Hello, and here I am with another reading roundup.  It’s been a while since I gave a reading update and I have been on vacation so I have a lot to catch up on.

Rick Riordan

During my vacation I read two Rick Riordan books – The Dark Prophecy and Camp Blood Confidential.  Both of these are pretty much what you would expect from Riordan; a fun middle grade read, based on Greek/Roman mythology with a good dose of humour.  While I enjoyed them – they were both light, fun reads – they were what I was expecting, nothing more, nothing less.  If you’ve read one Rick Riordan book, you know what to expect.  They are hardly world altering, so I gave both books three and a half stars out of five.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

One of my most anticipated reads of the summer was Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare, the second in the Dark Artifices series set in her Shadowhunters world.  I absolutely LOVED this one.  Although Emma and Julian are the ostensible protagonists, I found myself less interested in their journeys than those of their supporting characters.  The growing bond between Ty, Kit and Livvy was so wonderfully done   The way Kit just got Ty, who is on the autism spectrum, was so, so beautiful.  I am really excited to see how their bond grows, especially after the events of the book’s ending.  It was also really great to see that in some respects, mundanes understand more than Shadowhunters and that their reliance on runes for healing can blind them to some things.  Diana’s story, too was really nicely told.  I also look forward to seeing how her tale continues.

Additionally, I loved how topical the book was.  Although it is a fantasy book, its themes of a right wing faction in the government looking to restrict freedoms of those whom it doesn’t understand were very well written and highly relevant.  Ever since Lady Midnight I have long suspected that the real enemy in The Dark Artifices will be the Clave.

Naturally, I gave Lord of Shadows five stars out of five.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella by Ashley Poston is a modern retelling of the Cinderella fairystory, with  a bit of geekdom thrown in.  The book is told from two points of view; that of Ella, a young teen, living with her stepmother and stepsisters who is obsessed with the reboot of cult series Starfield.  Her story follows Cinderella’s beat for beat as she competes to win first prize at the cosplay ball to mark Starfield’s revival.

The second PoV is that of Darien, a young actor cast in the lead role of Prince Carmindor in the reboot.  I really enjoyed his character arc and his growing in confidence in his ability to manage his relationships with friends and family and to handle the role of Carmindor.  His storyline lifted the book from a straight retelling/adaptation of Cinderella to something more.  

For fairytale retellings though, it has nothing on Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles.  I gave Geekerella four stars out of five.

Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer

The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer is very much a poor man’s Outlander.  It follows Beatrice Trovato, a modern day neurosurgeon who finds herself unexpectedly transported into the past and who must find a way to return home or make a life for herself there.  While the history is fascinating, and it’s a fun read it’s no Outlander.  Beatrice and Gabriele are no Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser and Jamie Fraser and the antagonist is no Black Jack Randall.

The biggest misstep here was not setting up conflict.  In Outlander much of the first book is driven by Claire’s conflicting desires between returning to the present, to her husband, Frank, and remaining in the past with Jamie, the man she has grown to love.  Beatrice doesn’t seem to care either about returning or remaining.

Despite that, The Scribe of Siena was an enjoyable read and I gave it four stars out of five.

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is not a book I’d planned on reading, but after I picked it up, I couldn’t stop reading,  I devoured it in one afternoon/evening.  It tells the story of Ginny Moon, a young teen with autism struggling to adapt to her new adoptive family as well as the reappearance of her birth mother in her life.  The book is written from Ginny’s perspective and it Ludwig has done a fantastic job of showing how her mind works differently due to her autism, but at the same time indicating how those around her perceive her actions.

I gave Ginny Moon five stars out of five

Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

Silence Fallen is the tenth book in Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series and it took me quite a while to get round to reading it. I loved the first few Mercy books, but the last two or three I have found to be rather derivative and added nothing new to Mercy’s story.  Silence Fallen is definitely one of the better stories in the later part of the series.  Briggs’ decision to have Mercy be stranded in Europe and forced to rely on her own resources in an alien culture was a very good move.  I also enjoyed the discussion about what is power and whether Mercy is powerful in her own right or only through her connections to powerful people – it is an interesting discussion and Briggs doesn’t quite give a definitive answer.

I also appreciated that events that took place in book three are still having an effect on Mercy – that is excellent character development.  And of course, the whole Matt Smith/Doctor Who setup was a lot of fun and I fell for it.  Nicely done, Briggs!

I gave Silence Fallen four stars out of five

That’s all I have to share today.  Do you agree with my thoughts on these books?  Let me know in the comments!