Category: Book Review
Drought by Pam Bachorz
(Cover picture courtesy of Pam Bachorz’s website.)
Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation. Escape from slaver Darwin West and his cruel Overseers. Escape from the backbreaking work of gathering Water. Escape from living as if it is still 1812, the year they were all enslaved.
When Ruby meets Ford–an irresistible, kind, forbidden new Overseer–she longs to run away with him to the modern world, where she could live a normal teenage live. Escape with Ford would be so simple.
But if Ruby leaves, her community is condemned to certain death. She, alone, possess the secret ingredient that makes the Water so special–her blood–and it’s the one thing that the Congregation cannot live without.
Drought is the haunting story of one community’s thirst for life, and the dangerous struggle of the only girl who can grant it.
In most books there is often a sentence or question that keeps coming up for me as I read them. The recurring question for me in Drought was: “What is going on?”
Pam Bachorz raised so many questions in Drought, but very few of them were answered. Who is Otto? Why does his blood have magical properties? Why hasn’t the Congregation escaped after 200 years of slavery? Why did Otto leave? Why haven’t any kids been born since the Congregation formed? How did Darwin West enslave people like this? And why is the Congregation completely in the dark about modern inventions when it’s 2012 in the story? Surely Darwin wasn’t able to keep them completely isolated.
There are some pretty heavy religious undertones in the book, but they made no sense whatsoever. The Congregation is much like a cult and Ford introduces Ruby, the main character, to the idea that they’re worshipping a false god (Otto), but I had no idea where Pam Bachorz was going with it. As my English teacher frequently wrote on my essays, “So what?” Why is religion discussed so much in Drought but never actually plays a believable role in the motivations of the characters?
Ruby, the protagonist, is decent enough I suppose. Like in most YA novels, she is 200 years old but essentially acts like a teenager and falls in love with a teenager. Okay, I get that the Congregation ages much more slowly than regular people, but really? Even if you are treated like a child for 200 years, if you see the kind of violence Darwin West inflicts on your own mother, you’re going to grow up a lot faster than Ruby has. Her ‘romance’ with Ford feels completely contrived. It’s like the author didn’t know how to make readers truly connect with the characters; her writing doesn’t have that much emotion in it, to be truthful.
Drought had so much potential but ended up being a complete mess plot-wise and character-wise. This is one of the few series I will not be continuing in the foreseeable future.
I give this book 1/5 stars.
Wilde’s Meadow by Krystal Wade
(Cover picture courtesy of Krystal Wade via email.)
Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.
Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.
Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Wilde’s Meadow is like an opera. Not because it’s melodramatic or the plot is ridiculously convoluted, but because it has grand themes and memorable characters. It’s reminiscent of Aida what with all the tragedy and sacrifice in the last part. But, unlike most operas, the ending is not abrupt and it is quite satisfying from a fan perspective and a critical one.
As many of my Twitter fans know, Krystal Wade has taken great pleasure in tormenting me about Wilde’s Meadow. When she told me she cried while writing the last part of the novel, I was pretty concerned. I rarely get attached to characters in a series on this level; I think the last series that I was this emotionally involved in was Harry Potter. Yes, the Darkness Falls series is that good.
By this point in the series there really aren’t that many new characters, but many of the old ones go through surprising changes, especially Perth. Out of everyone, he surprised me the most. But it was, as usual, Kate whole stole the stage (as she should). Her love for Arland, her desire to help Encardia, her friendship with Flanna…all of these actually feel real to me. Kate is three dimensional along with all of the other characters, something that a surprising number of authors can’t even manage.
Need I really say anything about the plot? It’s the last book in a trilogy; of course it’s fast paced. Krystal Wade spent a lot longer building up to the climax than I thought she would, but for whatever reason it still worked. Just when you think the book is over, she throws another plot twist at you and the suspense ratchets up another notch. This is one of the very few books where I could not predict the ending, which is a refreshing change in fantasy. I won’t tell you if it ends well for the lovers, but let me say I can see why Krystal Wade cried while writing some parts. I almost cried reading some parts and I don’t get emotional over books very often.
If you’re looking for an amazing fantasy trilogy with memorable characters and a satisfying (if not completely happy) ending, I would highly recommend the Darkness Falls trilogy.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Eve by Anna Carey
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, but the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust…and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.
I started reading Eve after I finished Kushiel’s Dart, which was around two in the morning. I intended just to read up to chapter 10, which would give me a good head start on tomorrow’s reading.
Yeah, right.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop reading Eve, something that’s extremely unusual in dystopic YA for me. That is how I came to read until four in the morning on Sunday. Staying up late to read on the weekend is not exactly unusual for me, but staying up late to read dystopic YA? That’s new. I have nothing against dystopian YA, but it like if you’ve read one book, you’ve read them all in terms of plot.
True, I could predict most plot twists in Eve. Really, it follows the basic plot arc of all dystopia, not just YA. Yet, somehow, Anna Carey managed to keep me in suspense, flipping pages furiously to find out what happened next. It may seem like a contradiction, but I did predict the basic plot of the story and find it suspenseful at the same time. Why? Because the characters intrigued me.
From the book’s blurb you get the impression that Eve and Caleb are your typical YA couple, but they’re not. Eve has led a very, very sheltered life and she has been conditioned not to trust men. They don’t fall in Insta-Love but you get the feeling that this is a typical first love with all those messy, intense emotions and all of the ups and downs of a rollercoaster.
The world-building is good, but it never crosses into the realm of “Wow! That was amazing!” The way the King of New America rose to power seems plausible, as do the labour camps for orphaned boys, but I would have liked more detail about the plague. What it was, how it started, etc. But that’s probably just me who likes the gory details, so I can’t really complain about that. I suspect it will be covered in more depth in the next two installments of the Eve Trilogy.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
(Cover picture courtesy of The Akamai Reader.)
The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassing 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 young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with a very special mission…and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.
Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is a courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundation of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair…and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.
Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel’s Dart—a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.
Okay, you should not read this book or this review if you:
- Are under 16
- Thought Fifty Shades of Grey was too much to handle
- Think this book is only about sex
Trust me, Fifty Shades of Grey has absolutely nothing on this. You’ve been warned.
Yes, Kushiel’s Dart has sex in it. A lot of sex. Is that what it’s only about or is it even the main focus? No. That’s why it’s generally classified under ‘fantasy’ rather than ‘erotica’. You can read it for the sex, but you’ll enjoy it so much more if you read it for the characters, world-building and insanely complicated politics.
Jacqueline Carey’s world-building is fantastic. She has imagined a world in which the Roman Empire (called the Tiberian Empire now) executed a man called Yeshua ben Yosef whose blood mingled with the tears of the Magdalene and combined in the womb of Mother Earth. Thus Elua was born and he traveled around the known world with his companions, who eventually settled down in their respective areas, which are the different provinces and regions. The precept they passed on was, of course, ‘love as thou wilt’, which is why in most places the Servants of Naamah, the love goddess, are looked at with reverence and not disgust.
I’m vastly oversimplifying things here, but that’s the gist of the origin of Terre d’Ange and the other countries. Kushiel’s Dart takes place in an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still fell, but the aftermath was very, very different. Terre D’ange, Skaldia, Alba…these countries are all so vividly described that you can picture yourself there. They all have different traditions and cultures, which shows the true depth of Jacqueline Carey’s world-building.
Kushiel’s Dart is over 900 pages and while you may think that’s excessive, I will tell you for the most part, it was necessary. Phèdre’s backstory was well established and when she is fully grown, we are able to understand the world she lives in and can actually follow the complicated politics of Terre d’Ange. Trust me, I wouldn’t call them complicated if they weren’t, but they really are. Kushiel’s Dart is a book where you need to pay attention to every detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time. It’s also a book you can read over and over again and still discover something you hadn’t noticed before.
Phèdre herself is a great character. She can be ruled by her desire for pain/pleasure, snobby about other cultures and jealous of Alcuin. But she is very intelligent and when she experiences the cultures of the Skaldi and Albans she gives up her preconceived notions about them. Yes, she can be jealous of Alcuin at times, but she never really shows her jealousy and feels bad about it because Alcuin is her friend. It is Phèdre who makes the book and without a narrator as strong as her, even the best world-building wouldn’t save Kushiel’s Dart.
So if you’re looking for an intelligent, well developed world with a great narrator that just happens to have some sex in it, you’ll love Kushiel’s Dart.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Luca’s Magic Embrace Giveaway
Note: This giveaway is being hosted by Mark of The Masquerade Crew and will be open until November 4. It’s definitely not the sort of book I would normally read, but hey, each to their own.
Publication Date: October 18, 2012
Series: Immortals of New Orleans #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
In the Big Easy, Samantha and Luca embark on a spellbinding journey, searching for a mystical amulet that promises to release her obligation from an ancient, lethal vampire who’s been threatening her life. With cryptic clues and clandestine allies, will Luca and Samantha destroy the dangerous amulet before others acquire it, setting forth a chain of catastrophic consequences? And will Luca give into his erotic desire for the witch who magically captures heart?
To celebrate her new release, the author has agreed to giveaway TWO eBooks of “Luca’s Magic Embrace!” Enter below! Giveaway ends November 4th, 2012!