Uhtred Rides Again

If you have picked up Bernard Cornwell's The Pagan Lord, chances are quite good that you've read the previous six books in the series. So it should come as little or no surprise to know what you've got ahead of you as a reader, and, if you are like me, you are going to be just as thrilled with this seventh installment as you were three, four, five, or six installments ago.

So what is our Uhtred up to in The Pagan Lord? Being his usual arrogant, irrepressible self, and leading a small core of men across what is now England and back again. Early on, Uhtred accidentally kills a church officer, an incident that incites much of Christendom to want his head on the proverbial platter. After having his estate burned, Uhtred decides the time has come to reclaim his right to Bebbanburg, and he attacks with little or no support. From there, he finds himself deciphering the mystery of whom is holding Cnut's family hostage, and, in the process, putting himself and his men willingly in danger in order to give Alfred's son Edward the time he needs to attack the devious Cnut. It's all business as usual for Uhtred, a man whose intelligence and bravery place him amid the major battles of the early tenth century.

Cornwell has given us a true hero in Uhtred; even when he's at his most arrogant, he still exudes the charm and wits that make him a leader in a time of outlaws and kings. I love how Uhtred gets himself into tight spots from which there seems to be no escape, and yet, somehow, he does; I love that he faces the day with a clear knowledge that it may be his last but he will still make the most of it. Cornwell's battle scenes are exceptional; he places you among the fighters, allowing you to feel every thrust and blow. I admit it; I'm totally enamored of Uhtred and his tales, and there will never be enough chapters for this reader. The Pagan Lord is yet another riveting entry that kept me enthralled right up to the last word. I cannot wait to find out where we will head together next.

~taminator40

Top Ten Books + More

I recently did the challenge on Facebook where you list ten books that have impacted your life. OF COURSE I couldn't stop at ten...and have since thought of a few more that should certainly be added.  So here goes...

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
2. Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
5. When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman
6. The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George
7. The Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling
8. The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Honorable Mentions (Yeah, I'm doing it...I really couldn't stop at 10)
~The Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison Official UK
~Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
~The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard
~Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
~The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly 

And also--

Unforgiven by Laura Hillenbrand
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

What's in your Top Ten?
~taminator40

Independent Study

Independent Study picks up where The Testing left off; Cia has lived through The Testing (always capitalized!) and is ready to embark on her University studies after taking a placement test. She doesn't precisely remember the trauma she experienced while completing The Testing, but the voice memo she saved on her Transmitter tells her things she knows must be true. In Cia's careful, measured world, it is beyond believable that The Testing is allowed to exist, but the knowledge that her boyfriend Tomas and her mentor Michal know what she knows helps her decide not to leave Tosu City...but only if she can become part of the rebellion team working to overthrow Dr. Barnes and his Testing. Things go from bad to worse for Cia; she attempts to discover information while being constantly watched and overloaded with studies so that she will fail, all without Tomas, who is placed elsewhere. Lots of conspiracy and duplicity ensue, with Cia thinking and overthinking and thinking some more, figuring things out logically yet always trying to do the right thing.

Independent Study could honestly be called The Testing Part II, as there is still a good deal of problems to be worked through and even more tests to pass. While the tests are just as mentally and physically exhausting, it does feel to some degree as though it's just more of the same. Fortunately, Cia has to learn to rely more on herself throughout this one; she learns to trust her instincts and act accordingly. There are horrible situations made worse by horrible people and isolation from those she loves, and a couple of twists near the end that are great set-ups for the final book. 

While I enjoyed Independent Study almost as much as The Testing, I did grow weary of Cia's stilted way of speaking and her overly moralistic views that she imposes on herself and others. I understand that this is all part of the situation in which Cia finds herself, and yet it makes her seem stand-offish and a tiny bit arrogant at times. But the story, even with its similarities to the first book, is still interesting and action-filled. If I'm a tiny bit let down with this entry, it would have to do with Cia's cardboard personality rather than the general storyline itself. I would actually give this novel 3 stars but am rounding it up because I sense that Cia's going to continue to grow as she finds herself drawn further into the takedown of The Testing. Still an enjoyable, intriguing read overall.

~taminator40

How a Terrific Series *Should* End

Daylighters, the final book in the Morganville Vampires series, still keeps the action fresh and constant, and I think that's what I'm going to miss most of all about these books. Even though I believed that things would work out whenever I first picked this book up, it was still a long, twisted ride along the way, just as it's been through the previous fourteen books.

Daylighters opens with our vampire friends in grave danger from an organization that has arrived in town to "cure" the vamps. The tables are turned; no longer in control, Amelie and friends are herded up and held in an abandoned mall while they await a procedure that will rob them of their vampire status. Yes, this includes Michael, and no, Eve and Company are NOT HAPPY. While Claire and Shane work to help Eve, they discover that their beloved Glass House is in danger as well; meanwhile, Claire is accused of murder and taken away in handcuffs. Oh, and remember that strange dog bite Shane got in the last book? Yeah, well, it's the mark of the beast so to speak; at the bidding of Fallon (the head of the Daylighters, the group taking over Morganville), Shane goes hellhound and begins attacking vampires. It's a mess, made even worse with Police Chief Hannah Moses on the Daylighters' side, lots of lost clothing, and the fact that the "cure" has a less than 25% success rate.

I have grown to love all the characters in this series, with the possible exception of Eve. She's just never grown on me; it's as though she's never made it past the emo girlfriend in high school stage, always charging head first into situations without thinking things through, putting herself and others in harm's way. But even Oliver has grown on me; he at least never varied from his same general demeanor and he knows who he is inside. And Claire? Even Oliver remarks on her not being the mouse she was on the day they met. Truly coming into her own, this girl now knows how to survive, with or without her beloved Shane. I absolutely can buy into their relationship because it's mutual and built on a firm foundation, something I feel is lacking in Eve and Michael's. But it's Myrnin, as per usual, who steals the show. More manic than ever, more calculating and emotional, he rescues Claire and treats her as an equal. His slowly revealed feelings for Jesse bring more depth to him, and yet, when Claire is racing back to the lab, he reminds her to check on his pet spider, Bob. Myrnin is magical, and I suspect most of us adore him the most.

Daylighters begins strong and never lets up, even when I couldn't possibly see a way for our heroes to win. All of the major players in the past are back, including the vampires of the town of Blacke. Though at times some of the plot resolutions stretched my imagination to its skeptical limits, I was still enthralled, racing toward an end I really didn't want to see. The final chapter is a bit of a fluff ending, but it's nice and happy and I can live with it. This is a series that goes out on a high note, and I couldn't be a bigger supporter. Highly recommended!

~taminator40

Sweet, Light Tale

Loving Liberty by Belinda Boring is the story of Liberty (the character's actual name), a girl who has been bullied by basically everyone her entire life. Her parents tell her who to see, what to do, and how to do it; her older sister is cruel and threatening; the man her parents have chosen as a future mate is sick and sadistic. And what does Liberty do about all this? What she's always done: nothing. She seethes on the inside but her fear of failure and disappointment doesn't allow her to fight back in any form, even when she's facing a lifetime at the hands of the disgusting Andrew. Until, that is, she meets Oliver, who is everything she could have ever hoped for. Little by little, Liberty begins to gain a sense of herself and her own desires, even if she must sneak around to achieve them.

This is a sweet little story with a powerful message about standing up to the bullies in your life, even if you happen to be related to them. Liberty is at times quite frustrating; I wanted her to stand up for herself much earlier in the story, but naturally that would not have advanced the plot well. For this rather independent, headstrong reader, it was hard for me to believe anyone would react as Liberty does when her family dictates her every move, but I do believe there are people out there who suffer as silent victims beneath the auspices of those who should love them. Oliver was almost too perfect at times; I wanted to see him have at least one flaw so that he would seem more human.

The best part about Loving Liberty comes toward the end, of course; Boring has given us an exciting, action-packed climax that pays off in the best way possible. My problem is that I now want to know more; I am left hanging to see what Liberty accomplishes next. There's no explicit sex at all; in fact, this is a rather chaste story that focuses more on character development than on passionate love. This is definitely an engaging story in the New Adult category that I truly enjoyed.

~taminator40


From:  My virtual stack; Purchased by reviewer

Damaged

Allegiant brings the Divergent trilogy to a close, and it's full of promise: Tris and Tobias are headed into the outside, toward a new life that they know nothing about. There had been so much action before, culminating in Tris's almost execution; I was glued to the pages while reading the first two books, and was so looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly thrilling ending to a great series.

Don't get me wrong; there are parts to Allegiant that are good, and even clever. I liked the back story given for Tris's mother; it made sense and gave new layers to what happened. There's some action, and it's generally well-written. The character development is solid, if irritating; there's way too much over-thinking and not enough just going with the flow of emotion. However, Allegiant is overly padded with loooooong segments of talking about what might be going on, what is going on, what will be going on, and almost all of it has to do with genetic damage. I have to admit that my eyes began to glaze on the topic after a while because really...who cares? I never did understand who started damaging the genes to begin with, and how the "repair" was taking place. All of it seemed so secondary to the characters and yet it was the main focus of the story. Meanwhile, things are going down back in Chicago that must be rectified immediately and yet it seems as though there's ambivalence about it. 

My biggest issue with Allegiant, after the overly long segments wherein little seems to happen other than Tris and Tobias fighting and talk of genetic damage, is the dual points of view. I understand why we needed them, but I swear a chapter would change, and with it the point of view, and I would not notice. I'd actually read a few pages into the next chapter before I'd think, "Oh, this is Tris talking now".  It's not good when your characters are so inter-changeable, and not in a good way. The voices were the same, and neither offered much in the way of excitement.

I know a lot of people are upset over the BIG twist, and rightfully so; I do feel let down by how Roth chose to end her story. It just seemed pointless, even if it was in character for the most part. I think I could have lived with it had I felt it was a necessary sacrifice to the overall story but it just felt wrong on so many levels. Instead of being left with a feeling of completion or understanding, I'm just left empty. Sadly, this ending has soured me for the series and definitely made me unexcited about the upcoming motion picture. I'm just left feeling...damaged.

~taminator40

A Did Not Finish

I really wanted to like More Than This; it came very highly recommended to me by someone whose opinion I respect greatly. After the first few pages, wherein the main character, Seth, drowns, I was thinking...well, this has possibilities, even if I wasn't too keen on the writing style. Unfortunately, as soon as Seth "wakes up" wherever it is that he's gone after dying, I quickly lost interest. It's not that the story isn't well-written; I suspect Ness is a genius in many ways as his use of words and his slow descriptive style are certainly intelligent enough. It's just that...I didn't care. I at first felt badly for Seth, a young man with a troubled family, dying much too young; and then, I just didn't care at all because the story was taking so long to get going and was so cryptic that it was just...uninteresting, at least to me.

Full disclosure: This book was, unfortunately, a Did Not Finish for me. Like I said, I wanted to love it but there are just way too many books out there that capture me quickly for me to spend so long struggling to pay attention to one that just doesn't. Realizing it may just be me and my moodiness as a reader, I am still giving this novel 3/5 stars out of a sense of fairness. And who knows? I may try it again at some point and find myself completely enthralled. But for now...it's a definite pass for this reader.

~taminator40

If You Like YA Fiction...Read This Book. Now.

Well, if you are expecting anything less than a glowing review for Tandem by Anna Jarzab, you're going to be very, very disappointed. I totally loved it: the world building, the characters, the action...all of it adds up to page-turning excitement and fun. Let me explain.

Jarzab's novel opens with Sasha being asked to the prom by good-looking Grant, a boy who has never shown an interest in her before. Sasha's puzzled but intrigued enough to accept, not realizing that Grant isn't who he has always been, and this date is going to be life-changing in more ways than one. For a girl who grew up listening to her grandfather's stories of multiple universes and princesses in other realms, Sasha's about to get first-hand knowledge of just how parallel worlds actually work when she is forced to slip into the life of her analog (the person who looks just like her). Is she able to pull it off? Why should she? What follows is complicated in more ways than one, and Sasha's very life could depend upon what she does...or doesn't do.

This novel had me trapped almost from the start with its rather unique premise and Sasha's honest storytelling. Of course there's a bit of a romance, but it's a slow build and not at all certain; Sasha's rebellious in more ways than one. Jarzab uses just enough science to lend credibility to her story, but it's the idea of everyone having a double out there somewhere that really brings this story alive. I actually made myself put this novel down before I went to bed last night just so I wouldn't finish it too fast; it was that enjoyable and that enthralling. Now of course I'm mad that I have to wait until next July for the second book, but you better believe I'll be acquiring the sequel on the day of release. Not truly a dystopian, not really a teen romance, Tandem is so much more...it's a book that you'll find yourself absorbed into. What are you waiting for? Go read it now. Highly recommended!

~taminator40

Emerald Green

Emerald Green is the final book in Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red Trilogy, bringing this delightful series to a close and tying up loose threads along the way. Gwyneth and Gideon are, once again, preparing to travel back in time to meet with Count Saint-Germain, and to close the Circle of Twelve. The closing is supposed to bring about a great good for mankind, but Gwyneth and Gideon begin to have their doubts, and these are only reinforced the more they interact with the Guardians. The presence of a second chronograph will allow them to time travel independently of the Guardians, but it brings its own dangers; will they find the mysterious substance the count is seeking? And what will happen if they do? Along the way, Gwyneth struggles with Gideon's wish to be friends, her uppity cousin Charlotte, and the presence of the friendly demon Xemerius.

Lots of nice twists populate this novel, and Gwyneth's voice is perfectly written with her angst and cleverness. I did get a little frustrated with the Gwyneth/Gideon relationship at times; I had trouble buying into it until perhaps the last third of the novel. The mystery that surrounds the chronograph moves along well, and the revelations make good sense in the course of the plot. I do feel that I'm left hanging just a bit after the close; I want full, complete answers to everything!

Emerald Green is just as much fun as the first two books in the series, and I was happily engaged throughout the storyline. Nothing too deep, but definitely lots of fun. Even the presence of the annoying little demon doesn't distract from the overall enjoyment, and I'm not one who normally enjoys that sort of thing. I'll be looking for more by this author!

~taminator40

And...I'm BACK! With a REVIEW! Of a terrific book, no less! And another really good one!

I AM BACK!

Actually, I haven't really been anywhere...other than reading some books for review for the Historical Novel Society and trying to keep my head above water at school and with a bunch of volunteering for the high school band. I know, I know, everyone tells me I will miss volunteering for band once K graduates this spring, but somehow I doubt it. It's so time-consuming and I just don't have it in me to want to continue. Plus, my reading mojo has been lacking; I've allowed other things to keep me from finishing books, so this looks to be one of my worst reading years EVER. That sucks.  Big Time.

But anyway, I have finished a few books, and one that I can share here is Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis. If anyone is looking for a GREAT dystopian YA, look no further. This is a good one that doesn't focus on romance or saving a nation. It's about...well, here's my review:

The only life Lynn has ever known is one of desperation and defense; in a world where water is at a premium, she and her mother must protect their pond from anyone and everyone. That means Lynn has learned to shoot a rifle at a very young age, and at sixteen, spends much of her time either purifying the water or sitting on her rooftop, waiting to pick off anyone who comes near. Off in the distance lives a neighbor man, Stebbs, but Lynn has been taught that everything is about survival, and that means trusting no one. Until her mother is killed and Lynn finds that there's more to life than protecting the water; what good is it when there is no one else around?

So much emotion in a dystopian book that brings us heartbreak and hope in equal measures. The loss of Lynn's mother is both tragic and yet freeing; Lynn has to rely on Stebbs, which opens her closed world to the possibility of friendship and even love. The rescue of young Lucy further stretches Lynn's world view, and the introduction of Lucy's young uncle, Eli, brings the possibility of closeness cautiously, perilously close. As the story progresses, I can feel the edges being pulled back, though there's still danger as a band of evil thieves survive the harsh winter and pose a threat to both the water and the small group of friends. Though I could feel where this story was headed, it still had me turning the pages rapidly, hoping against hope that Lynn would be able to protect what was hers.

I absolutely loved how the layers to Lynn's heart were revealed slowly and subtly, and the characterizations of the people involved in her small world were vivid and believable. This story is as much about survival of spirit as it is about a dystopian world where water is everything. McGinnis has written a story of change that makes this a much different take on the dystopian novels which are so popular; it focuses not on a love story, or trying to right a wrong in an entire world, but instead is about real people who have much to learn and much to give. Excellent and highly recommended.



And also, I read another fun one by J. Maarten Troost:  Headhunters On My Doorstep. Seriously, this guy is the bomb when it comes to travelogues. Here's my review:

I love J. Maarten Troost. Seriously, he seems to be someone I'd really love to hang out with: smart alecky, observant, witty, and skeptical. Plus he seems to know where all the coolest spots are in the South Pacific, and he always seems to have some sort of adventure that defies believability. And nowhere is this more apparent than in Headhunters On My Doorstep, his newest travelogue entry wherein he retraces the journeys of Robert Louis Stevenson in the late 1800s.

Troost begins his latest book by sharing his own personal journey through alcoholism; recently sprung from the land of rehab, he realizes it's time to get back on track in lots of ways. This time he uses maps and other sources to follow RLS's life-changing trek through the South Pacific (a story I knew nothing about). Going off the beaten track, Troost, in his trademark style, swims with sharks (and also avoids them when necessary), runs across islands, and basically explores anything and everything that will take him closer to Stevenson's journey. I'm ever amazed at the places he stays and the people he encounters, all while describing worlds that I'm sure can only be truly experienced first-hand. A bonus for this reader was Troost's return to Kirabati, the island where his first book, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, took place. Like all things, time has moved the island forward and yet some of it is still the same. I would have liked him to spend more time there, revisiting with sites and people, but his time on Kirabati is only a short stop along the way.

Though this is a short read, I did labor over it as I pictured the places being visited and tried to absorb the mini-history lessons and the cultures. Troost does spend quite a good bit of time sharing his feelings about addiction and his need to not relapse; while I understand how much this impacts his daily life, I did wish there was less time spent recounting that portion of Troost's life (to the detriment of more details of the islands). But overall this book shows Troost's deep, abiding respect for the islands he called home for a time, and it only reinforces my own wish to visit them myself some day. Until I can, I'll continue to enjoy Troost's trademark humor and attention to detail as he gives me a glimpse of lives I can only imagine.

~taminator40