Pros and Cons

I finished this book last night and admittedly spent too much time afterwards trying to decide how I was going to review it. I've finally decided that the best way to do this is a Pros/Cons list because I'm about equally divided in my thoughts right now.

Pro:  Strong start. I roared right through the first 75 pages or so, needing to know what the big secrets were and how Nina fit into it. GREAT beginning.

Con:  And then...and then...the dragging bit happened. Nina, our heroine, must try to rescue her sister, Melanie, from the clutches of the Church, which runs everything in the demonically possessed world. And we hear about this...and hear about this...and hear about this...

Pro:  Nina is determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost. And sometimes the right thing involves doing some really bad stuff, but you know she's only thinking of what's right.

Con:  Nina's not very likable, unfortunately. She is abrasive and single-minded, even while she is determined and focused. 

Pro:  The whole Church twist is great. It's almost a throwback to the Inquisition, and it's truly scary to think that this could happen (minus the demons). Everyone is taken in, and everyone believes, or is forced to believe. Nina is part of the whole until she realizes what's really going on, and then it's almost too late.

Con:  I really hate Devi.  I know I'm not supposed to like her at this point, but I really hate her which makes me not want to read further. In fact, I'm not a big fan of any of the gang with which Nina aligns.

Pro:  I like the Finn twist. Unique and unexpected. I'd like to see how this ends up.

Con:  The whole exorcist thing.  Where does it come from? Without being too spoiler-y, I will say that I understand that it's the focal point of Nina's story, but I don't get where it came from (though I suppose I'll learn this later on).  I just felt like some parts of it were way too conveniently accepted by Nina, a girl who normally rejects everything.

Pro:  It's a great premise and may yet be really interesting.

Con:  Too many people I just do not care about. I doubt I'll read the next one, which is a shame, as I normally love Rachel Vincent.

So...do the math.  I'm giving 3 solid stars for good idea but a sort of messy climax with people I didn't care for. You may come away with more excitement than I did, but I'm just not that enthusiastic.

~taminator40

Well, That Wasn't What I'd Hoped

I had high hopes for The Heir because I read and loved all the books in The Selection series. How could I not love the continuing story of America and Maxon and their kids? Turns out...it's possible not to. Unfortunately.

I didn't hate this book. It's a fast, easy read, and yes, we still get interactions with those we've grown to know and love. The problems lay mostly in Eadlyn, the main character. She never loses a chance to whine or complain. Born first so she gets the crown? Complain. So much work to do? Complain. Have to have a Selection to appease the population? Complain. Complain, complain, complain. She's obviously immature and someone who should not be contemplating marriage in any shape, form, or fashion (not that she wants to). Eadlyn keeps thinking she has figured out ways to go through with the Selection without actually committing herself to anything, but every time she does, a disaster (usually of her own making) happens. Which honestly serves her right in most ways, but doesn't make her endearing on any level.

I just have so many questions...Why, with two parents who were so likable and committed, does Eadlyn not get that her actions have consequences? Why are her parents not the fiery couple we'd seen spar so often in the previous books? Why is Eadlyn left to devise her own solutions at such a young age? How is that the Selected young men weren't vetted thoroughly? Why is Marlee and her family living in the palace? (Sure they would have wanted a place to call their own!).

Some of the young men involved in the Selection are charming, but many seem either manipulative or just plain boring. I get it; Eadlyn didn't want to do this, so she didn't take much time to get to know any of them. The first elimination is a disaster and a huge opportunity was missed when her parents actually let her get away with her shenanigans. I kept wanting to like her, wanting to cheer for her...she's America's daughter! She should be behaving better. What's with all the walls she's built around herself? Surely being a part of such a loving family would have allowed her to be less reserved.

Still, there's fun and some growth, even if it's minimal. Eadlyn is best when she's not trying so hard. I'm just not sure why, twenty years on, we have a nation that is still fighting itself and a young girl who is expected to deflect major problems by dating. This book is missing a light, fun core that was so evident in the earlier books. I am hopeful that Eadlyn will find herself behaving better after the cliffhanger ending, and this second part to the series will eventually make me feel both sympathy and hope for her. I'm hopeful this book was just laying groundwork for major changes ahead. Otherwise there won't be much point in cheering for a very cheerless princess.

~taminator40

The Testing

Cia has dreamed of being selected for The Testing all her life, but thinks her opportunity has passed now that she's graduated from school with no word. But when the Testing officials unexpectedly show up to her colony after graduation and select not just she, but three more graduates, she is elated, even if it means she will be leaving behind her family, possibly forever. Only her father, himself a Testing graduate, shows concern, and as it turns out, not without cause. Almost immediately upon being taken to Tosu City, the Testing becomes a brutal competition between 108 candidates, only 20 of whom will ultimately be chosen to go to University. For sheltered but brilliant Cia, it's an eye-opening experience that culminates in a weeks-long trek across 700 miles filled with danger, disaster, and death. Will it all be worth it?

The Testing is a young adult dystopian with echoes of The Hunger Games and other recent novels that share its theme. However, it is very well written, with the innocence of Cia being its main turning point; Cia believes in only the good in people, and it is both her downfall and its saving grace. There aren't a lot of surprises along the way; it's a dystopian novel, so we know there will be an uncaring government and people who aren't what they seem, with lots of harsh conditions and heartbreak. If I have a complaint about The Testing, it is that the relationship between Cia and Tomas is a little too sweet, but that follows Cia's naivety.

The Testing is the first of a trilogy, and it is well-plotted with its twists and its smart heroine. The set up for the next novel is well done, with a cliffhanger ending that promises more surprises and horror ahead. The Testing doesn't break any new ground, but it does provide page-turning action and an interesting premise which makes it a very good read. I'm hooked.

~taminator40

How to do a series right

Fall of Night finds our favorite heroine, Claire, leaving Morganville to go to MIT, a trip made possible by Amelie's promise. Claire's ambivalent about leaving her friends and boyfriend behind, but feels certain she needs to experience the world, so off she goes, moving in with former good friend Liz and working with former Morganville resident, Irene Anderson. Claire's brought VLAD--her device that would level the playing field when a vampire attacks. Little does she know that she's unleashing the downfall of vampires and putting everyone's life in danger.

What I really loved about Fall of Night is that we still see our characters growing and developing, and mostly, having to deal with the consequences of their actions. Claire, in her innocence (and a bit of arrogance), has no idea that she's putting lives in danger. She thinks the "real" world is safe and she can count on those around her, but nothing could be further from the truth. Shane is so attached to Claire that he cannot actually allow her to "leave" Morganville; he packs up and follows her, though he does stay at a distance. But when everything goes horribly wrong, Claire has to come to grips with the fact that it is, indeed, all her fault. As one of my teachers used to say, she's up an unsanitary tributary without the necessary means of transportation.

I love that this series, fourteen books in, still has life and is still taking us in unexpected directions. I love that the core relationships are still solid, and I love that things can spin so utterly out of control in such unexpected ways. I love that Claire has become my favorite kick-butt fighter; it shows that she has evolved so much over the course of the books. I do love the relationship between Shane and Claire, even if I did feel he was out of line in following her. This book ends on such a cliffhanger that I am going to be on pins and needles waiting for November to roll around. Excellent work, Ms. Caine! Other authors should follow your lead in how to keep a series fresh.

~taminator40

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I picked up Cinder on the advice of a couple of good reading buddies, though I wasn't so sure it would be anything new in the world of fairy tale retellings. I'm beyond delighted to report that it far exceeded my expectations! Not wasting time in recounting the plot, I will simply list what I enjoyed so much about this well-written book.

Likes: Cinder herself. Despite being part cyborg, she's amazingly real with authentic human emotions. I loved the interaction between Cinder and her little sister Peony (and that was only reinforced by what happened later). I liked how Cinder took responsibility for Iko who was really nothing more than a machine, and I thought the relationship between Cinder and Kai was fun and teasing. Unlike some reviewers, I didn't feel it was too rushed because occasionally we meet someone and we just click with them, and I felt that was what happened between those two. I liked Cinder's sarcastic sense of humor, and I loved her mechanic skills! The plot, while never losing sight of its general theme of a retelling, did move in unexpected, if somewhat puzzling, ways, and the true evil of Queen Levanna has me wondering just how she's going to be ultimately defeated. And the way Cinder met challenges? Brilliant, even when she seemed to have given up. I will never count her out.

Dislikes/Quibbles: Cinder did get into the ball a little too easily, even if I could explain it away by her "gift"; in fact, she really did have a lot of freedom of movement in a city under siege. Oh well...big deal. It's a fairy tale, right? And I did figure out the big reveal amazingly early, though my interest never wavered despite knowing where we were headed. And yep, that's all I can think of as far as dislikes.

Cinder is such fun and such an original take, mixing fantasy and sci-fi, that the pages turned themselves. I'm in this series for the long haul--Ms. Meyer's writing has captured me fully. On to the next one!

~taminator40

Sapphire Blue

Sapphire Blue picks up where Ruby Red left off--Gwen and her time traveling partner Gideon are making regular trips back in time to meet with Count Saint Germain and others to work out the mystery of why they are the last time travelers and why their distant cousins Lucy and Paul have stolen the other chronograph to keep the Circle from closing. Gwen is seen as a poor replacement for her cousin Charlotte and Gideon keeps giving her mixed signals. Despite all this, Gwen begins investigating on her own, running into a young version of her beloved grandfather who decides to help her. Danger lurks; Gwen suffers humiliation; people aren't who they seem to be. This middle book sets the stage nicely for the final book, Emerald Green.

I love Gwen because she's such a real character who puts up with a lot of nonsense from those who should be most supportive. She's tough and she doesn't play by the rules, but her weakness is obviously the hard to read Gideon. He was quite irritating throughout this book, never giving clear vibes as to his intentions and what he knows about the Circle. The real surprise for me was that I liked the appearance of Xemerius, a ghost demon only seen by Gwen; usually these types of characters make me lose interest in a story because they seem silly, but Xemerius is actually funny and helpful in ways almost none of the humans are. In general, I'm pretty irritated by the secrecy and arrogance of the adults and Gideon, and will be glad to see if Gwen can take them all down a few pegs as she solves the mystery.

Sometimes a middle book in a series suffers from lack of action and the addition of non-essential information, but Sapphire Blue seems to have transcended those issues and gives a good story that furthers the overall plot well. I love Gwen and can't wait to see where all this time traveling ends up...but it looks like I've got a year to wait until the final book comes out.

~taminator40

Son by Lois Lowry

The fourth book in Lois Lowry's The Giver series, Son begins at roughly the same time as The Giver but from the viewpoint of Claire, a young birthmother. Claire gives birth to a boy but something goes wrong and she must have a c-section, thus ending her days as a birthmother. She finds herself reassigned to work in the hatchery, but somewhere along the way, she realizes something is odd...she misses the "product" she gave birth to. With just a few clues, Claire is able to track her son down in the newchildren's care giving center--and we, the long time readers, realize it's Gabe, the baby Jonas took with him at the end of The Giver. It's a good way to begin the book Son; it gives us another perspective on the community in the days leading up to Jonas's flight.

Son is mostly about Claire and her years long quest to find Gabe after Jonas leaves with the toddler. Claire winds up in an isolated village, the victim of a shipwreck, and spends a good deal of time training to climb a very steep cliff that will lead her on. Along the way, she is befriended by Einar, a lame young man who also once tried to escape the village, and while there is nothing explicit between them, the reader definitely gets the sense that if Claire stayed, there would be a relationship. Once she completes her mission, she runs into the mysterious Trademaster from The Messenger, who exacts a massive toll to reunite Claire with her son.

There is so much to love in Son but most of all the writing is engulfing and captivating. I experienced Claire's despair and her determination; I could feel the narrowness of the village where she lives, and I lived her loneliness after encountering the Trademaster. The story is obviously allegorical and full of symbolism that will not be lost on long time readers. It's not that the story is action packed or even new in its approach, it's that it flows so well and is so human that we can all identify.

Now, that being said, I did have some problems with the book that were overridden by the wonderful writing style. I understood the need for Claire to train for years but I found it frustrating that the story didn't move along farther in that time period. And I'm still dissecting how I feel about the ending...there didn't seem to be much lead up to the how of what happened, if that makes sense. I get it, really...but that doesn't make it any less abrupt. But overall this book is a fitting ending to a quartet of stories that ignited the fire of today's post-apocalyptic story boom.

~taminator40