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Saturday, September 13, 2014
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews
Over the past couple of weeks I broke my book buying ban in a big way, here's the result:
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant - Short stories from a great selections of authors.
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Homes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock by Lucy Worsely -non-fiction book that is right up my alley.
Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy #3) by Sarah Rees Brennan - In the middle of this, it's so good though I'm braced for heartbreak.
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - Finally got my hands on this gorgeous book
The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey - I've already read it, it's amazing. Review to come.
Acceptance (Southern Reach Trilogy #3) by Jeff Vandermeer - The final novel in this creepy/fascinating trilogy, I still need to read Authority.
I'm excited for all these reads, they should keep me busy for a while. Meanwhile, I've decided adopt a new policy for myself on acquiring new books, whether for review, library, or the bookstore: for every five I read/review I can obtain one new book. Hopefully this will cut down on the TBR, if I stick with it.
Friday, September 12, 2014
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts,
Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read.
This week's question: Before blogging (dark times people!) how would
you find out about new books or did you?
Before blogging I mainly discovered new books by browsing the library shelves and trying whatever looked interesting. Once I found an author I liked I'd hunt down their backlist and read those as well. For example, I found Good Omens in the library, then went on to read all of Neil Gaiman's work published at that time as well as Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. I didn't read the variety of authors and genres I do now, but that sense of serendipity in finding a great book was fun.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
By Laird Hunt
Published by Little, Brown and Co.
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
An extraordinary novel about a wife
who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War.
She calls herself Ash, but that's
not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her
husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome
tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South.
Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk
legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.
Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel
throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay
behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why
can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home?
In gorgeous prose, Hunt's
rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, and back home to her
husband, and finally into our hearts.
Review: Women who disguise themselves as
men in order to be soldiers is my genre kryptonite, so I was over the moon
excited to start this book. I immediately loved the contrast between the
protagonist’s stoic, matter of fact tone and the battlefield horrors she was
describing. This story is made all the more powerful by its understatement. I
also was delighted by the dialect and idiosyncratic turns of phrase used, an
effort to replicate the common speech of this time period.
Constance Thomas or “Gallant” Ash is character with many layers and some
secrets as well. A sharp shooter raised by her mother to never “turn her cheek”
to wrongs done to her, she makes a very successful soldier. What led her to join the Union Army is subtly
explored, as is the effect this experience has on her. I appreciate writing
that gets its point across through nuance without having to spell things out,
as so many books these tend to do. The many facets of Ash and her filtered view
of other characters makes for a fascinating read.
I do wish the narrative had room to provide a clearer sense of who Bartholomew,
Ash’s husband is. The briefness of the novel provides few opportunities for
characters besides Ash herself to achieve any real depth. It is her story and
hers alone, but what a story it is.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week's topic: Top Ten Underrated Books (In YA fantasy)
 |
 |  |
 |
2. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - I wish it had been more popular so there could've been a dozen books in this series. Forever bitter about its cancelation. Forever.
3. The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman - This is a more recent release that seems to have flown under the radar a bit. Excellent creepy fairytale.
4. The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski -Author of The Winner's Curse, the writing in this book is wonderful.
 |
 |  |
 |
6. Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough - The setting of this story is really memorable, the characters are nuanced, and the scares are legit.
7. Mistwood by Leah Cypress - I love this fantasy, it's subtly romantic.
8. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon - Fantasy from a different cultural perspective. Very good.
 |
 |
10. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell - has anyone else read this? It hits all my favorite fantasy tropes. Whatever happened to the sequel?
Monday, September 8, 2014
By Barry Lyga
Published by Little, Brown
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Copy received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Jazz Dent has been shot and left to
die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial
killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the
floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise
above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in
pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and
soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is
the true monster?
The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.
Review: After loving the first two books in this trilogy and enduring the intense cliffhanger that is the ending of the second book, I had high expectations for this conclusion. Luckily this book delivered. It's the engaging storytelling I have come to expect from Barry Lyga and a good end to the trilogy. The cliffhanger is resolved fairly quickly, through some very tense moments where the survival of my favorite character was definitely not guaranteed. The action continues to ratchet up as Jazz begins his single-minded pursuit of serial-killing Billy, hoping to rescue his last remaining family.
Connie and Howie, Jazz's girlfriend and best friend, both have their parts to play and their relationships with Jazz are more important than ever. The reader also gets the POV of NY police detective Louis Hughes, the man whose murder investigation is now in shambles due to Jazz's interference, and who finds Jazz in the middle of a scene of carnage. Needless to say, his views on Jazz are not complimentary, providing an insight into how anyone not in Jazz's personal circle would assume about the delinquent son of a serial killer. Jazz himself still struggles with the belief that his traumatic upbringing has made him a monster, and he makes some questionable choices in his desperation to catch Billy, coming ever closer to crossing a line he cannot return from.
All mysteries regarding Jazz's past are solved, the killer mastermind in the shadows is revealed, and Jazz's choice as to his identity is made. It's a satisfying conclusion that is all I could have asked for, and an unique take on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Is there any hope for an individual to break a cycle of abuse when both their DNA and their upbringing are against them? This story provides an answer. Be warned, as with the preceding books the subject matter makes for some dark and disturbing scenes, though usually implied rather than described in graphic detail.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers, television shows such as Criminal Minds or Law and Order, or Jennifer Lynn Barnes's YA novel The Naturals. Now that all three in the trilogy are released, I'd suggest binge reading them to avoid the agony of the cliffhanger. I'm not kidding, the ending of The Game is evil.
From the archive I Hunt Killers Review
A RIPIX Read
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Stacking the Shelves 9/13/14
Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews
Over the past couple of weeks I broke my book buying ban in a big way, here's the result:
Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant - Short stories from a great selections of authors.
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Homes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock by Lucy Worsely -non-fiction book that is right up my alley.
Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy #3) by Sarah Rees Brennan - In the middle of this, it's so good though I'm braced for heartbreak.
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - Finally got my hands on this gorgeous book
The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2) by Rick Yancey - I've already read it, it's amazing. Review to come.
Acceptance (Southern Reach Trilogy #3) by Jeff Vandermeer - The final novel in this creepy/fascinating trilogy, I still need to read Authority.
I'm excited for all these reads, they should keep me busy for a while. Meanwhile, I've decided adopt a new policy for myself on acquiring new books, whether for review, library, or the bookstore: for every five I read/review I can obtain one new book. Hopefully this will cut down on the TBR, if I stick with it.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Feature & Follow Friday: Book Discovery Edition
The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts,
Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read.
This week's question: Before blogging (dark times people!) how would
you find out about new books or did you?
Before blogging I mainly discovered new books by browsing the library shelves and trying whatever looked interesting. Once I found an author I liked I'd hunt down their backlist and read those as well. For example, I found Good Omens in the library, then went on to read all of Neil Gaiman's work published at that time as well as Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. I didn't read the variety of authors and genres I do now, but that sense of serendipity in finding a great book was fun.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Review: Neverhome by Laird Hunt
By Laird Hunt
Published by Little, Brown and Co.
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
An extraordinary novel about a wife
who disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the Civil War.
She calls herself Ash, but that's
not her real name. She is a farmer's faithful wife, but she has left her
husband to don the uniform of a Union soldier in the Civil War. Neverhome
tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South.
Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk
legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.
Laird Hunt's dazzling new novel
throws a light on the adventurous women who chose to fight instead of stay
behind. It is also a mystery story: why did Ash leave and her husband stay? Why
can she not return? What will she have to go through to make it back home?
In gorgeous prose, Hunt's
rebellious young heroine fights her way through history, and back home to her
husband, and finally into our hearts.
Review: Women who disguise themselves as
men in order to be soldiers is my genre kryptonite, so I was over the moon
excited to start this book. I immediately loved the contrast between the
protagonist’s stoic, matter of fact tone and the battlefield horrors she was
describing. This story is made all the more powerful by its understatement. I
also was delighted by the dialect and idiosyncratic turns of phrase used, an
effort to replicate the common speech of this time period.
Constance Thomas or “Gallant” Ash is character with many layers and some
secrets as well. A sharp shooter raised by her mother to never “turn her cheek”
to wrongs done to her, she makes a very successful soldier. What led her to join the Union Army is subtly
explored, as is the effect this experience has on her. I appreciate writing
that gets its point across through nuance without having to spell things out,
as so many books these tend to do. The many facets of Ash and her filtered view
of other characters makes for a fascinating read.
I do wish the narrative had room to provide a clearer sense of who Bartholomew,
Ash’s husband is. The briefness of the novel provides few opportunities for
characters besides Ash herself to achieve any real depth. It is her story and
hers alone, but what a story it is.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Underrated Books
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week's topic: Top Ten Underrated Books (In YA fantasy)
|
| |
|
2. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - I wish it had been more popular so there could've been a dozen books in this series. Forever bitter about its cancelation. Forever.
3. The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman - This is a more recent release that seems to have flown under the radar a bit. Excellent creepy fairytale.
4. The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski -Author of The Winner's Curse, the writing in this book is wonderful.
|
| |
|
6. Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough - The setting of this story is really memorable, the characters are nuanced, and the scares are legit.
7. Mistwood by Leah Cypress - I love this fantasy, it's subtly romantic.
8. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon - Fantasy from a different cultural perspective. Very good.
|
|
10. The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell - has anyone else read this? It hits all my favorite fantasy tropes. Whatever happened to the sequel?
Monday, September 8, 2014
Review: Blood of My Blood (Jasper Dent #3) by Barry Lyga
By Barry Lyga
Published by Little, Brown
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Copy received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Jazz Dent has been shot and left to
die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial
killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the
floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise
above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in
pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and
soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is
the true monster?
The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.
Review: After loving the first two books in this trilogy and enduring the intense cliffhanger that is the ending of the second book, I had high expectations for this conclusion. Luckily this book delivered. It's the engaging storytelling I have come to expect from Barry Lyga and a good end to the trilogy. The cliffhanger is resolved fairly quickly, through some very tense moments where the survival of my favorite character was definitely not guaranteed. The action continues to ratchet up as Jazz begins his single-minded pursuit of serial-killing Billy, hoping to rescue his last remaining family.
Connie and Howie, Jazz's girlfriend and best friend, both have their parts to play and their relationships with Jazz are more important than ever. The reader also gets the POV of NY police detective Louis Hughes, the man whose murder investigation is now in shambles due to Jazz's interference, and who finds Jazz in the middle of a scene of carnage. Needless to say, his views on Jazz are not complimentary, providing an insight into how anyone not in Jazz's personal circle would assume about the delinquent son of a serial killer. Jazz himself still struggles with the belief that his traumatic upbringing has made him a monster, and he makes some questionable choices in his desperation to catch Billy, coming ever closer to crossing a line he cannot return from.
All mysteries regarding Jazz's past are solved, the killer mastermind in the shadows is revealed, and Jazz's choice as to his identity is made. It's a satisfying conclusion that is all I could have asked for, and an unique take on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Is there any hope for an individual to break a cycle of abuse when both their DNA and their upbringing are against them? This story provides an answer. Be warned, as with the preceding books the subject matter makes for some dark and disturbing scenes, though usually implied rather than described in graphic detail.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers, television shows such as Criminal Minds or Law and Order, or Jennifer Lynn Barnes's YA novel The Naturals. Now that all three in the trilogy are released, I'd suggest binge reading them to avoid the agony of the cliffhanger. I'm not kidding, the ending of The Game is evil.
From the archive I Hunt Killers Review
A RIPIX Read
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
