Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
This is the eighth TAYSHAS book I have read, and so far, it is my favorite. It has all the elements I love: mysticism, medieval setting, strong woman lead character, intrigue, and a love story. Of course, this is the beginning of a trilogy, but I will gladly read the others if they are as good a read as this one was.
Our heroine is Ismae, a daughter/handmaiden of death. This means she was sired by Death, and becomes one of his assassins. After having killed two traitors in the court of the duchess of Brittany, Anne, Ismae is sent to court with Anne's bastard brother, Duval, to seek out further treachery. Everywhere she turns, Ismae encounters possible traitors to Anne, but has to have solid proof before she can put them to death.
Along the way, she finds love, and quite possibly the biggest traitor of them all; one who uses Ismae's convent for his own needs.
Fantastic book!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
House of Night novella 3
As I may have mentioned, I have read all of the books in the House of Night series by PC and Kristin Cast. They started out pretty good, but have gotten quite bad. I keep reading them because I always finish what I start, and I hope they get better.
Neferet's Curse is the third novella that has been released. These novellas are meant to give the reader some insight into the background/motivation of the professors. I was hoping this novella would give some insight as to why Neferet is such a bitch. I was let down.
Before she was Neferet, she was Emily. Emily's mother died due to complications of childbirth. Emily's father expected Emily to take her mother's place as lady of the house, and Emily did the best she could. Finally, the worst possible thing happens, and then Emily is marked.
My problem with this is that Emily did everything she was supposed to do, and was likeable. Once the bad incident happens, she reacts just as you'd think she should. Then in the last chapter, she acts like an angry bitch. I can understand that circumstance could have made her that way, but it wouldn't be sudden as it is portrayed in the book.
Additionally, they need to hire a new editor. There were so many misspellings and other errors in this book that it was a distraction to the story.
Neferet's Curse is the third novella that has been released. These novellas are meant to give the reader some insight into the background/motivation of the professors. I was hoping this novella would give some insight as to why Neferet is such a bitch. I was let down.
Before she was Neferet, she was Emily. Emily's mother died due to complications of childbirth. Emily's father expected Emily to take her mother's place as lady of the house, and Emily did the best she could. Finally, the worst possible thing happens, and then Emily is marked.
My problem with this is that Emily did everything she was supposed to do, and was likeable. Once the bad incident happens, she reacts just as you'd think she should. Then in the last chapter, she acts like an angry bitch. I can understand that circumstance could have made her that way, but it wouldn't be sudden as it is portrayed in the book.
Additionally, they need to hire a new editor. There were so many misspellings and other errors in this book that it was a distraction to the story.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Is she a wish troll?
TAYSHAS book #7-The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Apparently this, like most of the books I've read on the TAYSHAS list, is the first book in a trilogy. This book is about Elisa. Elisa is a princess, but not thin and beautiful as Disney has programmed us to this all princesses should be. Elisa is chubby. She likes to eat and read, and doesn't see what's wrong with that. Maybe that's why I like her. Anyway, she has been married off to a handsome king from a neighboring land, in effort to secure an alliance.
Elisa has a secret. She is a bearer of a godstone. Once every hundred years, a person is born that God chooses to serve. Elisa is that person, so on her naming day, God placed a stone/jewel in her navel. Hence my question: Is she a wish troll? Haha.
Elisa is kidnapped, loses tons of weight crossing the desert, and becomes the figurehead of rebel forces. She falls in love, and leads an army.
Pretty good book, I guess.
Apparently this, like most of the books I've read on the TAYSHAS list, is the first book in a trilogy. This book is about Elisa. Elisa is a princess, but not thin and beautiful as Disney has programmed us to this all princesses should be. Elisa is chubby. She likes to eat and read, and doesn't see what's wrong with that. Maybe that's why I like her. Anyway, she has been married off to a handsome king from a neighboring land, in effort to secure an alliance.
Elisa has a secret. She is a bearer of a godstone. Once every hundred years, a person is born that God chooses to serve. Elisa is that person, so on her naming day, God placed a stone/jewel in her navel. Hence my question: Is she a wish troll? Haha.
Elisa is kidnapped, loses tons of weight crossing the desert, and becomes the figurehead of rebel forces. She falls in love, and leads an army.
Pretty good book, I guess.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Private Berlin
Apparently, the Private books are a new series for James Patterson. We're up to five or six now, and I don't see signs of stopping.
Private: Berlin is the newest in this series. Obviusly, it takes place in Germany. One of the members of the Berlin office of Private has been murdered, and the rest of the team must solve the case. The case revolves around things that happened around the time of the fall of the Berlin wall, and the effects today.
Mattie is the main character, and she was once engaged to the team member who was murdered. The murderer is also going after the victim's childhood friends, and killing them the same way he killed "enemies of the state" before the fall of the wall.
As far as the Private books go, this was not as interesting as its predecessors. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as interesting or entertaining.
Private: Berlin is the newest in this series. Obviusly, it takes place in Germany. One of the members of the Berlin office of Private has been murdered, and the rest of the team must solve the case. The case revolves around things that happened around the time of the fall of the Berlin wall, and the effects today.
Mattie is the main character, and she was once engaged to the team member who was murdered. The murderer is also going after the victim's childhood friends, and killing them the same way he killed "enemies of the state" before the fall of the wall.
As far as the Private books go, this was not as interesting as its predecessors. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as interesting or entertaining.
Friday, February 15, 2013
How to Save a Life
TAYSHAS book #6: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr.
This is a book about Jill and Mandy. Jill is a high school senior whose father has recently died. Her mother decides she wants to adopt a baby. Mandy is a pregnant high school dropout who is looking for someone to adopt her baby. Jill is angry at the world, and Mandy is relatively innocent to the workings of the world.
Sweet book. It pulls at your heartstrings because it is told from both girls' perspectives. I won't elaborate, but there were too many similarities to my own life. It made the book uncomfortable for me at times.
This is a book about Jill and Mandy. Jill is a high school senior whose father has recently died. Her mother decides she wants to adopt a baby. Mandy is a pregnant high school dropout who is looking for someone to adopt her baby. Jill is angry at the world, and Mandy is relatively innocent to the workings of the world.
Sweet book. It pulls at your heartstrings because it is told from both girls' perspectives. I won't elaborate, but there were too many similarities to my own life. It made the book uncomfortable for me at times.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Gatsby
Until recently, I had not read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In fact, the last time I read it, I was a junior in high school, and that was twenty years ago. I just finished it today with my juniors, and I forgot how much I enjoyed this book.
It's interesting how you can see things differently in twenty year's time. Daisy has no backbone; she does what Tom wants, then Gatsby (or tries to anyway), then Tom again. I just wanted to scream, "Do what YOU want woman, not what some man wants!" Tom, well, I wanted to cause injury to him because he's such a douche bag. I mean, really? Not only do you abuse your wife and cheat on her, but you abuse your skanky mistress too? Well, aren't you classy. Gatsby, I want so much to like him, but he's hung up on a woman who has clearly moved on. A woman that he may or may not have raped, mind you. Not my cup of tea. Jordan reminds me of people in my life who are liars. Not your average, tell little white lie liars either, but the ones who lie and believe that lie to be true, even though everyone around them knows it's a lie. Nick is the only redeeming character, as it should be, I guess.
The Great Gatsby is another reason I am glad I was moved to the junior team this year. I like the book, and it's so much easier to teach something when you enjoy it.
It's interesting how you can see things differently in twenty year's time. Daisy has no backbone; she does what Tom wants, then Gatsby (or tries to anyway), then Tom again. I just wanted to scream, "Do what YOU want woman, not what some man wants!" Tom, well, I wanted to cause injury to him because he's such a douche bag. I mean, really? Not only do you abuse your wife and cheat on her, but you abuse your skanky mistress too? Well, aren't you classy. Gatsby, I want so much to like him, but he's hung up on a woman who has clearly moved on. A woman that he may or may not have raped, mind you. Not my cup of tea. Jordan reminds me of people in my life who are liars. Not your average, tell little white lie liars either, but the ones who lie and believe that lie to be true, even though everyone around them knows it's a lie. Nick is the only redeeming character, as it should be, I guess.
The Great Gatsby is another reason I am glad I was moved to the junior team this year. I like the book, and it's so much easier to teach something when you enjoy it.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Diviners
The fifth book on my quest to read as many TAYSHAS books as I can was The Diviners by Libba Bray. It takes place in New York City in the 1920's. The book centers around a young woman named Evie, who is a diviner. Her "special power" is that she can read a person's secrets from objects that they own. In fact, it is because of this power that Evie is sent to live with her Uncle Will in New York. Uncle Will runs a museum of supernatural things.
Strange murders are occurring in New York, and they are linked to a religious "cult." Evie and her uncle help the police solve the murders. That's the basic story. It was fantastic.
What I didn't care for was the subplot involving Memphis and his brother, Isaiah. I get that the author had to show that there are other diviners so that she can sell a sequel, but this subplot had NOTHING to do with the rest of the book. Easily, a couple of hundred pages could've been shaved off of the book had they left this out.
Strange murders are occurring in New York, and they are linked to a religious "cult." Evie and her uncle help the police solve the murders. That's the basic story. It was fantastic.
What I didn't care for was the subplot involving Memphis and his brother, Isaiah. I get that the author had to show that there are other diviners so that she can sell a sequel, but this subplot had NOTHING to do with the rest of the book. Easily, a couple of hundred pages could've been shaved off of the book had they left this out.
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