Tag: fantasy

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth: Carrie Ryan

Okay, LOVED this book!

It was all end of the world meets 28 days later, but with less gore and a lot more tragic love.

I really enjoyed this book and was totally into it and didn’t want to put it down. I actually will always have fond memories of this book because I read it on our road trip to Tuscany and my husband kept getting irritated that I had my nose in my book -er- Kindle instead of staring at the majesty of the Alps! 🙂

Anyways, the book was fantastic and totally recommend it with 5 stars!

Summary:
Mary knows little about the past and why the world now contains two types of people: those in her village and the undead outside the fence, who prey upon the flesh of the living. The Sisters protect their village and provide for the continuance of the human race. After her mother is bitten and joins the Unconsecrated, Mary is sent to the Sisters to be prepared for marriage to her friend Harry. But then the fences are breached and the life she has known is gone forever. Mary; Harry; Travis, whom Mary loves but who is betrothed to her best friend; her brother and his wife; and an orphaned boy set out into the unknown to search for safety, answers to their questions, and a reason to go on living. In this sci-fi/horror novel, the suspense that Ryan has created from the very first page on entices and tempts readers so that putting the book down is not an option. The author skillfully conceals and reveals just enough information to pique curiosity while also maintaining an atmosphere of creepiness that is expected in a zombie story. Some of the descriptions of death and mutilation of both the Unconsecrated and the living are graphic. The story is riveting, even though it leaves a lot of questions to be explained in the sequel.

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: Stephenie Meyer

Obviously any Twilight Series reader knows the ending of this book.

It’s no mystery.

When I was reading the author’s reasons for writing this short novella and her thoughts on it, I was struck by her saying that in the end, she so desperately wanted Bree to live. She wished more than anything that she could keep her alive, but that was impossible. Her story had already been told in Eclipse, the ending written years ago.

I doubted that in such a short book, I would feel the same. I figured her attachment came from personally writing the character. Yet I read the book with an open mine and in the end – I did indeed feel that same rush of desire for her to live. As I neared the end of the book, I was sad because I know how her story ended. (I was also quite attached to Diego as well)

Was it the best book I’ve ever read? Nope. But it was a nice afternoon read (it’s less than 200 pages – a novella)

It also got me wanting to re-read Eclipse, which I guess was the entire point!

Here is an awesome thing, from now until July 7, 2010 you can read the book for free at www.breetanner.com

Pretty awesome 🙂

Amazon Description:
Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

I’m a little iffy on what star rating. I’m biased because I love the series… soooo… what to give it….

okay, I’m going to give it 4 stars just in honor of the series (make sure to read after Eclipse) and recommend it.

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Fire: Kristin Cashore

So I started Fire after reading Graceling (which I loved).
When I read the quick excerpt (have I mentioned how I HATE to read excerpts or reviews of books? I just like to see customer ratings), I saw that it was a contination of Graceling, so I was all like, “woohoo”.

But then the book started and there were these “monsters” and strange flying raptor/dinosaur type creatures and I was all like, “huh?”

Reading about Fire (the lead character), it took me a bit to come to grasp with who she was.

But there is something about Kristin Cashore. Her books tend to develop kind of slowly, but in that slow development something magical happens. You connect with the characters. It happened in Graceling and before I was half way done with Fire, it happened with this book too.

I was confused at how it was a sequal to Graceling, until the very end as things started to come into alignment and I realized how intertwined the two stories were.

REALLY liked this book!

This fantasy, shot through with romance and suspense, is set in the same world as Graceling (Dial, 2008), but on the far side of the mountain barrier in the kingdom of the Dells. Here there are monsters, enhanced and exceptionally beautiful versions of various animal species. Fire is a human monster, so beautiful that she has to hide her hair for fear of attack by both raptor monsters and human men. She is able to enter other people’s minds and exert power over them. It is a tumultuous time in the kingdom, as various lords are preparing to overthrow the king, and Fire is drawn into the fray. With a larger cast and a more complex canvas than Graceling, the story begins slowly and takes its time establishing itself. Fire’s path is not immediately clear, and although full of action, her quest is largely internal. While the plotting is well done, there are a few quibbles about Cashore’s world-building and about the role of a major character from Graceling, Leck. But, this is Fire’s story, and readers will fall in love with her as she struggles with her pivotal role in the war effort as well as her complex relationships with her oldest friend and lover, Archer; with Prince Brigan, whose mind is closed to her and who becomes central to her life; and with her monster father’s fearsome legacy. More adult in tone than Graceling, this marvelous prequel will appeal to older teens, who will not only devour it, but will also love talking about it.

So go out and get Graceling and Fire. You won’t be disappointed. Or at least I wasn’t disappointed.

5 stars, recommend.

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Graceling: Kristin Cashore

I decided upon this book because Amazon told me I would like it. Seriously. How lame is that, yet how much more lame is it that I didn’t have anything else interesting to read so I bought it?!

The beginning of the book started out a bit strange. It’s a fantasy novel based on a 17 year old (you know I love my 17 year olds) who has been graced with a special talent. Her talent just so happens to be killing people.

So begins an interesting coming of age, finding herself story that I found myself completely engrossed in. It started out a bit slow, but that’s because Kristin Cashore is really defining her characters and making you know them and love them. I love it when authors do this, but then I hate it at the same time. Especially if this is a stand alone novel without a sequal or series to follow along with. (although I think she is going to keep going with this, but none are out now)
Here is the Amazon description:

If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?
Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa’s Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa channels her guilt by forming a secret council of like-minded citizens who carry out secret missions to promote justice over cruelty and abuses of power.
Combining elements of fantasy and romance, Cashore skillfully portrays the confusion, discovery, and angst that smart, strong-willed girls experience as they creep toward adulthood. Katsa wrestles with questions of freedom, truth, and knowing when to rely on a friend for help. This is no small task for an angry girl who had eschewed friendships (with the exception of one cousin that she trusts) for her more ready skills of self-reliance, hunting, and fighting. Katsa also comes to know the real power of her Grace and the nature of Graces in general: they are not always what they appear to be.

So it’s an interesting story. An interesting world. Loved it!

5 out of 5 stars and totally recommend it.

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Percy Jackson- The Last Olympian: Rick Riordan

This is the final chapter (or so far at least) of the Percy Jackson series.

This has the most battles. The most love. The most monsters. The most everything. Rick decided to throw it all in and give us a good read. I was not disappointed.

Definitely not a stand alone book as you want to read books 1-4 first, but definitely a great read and definitely recommend it.
4 out of 5 stars.

Amazon Summary:
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.
In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.