fiction

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 15 Comments

caraval

 

“Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”

 

I had been looking forward to this book for months. I kept trying to get an ARC of it but no dice, had to wait for the release date like everyone else. Nearly pounced on the the poor UPS guy when he finally showed up with it at 5pm. How could I resist a book that promises magic, mystery, drama, and just a touch of heartbreak? Stick that all in a pot, give it a good stir, and you have yourself the makings of a good book.

Alright. Before I get too far along here, something has been nagging at me. I’ve read dozens of reviews of this books. The lucky ducks who did manage to get ARCs of it have been popping their thoughts up on Goodreads for weeks. Of all of them, I only read one or two that went, “Hey wait, does this remind any one else of The Night Circus?” Yes. Yes, it does. Thank you for saying so. We have the magic circus/carnival, the master/masters overseeing things with their own set of rules, a forbidden love, delicious and extraordinary food that is never seen outside of the venue, and Caraval even goes black and white for a few pages under a magical influence much like Le Cirque des Rêves is. I’m not complaining, mind you,  I just found it odd that no one was mentioning the parallels. Now that that is off of my chest…

We begin with two sisters, Donatella and Scarlett, who live a rather isolated life with their father. He is a hard and cruel man who takes any opportunity to physically and mentally punish them. I wanted to reach in the pages and slap him around. He had even gone as far as murdering a man who was trying to help his daughters. The girls want to escape their oppressive life and Scarlett means to give them that escape by marrying a count who would take them away from the prison they were forced to call home. When tickets arrive for them to get into the magical Caraval, a wrench gets thrown into her plans. She had always wanted to go but she knows her marriage and ticket to freedom are upcoming and if she goes to Caraval those will be taken from her forever.

Donatella has other plans and along with the help of a dashing sea captain, they kidnap Scarlett and head to the mysterious island that is home to Caraval. Upon arriving on the island Donatella immediately disappears which sends Scarlett into a frenzy as she feels it is her responsibility alone to watch out for Tella. That was irksome about Scarlett. Every action she took was about finding and saving Tella. It never occurs to her that Tella is an independent and intelligent woman who, perhaps, is capable of saving herself. So Scarlett along with Julian, the sea captain who took them to the island, enter into Caraval and begin their search for Tella.

Caraval itself is full of wonder and the fantastic. People come from all around to take part in it. During the day the guests are confined to their hotels but at night everything comes alive. The guests take part in solving a mystery. This year, the mystery is the disappearance of Donatella. There are clues, some they are given and some they must find, to lead them to the damsel in distress. Scarlett, of course, is frantic to find her sister. She and Julian follow the clues and find themselves pretty constantly in some sort of perilous peril.

The most enjoyable part of the story for me was Scarlett’s progression as a character. She starts off as this timid, rule abiding mouse but through her trials and tribulations within Caraval she grows into a more confident, strong woman.

There are many twists and turns through the story and with each page you learn more and more that Caraval can be a frightening place. The guests are warned at the beginning that everything is just a show and not too get too enraptured but it feels less and less like a performance with every passing chapter. Scarlett is caught up in the mystery and in finding her own confidence and heart and you will be, too. It is a lovely story that is very character driven. Admittedly, I would have liked a little more focus on the venue as I never did get a clear image of it in my head but overall well worth the read.

 

January Wrap Up

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 12 Comments

janwrapup

 

I thought I’d try something new this month with a month end wrap up of what I’ve read, tried to read, or started on during the month of January.

January Reads

During the month of January I read through nine books. Not as many as I wanted but also not shabby at all. For February I’m going to aim for ten again, hopefully I can hit it this time.

 


sequencethewitchfinderssister24690theshadowlandheartlesstheinvisiblelibraryadarkershadeofmagicthecaseofthegreendressedghostthreedarkcrowns

 

January Favorites

Sometimes a book really captures your attention and pulls you in. My two favorite reads for the month were:


heartless

I just can’t say enough about this book. I fell in love with it. Meyer tells the story of what happened in Wonderland before Alice and how the Queen of Hearts came to be. There is adventure, romance, danger, and a heartbreaking ending. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, have tissues because those last 100 pages are just full on ugly cry.

 

adarkershadeofmagic

 

This work by V.E. Schwab has become one of my favorite books ever. It is part of a trilogy and I read this one and the second, A Gathering of Shadows, in less than 3 days. At around 400 pages a pop that is no small feat, at least for me. Adventure, danger, magic, and some really beautiful story telling. Pick this one up!

 

Least Favorite

sequence

 

SeQuence quickly became my least favorite book for the month of January. It was full of weak characters with no thoughts outside of, “I love you!” and “Oh my gosh, I love you too but now must avoid you because I am emotionally immature!” Couldn’t deal with this book. Terrible.

 

 

Throwing in the Towel

Sometimes you start a book with high hopes. You want to get lost in whatever web it is weaving and leave the real world behind even if just for a little while. Occasionally the story just doesn’t grab you though and you end up throwing in the towel.

theliesoflockelamora

Every time I get on one of Reddit’s book boards or into Goodreads this book slaps me in the face. With it’s brilliant reviews and large fan base I figured The Lies of Locke Lamora would be a slam dunk. I was wrong. For some reason it just didn’t pull me in what-so-ever. I would pick it up and only get a few paragraphs in before I’d put it down again. By the time I put it down there had been zero female characters. Very disappointing.

 

agreatreckoning

I’m pretty sure failing at this one was my fault. I grabbed it from the library on a whim because the blurb at the back sounded entertaining. What I didn’t realize was that it was this book is the 12th of a series and some serious world building had occurred prior to it. The characters were walking around like you should understand their purpose already and I just didn’t. Not getting through this book is entirely on me.

 

Overall I think January was a pretty successful month of reading. I’m also starting February with a book I’ve been looking forward to, Caraval by Stephanie Graber, so I’m off on the right foot. How did you do this January? What were your favorites? What did you hate?

 

 

 

 

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 17 Comments

adarkershadeofmagic

 

I’m not going to putz and pontificate here, just get right to the point. I loved this book. Adored it. My fondness for it knows no bounds. If it were a type of cookie I would eat them until I was sick. If it were a sweater I would wear it every day. If it were a color I would paint my walls with it. If it were a person I’d marry them. I think you get my point…

Usually when I read a fantasy book I have a difficult time getting into it. The world just seems fuzzy and not quite clear so the story doesn’t suck me in. With the world that Schwab created that was simply not the case. I was completely sucked in within the first few pages. The world she crafted was so clear in my head, the characters so vivid, and the story so full that I couldn’t put it down. I can’t remember the last time that I was so thoroughly engrossed.

A sharp, elegant fantasy thriller – a breathless journey in the company of characters you can only trust to charm you. -Delia Sherman, author of Young Woman in a Garden

We begin with our dashing hero, Kell. Kell has the special ability to pass between realities. There are four realities which Kell explains as being stacked together like pages in a book. They are Grey, Red, White, and Black. You can’t cross from Grey to White without passing through Red. A lot of detail gets put into the world building but I’ll try to sum it up as best I can.

Grey gave me the impression of being based on our own 17th century. A little dark, not much in the way of technological advances, and a certain brand of lawlessness. Red is bright, vibrant, rich, and full of magic. Red is Kell’s home where he is an unofficial part of the royal family. White has been sucked of all color and vibrancy and is ruled by violence and terror. It is a horrifying place and is home to Holland, the only other person that can go between worlds besides Kell. There is very little known about Black. Black had been completely consumed by magic. No one was spared. The other worlds feared that they would be consumed as well so they cut themselves off and Black was locked away. Nothing could leave that fallen world. Any artifacts from Black that had gone to the other worlds were destroyed in fear that their disease would spread.

Kell begins as mostly just a glorified messenger between worlds as he and Holland are the only two that can pass between them. He delivers notes and messages and meets with the rulers across the worlds. He does, however, have an unfortunate habit of trading small items from one world to another which is strictly forbidden. It’s mostly just little things like music boxes and games. However, he finds himself accidentally transporting a dangerous package to his home of Red.

It is a surviving artifact from Black.

With the help of a girl, Lila, from Grey he tries to rid the worlds of this dangerous item. The influence of the dark magic from Black leaks from the artifact and begins polluting anyone who touches it and the world around it. Kell is determined to save the surviving worlds with great personal risk to himself. Lila is in it for the adventure and fun but finds something more of herself. She is strong and determined and you quickly find yourself rooting for her.

I was completely absorbed the entire book. There are twists and turns that take you by surprise, evil doers you aren’t expecting, bravery, sadness, and magic. It is all woven together into a wonderful story that is difficult to put down. I plowed through all 400 pages in 24 hours. I am so happy that I stumbled onto this book and can’t wait to read the others in the trilogy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 16 Comments

theinvisiblelibrary

 

Have you ever read a book title and went, “Well, this is going to be cheesy,”? That’s how I felt about this one. It is also listed as YA on Goodreads which was off-putting as that certainly wasn’t what I was in the mood for. For some reason I was drawn to it anyway so I off I plodded to the local library, toddler in tow. Have you ever taken a young child to a library? It is an adventure unto itself and inevitably ends in tears or giggles, there is no in between on that one.

First thing I want to mention is that this book really shouldn’t be listed as YA due to themes as well as vocabulary. Our leading lady, Irene, works for the invisible Library and she with her associates throw words around with more syllables than I have fingers. I actually had to look up the definition of a word while I was reading this. That hasn’t happened in a while. It was exciting.

The invisible Library (I’m using capitals with that on purpose, it’s not a silly error) is an expansive, well, library that exists outside of normal time and space. It is enormous and can take days to travel from one section to the next on foot. From there the librarians travel to different dimensions and alternate realities to collect unique books of historic value. Irene, a junior librarian, is given the task of going to one of these alternate realities to collect a particularly sensitive book. Little does she know how much trouble her assignment is going to be.

Irene is given an initiate librarian, Kai, on his first mission to take with her and train. There was some definite sexual tension sparking between those two which made for some amusingly uncomfortable moments. They quickly learn that the world their mission sends them to is listed as a major no-go-zone. That world is considered one of the most dangerous and unstable in the entire Library network. There the concepts of logic and reason often have little meaning. In their quest for this elusive book they encounter creatures that would have no place in the general concept of a “normal” world including, but not limited to, giant mind controlled crocodiles.

Okay, here we get to the cheese factor. Several mythological creatures are thrown at you and they can feel out of place at times. I think that is part of the point, though. They are supposed to feel out of place. Irene stresses often how this world defies logical rules which allows these creatures to thrive. They are meant to feel out of place because they don’t truly belong. Once you wrap your mind around that and accept it the book has a much better flow.

They battle crocodiles, a shape shifter that can steal someone’s skin, werewolves, and a bevy of other creatures in their attempt to retrieve this book. They do eventually tell you why the book is so important and the reason itself was also interesting. There was not much in this read that wasn’t interesting or entertaining.

Overall it was a very good book. The action didn’t take a back seat and the characters you meet are entertaining if a little odd. For the last third or so I couldn’t put it down because I had to know what happened. The conclusion was also satisfying. Now, there are going to be things left unresolved and a few plot points that may rub the wrong way but as this is the first book of a series I let that go with the expectation that those points would be explained in a later book. It was a quick read and highly enjoyable and I fully intend on picking up the rest of the series.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 10 Comments

threedarkcrowns

Three dark queens

are born in a glen,

sweet little triplets

will never be friends

Three dark sisters

all fair to be seen,

two to devour

and one to be Queen

Look at that. Look at it. Read it. Let it take your imagination away. That is what is printed on the back cover of this book. And just look at that front cover. Doesn’t it draw your eye? Pull you in? Don’t you feel the yearning to read it? The art and the poem tempt you to pick this book up, give it a try. They make you feel like they will not let you down.

Oh, my friends, but they do. They do.

I have never been left infuriated by a book. I’ve been disappointed. I’ve been disgusted. I’ve been left feeling dirty. I’ve been left with my soul empty, carried away by musty pages. But never, in all my life, have I been infuriated. I promise you honest reviews and, oh, you shall have one.

We have three sisters, triplets, who were separated at a young age to be raised by different factions all on the same large island. This island is a kingdom unto itself and nearly entirely cut off from the outside world. Each sister has a gift.

Arsinoe was brought up in a village where most people have an animal companion, a familiar. The people of that village are fiercely independent and are people of the land. They can encourage plants and crops to grow, coax fish from the sea, and are skilled at the hunt.

Katharine was taken in by the current ruling faction, the poisoners. They are skilled at mixing poisons and being immune to them. The poisoners see any food that does not contain poison detestable and insulting. They are used to being in charge and will do anything to continue that way.

Mirabella was raised by the elementals. They have control of, you may have guessed, the elements. Fire, water, wind, and earth. Mirabella can call down a storm, walk through fire, cause an earthquake, and most anything else involving the elements. She is considered the strongest of the sisters and her faction also controls the heart of religion on the island by means of the priestesses.

These three sisters were separated to be raised by the factions only to be brought back together during their sixteenth year to, in a nut shell, fight to the death. Two of the sisters must die by the other’s hand. The one left alive will rule. They have their entire sixteenth year to accomplish this.

Doesn’t that sound like a great premise of a book?

The poisoners have had control for the last three queens and of course they want Katharine to conquer over her sisters so they may continue their rule. The problem is that Katharine is not a very good poisoner. She can mix and brew with the best of them but actually ingesting the poisons still makes her violently ill. She is weak. Arsinoe is a strong willed, brave young woman but she has no familiar and has not learned control over animals and growing. She is also perceived as weak. By contrast, Mirabella is a goddess. She can walk through flames without feeling the heat. She can bring on a storm that can sink ships in the harbors. She can shake the ground and bring buildings crumbling down. Most assume that she will be a shoo in for murdering her sisters and inheriting the crown.

And that right there folks is pretty much all you get the entire book. There is all of this build up and explanations and ceremonies leading up to the Beltane feast. It is the Beltane celebration that signals the beginning of the year when the sisters are to off each other. There is so much anticipation and focus on this that you expect there to be a bloodbath or something.

You know what? There isn’t. There isn’t anything. You wait the entire book for absolutely nothing to happen. Guess what? There is a second book. It hasn’t been published yet, but there is to be another book. So this one is just a 400 page buildup of absolutely nothing happening so that the second book will make sense. I just read 400 pages just to be coaxed into reading the second book. I don’t think so. It feels like a Walking Dead episode. Nothing happens nothing happens nothing happens…BOOM! Cliffhanger at the end to encourage you to watch the next one.

I got sucked into a story that ended up feeling like a preview for the actual action. Not only are there so many characters in the book (one of which is called by three different names just to make things confusing) that they are nearly impossible to keep straight. None of them mean anything to the story in the concept of this as a stand alone book. It’s like a commercial where you are supposed to be impressed by whatever the promoted item does but you never actually get to see it do anything. I am infuriated.

You know what? I’m sure the next book will be fantastic. That it will tie things together and make the build up interesting and hopefully kill off some of the multitude of characters. But guess what? I won’t be reading it. This commercial didn’t sell me on the product, it just ticked me off.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 12 Comments

heartless

 

“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don’t you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless

After my last read being so violent and depraved I turned to Heartless hoping for something a little lighter. Something that would leave me with a good feeling. What I got instead was the absolute worst book hangover I have ever had. I finished it nearly a day ago now and it is still dancing around in my head. The story got it’s hands in me and won’t let me go.

bookhangover

From Alice in Wonderland we all know the general cast of characters that come from the classic Lewis Carroll novel. We have The Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts,the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar, and a bevy of other characters that all seem at least a little out of their right minds. They are all lovable in their own ways and have made a lasting impression across generations since initial publication in 1865. What we have in Heartless is (mostly) this same cast of characters before Alice fell down the rabbit hole. Before the reign of the Queen of Hearts. They each delighted and entertained me. Most broke my heart.

Catherine, our lovely heroine, is a young woman with dreams of opening her own bakery with her maid and dear friend Mary Ann. Being the daughter of aristocrats her parents obviously don’t want her filling her head with such nonsense as having a career or owning her own business. That, in their minds, is simply and utterly beneath them. What they want, which of course overrules anything Cath may want for herself, is to have their daughter married off to the King of Hearts. Cath is absolutely, unreservedly, and entirely against it.

The king is a spineless dolt of a man who is very jovial in his ignorance of anything that could potentially be upsetting. His determination to ignore things that tip the happy balance of his kingdom has spread to his subjects and they all live in a contented state of cluelessness. The king plans to propose to Catherine, it never crossing his mind that she may be against it, at a ball and all the nobility in Hearts are invited. At the ball there is an attack by the dreaded Jabberwock and, luckily for Cath, his proposal is cut short and she dashes out into the night.

And into the arms of Jest.

Jest is the king’s court jester and quickly becomes the love interest of Cath. Jest, while I adore him, never felt completely right to me as a character. He was just too perfect. The author has explanations for this within the book but it still just rubs me ever so slightly the wrong way. I want my hero to seem human, which seems silly in the context of a book where many of the characters are in fact not human. Humans have flaws and imperfections which make them relatable. Jest seems to have none of that. Luckily for him it doesn’t make him obnoxious and you easily come to love him anyway.

Throughout the story we also meet Hatta. Hatta, known by Alice as the Mad Hatter, is perfectly sane and logical, thank you very much. This is something I love about the book. We know that at some point Hatta’s sanity takes a leave of absence but here he is an intelligent, logical man with an unprecedented talent for making hats and being mildly mysterious.

We follow Cath in her adventures as she attempts to thwart the king from his wooing of her, continues her efforts to open her own bakery, gets confusingly courted by Jest, and then watch it all come spiraling down in an out of control avalanche. I read another review of this book which I completely agree with. I would like to take the last five or so chapters of this book and forget that they happened. It would entirely change the entire story for the future Alice and I would be completely content with that. Don’t get me wrong, they are wonderfully written and it brings the story as a whole to a conclusion in preparation for Lewis Carroll’s world, but it completely breaks my heart.

There are so many lovely details of this book that bring it all together into an irresistible whole. It is magic and fun and love and mystery and, in the end, completely, emotionally draining. I don’t want to pick up another book yet because the world within this one still has it’s hold on me.

“These things do not happen in dreams, dear girl,’ he said, vanishing up to his neck. ‘They happen only in nightmares.’
His head spiraled and he was gone.”

 

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 3 Comments

theshadowland

 

It is New Year’s Day 2017 and I figured what better way to start the year off than with a new book. I decided to do something different with my reading this coming year and entered myself in the 52 Book reading challenge both on Reddit and Goodreads. Goodreads allows you to easily keep track of what you have read, books you hope to read, and other suggested titles. The 52 Book Reddit community is still a little new to me but I’ve enjoyed conversations with other readers about books they have read or are reading, found reading suggestions from like minded folk, and have seen many readers who get encouragement to keep going by that community. I’ve very much enjoyed them.

Anyway, to The Shadow Land.

The author had previous success with her book The Historian, which is also on my future reading list, so I had opened this one with high hopes. We have a young American woman, Alexandra, who travels to Bulgaria to teach in honor of the memory of her dead brother who had wanted to visit the country. Alexandra, during her first few minutes in the city of Sofia, accidentally finds herself with someone else’s luggage. Once she discovers that she has someone else’s bag she is determined to find them to return it to them as the bag contains human ashes. Therein her adventure starts.

What struck me most about The Shadow Land is how the author, Kostova, is able to paint such beautiful pictures with her words. The book has enough detail to make the story clear in my mind without being obvious about it. She describes the towns that Alexandra visits so well that the descriptions themselves are enough to engulf me in the book. I think that is an art unto itself. Most books pull you in with their general story and plot, Kostova got me hooked with her lovingly rendered locations. I’ve run across very few author’s who are able to do that.

That being said…

If it wasn’t her descriptions the book wouldn’t be worth reading. Once Alexandra discovers she has someone else’s belongings she has her cab driver take her to the police to report it. What is the obvious thing to do at this point? Leave the bag with the police. What does Alexandra do? She and her cab driver named Bobby traipse all over the country to try to return the bag to it’s owner. Yes, how very nice of her etc etc. Despite being nice it is ridiculous. She is in a country she has never been to where they speak a language she does not know where she and her cab driver that she also doesn’t know drive all over creation to find people she doesn’t know. With all honesty, without Bobby the story would be completely unreadable. Alexandra follows him and his orders like a puppy. She seems to have no original thoughts outside of the occasional ramble about her dead brother. Without her brother she would have absolutely zero personality or thoughts. It is infuriating.

The most interesting character in this story is, funnily enough, the dead man whose ashes she is carting around. During flash backs we get to see the man’s, Stoyan, life. He was an accomplished violinist and through a very simple error ended up a political prisoner. During his story we are with him in a prison forced labor camp. It breaks my heart all this man goes through trying to get back to his wife. The poor man certainly didn’t get a happily-ever-after.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. I couldn’t. I spent more time reading it getting frustrated with what seemed a pointless endeavor than anything else. All the beautiful story telling in the world couldn’t salvage it for me. After reading over 400 pages the conclusion, when you actually find out what was going on, is maybe three paragraphs. I wanted to throw it. I read that part twice hoping I had missed something that would make the rest of the story worth it but I was just left, well, frustrated. Not the kind of book I wanted to start the new year with.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book was provided by Net Galley

netgalley

 

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ Leave a comment

thewhitequeen

 

Historical fiction is a genre I just can’t seem to keep away from. I have a dozen other physical books waiting to be read as well as several in my Nook but I had to have this one. Initially I watched a couple of episodes of the Starz series they made based on this book. At the time I didn’t even know it was based on a book but once I found out I had to have it.

What surprised me was how difficult this book was to find. I mean, a popular television series was made based on it and yet I had to dig to find a copy. I figured I could walk into my local library and pick it up or at least get it on interlibrary loan. Nope! I live in the greater DC area and no library in the county had a copy of this book. What the heck? I couldn’t get it on my nook, it wasn’t available on kindle or kindle unlimited, and at the time I couldn’t even find it on Thriftbooks! Of course, that made me just want to read it even more.

Once I finally got my hands on a copy, I could not put it down. Break at work? Read this book. Making dinner? Book in one hand, spoon in the other. Time for bed? Nope! Book on my lap. You know it is a good story when you lose sleep over it.

Through the pages I followed Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to become a Queen of England. She struck me as a highly intelligent, independent, and resourceful woman. Elizabeth’s story starts with her trying to get her land and property returned to her as they had been taken once her husband died in the war against King Edward. Who does she express her desire to get her property back to? King Edward. The man whose fault it was that her husband was dead. This took bravery and a great deal of cunning on her part. I tip my hat to you, Mrs. Woodville

However, once she did claim Edward’s attention and become queen (which was a bit of a scandal), her character progressively became far less likable. She went from a loving mother of two fatherless boys trying to reclaim what was hers to a conniving, plotting, distasteful queen. I feel I could make some pithy comments here regarding the history of the monarchy and how power corrupts but instead I will only leave this passive-aggressive note.

Non the less I felt for her. Throughout nearly all of her husband’s reign he was at war. Edward was away fighting battles and trying to secure his position beyond any shadow of a doubt and Elizabeth was home. She was trying to protect her family and her people. She was fiercely loyal and I can’t help but respect her for that. Elizabeth, even when she and her family were in sanctuary hiding from various threats to the crown, did all she could even resorting to spells in an attempt to keep her family safe.

Now, if you have a passing interest in the history of the time period you may recall the story of the princes in the tower. Elizabeth’s two sons, in a time of great upheaval with the crown at stake, were locked away in the tower of London by a usurper attempting to take the throne. The boys were never heard from again and there is no evidence as to what may have happened to them.  It is assumed that they were murdered for political gain but there is no clear evidence to that. This book takes that story and gives it a little twist. While I found myself in tears over the violence against these innocent children Gregory also gave a little twist to the old history. I won’t spoil it for you, but it does slightly change the princes in the tower tale that many have come to know.

Anyway, I won’t give away any more of the plot here. I will say that there is a massive amount of political intrigue, family turmoil, war, death, and suspense. There are complaints out there that the plot is slow moving and that the author doesn’t give enough life to the story but I certainly didn’t have that impression. Gregory paints clear and attention demanding images in my head that give this work so much life! This is one of my favorite books and I can easily see myself re-reading it in the years to come. I hope that if you choose to pick this one up that a) you can find it far more easily than I did and b) that you enjoy it just as much if not more. Happy reading!

 

 

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ Leave a comment

ontheisland

 

I picked this book up on a whim. Browsing through recommended books on my Nook, this one had particularly good reviews. “What the heck, ” I thought, “with that many good reviews it must at least be entertaining.” Oh no, I overestimated the capability of the populace at large to choose decent reading material. A little harsh of me? Perhaps. I’m okay with that.

This book starts, as many irritating situations do, in an airport. Flight delayed? Yup. Having to wait with a teenager? Yup. This woman, whose age is hovering around that turning-point of 30, is waiting in the airport with a teenager to fly to the Maldives to be his private tutor for the summer. Bored yet? That’s what I thought.

These two people, whom I will not even grace with names, end up lost in the tropics on a deserted island after their plane goes down when the pilot dies after having a massive heart attack while in flight. Can you hear the melodramatic background music? But wait! There’s more!

You can imagine what goes on survival wise lost on a desert island. Find food. Find shelter. Pick up bits and pieces that wash ashore from your crashed flight which miraculously include a first aid kit and your suit case. How convenient. I think, however, that the main interest of the book was supposed to be based around the character’s love story.

The young man is around 17 and as I mentioned the lovely (of course) tutor is around 30. It seemed to me that the story was supposed to dance around the social faux pas of two people of such differing age becoming romantically involved. They do end up becoming involved and conveniently the young man is sterile (due to his battle with cancer which is the only emotionally wrenching part of the story). How nice for them, huh? Lost on a tropical island and don’t even need to concern themselves with birth control. Convenient.

As any good “lost on a island” story goes there is a brush with a shark, making friends with dolphins, finding a long dead body, illness from malnutrition, and quite a bit of doing the horizontal tango. If I recall they also make friends with a chicken. There is no imagery intended. They quite literally make friends with a chicken. Sadly, that sentence was also the most entertaining part of the book.

After spending a few years on this island, a tsunami washes them off their happy spit of land where they are then rescued after floating about in the water for a bit. The remainder of the book involves the two growing apart in society and then coming back together to live happily ever after with a brood of children (apparently the young man had his sperm frozen for later use) . I promise you that it is no more interesting than it sounds. I felt that the book should have ended with them getting rescued from the island, however, on we trudged through them feeling sorry for themselves after being rescued from an island where they most certainly were doomed to die an early death. Big on on the self pity.

As a whole, the book had a good premise. We had tragedy, a meeting of minds (not to mention bodies), and a return to society to live out their lives together. What this book was missing was detail, feeling, and it almost felt as if the author became just as bored in writing the story as I was in reading it. Throw this one back to the sharks. 

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 3 Comments

nefertiti

 

Was I completely disappointed in the last time period based book I read? Yup. Did I get drawn in to read another one? Yup. I am a real sucker for Egypt. How could I resist a book based around the chief queen of the heretic pharaoh Ankenaten? Her famous bust sits in a museum in Berlin, taunting me to come to see it. If I have a love for all things ancient Egyptian, then rule of Ankenaten is my obsession. I had to see how this author could bring both the splendor and atrocities of that period to life.

I’ll start with the fact that if you have no knowledge of ancient Egypt, then this book would be a little difficult to follow. Moran often names other pharaohs such as Hatshepsut as well as various gods of Egypt and cities. You could vaguely follow the story but if you don’t fully grasp the importance of Thebes or the priests of Amun, I don’t think that the story would make nearly as big of an impact.

This is one of those stories I was up until two AM reading with a cup of tea growing cold beside me. It completely drew me in. The characters had such life! When Queen Nefertiti began acting like a spoiled little child you wanted to put her in her place. When the pharaoh abandoned his country’s boarders to make the soldiers build him a new city you wanted to throw him to the Nile crocodiles. Each of these moments to reached out and drew me in for the ride.

Throughout the book you follow Nefertiti’s younger sister Mutnodjmet. She gets brushed aside and treated as a servant when her sister comes to power. While the rest of us most likely would have put our overbearing, childish sister in her place, Mutny (her nick-name which makes me think of a kicked dog) follows along like (shall I say it?) a wounded puppy. She is quiet and soft and likes gardening and children. To each their own.

We watch as the new capitol city of Amarna is built to honor the Aten instead of the traditional Amun. We are there as Nefertiti is made co-regent of Egypt. Then the author makes us hurt for the hundreds that die as the Black Plague washes through the city taking with it several member of the royal family. I must say that I also let out a sigh of relief when the heretic Ankenaten passes away of the same plague he brought upon his people. He was written as a selfish, thoughtless, arrogant man and it was almost worth letting out a cheer when he passes. Almost.

As a whole, this book was beautifully written. It is rich in detail, the characters have plenty of personality, and there are very few dull moments. It’s only downfall is it is not entirely suitable for people with no knowledge of the history of Egypt. I think it would be difficult for them to follow along through many of the discussions. Imagine walking up to someone who has studied the history of China all their lives and striking up a discussion of Egypt, They probably wouldn’t know Hatshepsut from Khufu.  This leaves the book with a diminished audience. Be that as it may, I adore it and will be looking for more works by this author.