The Darkest Minds: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / March 3, 2014

The Darkest Minds: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken is the followup to The Darkest Minds.  This series tells the story of Ruby, a young girl living in a world where most of the children have been killed by a virus but the survivors have been left with supernatural powers.  Ruby is one such survivor with the power to control other people’s minds.  The country has been left devastated by the loss of the children and fear of those who remain.  Ruby and her friends are running from place to place trying to find safety. I adored both The Darkest Minds and the novella In Time so it was a little surprising that I was somewhat disappointed by Never Fade.  It actually took me several attempts to sit down and read it.  This is the second book in an expected trilogy, perhaps it was a little of middle book syndrome. This also appears to be at the lowest point of our protagonist’s arc, and as such I found it a little depressing.  Ruby is dealing with a lot of guilt, doubt and self loathing in this book which makes it rather a dark read.  I also missed the camaraderie between Ruby,…

The Darkest Minds: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / March 3, 2014

The Darkest Minds: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken is the followup to The Darkest Minds.  This series tells the story of Ruby, a young girl living in a world where most of the children have been killed by a virus but the survivors have been left with supernatural powers.  Ruby is one such survivor with the power to control other people’s minds.  The country has been left devastated by the loss of the children and fear of those who remain.  Ruby and her friends are running from place to place trying to find safety. I adored both The Darkest Minds and the novella In Time so it was a little surprising that I was somewhat disappointed by Never Fade.  It actually took me several attempts to sit down and read it.  This is the second book in an expected trilogy, perhaps it was a little of middle book syndrome. This also appears to be at the lowest point of our protagonist’s arc, and as such I found it a little depressing.  Ruby is dealing with a lot of guilt, doubt and self loathing in this book which makes it rather a dark read.  I also missed the camaraderie between Ruby,…

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 26, 2014

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead is the first in the Bloodlines series, the spinoff from Vampire Academy.  It follows the story of young Alchemist Sydney Sage whom we met in the Vampire Academy series.  In it, Sydney is tasked with protecting Jill Mastrano in Palm Springs and in order to do so attends an elite boarding school with her.  We learn more about the Alchemists and also some secrets about Vampire Academy characters are revealed. To be honest, Bloodlines didn’t grab me nearly as much as Vampire Academy did.  With VA we were introduced to interesting characters and they drew us into their fascinating world.  While reading VA I had been interested to learn more about the Alchemists, but other than Sydney the Alchemists we meet in Bloodlines are very unsympathetic characters which killed any interest I had in learning about their organisation. What I liked Sydney.  I did like Sydney in Bloodlines, and I feel her character has great scope for development.  I would love to see her develop from a competent if anxious and insecure operative to the kick ass Alchemist we know she can be.  I would also enjoy seeing her deal with the prejudices she’s carrying around…

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 26, 2014

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead is the first in the Bloodlines series, the spinoff from Vampire Academy.  It follows the story of young Alchemist Sydney Sage whom we met in the Vampire Academy series.  In it, Sydney is tasked with protecting Jill Mastrano in Palm Springs and in order to do so attends an elite boarding school with her.  We learn more about the Alchemists and also some secrets about Vampire Academy characters are revealed. To be honest, Bloodlines didn’t grab me nearly as much as Vampire Academy did.  With VA we were introduced to interesting characters and they drew us into their fascinating world.  While reading VA I had been interested to learn more about the Alchemists, but other than Sydney the Alchemists we meet in Bloodlines are very unsympathetic characters which killed any interest I had in learning about their organisation. What I liked Sydney.  I did like Sydney in Bloodlines, and I feel her character has great scope for development.  I would love to see her develop from a competent if anxious and insecure operative to the kick ass Alchemist we know she can be.  I would also enjoy seeing her deal with the prejudices she’s carrying around…

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 24, 2014

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is whimsical tale of a magical competition by proxy between two conjurers which takes place through the medium of a fantastical circus which “opens at nightfall, closes at dawn.”  The challenge is further complicated by the fact that the two chosen proxies fall in love. I read recently that the novel in its original form was little more than a series of vignettes with little in the way of plot or cohesion to pull them together.  While in the published form it’s true that visual images are more important than plot, it still flows very well. I found that The Night Circus sneaked up on me.  It didn’t immediately draw me in, but the more I read the more I fell in love with Morgenstern’s circus and the people who live and work in it. What I liked Visual imagery.  One of the real treats of The Night Circus is the beautiful images conjured up by Morgenstern’s writing.  Her descriptions of, say, the Ice Garden or the Cloud Maze are breathtakingly evocative and stunning.  It really made me wish I could visit them in person. Larger than life but relatable characters.  All of the…

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Review
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 24, 2014

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is whimsical tale of a magical competition by proxy between two conjurers which takes place through the medium of a fantastical circus which “opens at nightfall, closes at dawn.”  The challenge is further complicated by the fact that the two chosen proxies fall in love. I read recently that the novel in its original form was little more than a series of vignettes with little in the way of plot or cohesion to pull them together.  While in the published form it’s true that visual images are more important than plot, it still flows very well. I found that The Night Circus sneaked up on me.  It didn’t immediately draw me in, but the more I read the more I fell in love with Morgenstern’s circus and the people who live and work in it. What I liked Visual imagery.  One of the real treats of The Night Circus is the beautiful images conjured up by Morgenstern’s writing.  Her descriptions of, say, the Ice Garden or the Cloud Maze are breathtakingly evocative and stunning.  It really made me wish I could visit them in person. Larger than life but relatable characters.  All of the…

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 19, 2014

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is the fairytalesque story of Sophie and Agatha who attend the School for Good and Evil.  The twist is that Sophie, who s is beautiful and thinks of herself as a princess and is expecting to go to the School for Good, ends up being placed in the School for Evil whereas reclusive, less traditionally attractive Agatha is placed in the School for Good.  Much of the book revolves around the girls’ struggle to adapt to an environment and course of study which feels alien to them. What I liked The Sophie Agatha friendship.  This relationship is really at the core of the book.  Although the girls are very different, they do share a close bond even if they don’t always recognise or acknowledge it.  I loved the way their friendship was developed – and tested throughout the book. The nature of good and evil.  Of course, it’s implied that, since the girls were sent to the schools they were, there was obviously some implication of what made Agatha “good” and Sophie “evil.”  From various incidents it appears that evil is equated with selfishness and good with consideration for others.  I’m not…

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 19, 2014

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is the fairytalesque story of Sophie and Agatha who attend the School for Good and Evil.  The twist is that Sophie, who s is beautiful and thinks of herself as a princess and is expecting to go to the School for Good, ends up being placed in the School for Evil whereas reclusive, less traditionally attractive Agatha is placed in the School for Good.  Much of the book revolves around the girls’ struggle to adapt to an environment and course of study which feels alien to them. What I liked The Sophie Agatha friendship.  This relationship is really at the core of the book.  Although the girls are very different, they do share a close bond even if they don’t always recognise or acknowledge it.  I loved the way their friendship was developed – and tested throughout the book. The nature of good and evil.  Of course, it’s implied that, since the girls were sent to the schools they were, there was obviously some implication of what made Agatha “good” and Sophie “evil.”  From various incidents it appears that evil is equated with selfishness and good with consideration for others.  I’m not…

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 17, 2014

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the first in a trilogy of YA dystopian novels.  It tells the story of Darrow who, after his wife’s martyrdom, is given the opportunity to escape his lower class existence in order to infiltrate his society’s elite.  The idea behind this is that he will give the rebels opposing the current regime a man on the inside to help bring down the current system.  When he learns that his class has been lied to for many years, he doesn’t hesitate to take this opportunity. I received a copy free to review from Netgalley.  Del Rey is promoting Red Rising quite heavily at the moment, and it’s always quite fun to see books I’ve read free on huge piles in bookstores or in internet advertisements.  Feedback has been generally excellent – Red Rising has an average rating of 4.35 on GoodReads. What I liked Good worldbuilding.  Brown does an excellent job of setting up the world in which Darrow lives originally, his challenges, and despair at his wife’s death.  He then follows it up with a good description of the world of the Golds – the elite – the world Darrow must infiltrate.  While survival…

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Book Reviews , eBook reviews / February 17, 2014

Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the first in a trilogy of YA dystopian novels.  It tells the story of Darrow who, after his wife’s martyrdom, is given the opportunity to escape his lower class existence in order to infiltrate his society’s elite.  The idea behind this is that he will give the rebels opposing the current regime a man on the inside to help bring down the current system.  When he learns that his class has been lied to for many years, he doesn’t hesitate to take this opportunity. I received a copy free to review from Netgalley.  Del Rey is promoting Red Rising quite heavily at the moment, and it’s always quite fun to see books I’ve read free on huge piles in bookstores or in internet advertisements.  Feedback has been generally excellent – Red Rising has an average rating of 4.35 on GoodReads. What I liked Good worldbuilding.  Brown does an excellent job of setting up the world in which Darrow lives originally, his challenges, and despair at his wife’s death.  He then follows it up with a good description of the world of the Golds – the elite – the world Darrow must infiltrate.  While survival…