My lord this book scared me shitless . It wasn't jump scares or gore, at least not until later. It was the anxiety-inducing, constant self-doubting, hMy lord this book scared me shitless . It wasn't jump scares or gore, at least not until later. It was the anxiety-inducing, constant self-doubting, horrible unease the writing produced. It made your skin crawl and held your attention in a vice grip.
I loved Patricia because she wasn't perfect and made mistakes. But you understood her actions, even when they got too much, too cringey, too real and honest.
I love how the book built up James's character, so your perspective of his character altered the more you uncovered.
The mundane normalcy of the daily life with the shocking jolts of horror and supernatural events was jarring in a good way. It really pulled you into that Southern, American neighbourhood, with all the etiquettes and stereotypes, but it pulled back the skin so you could see the bones beneath. The ugly, the human and non-human.
I've never read a truly frightening and disturbing vampire novel in my life. Would definitely recommend, though I suggest regular breaks when you can't stomach the darkness. Surround yourself with puppies and rainbows and chocolate before you dive back in....more
Wonderful sequel. To review! .. . . . Wow, what a great follow up to what was already a wonderful book (Crimson Lake)!
So to kick off, Ted Conkaffey and hiWonderful sequel. To review! .. . . . Wow, what a great follow up to what was already a wonderful book (Crimson Lake)!
So to kick off, Ted Conkaffey and his quirky, odd, but lovable partner, Amanda have another case to solve. Two people, a young man and young woman are found shot dead in a bar and the PIs get called in by a family member early on to solve it, much to the displeasure of the police!
They work unofficially alongside Pip Sweeney, a new detective with a lot on her shoulders. Amanda and Sweeney form an unlikely alliance as they try to solve the murders.
Whilst this is going on, Claire Bingley's case (the case Ted was accused--but not convicted--of committing in book one) has new leads and Ted is thrown back into the nightmare he's tried very hard to put behind him. Amanda in the beginning gives Ted an envelope with information about his case and he's held off reading it, up until Claire's father storms into his house. It's pretty intense from then on!
So while Ted is trying to clear his name, others are helping to find the real rapist and attacker of Claire, and eventually--but with initial reluctance--Ted gets swept up in it.
I found the hardship he suffered, especially the separation from his young daughter, very upsetting and emotional. I truly sympathised with him and I understood a lot of the characters' decisions even if I didn't always agree with them.
In this book, many of the questions that were left unanswered in the first book, finally start to be resolved and we see more about Ted's case and what really happened.
Despite it being slightly disturbing and uncomfortable to read at points, I was thoroughly engrossed! The characters were as ever impressively written and complex, as was the plot. There were several plots intertwined into this one awesome book and they moved from one to the other seamlessly. I didn't feel jolted at any point.
I did find the climax with the case of the two murdered kids in the bar to be sudden. I thought that I didn't see enough clues for the answer to be found out, but I'm not Amanda Pharrell, so I'll let the author off on that one! However, once I found out who had killed them, it did make sense and I realised there was more clues than I initially thought. But there was one particular moment in the book that did confuse me, and that was the fat, gun-loving woman with serious lack of hygiene. I didn't quite understand what was her intention and the point of the scenario besides shock factor and unease. I must have missed something?
All in all this was very entertaining and I'm definitely listing Candice Fox as one of my favourites! Cannot wait to see what more she has in store for us! ...more
This took me sooooo longggg to read though because I was so busy and it is a pretty big book. Anyway, that being said,Wow!! What a corker of a novel!!
This took me sooooo longggg to read though because I was so busy and it is a pretty big book. Anyway, that being said, it was really well paced and kept my interest. One point I did wonder what more it had to say but then felt stupid when I realised there was A LOT still to reveal.
The ending was absolutely amazing!
The summary of the book--without giving away spoilers--is about a girl called Nona who through unfortunate circumstances is taken away from her out-of-the-way village by a child seller, to a city where she is sold to a man called Tacsis with the intention of being potentially trained as a cage fighter. People who have special abilities are highly sought after. There are four types of blood that buyers and sellers look out for. Hunska, Marjal, Gerant and Quantal, which are all helpfully mentioned and their traits explained in the very beginning of the book, before the story. Thank you, author for that. Most people have at least one of those special abilities in their blood (some have more than one and they are very sought after as they're rarer and potentially more powerful). The stronger their blood, the stronger their abilities. Gerant are obvious, as they're people of great size. The more Gerant blood is in someone, the bigger their size. Hunska are distinguished by there speed, and are known to be usually dark-haired and dark-eyed. Marjal are able to tap into magic and Quantal are able to walk the Path and can work greater magics than Marjal. The Path, from what I understood is an invisible Path between life and death that is extremely difficult to walk on, but with each step, increases your powers, and can be very addictive. Too long on it can kill you or those around you when you step off it, back to reality. It was very interesting and also difficult to imagine. I would love to see how they portray this on the big screen, if that ever comes to be.
After a lot of problems, Nona, the main character finds herself at a Convent that teaches girls how to control their abilities. And a lot goes on after this. Finding friends, enemies, learning, discovering, causing trouble, facing trouble. There's a lot of politics and secrets involved. And betrayal which was rather beautifully written near the end of this book. I really felt the emotions of those involved.
Characters were complex and many, and to be honest, I'm terrible at remembering people, especially when they have names like Sister Tallow and Sister Rule. I only remember a few of them and I had to search for them throughout the novel (which is easy on a Kindle really but still) because I had to refresh my memory of who they were and what they'd done previously. Even so, that's just me, but the writing does create beautifully complex and striking individuals with their own stories, dreams, fear and hopes. I adored that side of the book.
The setting was some other land that I couldn't decipher where it could be or WHEN it could be. I suspect it is somewhere in the past, and the land is completely made up, and the names of things were unusual and had me wondering about the history. I liked that they called the sun the Focus. The place is a prisoner to the ice which engulfs most of the land, there's also the Corridor where the ice surrounds or is in the ice, I wasn't quite sure when I imagined it in my head. But it gave me the feeling of a civilization at the mercy of ice which continues to take over the land and drive away every living thing.
The plot was long and complicated and full of hidden meanings and twists and turns. It's the kind of book I could read again and again and see something new that I happened to miss the previous time/times before. I like that a lot. It's clear the author put a lot of love and time and research into creating this wonderful novel.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading it again. I cannot WAIT for the second book which I imagine will follow Nona and her friends and Sisters as adults rather than as kids. It was so brilliant to connect so deeply and emotionally with characters who are only nine to eleven years old. I want to know how that will differ as they mature.
But first, the cons: This is one of those books that if you don't keep going, you'll miss out on the fun. I noticed quite a few reviews staGreat book!
But first, the cons: This is one of those books that if you don't keep going, you'll miss out on the fun. I noticed quite a few reviews stating that they DNF it and that's kinda sad but I guess I understood their reasons.
I personally like it a lot. It was funny and enjoyable! If I hadn't checked it out on Goodreads I probably wouldn't be mentioning this anyway.
The only problem with it that I found was the layout/format/style. It has these continuous footnotes throughout from Dirk, the assistant or whatever, and Jeff the head of the show Rolling with the Royces. And these were irritating to be fair but I learnt to ignore them. They weren't necessary IMO, and they came at awkward moments jarring a sentence and sometimes the numbers were so far from the footnotes that when I did bother to read them I was like, What's this referring to? It makes sense with the whole reality show, fakeness and scripted everything kinda style, but it didn't help the book. I felt it hindered it actually. BUT, despite that, I really did like the book.
It does take some reading, I'd say up to 60% or maybe more for everything to fall into place. The big secret and reveal is far later, like in the 90%. But I was kept so entertained all the way through I didn't mind the wait. There was obviously something to wait for, and it made it clear from the beginning which helped to keep my interest.
Characters wise, well they were certainly colourful. And their names were hilariously apt to the whole ridiculousness of reality TV. Sorry to anyone who has those names, I mean no offense. It works is all I'm saying and adds to that whacky doodah flavour of the book which I loved.
The MC, Bently a.k.a Bent is driving the story and I liked her a lot. She does a lot for her family, even when they're initially ungrateful and self obsessed but the great thing about this whole book is how all of them, even Bent's mother bettered themselves. Mercedes (the Mom--though she wouldn't have let them call her that EVER until three quarters into the book, if that) who finally reconnected with her motherly roots that had practically been severed from a long career on reality TV and materialism and spotlight and fakery. It was nice to see her warm up to her kids again.
And Bent's older sister, Porshe who is practically Merc's twin in the beginning. All about the spotlight and being noticed. But discovering love and the power of family and everything that happens to shake all that up brings her back to what really matters.
Then there's the little gay brother, Bach. He's the calming one, the guy who takes it all on his shoulders and plays it cool, but he finally shows how much the pressure has got to him and it's nice to see him not be perfect all the time. To see, like the others, what they're REALLY like, really feeling, and really wanting in life.
As for Bentley herself, she wants to go to college, be free of the fame and paparazzi and everyone controlling her life, making her memorize a stupid 'Bently bible' that lists how she should be, what she should eat, where, do, say. She decides she doesn't want it anymore, but she puts her family before her own needs. And she also finds love in a rather sweet and swoonworthy male by the name of 'Venice' who she befriends from months prior, spending time with him during her two hour freedom slots on Wednesdays at the library. Where she can just be herself and nobody recognizes her. Or so she thinks...
It's a feel-good story, made me laugh and gasp aloud. The bit where Whitey punches Jeff had me howling with laughter after I'd recovered from the shock. I love a good ass-kicking.
I'd definitely recommend this book, all I can say is, if you can allow yourself to go with the flow and get used to the weird format, you won't regret reading this book. It's a good one. And I give the cover art a solid four stars. It's really spunky and bright. Just like the story. ...more
I loved the concept, the plot, the characters, the mystery and suspense. It was exactly what I needed.
Ada a.k.a Vivi a.This was absolutely wonderful!
I loved the concept, the plot, the characters, the mystery and suspense. It was exactly what I needed.
Ada a.k.a Vivi a.k.a Arden is a famous female illusionist. She takes on the business after her mentor and boss leaves. She was the first ever, Ada is the next best thing. And someone in the very beginning--believed to be Ada's husband--has been killed with an axe shoved in his belly and Ada is the suspect. Captured by a policeman who has a fatal bullet lodged in his spine from a previous case, has a lot riding on finding the killer. He'd just found out that day that he could die or become paralyzed at any moment, thanks to the bullet moving about, so as soon as he sees Ada running away, he makes chase, captures her and takes her to an office for questioning.
This is where we learn all about Ada from when she's about twelve up to the present. And it is a story full of so much. I couldn't put it down.
The big question lurking in all of this--well QUESTIONS--is did she really kill her husband? And then later it's, WHO IS her husband? Because her storytelling leads you in one direction and then flips you on your ass and leads you in other. Just when you think you've figured it out it laughs at you and says 'Guess again'. I loved that!
The whole thing is about Ada facing her fears, sharing her story and following her adventures. She starts off wanting to be a dancer--thanks to her mother's influence--but from the beginning her life is shadowed by the psychotic Ray, who to everyone else is a good and kind young man who cares for the horses in the stables and is the son of Ada's mother's husband. So her stepbrother. In gtruth, he's a nasty piece of work and Ada discovers this by accident when she walks in on him cutting himself, but instead of it being about depression and self harm, the guy is absolutely adamant that he has super healing powers. Ada is actually the one with the powers and once he learns this, he won't leave her alone. He feels he has a right to her, that he OWNS her. And just like the rather repulsive 'hobby' of his to break animal's and attempt to heal them, he does it to Ada just before she's about to perform to a famous retired dancer. Her future hangs on that performance and Ray takes it away through malicious and jealous intent, throwing her from the balcony of the barn at the mansion she is meant to perform at.
From then on, her life goes shifting in another direction entirely, and though she completely heals, she knows she must escape Ray and his evil. He believes that her healing is his doing, not her own and that makes her life all the more in danger. And when she fleas to New York, it is there she discovers her true calling. Magic, illusions, and standing on the stage being applauded. But the thought of Ray is always lurking in the back of her mind.
It's a magical story, full of twists and turns and I loved the richness of it. The emotional rollercoaster of it. The romance and suspense were wonderful. I loved Ada and her strength. I loved her determination and wit. It was fun to read but it wasn't what I'd call light and airy. There was darkness in it too, hidden in the happy, light moments and that made it perfect for me.
I can't praise it enough, and for that it gets the full five stars. ...more
Definitely worth the hype. Thought provoking, frustrating, and well executed. The author portrays all sides in a fair way and makes it enjoyable whilsDefinitely worth the hype. Thought provoking, frustrating, and well executed. The author portrays all sides in a fair way and makes it enjoyable whilst targeting very important issues. Loved it! And can't wait to watch the film!...more
Okay, okay, serious review face on. The Witchfinder's Sister was, I admit, thoroughly entertaining and I fell hook, Well, this was a barrel of laughs.
Okay, okay, serious review face on. The Witchfinder's Sister was, I admit, thoroughly entertaining and I fell hook, line and sinker into the story but with the deepest sense of impending doom, like the knowledge that a hundred car pile up is about to happen and I'm just cruising along beside the motorway, watching as it unfolds. Unable to intervene, cringing at every moment, but unable to look away.
This is this book. It was SO infuriating! The injustice, the horror, the superstitous, dumb, moronic, DUMB stupidity of the people of that time is stomach ulcer inducing. It's ridiculous how one rumour can leave a woman hanging from a noose. It's absurd how grown-ups could believe that imps are suckling on teats around women's--sorry "witches's"--genitals. If you're unlucky to have a wart, a pimple, a mark of any kind you're the devil's whore? God, and this is based on true events as well? *Facepalm*
But, I digress.
Let's start from the top.
Plot: girl called Alice loses her husband tragically when he gets his face blown off by a faulty gun he was testing. Ouch. She has no choice but to go back home to her estranged brother--who she left on bad terms by marrying now-dead husband. Tail between legs, painfully aware of her dependence on her brother, Matthew, she is taken into his home, and not in the most friendliest of manners. She's with child also, but it's early days and she feels she must conceal that from Matthew, at least for now. She soon discovers that Matthew is much changed. He's become an 'upstanding' figure in the community. Mostly, he just goes around accusing innocent women of being witches, and stupid male folk follow him because they're scared little boys really who have had horrible things befall them and need someone or something to blame. And so the tragedies pile up. Alice is in the middle of all of this. Unable to get through to her bordering on sociopath/psychopath brother. She's also forced into doing his bidding by watching the so-called witches to see if the so-called imps appear when the poor women have been made to sit on a stool for hours and hours without sleep or food. A lot of bad stuff happens, to Alice as well. And Matthew continues to get a lot of support from rich idiots. You see what I mean?
It's awful, but entertaining.
I hated Matthew with such a passion. I wanted to dive into the book just to throttle him. Alice I understood, even though the fear that held her back from doing next to nothing irritated me, I understood it. She's not a hero, she's a normal person, caught up in something she cannot win. You can't reason with a madman. And Matthew is a madman. He's smart, calculated and emotionally retarded. He doesn't bat an eyelid when he discovers Alice loses her baby. He doesn't care about the suffering of the women he's falsely accused, the deal he makes and then breaks simply because he can. The worst part is that he BELIEVES he's doing good. That he's dishing out justice. He's a nasty piece of work. And he's apparently a real person who killed 106 women in two years before dying of suspected consumption. But in the book, the end is much more satisfying. So, on that note, it made the whole horrific events just a little more bearable.
The mystery was grand, the thriller and fear was palpable. Some things were left unexplained, such as what was it that Alice felt slip past her into the house that night. She'd thought it was Matthew's dog brushing past her through the front door when she opens it for a rather terrified Matthew. But he says he left his dog at home. So what WAS it? That's something I guess we have to leave to our imagination, amongst other things. The characters were interesting, their personalities clearly laid out with a depth that made you question is anyone ever truly just evil? You knew who was who by the way they spoke, which is important. And the writing was sound. I liked how it was written in second person as well.
If you like mystery, witches, historical fiction, tragedy and the brutal truth of the makings of scared men who went on to do horrific things, then this is for you. It's certainly not fluffy....more
Well this was wonderfully oozing full of magic, culture and mystery. Every time I picked it up to read it, I was sucked into its vortex and had to forWell this was wonderfully oozing full of magic, culture and mystery. Every time I picked it up to read it, I was sucked into its vortex and had to force myself to come up for air.
The Bone Witch is Crooked Kingdom meets Memoirs of a Geisha, with a plethora of cultures thrown in.
Plotline in my own words: Girl called Tea (which makes me like her already) discovers she's a Dark Asha a.k.a Bone Witch when she accidentally raises her brother from the dead after he was tragically killed my a Daeva--a weird creature of sorts that is technically dead and contains a bezoar inside it which is extracted by powerful Dark Ashas every so often and used medicinally. Tea then gets plumetted into a world of Asha, apprentices, mystery, death, Daeva, skeletons running around or being raised from the ground, and whodunnits!
Let's get my qualms out of the way first. Really it's only one.
When I said it's like Crooked Kingdom meets Memoirs of a Geisha, it is VERY much so. The latter in particular. So many scenes in the book had me frowning as I got that unpleasant sense of deja vu knowing I'd seen/read something similar in MoaG. I'm not sure if that's a coincidence, but I doubt it. The apprentice learning the art of dance, music and etiquette; the rival Asha's attempts to humilate Tea and her house along with all the other jealousies and insecurities; the whole Asha house system that is strikingly familiar to the Geisha house; the purpose of the Ashas to go out there and entertain folk in TEAHOUSES; And then the special dance performance and the rivalry about who gets to play the main part. It is very familiar.
But despite the familiarity, it DOES work. It works very well with the magic, with Fox, Tea's dead brother walking around. The conspiracies flying around and mystery dripping from every wall. It works, but it is not entirely original, but I understand that if the author did take inspiration from MoaG, that she put it to great use.
The world she has created is very intriguing, and confusing at once. It has the strong sense of Japanese culture in the Asha house and the teahouses and the sense of duty and respect that is publicly displayed. But then I was confused when they started mentioning Sabzi Polo and panir and lavash bread. I'm married to an Iranian, and make Persian food regularly, so it was nice to read that hint of culture but equally puzzling as I'd had Japanese culture in my head. And then it has glimpses of what I detected to be Russian or Eastern European culture. The author has basically thrown in her favourite cultures into a pot, stirred them up and left them to stew and the result is a very interesting, tasty fusion. That is where it reminds me of Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom, the latter of which I'm still reading FYI.
Characters: I love the voices in the story. The characters have their own unique voice and characteristics that are made very clear and each one is lovable and interesting in their own right.
I can't decide who I like more. Mistress Parmina is probably the most colourful of the lot. She has this strict, slightly unpleasant old lady vibe to a T, but there's more to her than meets the eye and I like her complexity.
Tea is a great lead, with her insecurities, strong mind, intelligence and sense of morality. She's not clueless but inexperienced. She's not nasty or rude but stubborn. And she has a mind of her own but respects others and their opinions.
Fox also has his charms. I like his protectiveness and his unwavering ability to put Tea at ease, never letting her get worried about his own problems. He's dead, and I felt like he felt he owed it to her, because he wouldn't be there if it wasn't for her. They feel duty-bound to each other. And it's kinda beautiful. But he also has secrets and layers which stopped him from being stereotypical protective big brother.
Oh and there are many great, boisterous and lovable individuals in this book but I really warmed to Polaire, just because she was so clumsy and lazy, she spoke honestly--usually brutally and without sugarcoating things--and she was fond of swearing and insulting people. I just liked her for her flaws, and found her funny.
The description was wonderful in this book. Initially, I admit, when I first discovered the author's love for describing every detail of a woman's hua (traditional dress), I couldn't resist the urge to skim read, which I did maybe for one or two pages in the beginning, nothing major. But when Older Tea explains how every Asha's hua is a representation of the character and uniqueness of the one it is made for, I became intrigued. When I took the time to read it, the description was so easy to absorb and picture. It's very hard to easily aid a reader into creating a mental picture of what a character looks like, let alone what they're wearing as well. I found it surprisingly easy.
Another thing I also loved was the way the chapters were cleverly laid out. We had Young Tea as an apprentice Asha, and that was in first person POV of Tea. And then when her chapter ends, it switches to present Older Tea, with a man who is observing her, asking her questions, and it is from his POV, and that was very entertaining. It's interesting because we see her through the eyes of someone else, but also we see what she becomes and it leaves us curious to know more. And the best part about those chapters (which are in italics) is that they leave glorious teasers that transition into the next chapter; we want to know more because she leaves little hints of things to come without giving it away and it forces us to read on.
I know some people dislike that way of story writing, claiming it's spoilers, and therefore spoils the suspense. But I disagree. A spoiler tells you exactly what happens next, without ceremony. A teaser HINTS at it, without giving it away and leaves you demanding answers. It adds to the suspense, it doesn't remove it.
I would definitely recommend this book to YA lovers, people who like magic and witches and fantasy with a bit of creepy mystery! ...more
I wasn't expecting it to be how it was. I thought it would all be about a wartorn country and two people's struggles This book was one hell of a ride!
I wasn't expecting it to be how it was. I thought it would all be about a wartorn country and two people's struggles through it, but it was a lot more than that. I certainly wasn't expecting the magical realism and the really refreshing narrative!
Pros about this book are that it's SO well written for one. The characters are thorough, deep and I was emotionally invested in them and their story. The little additions of other people around the world and their stories was absolutely charming. And the whole fact that this book showed the ugly side of humanity, yet it did it so artfully and creatively was wonderful.
I loved the idea of this alternate world where wartorn countries cause an influx of migrants into safer countries, and all the drama and consequences that happen as a result of that. It is so close to today's reality, but also so far. The concept of the black doors being magical portals--like escape pods--from one country to another, was fascinating. That people, if they have the right connections and money, can buy safe passage to somewhere else in the hopes of finding a place to belong, when their own home is ravaged and destroyed by militants. It's just marvelous and so damn clever. It's also clever how those very doors can be used as a source of power when taken over by the wrong people.
I loved the mini stories interloping with the main story of Nadia and Saeed. How you can transport from their wartorn country at that time, to somewhere else and witness in a brief glimpse what is happening to someone else at that exact moment. It paints this beautiful and wonderful and horrific picture of just how different two people's lives can be in the exact same world at the exact same time. It's humbling. It was just perfect.
Granted, at first I didn't know why it was being mentioned, but after the first or second time of having this sort of out-of-body- almost Godly experience, I got it. And it just works.
Which brings me to the narrative style. The style, from what I know of being a writer and all the taboo subjects on that side, is that the style used in Exit West is actually not a popular one. I believe it's in the third person omnipresent narrative which basically means you're reading it from a God-like perspective, able to jump in and out from one character to the next, but not exactly being them. Merely watching the scene from above but also being able to see what is in each person's head. It's not popular and many writers avoid it simply because IT IS SO HARD TO DO. You tend to find yourself mind-hopping which is really frowned upon, because it causes confusion when reading if not done properly. Mohsin Hamed does not do this, and he got this narrative down perfectly. It works perfectly for this book, because of the aforementioned mini stories and it also works because a lot of the time the author 'tells' us rather than 'shows' us what is going on.
This again is frowned upon by a lot of snotty folk who think they know how books should and shouldn't be written. Like there's a rule book for this sort of thing. I would normally agree with the idea that a story should do mostly showing than telling but with this book I make an exception. The author HAS to tell us a lot of what's going on because there's so much going on. Things need to be explained, and a lot of time and events needs to filtered into this neat, shorter summary. He still manages to keep important moments into the 'show' category, allowing us to experience firsthand those important moments between Saeed and Nadia.
I just loved this book. It was a nod to people suffering in any wartorn country because the country in the book is never mentioned by name. That was also a smart move by the author. It was just clever, not a shouting political read, but more of a subtle, knowing smile that's elegant and a lot is subjective and subtle in meaning. He leaves it to you to come to a lot of conclusions, which is always nice in my opinion.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, lives up to the hype, and well worth it. Left me in tears, both good and sad and it'll be one that I'll remember. ...more
It took me a while to read this but I did really enjoy it. Compared to the tv series, which I watched before reading this (big mistake) it is much sloIt took me a while to read this but I did really enjoy it. Compared to the tv series, which I watched before reading this (big mistake) it is much slower to develop at some points, and there were significant differences. Some of which I preferred, others I didn't. The main difference I found was the character of the China man, Mr Willoughby. I found him in the TV series to be engaging, warm, interesting and funny. In the book he was reduced to something savage and odd that had little endearing qualities. He was a drunk, which wouldn't be so bad if he had something good going for him, but he seemed to be the cause of so many problems for Claire and Jamie. It saddened me to find him to be this way, and I'm not surprised they changed his character to something more favourable for onscreen.
The writing however, as always, is sound, enjoyable and engaging. I love this series and want to see what happens next! I'll be taking a break, however, from carrying this on because there are other books I want to get through first.
A decent read, not my favourite of the series so far, but there were some epic moments in this book that are undoubtably my favourite! (The print room scene, anybody?)
Okay so Rose is in prison. Whoopsie. She's swapped with Dimitri. He's now become more accepted and people are less terrified of him suddenly going allOkay so Rose is in prison. Whoopsie. She's swapped with Dimitri. He's now become more accepted and people are less terrified of him suddenly going all red-eyed Strigoi and shouting 'BOO!' before devouring them all. Rose is to thank for that. Your welcome, asshole.
She worked hard to get Dimitri accepted by the susperstitious folk, who couldn't believe their eyes and did everything to bring out the Strigoi they believed was still hiding in Dimitri. And he still is pretending Rose doesn't exit. To be fair, she starts behaving like a spoilt brat, pouting and shouting every chance she got, but I didn't blame her. Her frustration mirrored mine, or mine mirrored hers, whatever.
And then Queen Tatiana is staked! HOLY SHIT! Big uproar. And it turns out that the stake was Rose's. Oh dear. And Rose publicly threatened the Queen thanks to the injustice going on at the time--she no happy with the new law that Guardians should be out in the field much younger--and makes it known in a rather satisifying public display. Which goes against her when Tatiana is found dead in her bedroom with a stake poking out her chest. Rose's stake as I said. So Rose is locked up. And it's up to her friends to bail her out. Abe does his thing. Adrian his. And FINALLY Dimitri his.
The moment I started to like Dimitri again was when she was captured by the vamp police. He fights to defend her. Fisticuffs can profess one's love as much as words as far as I'm concerned.
This novel is a lot about discovering the truth--the WHO-DUN-IT?--as well as bringing Dimitri back to her. He starts to believe in himself, in them, again. And that was a wonderful thing. Rose goes through a lot in this book and has to restrain herself a lot.
She and Dimitri escape the Court together, with the help of her friends and a ton of explosives, unbeknownst to Rose at the time. They go after Sofia Karp, Rose's former teacher who turned Strigoi herself in the throws of insanity. Also a spirit user. They need her to find the possible illegitimate child of Lissa's father. If they find the child, Lissa can get a place on the Council and it'll help a lot of things blow over. She could even potentially be queen. This book is also a lot about Lissa going through trials to become potential queen along with other members of royalty. They encourage her to step forward--even though she can't actually be accepted as queen without another member of her own family living--so a lot of things are riding on Rose and Dimitri to find this child.
They find her, and it is someone who we've met before. That's all I'm saying. And Lissa does become queen. Rose gets shot saving her in the process. But the ending wasn't quite happy. Lissa has trouble accepting her half sister because it just reminds her of how her father cheated on her mother. And Rose and Adrian who have been a rather odd couple since Dimitri become Strigoi finally confront each other. It was painful to say the least. Adrian has been nothing but good and patient in all of this. He gave Rose space, knew how much she loved Dimitri and his heart was crushed when he discovered Rose and Dimitri had got together. So much happens in this book that I can't mention because it's too long, but the ending, with Adrian upset me.
Sure, Rose and Dimitri are together and Lissa is queen but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. In Rose's defence, Adrian put her in a difficult position after Dimitri turned Strigoi. He asked her to go out and made it almost like a deal which she felt emotional blackmailed to accept. At least that's how I saw it. He genuinely liked her, loved her even, but he knew about Dimitri, about where she stood emotionally and he still brought it up. She accepted it though, perhaps not wanting to upset him and also because she wanted to move on from Dimitri, see what would happen with Adrian. She liked him, loved him maybe, but not like she did Dimitri.
But to sum up the series I think this book did what it was supposed to. I thoroughly enjoyed the books and after reviewing this, I feel like I want to pick them up again! ...more
Well this was great! The hype of this book was mostly deserved for a change. I say mostly because though I really enjoyed it, other books have grippedWell this was great! The hype of this book was mostly deserved for a change. I say mostly because though I really enjoyed it, other books have gripped me more. I think I'm getting picky with the more books I read. However, this is a solid work of young adult fiction with complex and interesting characters, and relationships.
I love the group dynamic and the pairings of friends and romances. This is the first young adult book where I've been in love with a girl and girl friendship. The moment Inej and Nina had a scene together I was in love. They're so caring for each other and none of it is competitive, forced or shallow and immature. They're above falling out over boys or believing what someone else says about them and falling out with one another.
I also loved Nina and Matthias's love/hate relationship. It had depth and you understood why both sides were the way they were, although the reasons were unravelled bit by bit as the story unfolded. In fact, that could be said for all of them. The author has a fabulous way of bringing up the past and mixing it in with the present. I really loved the conflicting emotions between Nina and Matthias. She being a Grisha--a person with special powers --and Matthias a Fjerdan, who was raised to believe Grisha were worse than animals, unable to feel and are viewed as evil monsters intent on wiping them out. But when he finally meets Nina outside of a cage and gets to know her, he falls in love. And who couldn't with Nina? I mean she is just awesome.
Then there's Inej and Kaz. He's hardened by the betrayal of Pekka Rollins, a con man who fleeced Kaz and his brother out of all their money when they first came to Kerch. Kaz's brother died soon after from illness and Kaz miraculously lived, but it hardened him. He has a hard time expressing emotion, and an even harder time being physical with anyone. Even a handshake without his notorious gloves is abhorrent to him, hence why no one sees him without them until it's necessary. Thanks to the traumatic event where he had to use his brother's water bloated, rotting body as a float to swim from the mass water grave to the shore, any contact of skin instantly takes him back to the feel of his dead brother's flesh. And so, despite his deep feelings for Inej and her feelings for him, you just know it won't be smooth sailing. And I'm kind of a sucker for that.
Inej is a great complex character. Forced into being a sex slave, she is rescued by Kaz and has ever since been indebted to him, though a lot of that is down to intimate feelings for him. With his instruction, she becomes the Wraith, a secret collector, with immaculate stealth and a gift with knives. But I like how in this book, she's still haunted by her time at the Menagerie, and terrified of the woman who ran it and who made her life hell. And she overcomes those fears in a rather satisfying way.
Jesper and Wylan. Haha. What can I say. Wylan is a rich boy turned criminal, who has a decent talent at making explosives and Jesper is a sharp shooter, who can't stay still for five minutes, finds danger addictive, as well as gambling. He takes the piss out of Wylan repeatedly and Wylan's confidence grows over time, giving him the ability to take the piss right back. They form an unlikely friendship and it's a wonderful one to read.
All of these characters have great chemistry with each other. Nina and Kaz is another. They all owe each other something, give each other something, make each other stronger somehow. And I believe this is what makes the story so great. Not the heist, the tricks and unexpected turns, not the world that's been built, the wonderful description and feel of the lands, languages and diverse people, though all of this is brilliant. For me, it's the characters.
Because the author does each chapter as POV switch we get to see the side of all the characters and understand them better, but it is done in such a way that it still keeps surprises. You don't always know what's going on, and it leaves you to enjoy Kaz's tricks.
Great novel and can't wait to read the next one....more
Now this is what I'm talking about! Mastered was all about the sex. This has thriller thrown in. Sprinkle that on my morning cereal and I'm happy. I coNow this is what I'm talking about! Mastered was all about the sex. This has thriller thrown in. Sprinkle that on my morning cereal and I'm happy. I could not put this down!
So, in my previous review of Ms Silver's first book in the Mastered series--Mastered, I read it and enjoyed it and was left shocked, blushing but also more knowledgeable about the ethics/details behind a Dom/Sub relationship. This book however, took a sinister turn I did not expect.
To sum up book one, boy meets girl, boy finger fucks girl in mouth of parking lot, boy is Dom, girl is his Sub, and there's tons of sex, societal issues, falling out, making up, life issues. But it's all good. Or so you think. In the first book, Missy, the MC, falls out with James, the Dom (also MC) and she tries to get back to her mundane life, even though it feels like a shoe that's too tight and she's trying to shove her tootsies in it to make it fit.
She goes on a date with--his name escapes me, it's nearly midnight, give me a break--a man who is rich, very insistent, and has the hots for her. You initially see him as a harmless, if not a tad arrogant, rich douchebag. She sleeps with him, whilst thinking of James because that helps her get in the mood, and does so purely out of desperation to try to be normal and get back into her old life. What you don't realise, and I didn't see it coming either, is that 'what's his name douchebag' is a psycho--with a nasty juvenile record FYI--who is determined to get revenge on the bitch who left him hanging in the restaurant, and after using him for sex as well. It's the biggest insult to injury and pride and the guy is uber pissed. Waiting patiently, he plots to capture her and fuck her up.
This whole novel had me on the edge of my seat, and while the sex scenes are still there and just as juicy and *gasp* how vulgar *gasp* but I secretly like it *gasp*, the novel has more layers and substance with this added thriller, suspense vibe. It's a nice and unexpected twist and it really works. Genius!
Oh, and in my previous review of book one, I did make two mild complaints about the overuse of italic words (usually involving exclamation marks, which as you may know from past reviews, I adore! NOT) and also the lack of scenes showing the couple as a couple when not twisted around each other's naked, sweaty bodies. It was nice to see them interacting in a mundane setting, and the italic words of 'whore' 'submissive' 'master', worked well this time. I didn't see one of those words put in an awkward, unnecessary place this time. So, thumbs up. The author outdid herself on this one.
Summary: Great plot, full of mystery, thrills and sexy time. Characters are even more layered and complex. Very entertaining, even more so than the first--if that's possible. No complaints or criticism to speak of, other than it ended!
Would I recommend this book? Hell yes. Even those who are not down with BDSM or Dom/Sub relationships and have a pole up their arseholes (not in a kinky way either) will still appreciate the thriller/mystery vibe.
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