The Graveyard Book October 20, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Holiday Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
1 comment so far
Halloween Book Review #3!!
—4—
For anyone who hasn’t read Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, Halloween is fast approaching and this is a great time to do it! But considering I’m the last one to read it, that may be irrelevant. But I am going to review it anyways, perhaps to encourage the last few of you to pick it up.
Nobody’s family was murdered when he was an infant, but he escaped into the local cemetery. There, the “residents” take it upon themselves to raise and protect Nobody (Bod), and adopt him as their own. Bod is granted full run of the graveyard, which means he acquires some of the ghosts’ abilities, such as being able to fade. He is taught by characters from all different eras of history. His guardian is Silas, a figure who is able to leave the graveyard to gather food and items for Nobody, as well as protect him from the man who is still hunting him.
You would think a story about a boy growing up in a cemetery would be morbid, and at times it is a bit frightening, but overall it is a story about a community, unusual as it is, coming together to love, teach, and raise a child. At first Bod is confined to the graveyard, but he is taught to survive and thrive outside of it as well. And what a wonderful set of characters! Ghouls and a witch, a Roman and a poet, and a little girl from the outside world who befriends young Bod even though her mother thinks him her imaginary friend.
I was definitely stressed at the end when the murderer known as Jack finds Nobody, and Bod must escape him and save his best friend. Besides this, the story is not too frightening or dark. I think it is perfectly appropriate for most children, and is great for adults too! Love it!
4/5
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy September 11, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Fiction, Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Historical Fiction, Libba Bray, Rebel Angels, Science Fiction/Fantasy, The Sweet Far Thing, Young-Adult Fiction
add a comment
—3.5—
As further evidence of my extreme listlessness, I am combining three book reviews into one! Pathetic, huh. Well, besides my disgusting laziness, there are other reasons for this. First, this is obviously a trilogy, and so I have the excuse of wanting to consume and then review the work as a whole. Second, I listened to these on audiobook, and for some reason this make writing reviews more difficult, especially detailed reviews.
So here’s what I have to say about The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, by Libba Bray. The first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty turned me off a bit, mostly because I did not realize that these stories would involve witchcraft/magic/other realms, etc. It’s not that I dislike those topics, quite the contrary. But do you ever find yourself disliking a book just because it was not what you had expected? I guess I should have read the synopsis. However, by the end, strong-willed Gemma Doyle had won me over.
The trilogy begins with the death of Gemma’s mother, and Gemma’s exodus from her home in India to an English finishing school. Gemma is different from the other girls in many ways, but the biggest is that she has visions and can enter other realms (that’s pretty different if I do say so). Gemma has also been followed, by a young man, Kartik, and he tries to convince her of the danger of her visions and the realms.
The next books continue Gemma’s adventures, as she learns more and more about the realms, and herself. The experiences in the realms bind her to a few true friends, power-hungry Felicity, timid Ann, and beautiful Pippa. By the end of the trilogy Gemma learns the power of the realms, and how much strength she has as well.
I sometimes felt that these books were dragging out the story a bit too much. So much time is spent in the realms, and I began to feel it was getting repetitive. I loved the characters however; every teen girl (or woman who was once a teen) will be able to identify with one of the characters, if not parts of all of them. My favorite of the three was the second, Rebel Angels, because this story takes the reader away from the boarding school and into Victorian London, and we get to learn a little more about Gemma’s family. This was a decent teen trilogy, but when comparing it to series such as the Hunger Games, it still falls short.
3.5/5
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane August 23, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Best Sellers, Book Reviews, General Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Best Sellers, Ficti, Historical Fiction, Katherine Howe, Salem Witch Trials, Science Fiction/Fantasy, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Witchraft
1 comment so far
—4—
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe was getting a lot of buzz a few months back, so I picked myself up a copy and gave it a go. I had been hearing mixed things, some people really enjoyed it and others thought it did not quite live up to the hype. I was in the first camp; I thought it was quite good.
This novel has the type of storyline I find very alluring. The main character, Carrie Goodwin, is set to find a topic for her doctoral thesis. But while wishing she could concentrate on this overwhelming task her mother requests that she take over the sale of the abandoned home of grandmother. This project at first seems a complete distraction, but turns into a historical mystery, and perhaps a dissertation topic. Within a key, within a 17th century Bible, is a slip of paper with the name “Deliverance Dane”. Connie begins on a path to research the woman, and learn her history, leading her to new revelations about the infamous Salem Witch Trials and the possibility of true witchcraft.
A handsome sidekick of course comes along the way, providing the needed flirtation and fun that the book would suffer without. The story alternates between Connie’s story and the story of several women of the Dane lineage, as the true powers of these women are slowly revealed for us.
This story is somewhere between mystery, suspense, and historical fiction. The ending will not come as a surprise, but that is a minor shortcoming. Connie can seem a little dopey at times, especially considering she is a doctoral candidate, and her love-interest is a bit two dimensional, but the plot and historical details make up for these faults and make The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane worth picking up.
4/5
Blood and Ice July 5, 2009
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Antarctica, Blood and Ice, Horror, Robert Masello, Science Fiction/Fantasy
add a comment
—3.5—
On a hot summer day picking up Blood and Ice by Robert Masello may make you thankful for the heat. Set in Antarctica, this science fiction/horror thriller chills the reader in more way than one. Two stories ultimately converge within this novel. The first is the story of Eleanor and Sinclair, and soldier and a nurse tossed aside a ship near Antarctica in 1856. The second is of Michael Wilde, a journalist for an eco-travel magazine, who is escaping personal tragedy for the opportunity of a life-time in Antarctica. Sent to document and photograph the harsh conditions and the scientists that make the extreme continent their home, Michael uncovers more than he bargained for, and more than the secluded community may be able to handle.
For a horror novel, the ending was strangely both positive and satisfying. The character Michael has been written as someone anyone would like to count as their friend. He is intelligent and strong, level-headed but compassionate. On the other hand, the book does have its spooky moments! Antarctica is such a terrifying setting because of the deadliness of the climate and the impossibility of escape. In addition, the combination of the past and present stories is done remarkably well.
There were a few points where I wished the story would progress a little faster. I found some of the passages tedious. I don’t know if that was meant to reflect on the setting, but I was often waiting for something else to happen. But overall this was a good read for hot summer days.
3.5/5
Meg December 13, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Meg, Steve Alten, The Loch
1 comment so far
—3.5—
Meg by Steve Alten follows Dr. Jonas Taylor, a paleontologist who believes that Megalodons (giant sharks) from the age of the dinosaurs may still exist in the deep unexplored trenches of present-day oceans. As his marriage falls apart he discovers his theory, and worst fears, are true. Taylor attempts to capture the beast, while the Navy tries to destroy it.
Meg is thrilling all the way through. I mean, its a bad book, but its a really exciting bad book! And Steve Alten’s novels seem to be more fascinating that Dan Brown’s, although similar in design. It is reasonably backed by research, and the idea is pretty original. (And the cover is awesome too)
3.5/5
Try Meg by Steven Alten if you liked his other work The Loch.
Stardust October 30, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Neil Gaiman, Stardust
1 comment so far
—4—
Stardust was my second attempt at Neil Gaiman. And I’m glad I attempted! Stardust is a fairy tale, with witches and princes and damsels in distress. So how could you go wrong? Tristan Thorn enters the magical land of Faerie to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he is smitten with. Thorn, being a good English lad, is surprised and awed by the wonders of this world. He finds that his star is not a rock, but a young lady. He and the star must battle witches and live with pirates, and by the end he finds he may not be as in love with the woman from home as he thought, and that a star might be his true destiny.
Stardust is smart and fun, sometimes frightening, and almost always thrilling. It is being compared to The Princess Bride, which I think is a fair comparison. The Princess Bride has more wit perhaps, but Stardust still has all the heart.
4/5
Neverwhere October 8, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere
1 comment so far
—3—
In Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere Richard Mayhew saves a injured young woman, and finds himself invisible to the world in which he lived. His girlfriend doesn’t remember him, he no longer has a job, and his landlord rents his apartment to a woman as he sits in the tub. By helping the young lady, Door, he has become part of London Below, the hidden world that exist under London’s streets. On his quest to return to the above world, he follows Door in her attempt to discover the secrets of her family’s murder.
Neverwhere is exciting and original. It often reminded me of a twisted version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. While I liked the characters, much of the plot, and the ingenuity overall, I think that this SciFi/Fantasy genre is too out there for me. I suppose I don’t have enough of an imagination, because sometimes I couldn’t stretch as far as Neverwhere required. But for fans of this type of book, I say, go for it!
3/5
The Loch April 27, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Steve Alten, The Loch
2 comments
—3.5—
Loch Ness Monster. Roar.
By Steve Alten
3.5/5
Try The Loch if you enjoyed the creatures from Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and The Lost World.
Jurassic Park and The Lost World January 4, 2007
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy.Tags: Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, The Lost World
2 comments
—4———3.5—
Dinosaurs. Roar.
Jurassic Park (4/5)
The Lost World (3.5/5)
By Michael Crichton
