Category Archives: World of Books

Veronica Roth: Allegiant and Insurgent

Book review, World of Books April 23, 2014 Comments: 3

I don’t think I have that much to say on the subject of each so I decided to do them together.

There will be spoilers ahead.insurgent

I must say I now understand why people were a bit disappointed and angry with the books. I certainly didn’t see that ending coming. Although in retrospect, it’s not bad. Just not what I’m used to. I’m guessing at this point you can guess what happens in the end? šŸ˜‰

I succumbed to reading these after seeing the movie because I wanted to know what happens next. Now that I know, I’ll wait for the movies to enjoy it better. I’m wondering though if Hollywood won’t feel the need to change the end…

Anyway, if you all wonder why people seem satisfied with the factions and there aren’t rebelling against them, you will get your explanation in book 3. I know I had my eyebrows raised at certain points because I kept wondering where their intelligence and morals were. The idea behind the books and the revelation in book 3 is a rather good one (albeit a bit reminiscent of The Maze Runner) but I somehow didn’t feel it was well enough worked through (or maybe it was just me reading fast trying to get to the end).

And the whole thing about Tris being Divergent? Nah, in the end I’d say she was Abnegation through and through. Which would also hold with the idea I got that in each book one of Tris’ divergence factions was more obvious than the others. She was Dauntless in Divergent, Erudite in Insurgent and Abnegation in Allegiant.

allegiantThe books are actually full of smart and deep thoughts, it’s just, they don’t need to be pointed out and rather obviously put out there (if not exactly pointed out). I read somewhere a critique of an author’s writing saying “Don’t tell us, show us.”. Here you don’t need to worry, you won’t miss any big statements/gestures being made.

I also got a bit upset with the relationship between Tris and Four – it makes no sense how they behave. At least from my perspective. I love that they are together but for the life of me I cannot understand them.

So, there you have it. I read the books and now I can’t wait for the movies to enjoy better what I’ve read. šŸ˜‰

 

P.S. Was I very mean? šŸ˜‰

Dana Cameron: Seven Kinds of Hell

Book review, World of Books April 19, 2014 Leave a comment

If you’re interested in archaeological,supernatural, crime, action packed romp, well you found your series. šŸ˜€

Yep, series. šŸ˜‰seven

Although, I should say here that the story is rounded off for this book quite well.

“Archaeologist Zoe Miller has been running from a haunting secret her whole life. But when her cousin is abducted by a vicious Russian kidnapper, Zoe is left with only one option: to reveal herself.

Unknown to even her closest friends, Zoe is not entirely human. Sheā€™s a werewolf and a daughter of the ā€œFangborn,ā€ a secretive race of werewolves, vampires, and oracles embroiled in an ancient war against evil.

To rescue her cousin, Zoe will be forced to renew family ties and pit her own supernatural abilities against the dark and nefarious foe. The hunt brings Zoe to the edge of her limits, and with the fate of humanity and the Fangborn in the balance, life will be decided by an artifact of world-ending power.”

I really liked Zoe because she tried to control her “beast” for quite a number of years before actually learning what she was and succeeding in it quite well.

As you start learning about what is happening to her, it becomes obvious she is not the regular Fangborn (seems both her parents are special).

One of the greatest things about this novel is that each time I thought this better be explained later because it makes no sense at the moment, it was. That was such a relief. As readers are slowly introduced into the story and many things are not obvious from the start.

One thing readers of paranormal novels should bear in mind is that these paranormal creatures are a bit different than what is “standard” in these novels. Which is always a benefit in my mind. šŸ™‚ Especially the part where the Fangborn feel this incredible need to fight against evil.

The other thing I absolutely loved in the book is so many little life truths hidden inĀ the story. If you’re not paying attention, you just might miss them.

Then there are some “Lara Croft” moments but I didn’t mind them, it fit with the story.

So basically like I said, a supernatural, archaeologicalĀ romp. Fun! šŸ™‚

Julie Kagawa: The Forever Song

Book review, World of Books April 14, 2014 Leave a comment

“Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companionsā€”her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any costā€”the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.”

I’ll say it right from the start I should have seen one of Sarren’s surprises for Allie from the start but I didn’t. All the better for dramatic effect which was rather great. šŸ™‚ And rather convenient for Sarren.

I very much enjoyed the ending to the Immortal series.Ā forever song

The thing that annoyed me (again), is the level of stupidity teenage girls achieve in the YA novels. I think that that particularĀ trend needs to stop. Being a teenageĀ girl doesn’t mean you’re so emotional you lose all common sense. I don’t see it happen with young male heroes.

But in Allie’s defense, she did learn from her mistakes and in the end I was rather proud of her emotional growth. Of course, love helped.

The great thing about this book is that the story progressed rather quickly. I am always surprised how time passes quickly in dystopian worlds. It seems like something happened a long time ago only so you can learn it was actually only a year since Allie was turned. So much has happened in the meantime it feels like years passed between, although if I had given it Ā a bit more thought, I would recognize the fact that not so much time had actually passed.

I also kind of started likingĀ her vampire brother Jackal. He is the bad guy with a slight tendency toward the good side. šŸ˜‰

It was very satisfying to see Allie and Zeke finally fall completely in love and be together. And of course be better because of it. šŸ˜‰

The ending brought some surprises – one I saw coming and one I didn’t. That is why I love Julie Kagawa’s writing, even though the type of story follows certain rules and you can guess some subplots, some, you are completely unaware of. šŸ™‚

 

P.S. Seems humans will never learn not to tamper with viruses.

 

James Dashner: The Maze Runner

Book review, World of Books April 7, 2014 Comments: 3

Guess how I decided to read this book? šŸ˜‰

Here is the trailer:

I can’t say yet whether the movie is better than the book but I seriously doubt it, as the book is rather good (and I haven’t seen the movie yet).

It’s a bit like Hunger Games meets Lost in a maze. And a bit scary and very tense while reading. You want to know what the hell happened and why can’t they remember anything and what is going on?!maze runner

Straight from the beginning it’s rather thrilling and the suspense basically never stops. You get so many questions in your head and you just can’t wait to get them answered and most do get answered but by the end, you only have several more that will require you to read on. šŸ™‚

Talk about a good writer… šŸ˜‰

And since I got quite a lot of those unanswered questions, Ā I peeked a bit through the blurbs for the following installments and I am already angry with the powers that be.

That said, i really liked Thomas and his highly analytic and cool mind in the direst of circumstances. This time around I felt stupid because I had all these questions and hoped to get them answered but no, I had to wait to the end. And wonder who would be so evil as to put them all in a situation like this?!

“When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But heā€™s not alone. When the liftā€™s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Gladeā€”a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.Ā Just like Thomas, the Gladers donā€™t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night theyā€™ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.Ā Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent upā€”the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.Ā Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.”

 

Gail Z. Martin: Ice Forged

Book review, World of Books April 2, 2014 Leave a comment

Book One of The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga

I don’t know if anyone else has the same problem, but after reading a lot of fantasy, it becomes difficult trying new things because so many similar characters, stories and worlds. I guess it comes with the genre. So once you had your fill, you basically stop wanting to read about more dwarves, elves, magical abilities, etc.

Imagine my surprise then when I came across a fantasy novel that both sounded interesting and was interesting from the beginning.ice forged

“Condemned as a murderer for killing the man who dishonored his sister, Blaine “Mick” McFadden has spent the last six years in Velant, a penal colony in the frigid northern wastelands. Harsh military discipline and the oppressive magic keep a fragile peace as colonists struggle against a hostile environment. But the supply ships from Dondareth have stopped coming, boding ill for the kingdom that banished the colonists.

Now, as the world’s magic runs wild, McFadden and the people of Velant must fight to survive and decide their fate …”

This description doesn’t even come near to what else is happening in the world of Mick, Connor and other characters (there are many). The story progresses quickly and we learn many different things along the way which will probably help our lost characters get to the bottom of everything (and possibly heal the world’s magic) but for that, we will have to wait for the next sequel.

I did get lost a bit amid all the Mick’s friends from Velant, as not all of them manage to separate themselves into characters you can remember but I didn’t consider that a detriment to Ā the book.

I must say I enjoyed the fact that magic got incorporated into everyday people’s lives in a quiet manner that gets unraveled later. The loss of that magic is felt rather badly.

I also lovedĀ the part where we learn about how resilient humans are, even in the worst of situations, most people will fight for a chance to live. Resilience seems to be a part of human nature.

 

Divergent – the movie

World of Books March 29, 2014 Comments: 3

I never thought I would think this, let alone say it out loud.

But the movie is better than the book.

There. I was wrong. I never thought it possible. But it obviously is.

divergent1

And how I know this (except for seeing the movie?) – I actually want to read the next book. šŸ™‚ Even though I still remember the feeling the first book left.

Now, why I feel the movie is better?

First off, I found the actors, Shailene Woodley and Theo James, to have done a wonderful job of bringing Tris and Four to life. I missed more characterization in the book but I didn’t miss it in the movie. Then, it actually seemed there was more explained in the movie than in the book. And the actors certainly did their part in bringing the story to life.

One more thing that I found incredible was the amount of the story that the script held on to. There were minimum changes to the story line which is not something I am used to when books are brought to life in a movie.

I am still surprised at what happened today but there it is – the movie is just much better for me than the book was. šŸ™‚

The only thing that I found disruptingĀ  at some points was the choice of music. As I usually do not detect that, I just go with the flow so when I noticed the different songs, I thought it was interesting that I was paying attention to music.

Now, the only thing I want to know is – when will the next movie be out?!

Richelle Mead: Vampire Academy 1-3

Book review, World of Books March 23, 2014 Leave a comment

Basically, this is the reason why I haven’t been writing last week. I got hooked on another (vampire) series. And guess why?

BECAUSE SOMEONE MADE A MOVIE OUT OF IT.va1

That is how the books crossed my path – I saw the trailer for the Vampire academy. The bad news, it’s not going to screen in Croatia (have no idea who’s brilliant move that was).

But to get back to the books, I’ve read the first three, Vampire Academy, Frostbite and Shadow Kiss. All I can say, the writing seems to get better with further on you read.

So basically you have good vampires (Moroi) and bad vampires (Strigoi) and then you have dhampirs who are bodyguards to the good Moroi so Strigoi wouldn’t kill them. Ā But as Strigoi are getting more aggressive and Moroi are stuck in their medieval ways, the tide is not on the side of the good.

We meet Rose and Lissa being found after on the run for 2 years and returned to St. Vladimir’s vampire academy so they would finish their schooling. And the shit is about to hit the fan from there on through the three books I’ve read so far.

They will both fall in love of course, learn to master their respective skills and try to find their way in the world where the old way is no longer good enough but the “old” won’t yield to change.

I enjoyed reading the stories a lot, the only problem was again my pet peeve of teenagers being displayed as unreasonable (sometimes even stupid) characters who are ruled by their baser instincts and then later they learn they’ve been wrong. It’s one of the things I had a hard problem accepting with Rose, she seems so capable, strong and sarcastic but then the general things surpass her level of knowledge. It improved a lot by book 3 but as the story progressed only for some 4-5 months, it requires a bit of a stretch of the imagination to imagine someone could grow so much

va3as a person in that time.

But hey, obviously it can be done. šŸ˜‰

I’m being mean now when actually Rose is one of the characters I loved from the start and thought was really nicely done. She’s brave, honorable and smart with a warm heart and a cool sense of humor. It also helps that she’s, well, hot.

Basically, I really enjoyed the books and lucky me, there are 3 more before I hit the end of what’s been written so far (I’m not sure if that’s the actual end or just what’s been written so far).

At the moment I’m debating whether I should read on or change the scenery for a while. Like I said, I got hooked. And unfortunately, book 3 ended with a bit of a cliffhanger…

Janet Hubbard: Bordeaux: The Bitter Finish

Book review, World of Books March 12, 2014 Comments: 5

I never thought I would get into a series without starting at the beginning.

But I somehow read the blurbs for both books and didn’t think there would be a connection, save from the main character Max getting into another mystery crime.

Seems I was a bit wrong on that count but it doesn’t matter, as all the important things can be understood from this book in reference to what happened the previous year (in the previous book).

It’s a nice crime story centered around counterfeiting wine with a little romance thrown in. I really enjoy drinking wine but I admit, now it seems I am a total ignoramus when it comes to it (and I thought how I knew a little to get me by).Ā bordeaux

That said, chances of me ever having the knowledge the French characters in this book, who are wine aficionados, have, is basically zero. šŸ™‚ Also, I don’t have the means to drink that kind of wine.

As a side note, what I thought was perfectly reasonably priced wine I enjoy, seems to be the cheapest, lowest quality stuff. šŸ˜¦ At least when it comes to French wine.

And not only do I have no knowledge of wine industry, I also lack some serious information on the importance and complexity of cheeses. Turns out I am rather ignorant of much of what I enjoy in my everyday life. šŸ˜€ Talk about being put down in your place. šŸ˜‰

Anyway, if you want a nice, educating read about wine you will probably never be able to afford, this is the book for you.

Ok, that was mean. šŸ˜‰

But really, I make it sound bad when I actually Ā learned a lot and had fun in the process. The characters and the story could do with some more consolidation but in general, it’s a window into a world that was, until now, unknown to me.

And when the next installment is out, I’ll be reading it. It ended in such a way as to suggest a sequel.

“NYPD detective Max Maguire returns to France as bodyguard to a famous American wine critic. Maxā€™s mother is Frenchā€”so Max is not only bilingual but blessed, or cursed, with disapproving (and devious) French relatives. Max is not just escorting the critic, sheā€™s also keeping an eye on a very expensive bottle of wine whose authenticity is in dispute, aĀ  pawn in cut-throat wine wars involving critics, wine collectors, and auction houses. Checked into their Paris hotel, itā€™s not long before Max discovers her client dead in her room and the bottle stolen from the hotelā€™s safe. So she has no choice but to team up with examining magistrate Olivier Chaumont, the man she had fallen in love with the year before while solving a murder in Champagne. Olivier’s sidekick, Commissaire Abdel Zeroual joins in. Max has no police role in France but she stays Ā a step ahead of the French investigators using tactics learned back in New York, while Olivier weaves in and out of Bordeaux society where he is certain the murderer lurks. Is this something local, or is there really a counterfeit wine operation in play? Moving back and forth from Bordeaux to Manhattan among vintners,Ā restaurateurs, auctioneers, collectors, the rich, as well as among less privileged players, everyone is propelled towards a shocking climax.”

Tess Gerritsen: Girl Missing

Book review, World of Books March 9, 2014 Comments: 2

I wasn’t aware of the fact that T. Gerritsen wrote romance with a dash of crime before becoming such a great crime thriller writer. Probably because I only got to know her through the Rizzoli and Isles series.

But when the chance presented itself to read one of her early novels being re-published under a new name (through NetGalley), I leaped at the chance because I love her writing.

And I wasn’t sorry. I inhaled the book in one go (during one long evening, ending up very tired at work the other day). šŸ˜‰girl missing

“A beautiful young womanā€™s corpse is found dumped in a garbage-strewn alley. Now laid out in the office of medical examiner Kat Novak is an unidentified body that betrays no secretsā€”except for a matchbook clutched in one stiff hand, seven numbers scrawled inside. When a second victim is discovered, Kat begins to fear that a serial killer is stalking the streets, using a deadly drug to do his dirty work. The police are skeptical. The mayor wonā€™t listen. One of the townā€™s most prominent citizens, with a missing daughter of his own, is also Katā€™s chief suspect. As the death toll rises, Kat races to expose a deadly predator who is close enough to touch her.”

A huge plus for the novel is the fact that even though you follow the story and understand why (at some point) the stuff is happening, until the last moment you aren’t exactly sure who is responsible. I hate being able to guess in advance who the killer is.

And then a love story being woven into it is basically what gets me hooked on a book every time.

Even though you can tell it’s one of the earlier works, the characterizations are much better in later books.

That said, if you are a fan of Tess Gerritsen, you won’t be sorry you picked up this book. The quick pace, the thrilling crimes and facing obstacles to gain love, well, it’s all there. šŸ˜‰

Lost in a sea of books

I've been thinking, World of Books March 3, 2014 Comments: 9

The other day I talked about how I’m behind times in the perfume world and news reach me (if they reach me) months after everyone else has heard them. šŸ™‚

It seems that when it comes to books, I’m even worse.books1

These days, the only way I will hear about a good (new) book is if there is a movie being made out of it (and some of those aren’t really that good either).

I have a pool of authors I follow and read, whatever they publish, but adding to that pool is rather difficult. Ā Even when I find a book blogger I share tastes with, some of those reviews just don’t sound that appealing to me.

I also sometimes wonder how many people are actually intrigued enough by my reviews to read a book I found great…?

In the haystack that is the book world, finding your needle is very difficult. And the blurbs don’t help. The only reason I wanted to read World War Z was because I really liked the movie and thought the book must be better. Then I read the blurbs for the book and wasn’t very sure about my choice. Luckily, this time around, I decided to ignore them.

The thing is, that book is one of the best new books I’ve read in quite a while and I wouldn’t even know it existed unless for the movie.

That’s why I’m a bit sad now. How many more books like that are passing Ā meĀ byĀ because I don’t know where to look? Or who to trust?

Do you have a way of figuring out what books ought to be on your TBR pile? And how do you select from the pool of new authors those, whose books might be worth reading?

Or is it basically luck?