Category: Book Review
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame.
In this electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller Delirium, Lauren Oliver sets Lena on a dangerous course that hurtles through the unregulated Wilds and into the heart of a growing resistance movement. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.
No. Just no. Lauren Oliver, why did you have to go for the love triangle? Hasn’t that been done enough already in YA? I know it generates excitement amongst fans, but really? Really? That wasn’t necessary, you know.
My personal cliché gripes aside, Pandemonium was actually a pretty good sequel. There were some great plot twists, a decent amount of character development and some world-building expansion, but there wasn’t that wow-factor some sequels have. Lena changed quite a bit from her old, soft city self and into the harder but still emotionally vulnerable girl from the Wilds. She’s also learned to hide her emotions better, which makes her interactions with Julian Fineman interesting. Seeing her feelings develop for him and the confusion she feels over Alex’s alleged death makes for quite a bit of internal conflict, but at times it felt manufactured.
What I did like (although it took a little getting used to) was the flipping back each chapter between ‘then’ and ‘now’, Lena’s time in the Wilds and her current undercover mission in the city, respectively. Not only did it convey background information without info-dumping, it led to very suspenseful moments, especially near the end. And the plot twists, wow! I saw the very last one coming, but the others? For the most part, no. Despite the love triangle (ugh) I actually like where the trilogy is going.
So there was decent character development, especially in Julian as odd as it sounds, a fast-paced plot and a fascinating cliffhanger. Overall, Pandemonium was a good sequel, but I wouldn’t call it a great one.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
(Cover picture courtesy of Fantasy Book Critic.)
Beware the Prince of Thorns…
When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. By the time he was thirteen, he was the leader of a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be King…
It is time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what’s rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar’s men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him—and he has nothing left to lose.
But treachery awaits him in his father’s castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?
When Savindi from The Streetlight Reader told me Prince of Thorns was quite unlike any other book because of the main character, Jorg, I was definitely intrigued. What had Mark Lawrence decided to do that was so different? Who was this mysterious Jorg?
Well, the short answer is that he’s a miniature Genghis Khan. When the opening scene in a book begins with Jorg and his men raping and pillaging, it tends to set a rather dark tone. Rightly so, as it turns out. Prince of Thorns is not an uplifting book at all, but what saves it is that it is an incredibly interesting book. Not just because of Jorg, but because of the future world it takes place in, one where there seems to have been a huge nuclear war that wiped out most technology and made it revert back to Medieval times. If that sounds familiar, it probably is, but Mark Lawrence put such an interesting spin on things that I wasn’t bothered by his use of that particular trope.
Prince of Thorns isn’t really so much about the post-apocalyptic world, but rather Jorg himself. This is one messed up teenager, something that I don’t say lightly. Seeing his mother and little brother killed at the age of nine while being trapped in a thorn patch and unable to help seriously affected him. He tends to lash out at the world, taking his revenge upon practically anyone in his ultimate quest for vengeance on Count Renar. If you’re quite sensitive, you will absolutely hate Jorg. But if you’re a little more open-minded, Jorg is an interesting character from a psychological standpoint. The success of Prince of Thorns is proof that main characters don’t have to be sympathetic to be popular. What they have to be is interesting enough to hold the reader’s attention.
Overall, I really enjoyed Prince of Thorns and I can’t wait to see where Mark Lawrence goes with this series.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Conversations in the Abyss by Michael Brookes
(Cover picture courtesy of The Yellow-Haired Reviewer.)
Stealing Lazarus’s miracle gifted him immortality. Combined with his natural ability of invading and controlling people’s minds this made him one of the most dangerous people on Earth.
But the miracle came with a price. His punishment was to be imprisoned within the walls of an ancient monastery and tormented by an invisible fire that burned his body perpetually. To escape the pain he retreated deep into his own mind.
There he discovers the truth of the universe and that only he can stop the coming Apocalypse.
[Full disclosure: Michael Brookes sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
I didn’t really like Conversations in the Abyss as much as I liked the first book in The Third Path trilogy, The Cult of Me. Not because it’s a bad book, but because it’s a completely different tone than the first book. I’d be lying if I said I hated Conversations in the Abyss, but I’m definitely feeling more neutral toward this book.
Part of my problem seems to be, as I said, the change in tone. Whereas the first book focused on the unnamed main character’s journey into evil and his subsequent saving of the world, this second book focuses more on the philosophical aspect of the coming Apocalypse. It seems that the Church’s actions at the end of the first novel may have inadvertently made the Apocalypse come a little sooner, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Michael Brookes is getting very philosophical in Conversations in the Abyss. There’s an interesting origins story of Heaven and Hell and the fall of Lucifer and also some explanation for why God isn’t intervening in the world. All from a Christian perspective, but it doesn’t get preachy. Just philosophical and if you’re someone who likes philosophy like I do, it’s fascinating.
Of course there’s some suspense and some amazing plot twists thrown in at the end, but there just wasn’t the kind of glued to the screen tension I felt in the first book. If you’re someone that doesn’t mind slow but consistent plots, Conversations in the Abyss is great, but if you’re looking for the energy of the first book you may be a little disappointed.
The characters were okay in this installment, but nothing more. From the brief glimpses we got of him, Pierre was a compelling Antichrist. Our unnamed narrator changed a little bit because of his predicament, but there was more focus on the dialogue between himself and the fallen angel Venet than on his characterization.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
Image Courtesy of Goodreads
From Goodreads
Love is awkward, Amelia should know.
From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It’s problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, is 15.
Amelia isn’t stupid. She knows it’s not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia’s crush doesn’t seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?
Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South by Laurence Yep
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
2nd Month, 3rd Day
…There was once a time when the Chinese could just make up stories and write them down.
They didn’t have to be afraid of enemies attacking. They could make gardens instead of forts. They could walk out at night without any weapons and look up at stars.
Master Chen calls it “peace.”
It is hard to think there really is such a thing. I find it easier to believe that a warrior can fly through the stars in a magic chariot. However, the history books and Master Chen all say peace really existed.
Depending on which edition you have, this book is either subtitled Red Bird of the South or Warrior of the South. I have the special edition, so the title on my book is the latter, but the book was published under both names, in case you’re confused. I’m just using the apparently more popular title for my post.
Princess Redbird is a truly amazing woman. She’s a leader among her own people and strives to represent her people well while she’s in Chinese territory going to school. There are times she loses her temper, but she always makes up for it and in the end keeps her promise to do much better. Not only that, she is a stark contrast to her brother Little Tiger in that she’s interested in ruling and actually listens to her people. The two make an odd pair later on in the book, but it sort of sets the dynamic of what their relationship would be like in the future.
I honestly had no idea the Hsien people existed as a separate entity in Southern China in the sixth century. But Laurence Yep’s descriptions of the way the Hsien lived and the completely different climate back then are fascinating and informative. This particular entry in The Royal Diaries is 300 pages long, so we actually have a chance to get a feel for the times and appreciate Princess Redbird’s accomplishments. Her military strategies are absolutely brilliant and she is a strong, but compassionate leader.
Laurence Yep couldn’t have chosen a better candidate for his novel. Not only is he a talented writer that brings the princess to life, but he also brings the world of the Hsien and the turmoil of the times to life. How sad is it that a fifteen-year-old girl does not know what peace is and does not believe that it ever really existed? Princess Redbird is one of the few princesses in this entire series that I truly feel connected to, which is an enormous accomplishment in itself.
Even if you don’t know much about Chinese history, you’ll love this book. And even though it was written for tweens, people of all ages will absolutely love Red Bird of the South.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
*Only available as a used book.