h.d. gordon Archives

Yzabel / January 5, 2016

Review: This Monstrous Thing

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

My rating: [rating=3]

Blurb:

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Review:

[I received a copy of this novel through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.]

Sort of a retelling of the “Frankenstein” story, based on the idea of “what if the latter had been inspired by real-life events”. In a world where clockwork (allowing to replace missing limbs in people, among other things) is considered in some places, due to its proponents’ reputation of not being fully human, Alasdair Finch and his family have been on the run for years, ending in Geneva where they secretly practice their craft as “Shadow Boys”. Since the elder brother, Oliver, died two years ago, though, nothing has been the same. It is, obviously, no spoiler to say that Alasdair brought him back through clockwork, and now has to deal with a different Oliver, back from the dead… and no brother quite know what to do with himself or each other anymore.

The characters themselves were interesting enough, with merits and flaws, doubts and questions regarding what they had done, what they should do… Oliver: convinced he was a monster, and having to learn who he was through Alasdair, since he first had no memory of his previous life. Alasdair, torn between his loyalty towards his brother and family and his desire to study with their former mentor, Dr. Geisler. Clémence, so hardened and savvy in many ways, yet also unsure of what her place in the world was. Mary, conflicted about the choices she made and the façade she presented to the world. Even some minor characters, whose own perception of clockwork isn’t always what you’d think.

I regretted however not seeing more of their inner questioning: we get a lot from Alasdair, since he’s the first person narrator, but the others seemed to have such torment to contend with, and it was “only” seen through Ally’s eyes, therefore tinged by his own view of the world. It mirrored the original work by Shelley, but didn’t have the same impact on me. Perhaps a third person narration, with a couple of other points of view, may have worked well here, if only to also let the reader witness other happenings—the plot remained slow in terms of events/action, yet not as devoted as it could have been to fully develop the whole philosophy and conundrums behind the Shadow Boys, clockwork, people having undergone such surgery after having lost a foot or an arm, the Frankenstein society, Mary Shelley’s actions and her somewhat questionable reasons… And although the ending was left open, it was also a little flat compared to what had been at stake.

I still deem this book pleasant to read, for the atmosphere it evoked and the themes it dealt with. I only wish it would’ve delved deeper into its, all in all, fascinating ideas.

Yzabel / October 31, 2012

Review: Blood Warrior

Blood Warrior by H.D. Gordon

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

When her home is attacked by murderous vampires, 17-year-old Alexa is forced to leave her mother for dead in order to save her sister. She soon learns that she is the last known member of an elite race of supernatural Warriors, and is thrust into a world full of vampires and werewolves who all seem to regard her as some sort of savior. Meanwhile, Alexa battles a monster within herself that seeks to gain control; a monster that seeks blood.

The hidden city she finds herself in appears perfect, but Alexa’s instincts tell her that all is not right within its walls. When she is asked to attend a school of fighters, whose exams consist of gladiator-style competitions, she must decide who she can trust among the smiling faces. And, when she meets Kayden, a vampire she feels undeniably drawn to, she must decide if she can trust herself.

Review:

I picked this book because I had read another novel from the same author (“Joe”) and had absolutely loved it. This time, though, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy my read as much. (However, I’m also aware that this is the author’s debut novel, and you can really feel the difference between this one and her latest work, which is definitely a good point.)

The world developed in “Blood Warrior” is an interesting one, especially on the political level, where something’s definitely amiss and has a nice smell of utopian society on the outside, while being probably rotten to the core on the inside. But I’d have liked this world to be more developed–or rather, to know more about the supernatural creatures that people it, for while we’re told that there are werewolves and three species of vampires, I found it somewhat hard to distinguish some things from others. Sometimes I’d lose the ‘feeling’ of what exactly differenciate those species from each other.

The characters in general, while likeable enough, with their strong points and weaknesses, seemed a little bland to me. Alexa’s emotions were strong, too strong at times, yet I couldn’t feel close to her, and the way she went through them left me quite detached along the story. Also, I didn’t enjoy the love triangle between Alexa and the boys, because I felt as if it was kind of mandatory to have. I doubt the story would have been less interesting if those guys had been/remained friends, without all the banter and allusions about “she’s mine”, “no she’s my girlfriend”, and so on (maybe those lines were delivered as jokes, but it still was a little weird). As if a triangle wasn’t enough, we actually get a square with Tommy’s arrival, which made me wonder what was the point here. Or perhaps I’ve read too many YA novels in too little time, and am getting bored with love triangles, girls surrounded with handsome males, and special, unique heroines who gets everyone’s attention? I don’t know. It just seemed somewhat forced to me, and none of the love interests appeal to me nor make me care about who gets the girl in the end.

In terms of writing, I regularly found spelling and grammar mistakes in the text (their/they’re…), enough to annoy my eyes much too trained to spot typos and the likes. It wouldn’t prevent me from going on reading, but it was still annoying.

I think the biggest problem I had with this novel was that once I was done reading, I was under the impression that it was mostly a backdrop for the real plot to come, instead of a story in itself–the ‘cliffhanger’ at the end would have been good to close the first part of a book, but not a whole book, so to say. Now, as I mentioned before, the world developed here seems to be interesting, and probably will be much more once more is known about it. So maybe I’ll still check the next volume at some point to see where it leads me.

Yzabel / July 7, 2012

Review: Joe

Joe by H.D. Gordon

My rating: [rating=5]

(Book read and reviewed for {Read It & Reap 76} in the Shut Up And Read group.)

I had never read anything from this author in the past, but I wanted to review it after noticing a few people writing about it on their blogs, as well as being attracted by the kind of plot it deals with. It turned out to be quite the gripping novel in many aspects, and I found myself drawn to it more and more with each page.

The themes perused in the book are of the kind that tend to hit home. Enjoy life while it lasts, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Don’t put back what matters until tomorrow, because tomorrow might just not come. It’s when you’re about to lose your life that you finally understand its worth. And, of course: if you were able to foresee such a terrible event as presented in “Joe”, what would you do? Would you face it, even knowing there’s no chance to win? Or would you run away, saving your life at the cost of that of dozens of people? Perhaps such themes will seem overrated or hackneyed to some readers, but to me, they always provide perspective and questioning, and I like that. I like being confronted with such conundrums.

The eight people whose points of view we follow through the story all have questions and/or problems of their own to deal with. The almost-retired teacher with only two months left before she is ‘free’ from her job at last. The depressed student who’s taken a terrible decision. The kid who can’t wait to meet his teenage-years sweetheart. The single mother wondering if she should allow herself a new chance at loving, and find a new father for her children. The young man estranged from his family because of one mistake, with a fierce desire to get a new start. The killer—the Decider, with his cold point of view that will send shivers down your spine. And, of course, Joe herself, struggling with her insecurities, her power that may or may not be a curse, the decision she will have to make. All of them I found interesting to follow. All of them I wanted to see survive in the end. But from the start, you know that in such a story, not everyone will get a chance at life again. This inescapable conclusion is absolutely heart-wrenching.

As a side note, since the “eight POVs” aspect was mentioned by other people, I must say that it didn’t bother me. I’ve read stories with even more POVs than that, and here I think the voices of all those characters were introduced clearly enough each time (if only because their names are mentioned) to make them flow nicely. Also, the way they were used near the end was a clever addition, giving the feeling of cut scenes interweaving into each other. I quite liked that. The only thing I couldn’t determine until well into the novel was: why make Joe’s point of view the only one in the first person? I couldn’t decide if it was justified or not, because I feel the story would have worked just as well had it been in the third person. In the end, though, I chose to view it as a good point. It marks the centre of the whole web, gathers all the threads together, while setting Joe apart, which is also justified if we consider her odd ability that has always made her different.