Yzabel / January 6, 2014

Review: A Study In Ashes

A Study in Ashes (The Baskerville Affair, #3)A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

As part of her devil’s bargain with the industrial steam barons, Evelina Cooper is finally enrolled in the Ladies’ College of London. However, she’s attending as the Gold King’s pet magician, in handcuffs and forbidden contact with even her closest relation, the detective Sherlock Holmes.

Not even Niccolo, the dashing pirate captain, and his sentient airship can save her. But Evelina’s problems are only part of a larger war. The Baskerville Affair is finally coming to light, and the rebels are making their move to wrest power from the barons and restore it to Queen Victoria. Missing heirs and nightmare hounds are the order of the day—or at least that’s what Dr. Watson is telling the press.

But their plans are doomed unless Evelina escapes to unite her magic with the rebels’ machines—and even then her powers aren’t what they used to be. A sorcerer has awakened a dark hunger in Evelina’s soul, and only he can keep her from endangering them all. The only problem is… he’s dead.

Review:

(I got this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

A pretty interesting ending to the plots in this series (and probably the beginning to another arc), that ties up all elements together, and have they all meet on the final “battlefield” of London, if I may say so.

However, while I appreciated this novel, I thought it lost itself, compared to what was developed in the first volume. As a steampunk-themed story, it was enjoyable, but I felt as if its initial spark had died down somewhere along the way. The potential for mystery and investigation I expected from Evelina (as well as from Holmes’ presence) kind of took the back-burner. Evie was more passive, in a way, going through events more as a victim than as a strong person; granted, she’s been through quite a few hardships, and those had to take their toll, and yet, in spite of the understanding she gained from them, I thought she was somewhat… diminished. In a weird way (weird, because those were things I had enjoyed in A Study In Silks), this time the detective/mystery aspect was feeble and unneeded. Had it been a different setting, with Holmes left out, I might actually have found this story better, more able to stand on its own two feet.

I also can’t make up my mind about the Imogen subplot. It was like a side-story, related to the main plot through the characters, but not bearing any weight on the main events. I kept having the nagging feeling that at some point, the author hadn’t been sure what to do with Imogen anymore, except having her tag along, and gave her a new part for her and Poppy to have something to do. Only that part was mostly disconnected from the others.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed Alice, who turned out to be the person I hoped the indeed was. I wished she would’ve had a more important role.

Consider it at 2.5 stars for now. Maybe I’ll knock it the extra half-star later on. Right now, I’m still bothered by the way some of its plots were tackled.

Yzabel / December 25, 2013

Review: Dead Beautiful

Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful, #1)Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California’s Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, “crude sciences,” and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It’s here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn.

As they get to know each other better, Dante can’t seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee’s life.

Dante’s not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own… Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why.
Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

Review:

(I got an ebook version of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I don’t know whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. Some parts I liked, some I found OK, some were a little dumb in my opinion.

I must say I really liked the atmosphere in this novel: the boarding school and its odd rules, the Gothic feeling, beautiful buildings… All of this surrounded with a veil of mystery, strange behaviours from some of the characters, and bits of foreshadowing that clicked pretty well once the story reached the moments when they made sense. I also liked the “mythology” behind it all: what happened to the children, the role of the Monitors, and why the school was built. It was a somewhat different take on death than what I’ve read up until now.

The pacing lacked in the first half of the book: I think a few chapters could’ve been condensed without the mystery being lessened. Things picked up by chapter 10, which was too far in the story to my liking (and they happened a little too fast in the end, with the explanation dropped on me rather too suddenly). Descriptions helped set the atmosphere, indeed, but after a while, I was starting to wonder when the main character would finally get it—or, rather, when she would actually take useful steps and ask the right questions to the right people.

My main problem with this novel were the characters. The insta-love between Renée and Dante was explained (and easy to foresee, come to think of it), so it bothered me less here than it usually does. However, I found their relationship too basic, too superficial, and I would’ve appreciated seeing more development here. As it was, it didn’t really feel right with the ending. And, as mentioned above, I expected more action from Renée, more investigating; she looked like she could’ve been so much more, yet wasn’t exploited to her full potential. Instead, she remained too vain.

I guess I’m going to file this novel in my list of “OK books”. I cared enough to keep on reading, but I’ll probably forget about it fast.

Yzabel / December 21, 2013

Review: Daughter of Camelot

Daughter of Camelot (Empire of Shadows 1)Daughter of Camelot by Glynis Cooney

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Filled with terrific suspense and budding romance, Daughter of Camelot is a fast paced adventure set against the turmoil at the end of the Arthurian era.

Raised in the shadow of a fort dedicated to training Knights of the Round Table, Deirdre thirsts for adventure.

Instead, at 14, she is sent to court to learn the etiquette and talents of a young woman.

Court life, however, is more fraught with danger than she expected, and Deirdre finds herself entangled in a deadly conspiracy that stretches deep into the very heart of Camelot.

All Deirdre thought she knew and believed in—loyalty, love, bravery—is challenged when she embarks on a quest to defy Fate and save the King.

Review:

(I got this ebook through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I usually like stories revolving around Arthurian legends, and there were good elements in this book, but I had a hard time getting into this one. I think it was a combination of weird happening and incoherences regarding the main character, with some editing problems in the middle. (NB: I’m not sure if the copy I got was an ARC or the finished product, considering when I got it and the officiel publishing date. If it wasn’t an ARC, then there are definitely quite a few time shifts to get rid of—the narrative is mostly in the past tense, so whenever present tense pops up, it’s jarring. It also seemed to me that the story was first written in 3rd person, then turned to 1st person, and that a couple of sentences from the previous version remained.)

The main idea, that of a twin sister deciding to fight Fate and help King Arthuer, was in itself interesting—especially considering her reputation as a “witch”, because twins are considered as bad omens in such a world, and she indeed displays a few features reminiscent of druidism rather than the “new” Christian religion. Besides, I like my girl characters strong and willing to live their lives on their own terms. Unfortunately, I’m not sure this is what really happened here.

I found several things to be too incoherent to my liking. The historical mish-mash, for starters. Arthurian literature being what it is, of course I don’t expect exact history, but I have a hard time seeing “Druidism vs. Christian beliefs” and “knights in shiny armour” put in the same time period. Most of the Arthurian retellings I read and liked settled on one or the other (Chrétien de Troyes’s French stories, for instance, place Arthurian chivalry against a backdrop of 13th century Middle Ages and Christian times; while other books place Arthur as a chief in older times, with people and customs also fitting such times). It’s probably a silly argument on my part, and I’ll file it as something being really specific to me here.

What I couldn’t wrap my mind around, though, was how Deirdre was portrayed. On the one hand, we have a fiery girl who’s learnt to fight with swords and bows, can ride like men do, doesn’t hesitate to wear breeches, wants to lead her own fights… and this is all very well. On the other hand, though, she regularly displays childsh attitudes and naive behaviours that clash with that image that I felt the author wanted to convey, and made her character inconsistent. For instance, the first time she’s at court, she falls way too easily for “the knight”. All right, she’s “only” 14, but in such a time of turmoil, and in such societies, this just wasn’t the equivalent of 14 in our world: girls would likely have been more savvy in many things at that age. I was surprised that nobody actually prepared Deirdre to life at court, except for a few pieces of advice from Nia (who basically had to get out of her way to apologise for her younger sister’s blunders… every day or so). I also couldn’t help but question some decisions Deirdre made, like accepting an invitation when she knew it would’ve reflected wrongly on her.

Now, it wasn’t a bad story. It still kept me interested enough to finish it, and I liked some of the other characters, like Dewey and Sioned, who each have their own story, their own views on the world, and try to do what they can to better their situations. But I’ll still leave it in my “just OK” rather than in the “I liked it” section.

Yzabel / December 18, 2013

Review: Words Wound

Words Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go ViralWords Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go Viral by Justin W. Patchin

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Cyberbullying among teens happens every day. Harsh words and damaging photos exchanged through texts, email, or social media can result in humiliation, broken friendships, punishment at school, and even legal prosecution. In some cases, online harassment has contributed to suicide. Faced with this frightening problem, parents, educators, and teens are looking for information and advice. But few cyberbullying resources speak to teens themselves.

Written by experts in cyberbullying prevention and reviewed by teens, this book provides strategies for dealing with teenage bullying happening online—such as saving a screenshot of hostile Facebook posts as evidence—as well as for those who have taken part in bullying others. It also presents ways for teens to make their schools and their communities kinder places that are free from online cruelty. This book gives teens the tools they need to keep themselves and others safe.

Review:

(I was given a digital copy of this book through NetGalley, in axchange for an honest review.)

“Words Wound” was a fairly interesting read. As it delves into the topic of cyberbullying (with some forays into what bullying itself is), it offers a lot of insights about what might drive some people to cause such problems to others, and about what one can do to stop such behaviours. The authors clearly speak to a teenage audience, with words easy to understand, yet never taking this audience for idiots either. They encourage readers to take a stand, to show kindness to those who’re in trouble, and/or to voice out their issues to friends and adults if they’re the ones being bullied.

An excellent thing about this book is that it gives some really good advice on technology- and internet-related behaviours. For instance, it enforces the point that when bullied, one shouldn’t react out of anger, because then the bullies themselves could turn the blame on the victims. On the contrary, the authors hand out several tips and solutions: how to take screenshots and gather evidence, among other things, so that one can then feel more confident to bring the matter to an adult. (After all, one of the biggest fears in such cases is to be called a liar, told that you’re “overreacting”, just because the other person doesn’t really get what’s happening.) They also tell how to protect one’s data and privacy on the internet—something that is actually worth for everybody, not only for younger ones. While this latter part may seem evident to some of us, I bet a lot more people actually are at risk (letting access to their phones or computers to others, forgetting to sign out of an account, etc.).

Overall, the book carries a very positive message, also giving examples of teenagers and young adults who stood up for their friends or even for some pupils they didn’t know, by creating associations within schools, organising awareness campaigns, and using internet tools to spread the word, thus showing that such tools can be used for good, too. It tells you: “you’re not alone, you can do something, and there are actually more wonderful people than idiots out there.”

Yzabel / December 17, 2013

Review: Steampunk Omnibus

Steampunk OmnibusSteampunk Omnibus by Michael Coorlim

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

The Steampunk Omnibus is a collection of the best-selling titles from the Collected Bartleby and James Adventures and the Gentlewoman’s Chronicles anthologies of steampunk mystery and thriller fiction. These seven stories build a world of Edwardian adventure in a galvanic century.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #1688 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 to 4 stars for this book. I definitely advise anyone wanting to discover Michael Coorlim’s alternate Victorian world to do so through this omnibus: separately, the stories might seem a little too short, but put together, they form a larger web, whose threads interconnect one narrative after the other. You can also tell that each story gets better than the other, reflecting the author’s work in that regard, and this is a process I always find interesting.

The first five stories focus on Alton Bartleby and James Wainwright, two consulting detectives who took a page from Sherlock Holmes and use their complementary talents and skills to solve the mysteries thrown in their way. The last three star Aldora Fiske, who lacks neither courage nor resources. All three face various threats with guts and smart minds, and their adventures are an equal mix of action and late Victorian/early Edwardian decorum. And if you’re careful enough, you might even read between the lines quite a few darker revelations.

While Alton is delightful in his manners, and James is quite the badass engineer, I especially liked Aldora’s parts, for the added conundrum of having to behave like a lady, when all she wants is to be herself—the reason behind her little arrangement with Alton, in order for her to preserve as much freedom as possible without alienating society. This, for me, accounted for what I thought at first like too fickle a mind regarding other male characters, but turned to be, in fact, quite logical, her engagement being more for show (although there’s no doubt Alton and Aldora are good friends no matter what).

The one thing I’d really hold against these stories were their length: some parts, in my opinion, would have fared better with a little more development (especially in the Alton & James stories, in fact). Those “missing details” might be addressed in other, individual stories that aren’t in this omnibus, though, in which case reading them could prove useful. As it stands, they were just the little thing that I kept on looking for, and couldn’t find. Overall, though, this omnibus was a really pleasant read.

Yzabel / December 13, 2013

Three days to go…

The first one definitely keeps me fascinated… Probably because it makes me think of the improbably love child of a Stargate with the Otherworld from Silent Hill.

 

Yzabel / December 12, 2013

A look into “Savor”

Savor by Kate Evangelista is live, and ready for readers to enjoy.

Although I haven’t had the chance to read it myself yet, I’m planning on doing so, and reviewing it, in weeks to come. Kate has graciously provided me with a copy, much like she had already done for two of her previous novels; so, in the meantime, here are a few teasers about her newly released story. Also, know that you’ll find some of the characters from Taste in this one (this isn’t a spoiler, I promise).

Mature and explicit content. Not recommended for readers below 18-years-old. Yup, you’ve got to be that old to read my story. Consider yourself warned.

I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearing, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.

You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.

I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.

Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.

Again, refer to the warning above.

Where to buy Savor:

About the author

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn’t going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master’s courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full-time.

Read More

Yzabel / December 6, 2013

Teasin’ away…

Teasers #5 and #6!

(And why does “his special place” does make me think of Silent Hill 2?)

Yzabel / December 3, 2013

Review: Solomon the Peacemaker

Solomon the PeacemakerSolomon the Peacemaker by Hunter Welles

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Vincent Alan Chell is coy about answering the questions of his captor. He’d much rather talk about his dead wife, Yael, whose suicide somehow led him into captivity. Or Preacher, the bearded leader of a cult-like group that meets in the bowels of a church basement. Or the Peacemaker, the computer intelligence that has guaranteed peace between nations for half a century.

Chell describes a world where cultural norms have changed the way people interact with technology. Humanoid robots, though ubiquitous, are confined inside private homes, giving the impression that all is well with the world. Which may be the case. Yet Preacher and his group are convinced that humankind is already in the thrall of the Peacemaker. And they might be right.

Solomon the Peacemaker, Hunter Welles’s debut novel, explores the limits of technology, nonviolence, love, and memory in the twenty-second century as it races to its incredible conclusion.

Review:

(I got an e-copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I was first attracted by the cover, which matches both my love of red/white/black colour schemes and made me wonder what about the character on it (is she connected to something, or does she have a rope around her neck?). The novel also deals with a few themes that usually interest me: how technology can affect human life, people voluntarily putting on blindfolds, and a character who, being captive, may or may have not committed some kind of crime.

It’s worth saying that Solomon the Peacemaker is particular, and is probably of the make-it-or-break-it kind. First because it unfolds in a somewhat unusual manner, in that the captor’s questions are never printed, and you have to fill in the blanks yourself, resulting in either liking it or feeling that this “breaks” your reading. After the first few pages, time for me to get used to this method, Chell’s “dialogue” parts made it easy to imagine what the questions might have been, how the interrogator may have been trying to lead him to answer specifically, and so on. However, while it worked quite well for me, it may not work for someone else. Things may also be a little confusing, since a lot of background information isn’t known, and you have to piece everything together. Due to the question/answer format, too, the narrator relies on a bit of exposition bordering on information-dumping, and this tends to force the story into more telling than showing.

But this is in the beginning, and after a short while, diving into the story became actually quite easy, as it focuses on characters, their relationships, and concepts that already exist in our time: Preacher’s cult-like church, for instance, or the hardships that can befall a marriage. Vincent tells about his life with Yael, of how their common aspirations started to differ after a while, and all the while, the Peacemaker remains looming in the background, unaware of how involved it is, how many unspoken dissensions it creates. The idea of peace being maintained across the whole world by an artificial intelligence is both fascinating and repelling, in that it raises many questions: are human beings so unable to do that by themselves that they have to resort to a machine? Is there even any hope? Also, the matter of the Host is freaky, and makes one wonder about individual sacrifice for the greater good.

I found a few things to be missing, although I suppose that including them might have cluttered the narrative. I would’ve liked to know more about the Outside, and whether is was as dangerous as the people “inside” believed it to be. I managed to make my own idea about it, but somehow, it would have been nice to get just a little more information about it. On the other hand, the whole context—the interrogation room, Chell’s knowledge that he’ll never get out of there without his brain picked apart, and his calm acceptance of this, fits the dystopian side of a world that appears perfect, yet is built on a lot of hypocrisy and damage kept hidden from public view (again, the Host comes to mind).

In the end, in spite of the couple of faults I found with it (usually, telling vs. showing is a breaker for me, but here I didn’t mind so much), Solomon the Peacemaker kept me fascinated until its conclusion. An expected conclusion, perhaps, yet one that still held quite some impact.