Category: Book Review
Kushiel’s Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
(Cover picture courtesy of Val’s Random Comments.)
The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good…and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
Phèdre nó Delaunay is a woman pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Her path has been strange and dangerous, and through it all the devoted swordsman Joscelin has been at her side. Her very nature is a torturous thing for them both, but he is sworn to her and he has never violated his vow: to protect and serve.
But Phèdre’s plans put Joscelin’s pledge to the test, for she has never forgotten her childhood friend Hyacinthe. She has spent ten long years searching for the key to free him from his eternal indenture, a bargain he struck with the gods—to take Phèdre’s place as a sacrifice and save a nation. Phèdre cannot forgive—herself or the gods. She is determined to seize one last hope to redeem her friend, even if it means her death.
The search will bring Phèdre and Joscelin across the world, to distant courts where madness reigns and souls are currency, and down a fabled river to a land forgotten by most of the world.
And to a power so mighty that none dare speak its name.
What a great end to a great trilogy!
In Kushiel’s Avatar we finally see what happened to the east in Jacqueline Carey’s alternate Medieval era. Not only has the kingdom of Akkad not fallen, Egypt has not fallen either because in this version, Cleopatra beat Rome (called the Tiberian empire). But of course there’s a purpose to all this travel and it’s really twofold: Melisande’s son Imriel has gone missing and Phèdre has promised her she will do anything she can to find him.
What both poor Imriel and Phèdre endure at the court of the Mahrkragir is horrendous and it’s not temporary either. Even later in the book, both characters are wrestling with and trying to come to turns with what happened. I won’t go into more detail than that, but I think you can guess what happened to both of them. However, this is an important part of Imriel’s characterization and it adds a new dimension to Phèdre, who is settling down now that she is older (about 32 at the beginning) and taking less and less assignments. The dynamic between Phèdre and Joscelin has changed and it seems they have come to terms with Phèdre being Kushiel’s Chosen. Joscelin is quite a different character in the beginning of Kushiel’s Avatar and his character arc certainly is complete by the end of the book.
The plot involves, of course, a lot of travelling, but that is generally expected in fantasy/alternate history. There were times it was a little slow and things were sort of bogged down in Menekhet, but overall I was quite pleased with the pacing. It was definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, so it’s a good thing Phèdre can hold my attention as a character. I thought the ending wrapped things up a little too nicely, but I think all the characters deserve such an ending after all the suffering they went through. As I said, it’s a great ending to a great trilogy and I look forward to the spin-off trilogy about Imriel.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Book Review: “Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones” by Brandon Sanderson
This is actually the second book in this series by Brandon Sanderson. If any of you are interested, you can find my review of the first book in the series, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians over at 20four12 here.
With that out of the way, we can get to the actual review. Alcatraz and his trusty companions are once again at odds with the dastardly faction of Librarians intent on taking over the world. This time, the group is trying to track down some more information about Alcatraz’s father who has disappeared because he is supposedly the only person who knows the next step to defeating the Librarians.
Alcatraz puts his amazing (and much more important and powerful than originally portrayed) power of breaking things to use quite often in this installment as he explores the ancient Library of Alexandria. This time, his uncle is along for the ride who happens to have the power of getting lost. His cousin is around as well with the power to wake up looking ugly.
If you can’t tell by now, this entire book is written somewhat tongue in cheek by Sanderson, as is, I’m expecting the entire series. At first reading this book is a little bit difficult because the narrator (Alcatraz) is often running off on tangents, discussing what appear to be trivial details, and being rather self-deprecating; all while advancing the story. It takes a little getting used to but it works, trust me. I wouldn’t want to read books like this over and over in a row, but one every so often is a bit of a humorous treat. Unless your heart is made of stone you should find yourself laughing or chuckling fairly regularly at this book. Both the situations that the characters find themselves in and the quirky humor of the author give it a light-hearted, fun air.
The characters of Alcatraz and Bastille grow up a bit in this book from where we left them in the first book. They learn a little bit more about themselves, what they really want to be as they get older, and what their responsibilities mean. It’s not overbearing, but just enough growth that you can start to feel for them as characters a little more.
Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones is technically a middle grade level book, but I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good yarn. It’s outrageous, daring, quirky, and has surprising depth.
Grade: B
Length: 336 pages
Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter
(Cover picture courtesy of Down The Rabbit Hole.)
One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens—and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, and fairies train side by side, learning to harness their powers, control their magic, and live in the normal world.
Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks, either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half Fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.
Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear: Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs.
Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall.
*dull thuds are heard in the background*
Okay, even that couldn’t stop me from drawing similarities to the following books: Marked, The Summoning, City of Bones and yes, even Twilight. I’ve read the same plot many times, just in different reincarnations. This is just the latest, which is why I’ve developed the following formula for a successful YA urban fantasy:
Take 1 “average-looking” but really hot teenage girl who’s going through tough times at home and at school. Add in one huge, embarrassing incident where she either gets caught doing something bad or her powers are revealed and is shipped off to a special home or school. At said home/school Ms. Judgy will determine everyone a slut or a freak, but eventually realize that they are magical beings and she is as well, but that she is unusually powerful or completely unique. Add in 2 hot guys: one “nice” guy and one “dangerous” guy who are both magical beings and both are in love with her. Throughout her training, Ms. Judgy will realize that the people are not so bad and near the end of the book will uncover a plot against the school/home/students and foil it, winning the respect of everyone except your mandatory Mean Girl. End on a cliffhanger.
Congratulations, you have now written a best-selling YA novel!
Also, I don’t need to do a plot summary because guess what? I just described the entire plot of Born at Midnight! Kylie is a vapid, completely uninteresting, typical YA heroine. She’s supposed to be your average girl, but has guys tripping over themselves to woo her and telling her constantly how beautiful she is. (Hint: real life usually isn’t like that.) Hunter tries to add in some girl-empowerment by showing how ‘spunky’ Kylie is by breaking up the fights between her roommates and standing up to Burnett and Austin, two government agents. Instead, it just comes off as contrived.
The plot is painfully slow at some points, but speeds up in the end to trick readers into getting the next book. It has some ‘twists’, but I was able to predict all of them using the above formula. Although she doesn’t choose which guy by the end of the book, I can make a safe bet by saying she’ll choose the “dangerous” guy, Lucas at the end of the series. They always choose the “bad” boys over nice guys. This is certainly one series I will not be continuing.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
The Return Man by V. M. Zito
(Cover picture courtesy of Staffer’s Book Review.)
The outbreak tore the U. S. in two. The east remains a safe haven. The west has become a ravaged wilderness. They call it the evacuated states.
It is here that Henry Marco makes his living. Hired by grieving relatives, he tracks down the dead and delivers peace.
Now Homeland Security wants Marco for a mission unlike any other. He must return to California, where the apocalypse began. Where a secret is hidden. And where his own tragic past waits to punish him again.
But in the wastelands of America, you never know who—or what—is watching you…
Whoa.
I honestly can’t decide which book I love the most: Feed by Mira Grant or The Return Man by V. M. Zito. And for those of you who know how much I loved Feed, you’ll know that that’s the best comparison I can give. This is the best book I’ve read in the past few months and is a fitting start to my reading challenge.
Marco is living in the Evacuated States, working as a return man, someone who kills the zombies of people who hire him. The logic behind this is that no one wants to know their loved one is shambling around somewhere, slowly rotting and possibly even suffering. However, when the Department of Homeland Security ‘hires’ (coerces) him into putting down one particular man he knew a while ago, before the Resurrection. His connection to the man, Roger Ballard, is slowly revealed through flashbacks that, surprisingly, don’t halt the action. V. M. Zito actually makes readers care about Marco, which is why the flashbacks are interesting and exciting.
However, Marco isn’t traveling alone to California to put down Roger. He’s travelling with Kheng Wu, my favourite character. I can’t say much about him because that would spoil things, but his back and forth dialogue with Marco is priceless. The Return Man rotates between Wu’s and Marco’s points of view, which is a good thing because Wu is hiding his motivations and true identity from Marco and despite himself, will come to respect the American.
The Return Man is a pretty serious story, which is why it’s a relief that Zito used humour occasionally to keep things from becoming too depressing. Mira Grant did the same thing with Feed (another reason why the comparison is so fitting). Both authors write things in graphic detail, but the subject of this detail is different.
Mira Grant focuses more on the Kellis-Amberlee virus that creates zombies whereas Zito focuses on the zombies themselves. In extremely graphic detail. I expected some details, but the warnings in the Amazon reviews did not do it justice. Although it takes a lot to gross me out, I suggest that the weak of stomach and regular readers do not eat while reading The Return Man. Especially not something chewy and meaty like jerky. You have been warned. So don’t be like a lot of people who gave the book a mediocre rating because of the gore. Since I’ve warned you, you have no excuse. Here’s a sample passage from page 153:
“A sludge of blood and offal carpeted the floor, inches thick. But solid. Hardened with time. The bodies had been dead for years, dried now and colourless. Spines torn apart, brains gnashed. These victims had been devoured too quickly, too completely to resurrect.”
The plot is fast-paced and unpredictable, what with zombies around every corner. Unlike a lot of books with huge plot twists, the ending of The Return Man actually makes sense, even if it is a bit sad. And what a plot twist in the Epilogue, just when you think it’s all over! I want the next book now, but unfortunately there is no word on when Zito plans to write the sequel. After all, his debut novel was just released in 2012.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Claudius the God by Robert Graves
(Cover picture courtesy of 10Thirty.)
Claudius has survived the murderous intrigues of his predecessors to become, reluctantly, Emperor of Rome. Here he recounts his surprisingly successful reign: how he cultivates the loyalty of the army and the common people to repair the damage caused by Caligula; his relations with the Jewish King Herod Agrippa; and his invasion of Britain. But the growing paranoia of absolute power and the infidelity of his promiscuous young wife, Messalina, mean that his good fortunate will not last for ever. In this second part of his fictionalized autobiography Claudius—wry, rueful, always inquisitive—brings to life some of the most scandalous and violent times in history.
To be perfectly honest, until I finished I, Claudius I had no idea there actually was a sequel. The first book has definitely overshadowed its own sequel, which does tend to happen to classic books. I was lucky to even find a copy in the bookstore, which I took despite absolutely hating the cover. Whoever designed it goes by the maxim ‘sex sells’, you can be sure of that. But I digress.
In some ways I enjoyed Claudius the God more than I, Claudius. One thing I really did like was that poor Claudius finally does get to be the good emperor we all know he would be. In fiction I can be a sucker for tragedy, so the inevitably of his death upped the tension for me and since Robert Graves wrote this as a memoir, we have Claudius dropping little hints about his fate. This is especially true when he talks of how much he was in love with Messalina and didn’t discover her betrayals until much, much later. Thus the subtitle “and his wife Messalina” in some editions of the book.
At the same time, I wasn’t as emotionally invested in Claudius the God as I was in the first book. Perhaps it was Claudius’ eventual change from idealist who wants to restore the Republic to cynical Emperor who does not fight fate when it comes to Nero taking the throne after him. Of course Graves had to stick to history, but I would have liked to see Claudius care a little more about what would happen after he died. His friendship with Herod Agrippa was interesting and certainly played a huge part in the story, but I also felt it got more page time than it should have. The backstory on Herod was absolutely necessary, but it did slow the action to a crawl for the first part of the book.
I had a hard time getting through parts like the Herod backstory, but Robert Graves more than made up for it in the sheer attention to detail. We learn so much about Roman life and get a sense of how the Romans really viewed the world around them, including their conquered territories and provinces. The interactions between the different power players of the day (Vitellius, Messalina, Narcissus, Agrippinilla and many more) were pretty much the best part of the book. And you can’t help but love poor Claudius, despite his flaws.
I give this book 4/5 stars.