Book Reviews
Review: “The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1: The Field Guide”
My best friend Ashley got this book out of our school library and said I soooooooo had to read it. I took it and looked at it and it was like the littlest book I ever seen! But we like same books so I took it home and wow, she was right!!
Review: “Blood Bound” by Patricia Briggs
Patricia Briggs has the unique gift of being able to make the reader believe, for the space of 300 some pages, of her truths. That vampires, fae, werewolves, and magic makers live in tentative harmony with humankind. Her world is just like ours, only a bit more dangerous and a bit more sexy.
Review: “Freedom (TM)” by Daniel Suarez
At its core, “Freedom (TM)” is a techno-thriller with elements of cyberpunk thrown in for fun. Suarez keeps the story moving at a good clip, creating some nicely done action sequences that could translate well to the big-screen whenever the movie version of the novels is made. But he also balances that out with sections examining the implications of technology and an over reliance on it.
Review: “Happily Ever After” edited by John Klima
Happily Ever After is an anthology edited by John Klima, in which each story was in some way inspired by a fairy tale. I am an absolute sucker for any kind of fairy tale retelling, but good ones are few and can be difficult to find. So this particular anthology was right up my alley. Plus any editor who was inspired to make an anthology by Neil Gaiman’s “The Troll Bridge” is guaranteed to have fantastic taste in stories.
Dual Review: “Twelve”, “Thirteen Years Later” by Jasper Kent
Before I start reviewing Twelve and Thirteen Years Later I have to go on a rant, a rant about books with serial killers. The success of The Silence of the Lambs has meant a huge number of books featuring serial killers. I find the popularity of serial killer characters unnerving and annoying. Unnerving, because this hero worship of insane killers, is well unnerving.
Review: “Chalice” by Robin McKinley
I think Robin McKinley is one of the best fantasists writing today and if you are a writer; interested in writing meaningful, engaging and moving fantasy, then she is a writer to study. If you are a reader, then her books are a joy to read and re-read again.
Review: “Recursion” by Tony Ballantyne
Some books I know I’m going to love within the first few pages. Other books I discard in a few paragraphs. And then there are the books where I can’t put them down, yet I also can’t decide at the end if I liked them or not.
Tony Ballantyne’s Recursion fits that latter category.
Review: “My Soul To Keep” by Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due writes a character driven adventure with an African-American heroine in a literary field of plot driven stories about white male heroes. That alone makes me recommend it. The fact that the book will chew you up, spit you out, and make you beg for more? Gravy.
