Tagged: masq1
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
(Cover picture courtesy of Collider.com)
In a new feat of hypnotic storytelling, Anne Rice elaborates on the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles that began with the now-class Interview with the Vampire and continued with The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned.
For centuries, Lestat—vampire-hero, enchanter, seducer of mortals—has been a courted prince in the dark and flourishing universe of the undead. Now Lestat is alone. And suddenly all of his vampire rationale—everything he has come to believe and feel safe with—is called into question. In his overwhelming need to destroy his doubts and his loneliness, Lestat embarks on the most dangerous enterprise he has undertaken in all the danger-haunted years of his long existence…
The Tale of the Body Thief is the fourth book in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, but by this book, it seems like her heart wasn’t really in to writing it. While the premise of the novel is interesting enough and her descriptions are just as wonderful, it seems to lack the spirit and enthusiasm of the first three books. It seems as if she was pressured into writing a fourth book to capitalize on her series’ fame and that’s the worst reason for any author to write a book.
Even though it feels like Anne Rice had to continue the series because of its immense popularity, Lestat is still as complex as ever and after being a vampire for so long, he struggles as a human. It’s amazing to see him struggle over things that normal humans do every day, like eating and going to the bathroom. Along the way he meets David Talbot, a former member of the supernatural secret society, the Talamasca. Together they discover that the man Lestat switched bodies with has no intention of switching back and they hatch a plot to get Lestat back in his proper body.
I’ll add my usual warning: this is not a fast-paced novel. Yes, it has an interesting plot, but no, it is not a fast plot because The Tale of the Body Thief is a character-driven novel. Anne Rice has wonderfully sensual descriptions and a compelling writing style, but as with all of the books in the Vampire Chronicles, The Tale of the Body Thief contains explicit sex scenes and other mature content. I would recommend it for ages 14 and up.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins
(Cover picture courtesy of Whitcoulls.)
Everyone has been trying to keep Gregor from seeing The Prophecy of Time. That is because the final prophecy calls for the warrior’s death. The warrior being Gregor, of course.
With an army of rats quickly approaching and time running out, Gregor must gather up his courage to defend Regalia and get his family back home safely. There is a code that must be cracked, a new princess to contend with, Gregor’s burgeoning dark side, and a war designed to end all wars.
The fates of the Underland and the great warrior, Gregor the Overlander, masterfully unfold in this thrilling and suspenseful final installment in Suzanne Collins’s Underland Chronicles.
Suzanne Collins still hasn’t managed to end a series well, but she did manage to end her first series, the Underland Chronicles, better than The Hunger Games trilogy.
What I like about Gregor and the Code of Claw is the character development. Gregor has come a long way since the first book and is finally accepting the role of warrior, despite the fact that the Prophecy of Time calls for the warrior’s death. His feelings for Luxa have also developed at a very natural rate and are complicated because of all the awkwardness of a first love. We also learn more about other characters’ backstories, especially Ripred’s, since there is more to him than meets the eye.
If you’re not going to read the series for its amazing characters, you should read it for the world-building. The Underworld is populated with gigantic rats, mice, bats and cockroaches; it’s definitely not your stereotypical fantasy world. Humans have adapted to their new environment, but because they still need light, they are at a distinct disadvantage to the other creatures they share their world with.
The tension between the races that has been mounting in the past two books has finally spilled over into full-scale war. One of the good things about Suzanne Collins’ writing is how she doesn’t let characters get through violence unscathed. The war that erupts affects everyone; no one, especially Gregor, is immune. But one of her greatest strengths is also one of her greatest weaknesses because her endings are never satisfying. I don’t like completely happy endings, but I certainly don’t like endings that are completely tragic either. Suzanne Collins must find a balance between the two extremes in her future books, but alas, it’s too late for Gregor and the Code of Claw.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Warlock by Michael Scott
(Cover picture courtesy of Michael Scott’s website.)
The twins of prophecy have been divided—the end has begun.
Alcatraz:
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Fransisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.
Danu Talis:
The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could have ever imagined. And they haven’t landed here by chance—the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare. The group was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist.
San Fransisco:
The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare.
Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost—forever.
Unlike a lot of people who have read The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, I like how Josh’s character has developed Although Dee and his kind would like to see the Elders return to the world, which would be bad, the true motives of Nicholas Flamel are shrouded in mystery. In the first few books of the series, there was a clear line between good and evil, but now everything is in shades of grey. And since Sophie and Josh are reunited at the end of The Warlock, it will be interesting to see what side they take, especially when we find out who Dee’s mysterious Elders are.
As usual, the plot zips by at an incredibly fast pace as Litha approaches. Old enemies become allies and old alliances have changed as the battle for humanity’s future draws ever closer. I think you’ll be just as surprised as I was at the interesting turn my favourite villain, Machiavelli, takes in this book. It was very unexpected when it happened, but in hindsight Michael Scott had been dropping hints about the change throughout the series. If you’ve read all the way up to The Necromancer, The Warlock is a must-read that you will thoroughly enjoy.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
(Cover picture courtesy of Reading Angel.)
It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.
Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she seems him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.
If she fails…
I love the Greek myths, so I thought I would love The Goddess Test. It had an interesting premise, with the promise of a good light read. But I have to say my overall impression of the book can be summed up in one word: meh.
Kate is an interesting protagonist and a decent enough character, but I had a hard time getting inside her head. Aimée Carter truly needed to add more emotion to her writing to pull off a romance like this one, but she didn’t. The chemistry between Henry and Kate was thoroughly unsatisfying because there was little to none of it. Henry remained too distant and enamored with his lost love, Persephone, and it still seemed like Kate was only there out of a sense of duty, even toward the end when she supposedly ‘loved’ him. For me, the characters and the romance they had just didn’t ring true.
The whole premise of the book had a lot of promise, but it too fell flat. I was expecting actual test, rather than just completely secret ones that weren’t really obvious until the end. This is a spoiler, but Kate actually failed one of the tests, but still got to be a goddess because of a loophole. It is probably my own fault for expecting The Goddess Test to be more like Ever by Gail Carson Levine, but I feel like I was let down when I read this.
If you love fast-paced plots and romance, you will love The Goddess Test as long as you don’t pay much attention to the characters.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
(Cover picture courtesy of The Book Cover Archive.)
Harriet Vanger, scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has certainly gathered a lot of attention from the media, but is all of the hype justified? In my opinion, absolutely!
The story starts off rather slowly, but there is something about Stieg Larsson’s writing style that keeps you hooked until things really start to get interesting. The main character, Mikael Blomkvist is a very three dimensional character that you can’t help but like, but the real star of the novel is Lisbeth Salander, a woman declared mentally incompetent by the state.
Lisbeth is so complex; she really is unlike any character I’ve encountered. She is incredibly smart and truly doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her, yet we also see her more vulnerable side when she begins to fall in love with Mikael. Lisbeth is also incredibly opinionated and her opinions are very unorthodox and nearly always challenge the status quo. In a way, I think she is a mouthpiece for the author, who probably wouldn’t have dared to voice such opinions.
Stieg Larsson’s writing style is very descriptive, yet not so descriptive as to bore the reader. When he describes the beautiful Swedish countryside, you feel like you are really there, even if you have never been to Sweden. Despite this descriptive style, he manages to create a constant undercurrent of tension that grows ever larger as the novel progresses. A lot of credit for this has to go to Reg Keeland, who translated The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo into English from its original Swedish. Translating a novel into a different language while preserving the subtleties of the author’s style is ridiculously difficult and for that alone, Reg Keeland deserves much praise.
The plot of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo twists and turns with astonishing complexity, yet it is not overly difficult for readers to follow. It isn’t exactly fast-paced by conventional standards, but I guarantee that the last 200 pages will go by in the blink of an eye. The ending was a bit cliché—aside from Lisbeth’s decision, even though it stays true to her character—but was very satisfying all the same.
This book does contain explicit sex and violence. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under the age of 14, at least. While it is a great book, it’s probably not good for sensitive readers.
I give this book 5/5 stars.