for four years. But then a ray of hope: in the peaceful dreams of the new girl at school, Mia, Parker is able to sleep. You can imagine that would make a) Parker want to see Mia right after school and not want to look anyone else in the eyes and b) creep Mia out because some odd boy is stalking her. So when Mia is being stalked and threatened for real, you can also imagine who she blames.
All of the characters were awesome except for the villain of the story, who was lame and completely predictable. Of course she/he goes on a tirade when they have Parker cornered so he can figure everything out. Still, I can’t complain about the minor villain too much because the encroaching Darkness inside Parker leaves potential for some villain redemption in the next book.
Aside from the characters, the premise was obviously amazing and well executed. J. R. Johansson really put a lot of effort into creating the premise but also building a world around it with all sorts of rules that Parker discovers along the way. The plot is sort of mixed in that at times it’s predictable, but other times you really can’t see the plot twists coming. If nothing else, it’s fast paced so those 350+ pages really fly by. Trust me, you’ll be glued to the story by both the plot and J. R. Johansson’s awesome writing style.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
(Cover picture courtesy of Eat, Run, Read.)
In A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin has created a genuine masterpiece, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill the pages of the first volume in an epic series sure to delight fantasy fans everywhere.
In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
So, here we are again: I’m about to tackle another incredibly famous book. Only this time there’s now an even more popular television series based on it. And I’ve already watched up to the most current episode of the show while reading A Game of Thrones. This will be interesting, won’t it? As always, one must ask if the book is as good as its hype.
In a way it is, and in a way it isn’t.
I say that in a way A Game of Thrones doesn’t live up to its hype is because for an avid fantasy reader like me there is no way it could ever live up to such ridiculous hype. Not even Harry Potter could live up to all of that hype. And that’s perfectly okay. It’s still a good book and I’ll try to look at it objectively, disregarding the fact that I’ve watched the television series as well.
George R. R. Martin jumps between quite a few points of view during the course of his epic novel, but I wouldn’t say that it got confusing at any point. Mostly the characters don’t retell the same thing another character covered and it does move events along quite quickly for a fantasy novel. The tales of the Starks and the Lannisters are fascinating and I love how we get to see both sides of the story, as well as the great subplot with Daenerys Targaryen, one of two remaining descendants of the last king. Daenerys is a personal favourite, but Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark are close runners up.
The thing I love about A Game of Thrones is that we get to see what drives pretty much every character. Not all characters are sympathetic in the traditional sense (Joffrey), but some of them like Cersei are oddly sympathetic. It might just be me but I feel sorry for her being forced into a marriage with a man who would always love a dead girl even though she loved him in the beginning. Robert never even gave her a chance. Characters like Sansa who seem annoying in the beginning actually acquire depth throughout the story and even minor characters are well fleshed out. There are the sort of girl power characters like Arya, but I like Sansa more because she’s a product of the culture she was raised in. In short, she was raised to be the definition of a ‘lady’ and that’s who she is in the beginning.
Westeros isn’t exactly the most unique fantasy world I’ve ever encountered because it’s based on Britain yet again. You can easily draw comparisons between Hadrian’s Wall and the Wall, the barbaric tribes, the brutal ruling classes, etc. However, I wouldn’t say it’s completely cliché partly because the concept of ever changing seasons like summers or winters that last for years is intriguing. The different lands in Westeros are interesting as well as the lands across the Narrow Sea.
So would I recommend A Game of Thrones? Absolutely! Would I call it the greatest fantasy novel I’ve ever read or ever will read? No.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.