All posts by skyebjenner

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Book Review, , ,

Overview

BeastlyTitle: Beastly
Author: Alex Flinn
Series: Kendra Chronicles #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fairy tales
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: But I’d known it wouldn’t last.

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Synopsis

I AM A BEAST.

A beast. Not quite wolf or gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature with fangs, claws, and hair springing from every pore. I am a walking monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. And I’ll stay this way forever – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, the perfect girl, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly… beastly.

Thoughts

I have loved the movie Beastly for a long time. After all, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, (or at the very least, my favourite Disney movies), and I loved this modern-day adaptation of it. Only recently did I read the opening credits and realise that the movie is actually based on a book. So I bought the book. And I really wasn’t disappointed.

This is a simple, easy book. Plain and simple. There isn’t a lot of complexity in it, and it isn’t one that you have to think a lot about hidden meanings. Which is why I loved it. I enjoy high fantasy and complex tales as much as the next girl, but I also love something that is happy, simple and you are guaranteed of a sweet, happy ending. This falls firmly within that category. And which is why I loved it.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that not only was it a modern-day story, but it highlighted this with the use of an internet forum. Before each “part” there was a live chat between different fairy tale characters, the frog, one of the grizzly bears, and the little mermaid all managed to make an appearance. It was quite cleverly and subtly done. And it is this fact that I really enjoyed. After all, retelling a fairy tale has been done many times before. But retelling it with hints of other fairytales, and using the internet and modern technologies as a mechanism through which to do it – well, that was just a seriously fun idea.

 <- Beheld Review Beastly: Lindy’s Diary Review ->
Image source: Book Depository

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

WickedTitle: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Author: Gregory Maguire
Series: The Wicked Years #1
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fantasy, Witches
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper
Year: 1995
5th sentence, 74th page: We should leave the luxury of Munchkinland and try ourselves in the fire of a truly needy situation.

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Synopsis

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her archnemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West – a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

Thoughts

I didn’t know that the musical Wicked was based on a book. I didn’t know that the book would be so completely green. And when I found out these two facts, I bought it straight away. After all, I loved the play. And I love the colour green. And really, anything that is a little bit different and comments on the world from a point of view that isn’t what we generally think about is something that I’m going to want. I like tales that tell the story in shades of grey.

I love the message in this story. I love the way in which it comments on our own world. And I love the idea of telling a classic from another point of view, the villains. What I didn’t love was the pace of the story. The prologue completely drew me in. It was funny, pithy and threw you into the storyline. And then we went back in time. And we dealt with Elphaba’s family. And her upbringing. And then her time studying… and it just slowed right down. Not enough that I didn’t read the book, but enough that I struggled to read the book.

The fact that I struggled to read this, and it took me so long has left me with incredibly mixed feelings. On the one hand, I really liked the storyline and the message. On the other, I found it’s delivery a little bit slower and less captivating than I would like. But, I also understand why this is. Childhood histories and the growth of a character isn’t often something that can happen quickly, but it is certainly necessary to the characterisation… this is certainly a book that has left me on the fence, although it is one that will linger in my mind’s eye…

 <- Tales Told in Oz Review Son of a Witch Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Skin Deep by Karen Chance

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Inked

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer World #15, Cassandra Palmer #4.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Right now, I need some –

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Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Karen Chance’s “Skin Deep” tells the tale ofa war mage in Las Vegas who stumbles across an ominous magical ward that appears as a dragon on her skin – and has a mind of its own…

Thoughts

Lia is a really good, fun character, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting in Vegas Odds. So it was nice to revisit her in Skin Deep with an amazing new tattoo to boot. I also enjoyed the way that her relationship with Cyrus had developed further from that outlined in their previous novella.

This was quite a fast paced novella, although a lot of it went quite over my head since I have a real lack of understanding about where the world is set. Though this gave a really nice insight into how parts of it fit together. Actually, I’m kind of fascinated to see how it works with Touch the Dark, the only Cassandra Palmer novel that I have had a chance to read so far…

Skin Deep takes you deep into the underworld and the slums that have been worsened by the magical wars. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the world that we know, and the underworld that is literally below ground in Lia’s Las Vegas. The contrast in the settings was really fun in this story, and it reminded me how much I love and admire Chance’s world building and ability to position what we know alongside what we imagine so seamlessly.

<- InkedArmor of Roses ->

Image source: Penguin Random House

Even Hand by Jim Butcher

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Dark and Stormy Knights

Title: Even Hand
Author: Jim Butcher
Series: The Dresden Files #11.6
In: Dark and Stormy Knights (P.N. Elrod) & Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Wizards
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I glanced past the young woman to Gard, who gave me a slow, cautious nod.

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Synopsis

Even Hand is a short story in The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It is set between Turn Coat and Changes, and is narrated by John Marcone.

Thoughts

It’s always interesting to read a short story from an alternate point of view. And although I am nowhere near up to book 11 in The Dresden Files, I have already met Marcone. And it was really fun to read a story about him. From his point of view. Which was kind of dark.

Something that I enjoy about Butcher’s writing is that he doesn’t have clear cut good and evil characters. Harry Dresden is the protagonist, and the “good guy”, but he isn’t completely innocent, and there is a darker side to him. One that I’m sure develops throughout the tale. Likewise, Marcone is strongly cast as the “baddie”. But, in reading Even Hand, you discover that there are good and nice aspects about him and his moral code. He’s still a scary, ruthless, unkind mob boss. But he does have some laws and rules by which he lives his life. Something that has certainly made me want to dive headfirst back into The Dresden Files….

 <- A Questionable Client ReviewThe Beacon Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Black Scales, White Fur by Kylie Chan

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Black Scales White FurTitle: Black Scales, White Fur
Author: Kylie Chan
Series: Dark Heavens #9.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Demons, Mythology
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Kylie Chan
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: She broke off the kiss and smiled up at him through stinging tears of joy.

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Synopsis

The Demon King’s harem is a dangerous place, with the Snake Mothers constantly battling for prizes and promotion. But the smallest Snake Mother doesn’t want to play the cruel games; she just wants to create beautiful works of art. After a chance meeting with the Celestial Emperor of the West, the White Tiger, she quietly plots to escape Hell and find freedom – and perhaps even love.

Thoughts

I didn’t realise that this novella fits towards the end of the Dark Heavens series, I actually thought it sat in beforehand, a bit like Small Shen. But, there is a small mention of Simone as a woman, so I figure it is much later in the overall series. That’s not to say that it really gave anything away, there is a small mention of Emma and John going out for Yum Cha with Simone, but that is the only hint of the future. And to be completely honest, you know that eventually they will get their happily ever after… Chan has just put them through too much to not give them that. Or me. I need that. I haven’t even finished the series. And I know that I need that happily ever after…

Bai Hu’s harem of wives and women is something that is both interesting, and a little concerning to me throughout the rest of the Dark Heavens books. So it was interesting to read a story about a woman (of a sort) that falls for him and is willing to become one of many. Honestly, I understand Emma’s one and only feelings a lot more, even if it means she can’t touch her one and only… But the sweetness of the main character in this, and the way in which Bai Hu is able to completely change her life makes the fact that this does happen make a little more sense to me. The fact that she hangs on to her free will, no matter what the risks also made me love her a little more. After all, falling in love and being swept away by your emotions doesn’t mean that you have to lose your will power and independence.

I really liked this look into Chan’s demonic world. It gave a completely different perspective into a reality that I am already in love with. The fitting of a mythological world on top of our own works beautifully. Actually, this is one of the best ways in which I’ve seen an author do this, and switching from the Celestial, and our world to the Underworld in this novella was a great change of pace. And it still worked fantastically. It made a lot of sense, and the brief appearances of known Celestial characters against he horror of this small Snake Mothers’ real world help to give even more layers which has made me pick up White Tiger again and just devour it.

 <- Black Jade Review Small Shen Review ->
Image source: Smashwords

White Tiger by Kylie Chan

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
White Tiger

Title: White Tiger
Author: Kylie Chan
Series: Dark Heavens #1, Dark Heavens Trilogy #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Demons, Mythology
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Voyager
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Understood, sir,’ Leo said.

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Synopsis

ACTION, INTRIGUE, DEMONS AND DRAGONS.

Kylie Chan creates a fast and furious story balanced between the celestial and the mortal, the powerful and the innocent…

Emma Donahoe has just started her new job as nanny to Simone, the daughter of John Chen, a very rich Hong Kong businessman. She understands that Simone may be a target for kidnappers but she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal domain.

When John and his American bodyguard, Leo, teach Emma their particular style of martial arts, they begin to realise that Emma herself is more than she seems…

Thoughts

This was one of the books Mum bought me years ago, back when she still bought me books because I didn’t have the serious bibiliophilic problem that I have today. And I remember giving it to my sister to read when she was younger. It’s the reason that she too has started to create her own library – there’s just something about this fast-paced, fun and intriguing book that has drawn both of us in from the very first page.

Admittedly, I went to reread this book a year ago, and at the time it just really didn’t fit my current mood. I just didn’t want to read a book that featured a woman who is willing to do anything and give up anything for love. However, now I’m in the right mood again. And it was just as amazing as I remember. And just as difficult to put down. And just, really, in general, lots of fun and fantastic. Now that I’m older, I do find Emma’s commitment a little bit more difficult to understand, because I’m not blinded by the idea of true love and the romance of sacrificing everything for somebody else. I still believe in it, I still believe in Emma’s brand of love to be honest, but I don’t think it is as amazing and sweet a choice as I used to. Now I understand just what sacrifice she is making. And this is just the first book!

I’ve already mentioned a bit about how Emma sacrifices a lot to be with the Chen household, but she is also an incredibly strong and great heroine. The story is all completely written from her point of view, and I love the tone and insight that this lends to the tale. You discover the secrets as she does. And the fact that she is Australian lends an extra level of familiarity to me… there are moments of colloquial and cultural understanding that already belong to me, and it makes me feel like I too could travel to Hong Kong, find a rich businessman and fall into a world that is not my own… or not. I could just stay on my comfortable, Australian couch…

 <- Small Shen ReviewRed Phoenix Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

Small Shen by Kylie Chan & Queenie Chan

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Small ShenTitle: Small Shen
Author: Kylie Chan & Queenie Chan
Series: Dark Heavens #0.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Demons, Graphic novels, Mythology
Pace: Medium
Format: Graphic novel, Novel
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: How long before the spirit could be restored and you would become more than an animal again?

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Synopsis

In the tradition of the bestselling White Tiger series, Small Shen follows the adventures of cheeky troublemaker Gold who seduces a dragon princess, fights demons and causes headaches for the gods of Chinese mythology. When Gold is ordered to join the household of John Chen, the Dark Lord of the Northern Heavens, he discovers he will do anything to save John and his family from danger…

Small Shen is a stunning combination of Kylie Chan’s action-packed storytelling and Queenie Chan’s illustrations and manga comics.

Thoughts

I love the combination of mediums in this novel. Flicking between prose and images makes this journey really fun and different. Especially when you place it within the context of the Dark Heavens series. Following Gold through the years and his ability to get into all kinds of trouble is entertaining to say the least. The fact that his numerous mistakes are accompanied by actual facial expressions, well, it’s priceless.

As well as the mixed medium, the storyline jumps between time periods. When it is telling the more modern-day story of Michelle and John, there is only prose. The characters that I have grown to love throughout the series are still only witnessed in my mind’s eye. Which I like, nothing destroys a series I have long loved more than being shown another’s image of what the character looks like… only to find out that someone else’s idea is completely different to my own. Yet, when the past is visited and the Gods are seen, there is some vivid and thoroughly enjoyable pictures which can accompany this. Not only do I like the fact that Leo, Emma and Simone aren’t really witnessed throughout this tale, but using pictures to tell a lot of one storyline and not another help to further distinguish between the two timelines and reduce the confusion.

I can remember reading White Tiger years and years ago. And I did kind of wonder just what Gold and Jade had done to be forced into servitude. I also wondered at what kind of woman Michelle was and how the relationship with her was so different to that of Emma’s relationship. This small prequel helps to answer a lot of the questions that I had when I started this series. It’s enjoyable to read this before or after reading the Dark Heavens trilogy. Or really at any point within the great Dark Heavens series.

 <- Black Scales, White Fur Review White Tiger Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Blood by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
The Blood

Title: The Blood
Author: Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Series: Monstress #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Graphic novels, Steampunk
Pace: Fast
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: image
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Oh, no.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Maika Halfwolf is on the run from a coalition of forces determined to control or destroy the powerful Monstrum that lives beneath her skin. But Maika still has a mission of her own: to discover the secrets of her late mother, Moriko.

In this second volume of MONSTRESS, collecting issues 7 – 12, Maika’s quest takes her to the pirate-controlled city of Thyria and across the sea to the mysterious Isle of Bones. It is a journey that will force Maika to reevaluate her past, present, and future, and contemplate whether there’s anyone, or anything, she can truly trust – including her own body.

Thoughts

I enjoyed this more than volume one of the Monstress series. Awakening was a great introduction, it was incredibly violent. And it was weirdly beautiful (especially considering the violence). But The Blood had a storyline that I found much more engaging, and a lot simpler to follow.

There was a lot more light in the panels of this novel – it acted as a brilliant counterpoint to Maika’s memories and internal conversations with the Monstrum. It also highlights the potential hope for the future, against the dark backdrop of her past. All interwoven in such beautifully illustrated panels that I frequently found myself stopping and staring at the pages, unable to move on until I had absorbed every minute detail.

The complexity of this picture story still makes me feel as though I have probably missed a lot in this reading. And I’m going to need to read it a few more times to really let the tale sink in. But, something about The Blood helped me to understand Maika’s world in a lot more detail than Awakening. Now to wait until the next volume is released…

 <- Awakening ReviewHaven Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Awakening by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Awakening

Title: Awakening
Author: Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Series: Monstress #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Graphic novels, Steampunk
Pace: Fast
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: image
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: Let us hope that will be enough to bring down this wild child.

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Synopsis

Set in an alternatie world of art deco beauty and steampunk horror, Monstress tells the epic story of Maika Halfwolf, a teenage survivor of a cataclysmic war between humans and their hated enemies, the Arcanics. In the face of oppression and terrible danger, Maika is both hunter and hunted, searching for answers about her mysterious past as those who seek to use her remain just one step behind… and all the while, the monster within begins to awaken…

Thoughts

This is my first ever hardcore graphic novel. And, although it was seriously enjoyable, it was also a little twisted. A little confronting. And a little bit addictive.

I’ve read a few graphic novels before, but they are always an addition to a novel series. So the introduction and personification of the main character has already occurred. As has the world, and most the rules by which they live. To read a graphic novel that must do all of this from the outset with pictures was an interesting experience, and did I mention confusing? I think that this is one of those stories that the more times I look through it and read it, the more I’m going to notice about it.

I loved the imagery that was used in this graphic novel. It was a great mixture of anime-style drawings and what I imagine the world of steampunk would look like. There was a lot of violence in this, but it was beautifully, and a little disgustingly drawn. The emotions that are shown throughout the piece are great drivers of the story, and I can’t wait to read the next volume in this series.

 <- The Chosen ReviewThe Blood Review ->
Image source: Booktopia

Moon Called Volume 2 by Patricia Briggs & David Lawrence

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Moon Called Volume 2Title: Moon Called Volume 2
Author: Patricia Briggs & David Lawrence
Series: Mercedes Thompson #0.92
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Graphic novel
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: A lone wolf like you would only have contact with…

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Mercy Thompson is a walker, a unique magical being with the ability to transform into a coyote. Her human neighbors view the fiercely independent female auto-mechanic as eccentric; to the town’s darker denizens, the werewolves, witches and vampires, she is prey.

But the greater predators have underestimated Mercy. She’s seen her friends assaulted, kidnapped, and killed as a war between werewolves erupts, and Mercy has had enough! Only she can unravel the secrets of the dark conspiracy that threatens them all, but can Mercy do it in time to save her friends… and herself? Scores are settled and secrets revealed in teh thrilling slimax of Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson: Moon Called.

Thoughts

The second instalment of the graphic novel adaptation of Moon Called was even better than the first. Sort of. They were both amazing. Alright, maybe as good as the first. They were both amazing. The imagery is fantastic, the adaptation seems to add in what’s necessary, and leave out what’s not. The extra tale at the end positions this world alongside that of Alpha and Omega. And, well, it just all works out brilliantly.

One of the things I enjoyed about this graphic novel is the way that the very convoluted motives of Gerry (the villain) in the novel and places them within a simpler context. It’s difficult to take something that is quite complex and simplify it in a way that holds the essence of the original plot.

Sam, Adam and Stephen looked nothing like what I have pictured in my mind’s eye. And I will probably continue to picture them in my original way when I read the rest of the Mercedes Thompson novels. But, it was fun to see the same characters through a different person’s eyes. Weirdly enough, reading this graphic novel made me realise that I haven’t pictured Mercedes herself with much detail, since I normally follow along and watch the world through her own eyes.

<- Moon Called Volume 1 Review Moon Called Review ->
Image source: Amazon