Murkmere

I picked this book up on a whim, when I was thinking I needed a plethora of books for the vacation I was taking.  As it turned out I ended up reading this book before I left.  I read it in just a few hours.

The cover is gorgeous.  Smooth and compelling, beautiful and haunting.  I judge books by their covers.  Get over it.

The story was interesting, very gothic with the decaying manor and sense of oppression.  The character development was awesome, and the developing relationship between the to girls in the novel was wonderful. 

It also had a very interesting take on religion.  Very obviously a critique of religion, but it was very intriguing how the protagonist was such a devout believer and then began questioning things as she grew up.

 

I was a bit disappointed with the ending as it didn’t answer all the questions about the wider world, and I didn’t really like the development of the love story either. But other than that, I loved this book!

This book deserves 4 stars, and if you are looking for a quick gothic read- take a gander.

The Well of Ascension

Brandon Sanderson.  Because Brandon effing Sanderson. 

*fan girls for a bit*

Let me just start out this post by saying I met another Sanderson fanatic while in England this past week.  There is nothing as amazing as meeting someone else who ADORES the Stormlight Archives.  Instant friends.  

Literally I think the life changing sentence was “I have to ask, are you a Kaladin fan?”

IS THAT EVEN A REAL QUESTION?  OF COURSE KALADIN, YES KALADIN.  Can we also talk about Shallan?  I have one word to say:

BOOTS.

I ended up jumping up and down and waving my arms and squealing and talking really fast….and the rest of the room thought I was insane.

But that was okay, because we glared at the rest of the room and told them to go read the books right away.  Because SANDERSON.

Anyway!  Today I am reviewing a Sanderson book…obviously.

Book two in the Mistborn series.  So. So. So. I liked book one, but it wasn’t AMAZING like I expected.  It was damn good, but not Stormlight Archives level awesome.

But this one.  Amazing.

There were still things I didn’t like, such as the love triangle…I just wanted to pull Sanderson’s hair out and demand that he not follow the triangle trope.  And I did guess one of the big reveals, but there were several that I didn't guess.

His descriptions.  Some of the descriptions in this book gave me actual chills.  I cried at one point I was so happy.

And I was sad too.  But I won’t get into that due to spoilers.  But feels, people, FEELS.

Shit went down hardcore.  The world is falling apart, and new enemies are introduced.  I need to read the next book.  Like…now.

Speaking of…excuse me.  Must go read now.

Five stars <3

Bout of Books 11

I stumbled upon an AWESOME read-a-thon today.  Because I enjoyed Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon so much, I decided I should participate in some more.  Because READING!

This read-a-thon last an entire WEEK.  A whole week with the excuse to drop everything and read.  LOVE IT.

So what is it about?
As taken from the Bout of Books site:
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

 

Sounds AWESOME, does it not?  Want to join me?!  Click on the button and get signed up, and then leave me a comment that you joined!  I'll be your personal cheerleader :)

The Girl in the Steel Corset

I was ALL ready for this book.  A hidden dark side she doesn’t understand?  Steampunk?  Sign me up.  For the first 100 pages I was loving it.  Then came in the Jekyll and Hyde tie ins and I wanted to scream.  Really? So heavy handed.

But I kept going.

And then there was the stupid love triangle in which the bad, bad criminal man becomes a big softy and does no evil.  WHAT.  I saw no criminal-ing from Dandy.  Yet repeatedly we are told what an awful person he is.  *dies inside* why is our main character in love with him?  Oh yeah, because he looks dangerous.

Seriously I cannot even describe how much I hate relationships based off looks.  You don’t have feelings for someone because they are hot.  You may be attracted to them, but falling in love?  No.

Character development was all over the place.  This made sense for Finley’s character as her two personalities were vying for domination, but for someone like Griffen, it made no sense.  He starts out as this really young lord who isn’t real sure of himself, but then immediately becomes this powerhouse of an individual.  Even his physical descriptions change.  Someone does not become broad shouldered and menacing overnight after being described as like a stick the day before.  Just because sexual tension comes into play does not mean that a person’s body should suddenly change.

The steel corset.  I actually rolled my eyes at this one.  I get it.  We are in a Steampunk novel.  I like steam punk.  Besides being bashed over the head with all her random ass leather corsets, I was pretty excited for the corset on the cover of the book.  Until I found out it was armor.

I make corsets.   Let me just say, there is no way this would be effective armor.  Even this Tudor steel corset wouldn’t be as affective as real armor:

Better than nothing, yes.  But zero protection to the heart.   Maybe I am a bit of a feminist, but I get TIRED of fancy protagonists and the eye candy of female superheroes.  Armor is not meant to be pretty.  It is supposed to keep you alive.

Also.  She is going to a BALL.  Why the hell does she need armor?!  Everyone in the book acts like it is the best idea ever!  Again…she is going to a ball.  Not war.

Three stars.  Just because I enjoyed it, though I am not sure why.

Spiderwick Chronicles

I was going to review each of these books separately, but because they are so short, I have decided to do them as one.

I liked this books.  Quick, light, fun.  I am amazed that I missed out on reading them when I was younger.  They are very juvenile, though enjoyable.  But I can absolutely see myself reading this aloud to future children.  

 

I especially loved Mallory.  It isn’t too often that you get a girl character who is as awesome as Mallory.  She is a fencer.  She beats up her brothers when they don’t do what she wants.  All three kids have problems, but each is loveable and well developed.

And the illustrations.  Brilliant.  Beautiful.  And I couldn’t stop staring.  

Thank you to Katie for recommending these books for me!  5 stars to a set of amazing books!

Mistborn

My one year mark is fast approaching, which makes me infinitely sad.  I have not been able to keep up reading a book a day for a year.  But I do want to continue this blog.  It is nice to have a record of all the books I read.  And it is nice to reflect upon the books - in the end I think it will make me a better writer as I strive to publish my own work.

So today I want to talk about Mistborn.

I have been struggling with writing a review for this book for some time.  I loved it, and yet didn’t LOOOOOOOOOOVE it like I have other Sanderson books.  I love Brandon Sanderson.  The problem is…I read the Stormlight Archives before this one…and now I compare everything to that series.

I can clearly see how much he has grown as a writer.  His “surprises” and “plot twists” were not nearly as masterfully masked as I have come to expect of him.  His characters are not as fully developed, and neither are his relationships.  The characters are good, but not ah-may-zing.

But still.  This is a damn good book.  And I was hooked.  Why?  Well firstly, the bad guy.  No, I do not mean the Lord Ruler.  Yeah, he’s bad.  But I knew he couldn’t be the driving force of a series this long.  But the real evil is only hinted at in his book.  These hints are actually really well done- I have only shadows of guesses as to what awaits.

Magic.  Brandon Sanderson is a BOSS at magic systems.  I bow before his brilliance.  This magic system is no exception.  The beauty of his magic is all the limitations it has.  Reading about someone who can do everything with magic is boring.  Reading about someone who must overcome the gaps in their magic by other means is exciting.  And Sanderson does that really well.

Four stars.  This book was amazing, and I highly suggest reading it.  Just…read it before you get to the Stormlight Archives.