Book Reviews
Review: “City of Ember” by Jeanne DuPrau
Have you ever read a book that is SO good, that you can’t wait to read the next one? That’s this book. It’s the best book I have read so far! The City of Ember is far underground. Which I thought, wow this be really cool to read about.
Review: “Bitten” by K. L. Nappier
I am not familiar with Nappier’s previous work, so the Beast mythos was new to me. And I found myself reading on so that I could understand the rules involved in her take on the werewolf legends. Hunters David and Max had managed, within the first chapter, to bring an “incarnation” of the Beast. Usually, one stops once the werewolf is dead. But not in this universe.
Review: “Empress” by Karen Miller
Hekat, in Empress, is a difficult woman. And while I know that a part of me should cheer for this woman who raises herself up from a nameless no one to a ruler of her country, the other part of me can’t stand how difficult she is. Hekat is touched by the god. She is not inventing this. She really does have her deity on her side, protecting her as she slaughters the people who get in her way. Everything she does is fated. But I cannot get beyond how completely cold and ruthless she is to everyone around her.
Review: “No Dominion” by Charlie Huston
The book is marvelously written and very heavy on dialogue and vivid, yet dark, descriptions. Twists and turns abound, unfolding the story at a steady pace. It is also written as a first-person, present tense story, a style that I usually find jarring and unbelievable.
Review: “Doctor Sleep” by Stephen King
When I heard that Stephen King was writing a sequel to what I consider one of his best novels The Shining, I was both eager and hesitant to pick it up. Part of me was eager to see where King would take the characters from the world of the Overlook Hotel in the sequel and hesitant because of the track record of other authors with “long awaited” sequels.
Review: “Debris” by Jo Anderton
Jo Anderton’s debut novel is a compelling tale which pulls you in right from the start. Debris is told from the point of view of the protagonist Tanyana, and as the story progresses she searches for the truth behind her change of circumstances and meets a number of interesting characters along the way.
Review: “S.” by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
The novel S. is less of a conventional story written using words than it is an experience using the book as an object that mystifies the reader into a multi-layered tale of intrigue, young romance, and mystery. S. is told through the imaginary novel, Ship of Theseus, written by a Kafkaesque V.M. Straka whose real identity is unknown.
Review: “Soulless” by Gail Carriger
I returned from holidays to one of the worst fates that can happen to a book nerd -– a sewer backup. As I looked at the empty space where our bookshelves used to be, I realized I needed immediate cheering up. Fortunately, Gail Carriger’s Soulless was in my To Be Read pile, above the high water mark.
