Review of "The Corin Chronicles Volume 1: The Light and the Dark"

Wow that title's a mouthful. So I've taken a little while to read this one because at times I had to put it down--the sheer amount of character deaths can be a little overwhelming at times. Nonetheless, I finished it which goes to show it wasn't absolute garbage (actually it was far from it). This book by Marvin Amazon baffled me because I had a hard time deciding whether I liked or disliked it. (Although... I know what my opinion on the cover is... This is one book where I'll say "Don't judge the book by its cover.") In the end, I'm still undecided. Formal review:

“The Light and the Dark,” which is the first book in the “Corin Chronicles,” is what I like to call a setup book. Think “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.” Sure, it was an okay movie but it was all a build-up to the next movie, which needed a setup to be as mind-blowing as it was. In my eyes, this is essentially what the first book of the “Corin Chronicles” is; a setup to what has the potential to be a mind-blowing series.

It starts off pretty fast paced—a war between gods and demigods, and you think you know who the good guys and bad guys are. Lightning-paced battle sequences that aren’t so descriptive you want to cry because you don’t understand—really, it was a well-done, albeit straightforward (but lots of people hate battle strategy anyway so that’s okay) battle. Then you have the repercussions and a five thousand year skip. Thing is, the viewpoint we have five thousand years later is from the opposite side of the war and we hear a whole different story. Now it isn’t really clear who the good guys and bad guys are because both sides of the story are so biased. Which was interesting, original, and brilliant.

So why the low rating? I can tell you it wasn’t writing style—the writing was average and though I wished for a little more description but it didn’t both me too much. I can tell you it wasn’t the cover because I’m not rating the book for its cover, as much as this one annoyed me. I can tell you it wasn’t the characters… but I’d be lying. The characters. It wasn’t that I hated them but it was that I didn’t really care about them. Because this book had so many and they were dying left and right, main characters and minor. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem (“Game of Thrones” comes to mind) but the problem was that they were in the book for so little time that I didn’t really get attached to any of them. Just as I was starting to like a character, they’d die and then my attention would drift. Because the points of view kept switching and you never really stayed with the same character for long, there wasn’t really any development.

Which brings me back to my original point—setup book. Because the few characters that were alive will most likely make appearances in the next book (I will cry tears of frustration if they don’t), I can see that there will definitely be some developments and then maybe I’ll start liking some of them. The plot was also like this—just as things started getting really interesting, you get cut off and switched to another plot. And another setting. With different characters. And different points of view of the original battle! It was all over the place and nothing really connected in the end at all so the reader is left hopelessly confused and wondering why you even had to know about one plot. Things haven’t even started to come together, really.

The real thing that saved this book and has made me at least consider getting the next one is the last one hundred pages or so. They’re a quest and they all stay with the same group of characters (finally!). Although they do keep introducing new characters and I keep tearing at my hair and wondering why I need to know who “insert any name of a character in the last 100 pages here” is.

So, for just this novel, I’m going to have go with a lower rating. This is the reason I normally choose to rate a whole series; because I know if this series settles on one plot and starts connecting the dots—that really just look like a bunch of dots right now and have no real big picture—it will end up going to mind-blowing proportions. Because it has the potential to, it really does. It’s very original, as I’ve said before (I mean, historical fantasy mixing with urban fantasy? It’s brilliant!) and that’s something that’s so hard to find in the fantasy genre these days. But for now, I’ll hold off on further judgement. Until I read the next few books… which I probably will.

At this point, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Not because it certainly isn't worth reading but because I'm still not sure if it is. Only time (and when I say that I mean the next few novels) will tell. I'll give you my final verdict on this particular book but as for the series as a whole... the judge is still out on that one. Too soon to tell.

Final Verdict: 5.4/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber

Review of "Jinx"

Hm... I daresay that after reading this ARC copy of "Jinx" by Sage Blackwood, I have a feeling what the next big hype for younger readers will be about. Formal review:

This novel was a phenomenal debut novel by author Sage Blackwood that reminded me of my favourite books as a child. Filled with twists, turns and wonderful characters, this is one novel that you won't want to miss no matter what age you are.

To begin, I’d like to comment on the writing style; it was amazing. Simple enough for a child to understand yet elegant enough for an adult to love. Readers of all ages and reading levels can find delight in the pages of “Jinx,” especially with Jinx’s sharp intelligence and surprising humour. He has to be one of my favourite third person point of view characters I’ve read for a long time.

The characters are all absolutely wonderful. From the mysterious, cruel Bonemaster to the grumpy, hilarious Simon, I loved each and every one of them. It was hard to choose a favourite among them all be they a villain or one of Jinx’s many awesome friends. It was great fun to watch them all grow and to watch the bonds grow between them, and this is one of the few novels I’ve read where I really care about what happens to every one of the characters because they’re all so loveable.

The plot was fantastic with some twists and turns that I did expect and even more twists and turns that I didn’t. It was easy to understand and wasn’t too complex but it still wasn’t so straightforward that I knew every single thing that would happen. The whole thing, while using some elements from well-known fairy tales, was so very original that I had the largest grin on my face while I was reading it because I was so pleasantly surprised to find that authors can still come up with completely original ideas. That in itself was magical.

And oh, the setting was lovely! Absolutely wonderful new worlds and places to immerse yourself in with radiant descriptions. Sage Blackwood really managed to breathe life into this new world so that I find I just may go back and reread the novel to revisit it. I’d love to see another novel or two (or three or four or more!) that go beyond Urwald to the places briefly mentioned, though I certainly wouldn’t mind reading many more novels that explore Urwald itself. The setting goes beyond a simple extension of the real world into a whole new world that’s really found a place in my heart.

Really, I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I read it in a day and I think I’ll even go back and reread it because that’s how much I enjoyed it. It’s hard to find any fault whatsoever with this book and I think it’s absolutely amazing that this is the first novel of this author. It certainly reads like a novel of an author with a great deal of experience and I think it might just be one of my favourite books of all time. One thing I will say is that, though it can be read as a standalone novel, this has the potential to become a ground-breaking beginning of a series of novels.

Really, there isn't words to describe the depth of love I have for this book that took me back to my childhood reading days. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone no matter how old you are, what genre you like or how much you like reading. I won this on Goodreads and it has to be one of the best things that's happened to me on the reading level for the year of 2012. Highly, highly recommended.

Final Verdict: 9.0/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber 

Review of "Brokeback Mountain"

So I read this one by Annie Proulx. And cried. And cried. And cried. My advice to you; watch the movie first. Okay formal review:

I picked up this novella from the shelf off of the library after seeing the movie and read it in about ten minutes. To be completely honest, I thought the movie was much better than the novella because there was more character development all around but I still enjoyed the book. In a bittersweet my-heart-hurts-forever kind of way.

Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar were two gruff, dare-I-say manly cowboys who fell in love. And that’s basically everything that happens in this novella but it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful. The reason that I thought it was such a great story was because it didn’t matter that the people who fell in love were two men, it didn’t matter that they were breaking taboos, it didn’t matter whether they were gay, straight, bi or whatever else, they fell in love and it was a wonderful love. This story goes to show that love isn’t something that can be controlled by anyone; it happens whether you want it to or not.

Jack and Ennis didn’t start off liking men, and I doubt that either one of them was gay even by the end. They simply fell in love and it didn’t matter about anything else. The plot is just that and it’s so simple yet beautiful at the same time. The writing wasn’t really anything special but it was good enough. The two main characters—Jack and Ennis—were really the only ones with development in the book but they were fantastic, loveable characters. Neither one of them was stereotyped as the “girl” of the relationship and that’s how it should be.

The thing that struck me most about this short novel was the meaning behind the simple, sad quotes and the depth of just how much Jack and Ennis loved each other. You can say that two men together have nothing on people like Jack and Rose from “Titanic,” Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare’s play, even Tarzan and Jane, but if you’re saying that then you’ve never read or seen “Brokeback Mountain.” I truly believe that these two people are soulmates just as much as Jack and Rose, Romeo and Juliet, Tarzan and Jane.

I wouldn’t have a problem recommending “Brokeback Mountain” (the movie or the novella) to anyone looking for a short read about true love and soulmates, be it a straight man, a woman or anyone at all. Even if you’re the most homophobic person on the entire face of the earth, you can’t deny that what these two cowboys have is real, true love, because they have absolutely nothing to gain from being together (in fact, they have so much to lose it’s crazy that they continue to see each other).

One final thing; the ending. I’m sure many people have heard about what happens in the end but I’m not inclined to spoil it. I will say that it made me cry after the movie and my heart ached after the book. Whether it was a happy ache and tears of joy or a sad ache and tears of sadness I won’t say, but even if you’re a toughie it’s still hard not to cry at the end of this one.

Also, R.I.P Heath Ledger. ♥

Warning: don't watch or read if you don't like crying. I happen to enjoy things that make me cry because it means I cared enough to cry over them. And ouch. My heart still hurts. The movie I'd give an 8.9/10. But anyways. The book.

Final Verdict: 6.8/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber

Review of "Trapped"

Won this one in a Goodreads contest too. Great website; if you haven't checked it out yet I definitely recommend it. So this book was different. Not necessarily a bad different, just...different. So without further ado, formal review:

"Trapped" is the steamy, breathtaking first novel from author George Bernstein. Jackee Marren, mother of two young children and wife of the cold, cruel Phil Marren is injured and ends up paralyzed, only able to blink her eyes, which is how she communicates.

This may seem like a novel with no real conflict but here’s the twist; Jackee’s accident which left her paralyzed was no accident and she discovers her almost killer through psychic powers. Yes, you read that right. Psychic powers. Psychic powers which allow her to read minds and much more. But don’t be deterred by this bit of the novel which seems unrealistic; it works well with the plot and if she didn’t have powers there really wouldn’t be much of a plot because she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

The writing from this novel was average; it was a little difficult to get over the writing in the present tense because that’s rather unusual but you get used to it. It wasn’t the most descriptive novel I’ve ever read but it certainly wasn’t the most non-descriptive. The beginning starts off a little slow but once it picks up speed, you’ll find this book hard to put down. I read it in less than two days and I barely have any time to read anymore, which goes to show that once you get into this novel, you have to finish it.

The characters were interesting. They're motives weren’t the most original but I enjoyed reading about them and cared about what happened to them. Jackee was exceedingly interesting because it seemed her character didn’t evolve into a better, more caring person but devolved into vengeful, almost evil type of woman. It was pretty awesome and if that was what the author was going for he did a fantastic job.

The plot was good; solid and interesting. It wasn’t the most thought provoking plot in the world; it was pretty obvious who the killer was and what was going to happen, but it still had a hint of originality to it and a good twist when Jackee’s powers start to develop. As it went further on, the plot had some steamy scenes which were fun to read and it got darker as Jackee’s thoughts got darker. The ending, which I saw coming, was creepy nonetheless and while I knew what would happen I didn’t expect it to play out exactly like that. And when I say creepy, I mean creepy in a good way.

Overall, this was a very interesting read. It had a slow but suspenseful build up to it, and if you enjoy that kind of thing (I did; it was very well done) then you’ll like this novel. It gets progressively better and everything falls neatly into place when it reaches the climax. It was never really explained why or how she got her powers but it wasn’t really essential to the plot so it can be forgiven. The romance was lovely, with some love triangles and squares going on and a whole bunch of stuff that you’ll have to read the book to find out about. So if you’re bored and looking for a steamy, different read than normal, this one’s for you!

 I would recommend this to fans of mystery/thriller/romance books. But because of the smokin' hot erotic scenes in it I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under sixteen. Unless you're a really mature fifteen year old. I don't know, but it definitely isn't for kids. Have fun young and old adults.

Final Verdict: 7.1/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber

Review of "Winter's Destiny"

I won this book by Nancy Allan in a giveaway on Goodreads and it was pretty breathtaking. By the end I gave up on all of my work I had to do to finish this. It starts off great and ends even better. Formal review:

“Winter’s Destiny” is a mystery/thriller/romance novel about a woman who sees an image of herself bleeding outside of her house and then her life collapses around her. It is a fast, intense, lightning-paced read that you won’t want to put down until the amazing conclusion.

I loved this book. It started out quick and, like another reviewer said, I wasn’t sure if the author would be able to keep up the pace but she did and it was phenomenal. Unlike other books, this book didn’t take time out of the action to explain tedious backstories that make you want to put the book down and snooze. While everything was being explained, there was constant action and twists and turns.

The only reason I didn’t rate it higher (the editing was sort of bad but I’m not going to bring that into this) was because it was a little predictable, but I didn’t really mind. Considering it’s a first novel, I think the author did an amazing job. I love the characters from the strong, brilliant Amy to the sweet, tough Dallas. And all of the characters in between including her son and other characters who I won’t mention but who’ll you know by the time you finish were great. Even the villain was awesome (I hated him but he’s the kind of character you love to hate).

The plot itself wasn’t the most original but there still were enough twists to make it not seem like any old average mystery novel. The romance was also adorably sweet and not too overdone; it managed to make you root for Dallas and Amy without taking too much away from the plot or boring you.

One thing I have to comment on is the setting. I absolutely adored it. The cliffs and the danger of the water and “Sneak Waves” were awesome. The author does a terrific job of explaining so that you actually feel as if you’re in the story with the characters, fighting against the suction of a wave trying to drag you out to sea. The fact that the setting lent itself to the dangers of the whole story was awesome. And I’d love to have a house on the coast designed by Amy (when you read it you’ll know which house I’m talking about).

The writing was pretty good too; I didn’t expect too much from a first novel but my expectations were surpassed. The writing added to the story and if I was in a bookstore looking for the next book to read I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another book by Nancy Allan because I know her writing style will only get better as she gains more experience. She has description but not so much that you’ll grow bored and she’s good at showing feelings over telling.

Overall, a great quick read. If you’re looking for something engrossing then you’ll like this book. Any fans of mystery thrillers will love it for a fast paced, fun read. Definitely recommended. 

Not much else to say on this one. Have fun mystery/thriller fans. Nancy Allan is an author to keep an eye on.

Final Verdict: 7.0/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber 

Review of "Cirque du Freak"

The “Cirque du Freak” series by Darren Shan, also known as the “Saga of Darren Shan,” is a series that has some hype surrounding it but not as much as it deserves. In my opinion, it’s better than both the “Hunger Games” and “Twilight,” and my favourite vampire series ever written (though in single volumes “Dracula” is pretty high up there). It is absolutely amazing with a breathtaking end that you will never see coming! Seriously. Formal review:

If you’re looking for the next “Twilight” filled with lovely romance, happy endings, and predictable plots, then you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re looking for the next great vampire series, the next great plot twisty series, or the next great funny, action-filled series then this is perfect for you!

This series is one of the best long series’ I’ve ever read, spanning over twelve (albeit short but still—twelve is a fair amount) novels that never let you catch a breath or take a break from their epicness. They will make you laugh out loud at some points, sob at some points, and gasp in shock as the pieces of everything fall into place.

Darren Shan takes you on a journey through small towns, large mountains, circus campgrounds, crazy minds, and even at one point something like the afterlife. Clustered in arcs of three books each which end up connecting brilliantly in the final volume, this is one series you don’t want to miss. The writing style is wonderful; there’s description there but not so much that you get tired and want to give up reading because of it.

The characters themselves could make the series even if it didn’t have one of the most intelligently played plots ever. Darren is interesting enough so that you don’t mind being in his head, and Steve is absolutely wonderful as the morally grey character. Mr. Tiny really isn’t your typical mean, serious antagonist; in fact, he’s a rather hilarious little fat man. Mr. Crepsley is also hilarious; instead of being the wise, kind mentor, he’s the grumpy and often cynical teacher. You can’t forget about the amazing Harkat Mulds; mysterious little person who befriends Darren and joins him on his adventure. All of these characters will make you laugh, groan in exasperation, cry or grin stupidly. And there’s more besides these that are absolutely amazing; these are simply the main characters. There are other characters that play large parts in small ways, that you really won’t understand until it’s all connected, but you’ll love them nonetheless. I could go on and on simply about characterization and how all of these people grow and mature while still managing to simultaneously make you laugh and cry, but that would spoil things so you should go on and read it yourself to meet all of these wonderful people.

The next thing that could make this series wonderful even if the characters weren’t there (though it might be difficult to carry it out without the characters) is the plot. It is absolutely, 100% unpredictable and will shock you at almost every single twist and turn. The ending is phenomenal and you will never, ever see it coming but when it occurs you’ll look back and realize that there were hints all along the way leading up to it, maybe in small sentences and maybe in small descriptions, but there were hints so it doesn’t smack you upside the head out of nowhere and make you think it was a ridiculous stretch. The traits of the vampires are also quite different; wonderfully fresh and refreshingly original. The plot never leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling or an unanswered question and there is never a dull moment throughout the whole series. Despite its fast pace and action filled sequences you never feel overwhelmed and there is never any times when there’s too much information to process at once. While it’s true that this series gets progressively darker as it goes on, the progression is slow enough so that it doesn’t feel like a different series from one book to another, though it may if you read book one and then read book twelve, you’ll definitely notice the difference.

In all, I’m sure that you’ll love this series whether you’re ten or forty, and anywhere in between and over. I could talk/write for hours and hours about this series but I won’t because that’ll take up time you could take reading it. So that’s all I’m going to say. And GO READ IT NOW!

As for recommendations, I’d recommend this to anyone over the age of ten who loves a good humorous, vampire, or action novel. I love this series and will be passing it on to my siblings and then my children when I have some.

Final Verdict: 8.1/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber

Review of "Hunger Games"

So another book review about a series with tons of hype. I liked this one better than "Twilight" but the books still didn't live up to my expectations. I really wish I could find out about these books before the hype starts because I'm generally disappointed. So, formal review:

Though many people describe the “Hunger Games” trilogy as being like a repeat of “Battle Royale,” I’ve read both and I think that the “Hunger Games,” while it has its similarities, is very different. In my mind, the “Hunger Games” is a pretty original piece of work set in a rather non-original sci-fi setting.

I loved the “Hunger Games.” It was action-filled, suspense-packed, and had a lovely love story that was played out well. I found myself able to relate to the main characters because they weren’t perfect (though Katniss was a badass) and they had obvious flaws which they had to work to overcome. I thought the plot was fantastic; I mean, who doesn’t love a bunch of kids and adults thrown into a dome and forced to kill each other until the last one survives? The first two books were amazing—if a little predictable—and I devoured them in a matter of one day each.

The problem in my opinion was the last book. I could see where the author wanted to get to and what she wanted to achieve and it was a great idea, but I think the execution of it was done a little poorly. If she had written maybe one more book before her last book, it probably would’ve made the series infinitely better, but because she went from a relatively action-based plot to a completely dark and morbid plot (yes I know that the kids killing each other was morbid but I found that the whole fight against the government was even more morbid because it wasn’t as much based on action as an almost psychological warfare) the gap was just a little too big.

I don’t really want to compare this to “Harry Potter” (two different genres and two very different series’) but I can’t help it—this trilogy could’ve been a much better series than trilogy. The “Harry Potter” series had beautiful execution of the transition from the action to the dark and sinister because it spanned over seven (relatively long near the end) books. I think the “Hunger Games” has loads and loads of potential, and the build-up in the first two books were amazing, but if it wanted to reach the heights of truly amazing the whole way through—if it wanted to reach its true potential—I think it should’ve been longer.  

Besides this though, I really enjoyed it. It’s a surprisingly quick read, and while the writing style is nowhere near as good as, say, Frank Herbert’s (I think I’m justified comparing the two considering they both have loads of hype and are both sci-fi) it’s good enough for me to recommend to my friends without hesitation. I love Katniss’ voice in this story and this author does a great job of “showing” the reader rather than “telling” the reader.

If you’ve seen the movies and enjoy them, then definitely read the books because they are (as in most cases) much better than the movies (though I did enjoy the movies—they’re a hundred times better than the “Twilight” movies in any case). Here’s a little thought to ponder if you’re thinking of reading this trilogy—my younger brother has to be the worst reader ever and hardly ever reads books (and when he does he never finishes them) but he picked up the first book of the “Hunger Games” and read the whole thing in a little less than a month (that’s saying a lot because he’s a slow reader). Afterwards he came up to me and told me he enjoyed it and asked for the next book.  So if you’re someone looking for a book to read to get into books or even if you’re an experienced reader, I would recommend reading this trilogy because, while it has its flaws (really, what series doesn’t?), it is a fun read.

And that's what I think about the "Hunger Games." Actually, it's a nice read but it's average. Maybe a tiny bit above. Truthfully, I don't think it deserves as much hype as it got; I've read books way better than these ones that don't have half the fan base. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the readers who read it are inexperienced because they haven't read many good books with fantastic writing style? Wow I sound arrogant and I totally don't mean to, I'm actually just curious as to why so many books that are good but not amazing have such a huge fan base. Oh well, I suppose huge fan bases aren't always misleading; Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are expectation-surpassing even with the hype surrounding them. Anyway. I would recommend this trilogy for sci-fi fans, "Battle Royale" fans, fans of strong female protagonists and people who are looking for something fun to read because they're bored. Although it definitely isn't for the faint hearted.

Final Verdict: 7.1/10

Happy Reading!

~Amber