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0062347330
| 9780062347336
| 0062347330
| 3.69
| 3,238
| Aug 11, 2015
| Aug 11, 2015
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liked it
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This is a full, honest review of an Advanced Reader Copy that I won through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Dear Uninvited, Having been written by Cat W This is a full, honest review of an Advanced Reader Copy that I won through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Dear Uninvited, Having been written by Cat Winters, I knew I would love you. And I looked forward to seeing what she did in an Adult novel versus her usual genre: YA! The era and the premise all sounded wonderful and spooky and intriguing - something I have come to expect from this author. So I opened you with bated breath, anticipating the usual enjoyment I find in her supernatural historical fiction. Oh, Uninvited, what an incredible disappointment you were. It's 1918, World War One is raging and the Spanish flu grips the world. Ivy Rowan has just recovered from it herself on the night that her father and brother return from murdering a German in town after they received news of Ivy's other brother Billy's death overseas. Sickened by their crime, Ivy packs up her bags and moves in with May - the gorgeous war widow in town. Ivy is torn up with guilt over what her family did, and to make amends, she determines to help the brother of the murdered German in any way she can. But even in this, she can't find peace. For reasons unknown to them, the Rowan women have always had the ability to see the Uninvited - ghosts - of loved ones when the death of another is near at hand. And Ivy is seeing them with more and more frequency. What a promising plot! Ghosts, the Great War, the flu, fear-fueled prejudice, a friendship - then romance - formed through mutual guilt and pain. It's absolutely my type of read. So where did you go wrong? I did like Ivy Rowan as a protagonist; she stands by what she believes to be true, And I even liked Daniel, the brother of the German Ivy's father killed. He has quiet strength while struggling his own loss and demons. All of the characters were vivid and lifelike. I have no complaints there. But your pace, Uninvited. It took about 200 pages before any ghosts showed up. And when Cat Winters promises ghosts, I expect ghosts. The majority of your page time boiled down to Daniel and Ivy sleeping with each other. I knew it was going to happen; in an Adult novel - and even YA - I am never surprised when the couple has intercourse. But their decision to hop in was quite literally out of the blue and so completely fueled by a desire to forget their guilt and pain. It cheapened what could have been a very romantic relationship to a bitter, disappointing "lose yourself" satisfier. I couldn't at all find Ivy and Daniel's relationship meaningful or beautiful after that. The rest of your pages, when it wasn't focusing on Daniel and Ivy having sex, was spent with Ivy helping two Red Cross nurses ferry flu victims from their homes to hospitals. And still no sign of any ghosts. There wasn't even any foreshadowing to indicate that maybe something would happen later on. You quickly became a drag to read and my disappointment mounted until I simply didn't want to read you anymore. Where were my ghosts? Where was the melancholy, Gothic-esque atmosphere I was used to? Where was the romance I could support wholeheartedly? Never one to give up, though, I persevered. And I'm so glad I did. For in your last fifty pages, you revealed a plot twist that made up for every single thing I disliked about you. It was a plot twist that reminded me of why I love Cat Winters' books so much, and I was launched from utter disappointment to complete satisfaction. That was one bloody good plot twist. I saw it coming half a minute before it was revealed and it just made it all the more perfect. And this is why you are so hard to review. With all of Cat Winters' books, you're very well written and brimming with historical atmosphere. Your characters were good! And that ending was sublime. However, you were mostly a drag to read, as your promised plot of ghosts and foreshadowing was lost among tedious reiteration and a romance ruined by carnal desire. But at least least in the end you did deliver. Feeling somewhat satisfied, ~ Mara A. ~ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 12, 2015
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Jul 22, 2015
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Dec 18, 2014
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Paperback
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B0DLTBQ725
| 3.54
| 2,300
| Oct 22, 2013
| Oct 22, 2013
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it was ok
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My ARC of Rags & Bones was sent to me by the publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is
My ARC of Rags & Bones was sent to me by the publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I do like it, with its "twisted fairytale" feel and rather ominous ambiance. If only this volume had contained more fairytales than other short stories. Story #1 - That the Machine May Progress Eternally (Carrie Ryan): Generally I'm not a fan of anti-technology stories because they tend to be anti-progress because progress is destroying the natural world, harming food and people and medicine, et cetera. Roll eyes! But this short story, a retelling of E. M. Forster's The Machine Stops, was actually rather creepy because it didn't take on a preachy tone. It was an intriguing science fiction/dystopian short story that I really enjoyed. Written in third person, past tense, the style is perfect for the story. Story #2 - Losing Her Divinity (Garth Nix): A retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would be King. I found this to be a bizarre little short story, and one that I enjoyed mostly because of the more unique style of the narration. Told in first person, it reads like a person having a conversation with two others (which is exactly what's going on). It was confusing at first, but once I got into the swing of it, I found it to be entertaining and amusing. The end, however, was extremely abrupt, and there's sexual alludements. Story #3 - The Sleeper and the Spindle (Neil Gaiman): A retelling of Sleeping Beauty, this was probably my favorite short story. Gaiman manages to make Sleeping Beauty very dark (which he is very good at) and put a whole new twist to it. I'm not sure I'll ever like the original ever again! None of the characters are ever given names, the Reader thinks they know how the story will go, and then WHAM! Gaiman gives it a nice twist. The narration is third person, past tense. Story #4 - The Cold Corner (Tim Pratt): A retelling of Henry James' The Jolly Corner. Aspects of this particular story felt like a Twilight Zone, which I liked. However, our narrator is unnecessarily bisexual (but seems mostly interested in other guys), and also unnecessarily goes around assuming everyone will judge him because he drives a Prius, causing the Author to paint smalltown Southerners as close-minded people. I personally am not saying that they aren't, nor am I saying they are. People are people, but the Author wrote about it in such a way that it totally caused the whole story to feel like an agenda. Content-wise, there's 5 s-words. Narration style is first person, past tense, and because I didn't care about the protagonist, I didn't care for the narration. Story #5 - Millcara (Holly Black): A retelling of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. The agenda feel continues, only this time our protagonist isn't bisexual; she's a young lesbian vampire. Who just looooves to talk about her girlfriend's succulent lips, body heat, skin, and everything else. Ugh; I don't want the details, thank you very much. While this, too, felt like a Twilight Zone, I again didn't care for the protagonist, and I am also sick of the lesbian/gay agenda being pushed down my throat. Narration: first person, past tense, though it jumped to present tense sometimes, as well as feeling almost like a stream-of-consciousness narration. Story #6 - When First We Were Gods (Rick Yancey): A retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Birth-Mark. Maybe I don't understand short stories. Maybe liking the protagonist - or any of the characters - really isn't supposed to matter. Unfortunately, I disagree; short story or not, I still need to be able to like someone, and I didn't in this. Absolutely everyone was lecherous and sleeping with everyone else (so there's lots of bedroom scenes in this). And the premise - a futuristic society where rich people can download their consciousness into new bodies, so they always stayed young - quite honestly didn't interest me. Narration style was third person, past tense, and there isn't anything wrong with the style. I just didn't like the story itself. Story #7 - Sirocco (Margaret Stohl): A retelling of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto. This began dully, and I didn't expect it to get any better. But I ended up really enjoying it, with its twisted end and murder mystery feel. I didn't necessarily care about any of the characters, but the story did in fact make up for that. Content-wise: 1 s-word. Narration style: third person, past tense. Story #8 - Awakened (Melissa Marr): A retelling of Kate Chopin's The Awakening. I have always found selkie legends fascinating, but I am not a general fan of modern selkie fiction, because it's all so sexual. Awakened is no exception. I couldn't feel sorry for the selkie woman, either, when her pelt is taken and she is forced to marry a man she cannot love, but is forced to obey. Why couldn't I feel sorry for her? Because she just goes and sleeps with said man's best friend, and said best friend doesn't do much to resist the temptation, so I couldn't like him, either. Style: first person, past tense. Story #9 - New Chicago (Kelley Armstrong): A retelling of W. W. Jacob's The Monkey's Paw. Part Twilight Zone, part zombie short story, I did enjoy the general premise of the story: our protagonist steals a monkey's paw that is said to grant three wishes, but the person making the wishes has to be very careful how they wish, because the monkey's paw doesn't always grant one's wishes with the best intentions. Really, other than the language (3 g--damns, 1 s-word), this was one of the more interesting short stories. Style: third person, past tense. Story #10 - The Soul Collector (Kami Garcia): A retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. I didn't realize it was a Rumpelstilskin retelling until the very end, it is so dissimilar. Which was a good and bad thing. I enjoy retellings that are different from the original, but I also like to see some familiar aspects. The similar aspects in this story required some interpretation. Because The Soul Collector deals with street crime, there's drug, sexual, and profanity content (5 s-words), but nothing horribly explicit. Style: first person, past and present tense. Story #11 - Without Faith, Without Law, Without Joy (Saladin Ahmed): A retelling of Spenser's The Faerie Queene. This was just bizarre. I didn't know if the weird factors were actually supposed to be happening, or if they were an allegory. There's snippets of (I assume) the original text in Old English that are, naturally, hard to read and therefore hard to understand. I don't really know if I liked this story or not. Style: first person, past tense. Story #12 - Uncaged (Gene Wolf): A retelling of William Seabrook's The Caged White Werewolf of Saraban. This was another weird one that I had to read twice to fully grasp everything that was going on. I don't know if maybe my mind was just wandering the first time I read it, or if the narration was actually that hard to follow. It felt like it left out parts; like it jumped in its narration from moment to moment. I didn't especially care for the story; the twist (if there was one) was too obvious. Style: first person, journal narration. ...more |
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Nov 03, 2013
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Nov 08, 2013
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Oct 13, 2013
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1442450894
| 9781442450899
| 1442450894
| 4.05
| 2,144
| Jan 28, 2014
| Jan 28, 2014
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really liked it
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My ARC of Bird was sent to me by the publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full
My ARC of Bird was sent to me by the publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? There's nothing very exciting about the cover art, and normally I wouldn't pay it much mind. But I do have a thing for silhouettes, and once I saw the silhouette I decided to read the synopsis. And that's what really caught my attention. Intrigue-level aside, it is aesthetically pleasing. I love the blue-purple color and the watercolor style of it. Characters: Jewel was easy to emotionally connect with. She tries to do everything her parents ask of her, including never talking about what happened to her brother, and they constantly ignore her and never listen to what she needs or wants. Normally, a character in this situation can come across as bratty, but I totally sympathized with Jewel and really didn't like her parents all that much - especially her mom. It took me a while to warm to the "mysterious boy" - John. He had a great sense of humor and listened to Jewel like a good friend, but at times he was too disrespectful of Jewel's house and its rules. It made me want to slap it him, but overall he was a cool character. The Romance: There isn't any! I was worried at first reading about a "mysterious boy," but all Jewel and John have is a really good friendship. Plot: Everyone knows that it's Grandpa's fault that Jewel's brother Bird died when he was five. If Grandpa hadn't given him that nickname, it wouldn't have attracted a mischievous spirit - a duppy - that convinced Bird that he could actually fly. And Bird would not have leaped off that cliff. Ever since that day, Grandpa has never said another word. And on the day that Bird died and Grandpa lost his voice, Jewel was born. All her life, her family has been cast in shadows and sorrow because of Bird's death. No one will talk about it and her parents are too wrapped up in their old grief to pay much attention to their daughter. Jewel has learned to keep her hopes and dreams to herself. She's definitely never told her parents that she visits the cliff where her brother died and buries pebbles for every concern and dream she ever has. One summer, though, things change. Jewel finds a boy sitting in her favorite tree, named John - the same name as her brother. Grandpa is convinced that John is an evil duppy come to take Jewel away, while her dad believes he at least is a bad omen. But Jewel thinks that John is something much more; a chance to change her life. John listens to her dreams for the future and he shows her how to laugh again. But she can't deny the odd coincidence of his name being the same as Bird's, or that the silence in her household has grown into anger and malice. Is John a duppy or just a boy trying to change Jewel's life for the better? When I first read the synopsis for Bird, I thought it either would be inspirational or would take a dark and twisted turn with the whole duppy concept. It took the first path. While there certainly is more to John than at first meets the eye, this is mostly an inspirational story about a young girl fighting to be heard in a family swept in unimaginable grief. I don't like inspirational reads. Nine times out of ten, they're depressing and have no real purpose. However, Bird wasn't one of those. I connected so deeply with Jewel and had such moments of frustration with her parents that I couldn't help but be swept away by the story. It was a very emotionally charged book. I don't normally get into books like that, but there was just something about this one that wormed its way into my heart. Believability: Nothing to complain about. Writing Style: First person, past tense. Jewel has an excellent narration voice. It's emotional, it's hopeful, it's filled with pain and a burning need to be seen by her family. The descriptions are rich and deep; I just couldn't help but be pulled in by it. I felt Jewel's emotions almost as if they were my own, and that's hard to do in a story - to get your Readers to feel everything the protagonist does. Content: None. Conclusion: Probably the most emotionally charged moment in the book, and also surprisingly intense. I felt Jewel's fury building and I knew it would end it relative disaster. However, this isn't a bittersweet ending - not exactly. And that's part of why I liked Bird so much. I hate inspirational reads that end with everyone dying of illness or killing themselves. This isn't one of those. Every once in a while, I will find an inspirational read that I actually like. Bird was amazing; I laughed, I cried, I got incredibly angry at certain characters, and fell in love with others. There was just nothing about Bird that I didn't like. Recommended Audience: Girl-read, really appropriate for any age, though this is a Middle Grade read that will appeal more to adults. Fans of inspirational reads will love it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 08, 2013
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Oct 09, 2013
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Sep 26, 2013
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Hardcover
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1475256221
| 9781475256222
| 1475256221
| 3.91
| 23
| Sep 01, 2012
| Jun 01, 2013
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liked it
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My copy of Trapped in Paris was sent to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This
My copy of Trapped in Paris was sent to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? I like the old weathered look of it, and of course the Eiffel Tower, because it indicates that the book will more than likely have to do with Paris. ;-) It's a simplistic cover, but I like it. Characters: I didn't dislike Cameron or Framboise; they were both good kids. Cameron was polite and nice, and Framboise had spunk. I can see how Readers would like them - Readers, that is, that aren't me. I don't know what it was about them, but I just didn't emotionally connect. With Framboise, it was because she was such a socialist little hippie girl, and I really can't stand characters like that. But with Cameron, there was nothing specific about him that made me lukewarm in my feelings for him. He wasn't flat, and he was a very believable sixteen-year-old. I just didn't connect. The other secondary characters were all very realistic, and the villains were pretty creepy thugs, but I didn't attach to anyone in particular - with the exception of Inspector Damoulin. I like police officer characters who are very intelligent, very helpful, and essentially family guys. Damoulin was that type, so I had a soft spot for him. The Romance: Cameron's romantic inclinations towards Framboise is fast. Which is rather realistic for a guy character. And while the Reader knows that romance will bud between them, it takes back seat to everything else, of which I was immensely glad. Plot: When Cameron's flight from Paris to home is canceled because of a volcanic eruption in Iceland, he's stuck in France for an undetermined amount of time. Then he meets Framboise - a French girl who has traveled all over the world and who has a thoroughly engaging personality. Together, they decide to wait for the volcanic crisis to end in Paris itself, rather than loitering around the airport. That night, they become witness to a murder on the banks of the Seine, and when they're kidnapped, they become involved in the exposure of one of the biggest human trafficking circles in France. I didn't know if this book would spend more time on personal emotions or more time on the kidnapping and human trafficking. I hoped it would be the latter, because personal emotion stories just don't interest me all that much. And while there is certainly plenty of character growth in this relatively short novel, the action was much more prominent than I initially thought it would be. Kidnappings, escape, untrustworthy police, nightclub infiltration - it's all there. Trapped in Paris has a few moments of lagging, but because it is so short, it spends a good amount of time on the exciting stuff. It's a surprising little read. Believability: Nothing to complain about. The Author lived in Paris most of her life, and I know nothing about Paris, so I will trust her knowledge over mine. :-) Writing Style: Third person, past tense. There was a smattering of French words and a few short sentences, but there's either in-text translation or the context gives a pretty clear indication of what the French means. There aren't huge swathes of dialogue in French, so it isn't disruptive to the narration at all. Content: 1 s-word. Conclusion: When circumstances force Framboise to don a disguise and set up a potentially disastrous meeting with a stranger at a nightclub, Cameron must infiltrate the joint to make sure it all goes according to plan. It doesn't. The climax was the most exciting part, and also a tiny bit convoluted. At one point, the police arrive and crash the nightclub, and then Cameron steals a car, and then the police are just gone when he gets back to the nightclub. And then he goes back to the apartment he and Framboise were held captive earlier on, and then the police are there again and there's a somewhat strange revelation involving theatre people. It wasn't terribly convoluted - I sorted it all out by the end of it - but just a tiny bit. Trapped in Paris was a fun, short suspense read - ideal for a weekend. I didn't attach to any of the characters, but I think other Readers will. The Author's love for Paris is very evident in her writing, and while I didn't fall in love with the city, I saw some of its beauty through her writing. Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, fourteen-and-up, great for fans of suspense and crime stories, like Harlan Coben's Shelter novel. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 05, 2013
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Oct 05, 2013
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Sep 18, 2013
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Paperback
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1477527761
| 9781477527764
| 1477527761
| 3.78
| 108
| Aug 01, 2012
| Aug 20, 2012
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liked it
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My copy of DiSemblance was given to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is m
My copy of DiSemblance was given to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? My opinion of the cover art is somewhere in between. I like the whole descending mirrors and I don't even mind the character impersonator reflections. But there's almost something about the whole thing that kind of makes it feel bland. It just catches my interest, but only just. Characters: I didn't dislike any of the characters, though my first impression of Isaac - Jason's brother - wasn't exactly favorable. There was something about Isaac that struck me as being a little mentally unstable. The sort of mentally unstable that can lead to becoming the villain in a story, not "he seems a little slow" mentally unstable. I re-read the part where Isaac is first introduced, to see if my impression changed after reading the book, and it didn't, even though I'm pretty sure that that's not the impression we Readers are supposed to get. Maybe it's because when we first meet Isaac he essentially traps Jason in the hologram room and puts him in the Sahara. Maybe it's because Isaac has been spying on Boston, their next-door female neighbor, and is constructing a holographic imagine of her. Just a bit weird and creepy, right? Or it's possible that it's just me, and that no one else will feel that way about Isaac, but that is how I felt about him and quite honestly, I still don't entirely trust Isaac. I don't really know why; I just don't. The other characters - Jason especially - didn't really make an impression me either way. They weren't cardboard; Jason had a very believable personality that made it easy for me to imagine meeting him in real life, and Boston was not nearly as useless and annoying as I first thought she might be upon reading the synopsis. But I personally didn't become all that emotionally attached to them, and that's just because I don't connect to "every day normal girl/guy" characters. Some Readers will find it very easy to like and understand Jason; others won't. I tried very hard to connect with Bruce, the police detective, but I couldn't see past his NCIS cop personality. There was also the fact that he had no personal struggles that I could relate to, either. Bruce's biggest struggle is balancing his work with his marriage life, and as a decidedly single 21-year-old, I couldn't connect with that. The Romance: Jason and Boston have it for each other, naturally, but amazingly the romance actually isn't all that annoying. It's a bit rushed, but the book doesn't focus on it too much, and neither Jason nor Boston became utterly ridiculous around one another. Plot: Jason's dad is a genius inventor, having built a real life - and working - version of the holodeck in Star Trek. People can enter it either physically or mentally and experience virtual reality like never before. But Jason's dad is super paranoid that someone will try and steal his invention, and so he has isolated him and his sons entirely from the world. Living in a house surrounded by the best security systems to ever be built, Jason isn't allowed to date, have friends outside of the family, and has never gone to a public or private school. Not that he's needed one; he was able to learn everything he needed at home, on the Internet, or with the holodeck. But when Jason's father is murdered and then implicated as the Comfort Killer - a serial killer who's been murdering terminally ill patients - Jason's world comes crashing down. He's forced to destroy his father's work and flee with his brother Isaac and the girl next door, Boston. Jason tries to discover who framed - and killed - his father and why, all with Detective Bruce Durante hot on his heels - and the person who might be responsible for everything that's happening to him. While I did not connect with the characters, the plot kept me engaged, which makes this book - in my eyes - more plot-driven than character-driven. But my opinion of the plot - or at least it's presentation - is as divided as my opinion of the cover art. The story itself is interesting. We have a serial killer who has framed the protagonist's dad for his crimes, and then killed him. And we have three teens on the run from the police and some mysterious person determined to catch and possibly murder them. Part of the story's revelations are told through Bruce's investigation. His superiors are convinced Jason has something to do with the murders, while Bruce is certain that there's much more to the whole thing than meets the eye. The problem I had with Bruce's chapters were 1)I got tired of reading about his marital problems, and 2)I couldn't shake the TV cop show feel, which caused the whole thing to feel cliche and a little cheap. And that, in turn, rather irritated me, because it wasn't cheap! The plot, as a whole, is interesting. There were lots of "what the heck" moments, which was both a good and bad reaction, and lots of good chase scenes. The Comfort Killer was an intriguing serial killer with a unique style (unless it's been done on a TV show, which is possible; I actually don't watch that may TV cop shows, so it felt unique to me). But there were times when the plot also got really confusing. At some point in the story, Jason is captured by the villains who are responsible for framing his dad, and then suddenly Jason is hallucinating. And then he's in a hospital, people are telling him that his brother and Boston died in a car crash, that he's mentally unstable, and then he's in a high speed car chase, and then the car is overturned and blows up, and then he's back at his house and . . . . Now it all does get explained in the end, and I knew what was going on about halfway through, but I still found it to be extremely confusing, to a point that often left my head spinning. So the presentation wasn't the best; I think the Author could have made things more clear while still keeping the "twist" secret. Believability: Not wholly applicable. Writing Style: Third person, past tense. I did like that the Author changed the font every time Jason or someone else was in the holodeck; it helped clarify what was real and what wasn't. The writing style for the most part was fine, though it was at times difficult to follow (as stated previously). Content: None. Conclusion: The plot stopped being confusing once the climax came about, because things are explained and become coherent. There were a couple of aspects that seemed a little too simple for me (view spoiler)[releasing the people from the holodeck by just making them realize they were dead seemed a bit too smooth, and Bruce just taking Jason and Isaac in like that too simple. There would be some legal complications (hide spoiler)], but I accepted them easily enough. So while DiSemblance did not strike a chord with me when it comes to characters, and the presentation was very difficult to follow at times, I did enjoy the plot itself. It was exciting, intriguing, and coupled the crime genre with science fiction in a very fun way. Recommended Audience: Guy-read, sixteen-and-up, great for science fiction mystery fans. ...more |
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Jul 08, 2013
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Jul 13, 2013
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Jun 10, 2013
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Paperback
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1927154138
| 9781927154137
| 1927154138
| 4.13
| 142
| Aug 28, 2011
| Sep 01, 2011
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liked it
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My copy of Finding Angel was given to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is
My copy of Finding Angel was given to me by the Author through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I was not obligated to write a positive review. This is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Yes, I do like it. It's simple yet intriguing - and I love lockets. :-) While it's not exactly indicative of a fantasy novel (I actually thought it was some inspirational tween story when I first saw it), there still is something attention-grabbing about it, and once one reads the story, one can definitely see the "fantasy" in the cover art. Characters: Despite her name, I really liked Angel as a protagonist. She was curious and not overly emotional. She wasn't constantly flying off the handle at Gregor for not immediately telling her everything, and when she did get angry, for the most part she kept it to herself. Perhaps Angel was a little too quick to accept everything that was happening to her, but given that all her life she had had a sort of "premonition" - a feeling - that things weren't all that they seemed, it was relatively easy to believe that she would come to terms with her new life faster than most people. The only real thing that bothered me was how readily she left her foster family behind, knowing that she may never see them again. I understood her eagerness to find her real parents and to learn about her forgotten past, but she was close to her foster family; maybe she could have shown just a bit more turmoil over her choice? My opinion on Gregor was on and off throughout the book. Overall, I liked him, especially since he's too old to become a romantic interest for Angel, and their relationship settles into brother-sister affection. Gregor was kind and patient and very helpful. But as the story progressed, his temper grew short, and he started getting angry at Angel for no reason. Oh, I understood perfectly well why he was always so upset - I wouldn't expect him to be otherwise, given the circumstances. But he shouldn't have taken it out on Angel, nor should he have dismissed Angel's theory on the Prophecy so swiftly. Still, what's a good character without their flaws, right? In general, Gregor was awesome and I never disliked him, even when he was being a pill. Now for the villains. While Dawric wasn't a "pure awesome" quality villain (few are; villains have to work hard to make it into that category), he worked for Finding Angel. Power hungry, manipulative, and maybe just a bit like Voldemort (in the fact that everyone is convinced he can never return to Toch, when in fact that's exactly what's happened), he has enough cold ambition to be a guy I wouldn't want to meet. The Romance: Gregor is in love with an Elfin girl, and I admit that I became rather invested in their emotional turmoil. Gregor and Siophra love each other dearly and want to get married, but Siophra's father won't allow it. This is probably my favorite kind of "love against impossible odds" scenario, right next to "our countries are at war." And the Author pulls it off very well. Plot: Angel can't remember her life from before she was taken in by the Masons, when she was six. All she has is a beautiful silver locket on a charm bracelet, along with five silver letters, which is where she got her name. All her life, though, Angel has been fascinated with fantasy worlds - art and literature and mythology. And though she loves her foster family dearly, she dreams of being in one of those novels herself. When Angel's brother Zack finds a curious beetle and she goes to the library to look it up, she meets the mysterious Gregor, and before Angel knows it, her entire life is turned upside down. Gregor takes Angel to Toch Island - a magical British Isle closed off from the rest of the world because technology interferes with magic. There, Angel remembers her past and realizes her special powers - and discovers that she might be part of an ancient Prophecy. And with Angel's return to Toch Island, an old enemy who once tried to kill her - and was responsible for her escape into the real world - may have returned to finish the job. At first Finding Angel takes a little while to get into the Prophecy and the return of Dawric. For a while, Angel is busy learning how to use magic and her own special Talent - a specific magical ability that everyone is born with. Gregor's is opening portals through trees, and Angel's is an ability to find things no matter where or how far away they are. Hers is a rare Talent, and one that Dawric is desperate to have for himself. But the book doesn't feel slow, because the Author presents the Reader with a fascinating and engaging world. Somewhat reminiscent of J. K. Rowling's universe, Toch Island is a charming and exciting place, with strange creatures, adorable dragons (I really want a pet dragon now!), exotic plants, and bizarre animals. The magic rules even make a bit of sense! At least, as much as "magic rules" can. The Author tries to inject a bit of scientific law, and it somehow works. Once the Prophecy comes into play, events pick up, though not really until the climax. But it never gets boring; that is a word I would not apply to this book. Maybe some Readers will get tired of the pace, but I was all right with it. The world and characters kept me engaged. Believability: Not applicable. Writing Style: Third person, past tense. The style was very pleasant, with pretty descriptions, but not an excess of unnecessary detail. I found it to be very relaxing, and relaxing reads are always nice. Content: None. Conclusion: As events pass, Angel becomes more and more certain that the ancient Elfin Prophecy is indeed coming true, and they are running out of time before Dawric can be stopped. I'll admit, the Author pulled some fast ones on me. There were a few major twists that I was not wholly expecting. The conclusion of Siophra and Gregor's romance was surprising, as well as who the real villains were, and the very climax itself. The arrival of Angel's parents was rather sudden, but didn't detract from the overall ending. Finding Angel is one of those fantasy reads that is great for the weekend, but also shows a lot of promise as the series progresses. The Author has set up a world that I am eager to learn more about, and a world which she can expand as much as she wants. I found it very easy to care about her characters, and I look forward to reading more of their adventures. Recommended Audience: Girl-and-guy read, thirteen-and-up, great for Harry Potter and fantasy fans. ...more |
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I received my free copy of Veiled Rose from the Author through Goodreads First Reads. I was not obligated to write a positive review; this is my full
I received my free copy of Veiled Rose from the Author through Goodreads First Reads. I was not obligated to write a positive review; this is my full and honest opinion. Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Even though the girl looks nothing like Rose Red, I do like the cover. You really see the character impersonator's face, and I like how her image is in a mirror, held (clearly) by the Dragon. Characters: Rose Red is a much better protagonist than Una in Heartless. She may not be able to do much about her situation, or really help anyone else, but at least she tries, rather than playing the victimized damsel in distress. Rose Red is in distress alright, but she doesn't let it get her down. She's a fighter, and I really appreciated that, especially after reading Heartless, where Una did nothing to help herself. My opinion of Leo was divided. Half of the time I liked him, as he continued to stand by Rosie while everyone else was cruel to her. I could understand his want and need to pursue his own life, rather than simply accept the role that was laid out for him from the beginning. But then Leo had a bad tendency of just forgetting about Rosie, and that's something no true friend would do. Sure, Leo put Rosie under his personal protection and got her a job as a palace servant - which, while not the ideal position, was way better than her life on the mountain. But then he just forgets about her? For years? There's also the fact that in the end, Leo is proven a coward, and he decides to marry a girl he admits he doesn't even care about. While he seems to genuinely regret his cowardice, and he ultimately pays for what he's done, I still had difficulty liking Leo as much as I wanted to. I thought I would like Lady Daylily at first, but it didn't take me long to realize that everything she did was for her own selfish desires. She unwittingly falls in love with Leo - or so she claims, - but I never got the impression that she truly did love him. And of course, her treatment of Rosie did nothing to endear her to me. Once I found out who Beana really is, I liked her and I hope to learn more about her story in future books. And as for the Dragon . . . He's still not all that scary. He does pretty much the same thing in Veiled Rose as he did in Heartless, and it impressed me about as much as it did before: not at all. The Romance: Daylily falls in love with Leo despite herself. Rosie's feelings of friendship with Leo grow into something more. Daylily hates Rosie because of it. Leo doesn't love Daylily, it's never made clear what his feelings for Rosie really are, and he goes and falls in love with Princess Una. None of the romances are annoying, but I never got emotionally wrapped up in any of them - partially because I already knew how they would all turn out. Heartless kind of already gave that away, sadly. I felt that Rosie genuinely loved Leo, so I felt for her, but I never got a real sense that Leo really loved Una, and Daylily just seemed to always be serving her own selfish needs. Plot: When Leo is staying with his aunt one summer, he hears rumors of a monster in the mountains. And when he goes to hunt it, he discovers Rose Red - a lonely girl covered in rags and veils, with only the company of an ornery old goat and a man she calls father. A friendship begins, despite Rose Red's numerous secrets: her Imaginary Friend, the Dragon that haunts her dreams, and her true identity hidden by the veil. As the Dragon continues to hound Rose Red, she realizes that she must leave the mountain. But when she does, it's with disastrous consequences, not only for herself, but for Leo and all of Southland. The plot is much more clear in Veiled Rose than Heartless. It still has a bit of a meandering feel, and in many ways it's pretty much the same storyline. The Dragon is after yet another maiden that is dear to the Prince of Farthestshore. But it was easier to see where the story was going, and the characters had more purpose, though I was still left with questions. Namely, why did the Dragon want Rose Red? Was it simply because he mistakenly thought she was the Beloved of the Prince? How did Rose Red end up in the Near World in the first place? But I have confidence that these questions will be answered in Book Three, because the questions I had in Heartless were explained in Veiled Rose. In fact, Veiled Rose made a lot of things clear: why Lionheart did what he did, why the Dragon wanted Una at all, and it shed a bit more light on the roles of the Dragon and the Lady. Believability: Not applicable. Writing Style: Like Heartless, the writing is surprisingly beautiful, with lovely pros and descriptions. Because it's supposed to be another allegory, she tried at times to be too profound, and the allegory itself is too obvious while being vague at the same time. But the style itself is very nice. Content: None. Conclusion: The climax was more exciting than the one in Heartless, because Rosie actually does something, rather than waiting for someone to rescue her. She ends up having to call for help, but she still stand strong and does her best. At one point I wanted to shout at her, because here she's given a name of power and told to shout it when she's in need, and she doesn't because she thinks it's silly to believe a name will help her. Okay, her worst nightmare has come alive and she can walk Faerie Paths - and she thinks a name with power is silly? That didn't make sense. Nevertheless, her showdown with the Dragon was much better than Una's in Heartless, but after that the story gets a little boring, as it follows Leo's story. We Readers who have read Heartless already know how Leo's story ends, so it's just a recap, only from his perspective. It's interesting, and it's nice to know why he did what he did, but it's still kind of boring. From right off, I saw that Veiled Rose was better than Heartless. I'm glad I decided to have faith in this series, because it definitely improves with Book Two. Less confusing, better characters, lovely writing, and a more interesting plot. Recommended Audience: Girl-read, any age, fans of fantasy and Christian fiction. ...more |
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