This is a mystery thriller in the style of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, so if you enjoyed it you might find this book interesting. It borrows some themes from Dan Brown’s work, notably SangReal referring to Royal Blood and Jesus’ progeny rather than the cup of the Last Supper. The novel is fast paced, and the action keeps on coming. The characters are sympathetic if somewhat black and white. I did find myself engaged by the protagonists and wanting to read more of their story. This is the first in a series of novels, and I will likely read the others to find out what happens next. I gave The Return three and a half stars out of five. buy from Amazon, Kobo, iTunes Here is a trailer
I learned about this book because I followed the YouTube book reviews of the author, Will Jordan. Sadly, his reviews are no longer available online, but I had been very impressed with his sharp commentary and his clear understanding of character, plot and pacing. The fact that he was able to present it in a fun and amusing way was an added bonus. Naturally, when he announced he had been awarded his first publishing contract, I was keen to see if his skills as a reviewer would translate into those of an author. The novel most certainly did not disappoint. It is a riveting roller–coaster ride with interesting, well written characters. Jordan switches easily from viewpoint to viewpoint, with each character having his or her own motivations and voice. Although it is not a world I personally inhabit, the characters were believable and realistic. The plot was well thought out, with one twist after another and kept me turning page after page. One review I read mentioned that the language was often repetitive and uninspired. I would say that is probably a valid criticism. It’s clear Mr. Jordan is no wordsmith. However this is more than balanced by excellent characterisation,…
Next week my blog is hosting Tricia Stuart Shiu ’s Moa whirlwind tour. Stay tuned for more information.
I would love to say I loved this book, and indeed there was much I did enjoy about it. I found the main characters to be engaging and well written. The world building I thought was excellent. I enjoyed reading it and will certainly read the sequel, Bitterblue. What really let the novel down in my opinion was the poor pacing. I felt too much time was spent on the wrong things. For example we seem to spend several chapters wandering around in the snow with Katsa and Bitterblue and yet the final confrontation with Leck, to which the entire book has been leading, is over within half a page or so. This left me feeling somewhat cheated. In addition, this confrontation occurs still some way from the end of the novel; I kept expecting another twist, not setup for the next novel. I also felt the author missed some golden opportunities to explore some interesting themes, such as how do those who have grown used to power cope when they are powerless? It is touched upon briefly, but I would have welcomed a deeper exploration of these. Having said that, I think these are things the novelist will become…
The genre of political thriller is not one I read particularly often, and it usually has to have a very interesting premise for me to pick it up in the first place. This one did catch my attention: what could happen if wealthy and influential individuals lost a loved one in a terrorist attack and had the means, motive and opportunity to take personal revenge? The first half of the novel introduces the protagonists, describes the initial terrorist incident which sparked the titular revenge, while the second half follows its setup and first stages of execution. One thing I found detracted from the novel slightly was the abrupt end. I understand this is the first in a two book series, and it felt as though the ending was neither a tied up ending nor a lead in to book two. I found the characters to be well developed and in general sympathetic – at times it was all too easy to forget that what they are planning will cost the lives of many innocents in the name of personal revenge. The author does very well though in the way he describes their grief to gain the reader's empathy. The descriptions…
This last couple of months I've got through a few good books, and rather than reviewing each individually, I decided to write a post discussing all of them. On the fourth of May no fewer than four new releases were downloaded to my Kindle, so I am happy I had a week off work to read them all. Fair Game – Patricia BriggsThis is the next book in the Alpha and Omega series, and it was the usual enjoyable Briggs fare. Anna and Charles are interesting characters and it's fun to see their development. I was particularly interested in the end game changer – I understand it's impacting the Mercy Thompson series, too. I had been surprised that Briggs was planning a new Mercy book. I'd felt the character had come to the end of her story, but this will add a new dimension. I look forward to Frost Bitten next year I gave Fair Game four stars. The Iron King – Julie Kanawa.This is an ebook I borrowed from the library. A Young Adult novel, it is the usual tale of modern teen finds she has an undiscovered past and hidden powers, finds herself in a fantasy world. It's…
What an absolutely wonderful surprise I had on reading my Twitter feed this morning (thanks @Elmblade43!) to find that the Harry Potter ebooks are now available for purchase through the Pottermore store. This was unexpected to me as I'd not seen any prior announcements that the store was due to open; I'd expected it to be delayed until after the opening of the Pottermore site to the general public given how the original beta launch of the Pottermore site was launched. I had many misgivings about the Pottermore store given how poorly the beta site was handled. However, from the moment I went to the store it was clear I was in much safer hands. The first step in the process was to create a Pottermore shop account (not the same as your Pottermore account, meaning that non Beta Pottermore fans can still purchase the books.) This was all pretty straightforward. The rest of the purchase process was too; select the books (I opted for the bundle of all seven for a 10% discount) – and it has to be noted that they are very reasonably priced – $7.99 – $9.99. The next stage was the one which caused me…
Over the last few days I have watched three very different productions of Sherlock Holmes; an episode of the 1980s Granada television series starring Jeremy Brett, the modern day BBC production starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr's return to the role in the movie Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. All of these are excellent in their own way, but are very, very different from each other. Of the three, the Jeremy Brett version is the closest to the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle conception of the consulting detective. Granada Television set out to make a series that was faithful to the source material, and many consider Brett to be the definitive Holmes of his generation. The series captured very well Holmes' brilliant intellect and mercurial nature. The BBC production is very different; updated and set in the modern era, it has a very different vibe to it, but it still captures Holmes' lightning quick mind and ascorbic personality. Brilliantly played by Cumberbatch, you can almost see the wheels clicking round in his mind as he works through the mystery. More so than the Brett production it places a strong emphasis on the relationship between Holmes and Watson, played by…
Today I went out to the cinema despite the freezing cold to see this movie. Technically, it was excellent, with some superb performances, Gary Oldman and Benedict Cumberbatch both giving standout performances. Of course, it helped that all the main leads are very easy on the eye. However, as a woman, I was shocked by how darned chauvinistic it was. There was barely a single female character who wasn’t a) simple arm candy for the main characters b) a glorified tealady c) an adulteress or d) a damsel in distress the rescue of whom is held out as a reward for one of the main male characters The only positive female character , a smart secretary who seemed to know what was what (who got maybe 10 minutes’ screen time) was portrayed as less than traditionally attractive, and was forcibly put out to pasture (retired) very early on. Sadly, I fear that’s not too far from the truth of life in the 1970s British intelligence service. It’s been a while since I read John Le Carré’s novel on which the movie is based, so I can’t recall exactly if it’s as chauvinistic. When speaking with friends they asked me what…
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith follows a similar structure to his earlier book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in that it combines existing material with the fantastical. The premise of the book is that American President Abraham Lincoln’s life was spent hunting vampires as well as abolishing slavery. A mix of genres Now, straight historical biography is not a genre I tend to read very often; I’d rather be transported to a new world than learn about someone who lives or lived in ours. I found this particular combination of hard fact and fantastical fiction to be both fun and somewhat informative. A reader of this book would not finish it with an encyclopedic knowledge of Lincoln’s life – I must admit I kept Wikipedia on hand to check historical facts – but he may know more about him than he did previously, and possibly be inspired to learn more. It should be pointed out that as a Brit, my knowledge of American history is sketchy at best. It may be that American readers will learn little that is new to them. They however may enjoy trying to guess how the author will incorporate certain events into the…