Graphic Novel Score!

Scored a graphic novel this morning in the post! Woo! Been wanting to read 'The Invincible Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle' for a long time now because I've heard good things and dudes, it's classic Iron Man for the love of Stark!

Plus, I got one of these awesome Book Depository bookmarks free with it (no, I don't benefit from the plug, I just really like the bookmarks I get from them!)

 

Isn't it freaking adorable?!?!?! Sorry, I love bookmarks - one of these days I'll have to upload a pic of my Gorjuss by Santoro bookmark which my father bought for me because he's amazing and I can never afford Santoro products and I love them. So. Bad.

 

Happy reading! (Sorry for the close-ups of my pudgy fingers ;) )

Reviewing the Evidence - Bloody Valentine

Title: Bloody Valentine (US Link)
Author: James Patterson
Genre: crime
Series: Quick Reads

A few starting notes:

Having previously read James Patterson books, and found his books entertaining if sometimes a little devoid of depth, and being a sucker for the excellent and always commendable Quick Reads series, I decided to pick this up in my last library haul.

Premise:

It's Valentine's day. But something is wrong in the Barnes apartments - the block of flats shared by entrepreneur Jack Barnes and his extended family. An awful and gory crime has been committed...could it have been by one of their own?

Best bits:

The locked-room style aspects of the mystery at the heart of this book is always interesting - and for the most part Patterson does justice to the concept.

The other thing that really stands out about this book is the sense of secrets, hidden deep within a well-off family, bubbling beneath the surface until they spill forward. The interplay of the tension is well-used, and the view of rich families as somehow hiding sin and betrayal, though a well-trodden path, is also used to good effect.

Patterson's main appeal is his sheer readability - and there is no difference here. The chapters are short and draw you onwards through the tale, and the whole book is also short - this being the Quick Reads series - so it is handy for those in-between moments, and for the busy reader.

Not so great bits:

The ending feels a little rushed, as if we're sprinting at the finish, and I think it would've benefited from a little more detail at the end. The prose is sometimes clumsy and a little bewildering, though largely it remains clear and readable.

The characters too could have done with a little more development - the standout perhaps being Leila and Ted, who both stand out more than Zee, Jack, or any of the detectives.

Verdict:

This is a quick and entertaining mystery. Yes, it's a little rough around the edges in more than a few places, but it's still pretty readable, and you'll want to read to the end, if only to reach the final answer to the whodunit? question.

Quick Note: I forgot to mention before but there is a scene or two in this book that is very gory - might not be to everyone's taste.

Library Haul!

Ahhh, just look at that wonderful library haul! Granted, a couple are renewals, but they still all belong to that excellent library pile :) I may have maxed out my library card (damn you ten item policy!) but it was totally worth it!

Reviewing the evidence - Under the Never Sky

Title: Under the Never Sky (US Link)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Series: Under the Never Sky

A few starting notes:

This is the first book in the 'Under the Never Sky' series by Veronica Rossi (not to be confused with Veronica Roth - author of the Divergent series.) I picked it up randomly at the library. I warn any fangirls/boys amongst you that it may well drag you into a new fandom, complete with ships and potential otp (I have a feeling this is going to suck me to fandom levels, I already want to read the rest of the series. I will resist becoming obsessed while it's still possible.) To non fangirls/boys - ignore that last sentence and try to not to get sucked into the fandom vocab, the less you know the more likely you are to continue in your somehow fandom-free existence.

Premise:

Aria (pronounced like the song) has lived in Reverie her whole life. She's never even been to the outer pods. She has the Realms - the virtual worlds all Dwellers live in, in ignorance of the cracks beginning to show in the aging Reverie. Aria's world is about to change forever.

Perry is an Outsider. He lives outside the pods, with the other Outsiders. He's Marked - he has special abilities: ultra-sharp eyesight and the ability to smell feelings. Perry's world is about to change forever.

Somehow, their going to have walk the balance between Reverie and the Outside, together.

Best bits:

The dystopian system is well thought-through - you can tell that there's a history to this place that the author knows but also knows isn't relevant to the plot. Rossi walks with ease through the different facets of her world, as if she's actually been there.

The concept of the Realms is frighteningly realistic - it's only a short step from what we already have, and it's an unnerving prospect used to excellent effect.

This book is a real page-turner, it grabs you and carries you along. Even with the recent glut in dystopian fiction off the back of series like The Hunger Games, this manages to feel fresh and relevant, despite walking some well-trodden paths.

Not so great bits:

There's some weighty issues here - parental neglect, child abuse, family betrayal,  and sexual assault (starting to think that there's sexual assault in pretty much every book I read.) There's also a bunch of gore, death, and a touch of cannibalism. This is dystopian fiction - this tends to result in an absence of fluffy bunnies.

You can see the romance coming a mile off - thing is, you kind of want it. The irritating part is that it doesn't come soon enough! I hate it when books make you wait around for something that's obvious from the first chapter.

Verdict:

This manages to bring fresh air to a recently saturated genre. It will keep you reading, keep you hoping, keep you guessing. It's sure as hell a great novel - and I can't wait for the rest of the series!

#LibraryHaul

Got a new Library Haul today - argh I love the library!

 

 

Anyone with a sharp eye may notice that Under the Never Sky and The Witch's Daughter were part of my previous haul - but that's what renewals are for!

 

As for the rest of this haul, the picture kind of cut off some of it, but there's a few Quick Reads, a graphic novel, and some non-fiction. There's also Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, because I've read the Shining so now I have to read it's sequel.

 

I'm looking forward to two of my non-fic picks in particular - 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, and Ban This Filth! by Ben Thompson. Ban This Filth! is about Mary Whitehouse and the censorship movement, so should be fun and irritating at the same time.

 

Hopefully some reviews will be appearing for you all soon!!!

Book Haul - #LibraryHaul

I went to the library this morning (Yay!) and picked up this awesome haul, some fiction, some non-fiction, some graphic novels...all combine to make a happy reading addict!

I hauled the following:
Prince of Shadows; Rachel Caine
The Shape Stealer; Lee Carroll
Mr Briggs' Hat; Kate Colquhoun
The Witch's Daughter; Paula Brackston
Traitors of the Tower; Alison Weir
Under the Never Sky; Veronica Rossi

Graphic Novels:
Wolverine: Hunting Season
Genju no Seiza vol. 1
Vermonia 1 Quest for the Silver Tiger

I'm hoping to review some soon - espec. Traitors of the Tower, since it's a Quick Read and I think that that's such a very awesome scheme/series! Happy reading everyone!