Category: Book Review
The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Strange things are happening: old friends disappearing, angels (or devils) clambering on the fire escapes of New York City. But for Pearl, Moz, and Zahler, all that matters is the band. As the city reels under a mysterious epidemic, the three combine their talents with a vampire lead singer and a drummer whose fractured mind can glimpse the coming darkness. Will their music stave off the end? Or summon it? Set against the gritty apocalypse that began in Peeps, The Last Days is about five teenagers who find themselves creating the soundtrack for the end of the world.
(Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)
Meh. I don’t know what I was really expecting, but I guess I hoped that The Last Days would follow the end of the world more closely. With all the suspense built up at the end of Peeps, I wanted to learn more about the coming worm apocalypse by seeing it through the eyes of someone in the Night Watch on the front lines. However, the group of people we follow in The Last Days knows nothing of peeps or the apocalypse happening around them until the very end, so it was kind of disappointing. This is more my fault than Scott Westerfeld’s because of my preconceived notions, but I definitely would have liked to hear more of how humanity fought the worms rather than just reading a past tense version of it in an epilogue.
Despite the fact it wasn’t what I expected, The Last Days wasn’t a bad book. It took a more serious tone than the first book, but it suited the gritty background very well. The characters were interesting and not exactly what you would expect in a YA novel, so there’s that. Alana Ray was my personal favourite, but I can see where many people would identify with Pearl or Moz. I would have liked the chapters to be a bit longer because at times it felt like head-hopping as each chapter had a different point of view than the previous one. However, that’s more of a personal preference because I like continuity.
In The Last Days I just didn’t feel the same energy or enthusiasm as there was in Peeps. There were some really slow parts where the book dragged on, but other parts were way too fast. My disappointment is partly my own fault for starting to read it with lots of expectations, but I can’t help but feel it didn’t live up to its full potential.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight by Gerald Morris
(Cover picture courtesy of Rainbow Resource Center.)
Sarah knelt and cleaned her blade on the grass, then sheathed it. Her stomach was tight and she was slightly nauseated, but she felt no emotion.
Ever since her mother and guardian were killed, thirteen-year-old Sarah has been living on her own, searching for the murderer. Her quest for revenge leads to greater adventure when she witnesses Queen Guinevere being kidnapped. Soon Sarah is accompanying Sir Gawain and Squire Terence on a remarkable journey to rescue the queen. But as the plot thickens, Sarah begins to learn the true consequences of vengeance and what it really means to be a princess.
Well, this was Book 6 of The Squire’s Tales series and I can confidently say that so far I love the whole series. There is no ‘bad’ book in Gerald Morris’ retellings of the Arthurian legends; they’re all great.
Although from the summary I expected Sarah to be a typical girl empowerment character, that was far from the truth. Her actions make sense and her character arc is gradual, but very powerful. Just as a warning to younger readers, let me say that this book is more graphic than the others and may offend sensitive readers. After all, the reason Sarah is looking for revenge is based on real, very tragic historical events. And the road to revenge is not without its victims, so just keep that in mind.
Once again Gawain and Terence show up near the end of the book, but it is Sarah and her Dung-Cart Knight that play a much more important part in the story. Gerald Morris certainly has an interesting take on Lancelot, who shows up later on. Lancelot has changed immensely from the first few books when he was a caricature of a proper knight: foppish, immersed in courtly love, etc. He has actually acquired some depth in this book and I look forward to seeing him in the next few books, if only to see how these changes affect his new life at court.
With a fast plot, amazing characters both old and new and hints at the tragic ending of the Arthurian legends, you won’t want to put down The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight. Even though it’s aimed at younger readers I loved it, which is why I recommend it to readers of all ages.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
“The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow” by Rick Riordan
I have finally managed to get my hands on the third and final book of The Kane Chronicles and I must say that Rick Riordan did not let me down with how he finished the trilogy when the time came. I was nervous that I would feel a little let down at the end of the series for some reason, but that was something I really shouldn’t have been worried about.
Carter and Sadie Kane have spent the past six months or so since the last book honing their skills as magicians, recruiting more members to the Brooklyn House, and trying to figure out how to stop Apophis from destroying everything they know. It’s a daunting task to say the least and they encounter several obstacles along the way, some of which were a little unexpected if you ask me.
There were several things that stuck out to me in The Serpent’s Shadow. First was how impressed I was with where the characters of Carter, Sadie, Zia, Walt, and Anubis wind up when the story is said and done. In the first two books there were moments when I wondered how Riordan was going to believably bring all of his cast together in the end to vanquish evil (and beyond of course). However, there is a very impressive twist at the end involving Walt and Anubis, and as a consequence Sadie as well. There is even a fun surprise when it comes to resolving Zia’s storyline that had me smiling. Carter, my favorite character from the series wound up exactly where I hoped he would as the reluctant, but capable leader who learned some very valuable lessons along the way.
It’s always interesting to read books like these that feature characters who are placed in their younger teen years because it’s strange to think of 13, 14, and 15-year-olds saving the world, but Riordan made it work. Props to him for pulling that off if you ask me. I’ve never read any of his other work (strange, I know), but I’ll be diving into the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books as soon as I can find the time. There is even a blatant hint at the end of this book that Riordan is eventually going to try and write some crossover books between his three successful series. That will be epic if he does it right.
All in all, The Serpent’s Shadow was a great conclusion to a story full of excitement, action, interesting Egyptian mythology, and a healthy dose of heart and grit. It brought all the characters and plot points together into just the right place and managed to do it in a book that was shorter than the first two without feeling rushed.
Grade: B
Length: 401 pages
Curse of the Ice Dragon by Tara West
(Cover picture courtesy of Guerrilla Wordfare.)
Born with mark [sic] of the Mighty Hunter, Markus saves his village from the brink of starvation—for whenever he releases an arrow, his aim is true. But despite his skill and strength, Markus is unable to confront his tyrannical father. Shamed by his cowardice, he distracts himself by needlessly shooting the forest creatures.
When Markus takes no heed of the village prophet’s warning that his actions will attract The Hunter’s Curse—for every animal Markus kills, his loved ones will suffer the same fate—the Sky Goddess unleashes her ice dragon. Now, Markus must flee the dragon without killing it…or his beloved brother will be the next to die.
[Full disclosure: Tara West sent me a free print copy of her novel in return for an honest review.]
When I started Curse of the Ice Dragon, I was expecting the plot to follow the traditional Hero’s Quest format. That’s not an altogether unreasonable assumption in most of the high fantasy I read. Yet my assumption was proved wrong! In some ways it did follow the Hero’s Quest format, but I absolutely love the unique spins Tara West put on old clichés to make the plot exciting and at times unpredictable.
To be perfectly honest, I hated Markus at first. He was cruel, selfish and completely unsympathetic, but that didn’t last for long. Markus goes on quite the character arc and by the end of the novel, he’s a completely new person and I’m looking forward to seeing how he changes throughout the rest of the series. He’s not the only character that stood out, though. All of the characters were three dimensional and had realistic motivations, but Ura particularly stood out for me. She’s concerned about her brother who left to go topside while at the same time must ward off Bane’s advances and keep her father company. Ura is definitely not your typical fantasy heroine and her character arc is just as interesting as Markus’, if not more.
I was rather skeptical about the world-building because it seemed like a typical fantasy world based on Norse mythology. Things couldn’t have been more far from the truth, which was yet another pleasant surprise. Readers will recognize a few typical fantasy elements, but Tara West never strays into the realm of hopelessly cliché. There are so many new things and such an exciting plot that you won’t be able to put Curse of the Ice Dragon down. Personally, I can’t wait for the next book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
(Cover picture courtesy of In The Next Room.)
Okay, let’s clear up some myths about vampires. First of all, you won’t see me using the v-word much. In the Night Watch, we prefer the term parasite positives or peeps for short.
The main thing to remember is that there’s no magic involved. No flying. No transforming into bats or rats either. We’re talking about a disease.
After a chance encounter with a mysterious woman one night, Cal Thompson’s life is changed forever. He’s been infected with an insidious parasite. The good news: he’s only a carrier—still sane, without the worst of the symptoms. The bad news: he’s infected all his former girlfriends—and now they’ve turned into what Cal calls peeps. The rest of us call them vampires. And it’s Cal’s job to hunt them down before they create even more of their kind.
I don’t consider myself a person who’s easily grossed out, but congratulations must go to Scott Westerfeld for managing to do just that! He goes into incredible detail not just for the peeps parasite, but for many other parasites. You see, every other chapter he describes a kind of parasite that is either good or bad and ties it into the story very well in the end. That’s a lot of parasites to gross you out. And the parasites are nothing in comparison to some of the disgusting situations Cal gets into.
In other words: Don’t read this while you’re eating. Or before you go to sleep, like I did.
Scott Westerfeld’s sense of humour shines through more in Peeps than in his Uglies series because Cal is just that kind of character. He’s snarky and sarcastic, but also wracked with guilt over spreading the peeps disease to all of his ex-girlfriends, making them insane. Not only is the parasite spread through sexual contact, it can be spread by bodily fluids like saliva. So you can imagine how scared he is when he meets Lace, who seems determined to interfere in his life and may even be falling in love with him.
The plot is quite fast-paced and Peeps has lots of twists and turns I never saw coming. The best part is that it’s not your typical vampire story, so it’s pretty hard to get bored with the premise. And the cliffhanger at the ending will make you want to read the next book, The Last Days because of the huge plot twist in the end. I can’t wait for the next book!
I give this book 4/5 stars.