Anyone looking for a truly unique reading experience needs to pick up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Two magicians are raising two proteges to compete in a competition. The rules of this competition are not known even to the players. The mystery deepens as we follow the inception and production of the circus and all the people that it touches. Therein lies the beauty of this novel. As much as it is a love story it is more importantly the story of Le Cirque de Reves- the circus of dreams.
What I enjoyed the most were the descriptions of the circus itself. Every exploration of the mysterious circus left me sighing. Morgenstern really has a gift. As the two protege's fall in love, they express their regard in the most beautiful ways through these tents. The romance of it just takes your breath away. Nicholas Spark's novels have nothing on Morgenstern. She manages to do with so little what Sparks can never convey in his ever growing collection of best-selling romances.
There are so many brilliant twists and turns in this novel, that even though you might be able to predict the ending but you will never expect the path it takes to get there. From the first chapter describing the circus you are hooked. Forever wanting to know whats behind just one more tent, if you are like me you would not want this book to end. A truly marvelous novel.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Roil by Trent Jamieson
In Roil, we have three characters trying to save their icy, cold world from the heat and destruction caused by the spread of the roil. Margaret is a Penn, one of the geniuses of this world, and is set on revenge. Cadell, the old man, a really old man - about 4000 years - is a dangerous god-like creature. David, the son of a politician, is using addiction to hide his pain. All three are being chased by some very bad man and some very dangerous machines as they try to save themselves and everyone else by using the Engine of the World.
I really enjoyed this book, and not for the reason you'd think - at least not exclusively for that reason. I am talking about the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Most of them are meant to be from different history books that have been written about the events of the novel. They serve as an introduction to each chapter and some even foreshadow events that will occur in the sequel or provide an idea of where the author will be taking the characters in future novels. My favourite is the one from chapter 28, the quote is interesting but what actually made me laugh out loud is the book its supposedly from. The book is titled, "Assassinations Personal, Political, and Humorous." That has to be one of the best titles ever! I would love to read that book. Not only do these prologues make the whole novel that much more intriguing, they also serve to provide the reader with a much more detailed description of the political and historical setting of the events in the novel.
Jamieson is brilliant in the creation of this world. There is so much to see and be entranced by in it. The Engine itself is the greatest mystery and I really enjoyed the AI aspects of it. It is a harsh world, where cities are destroyed in hours by something people do not seem to understand. I also love that it is the cold that is the refuge of the humans. Heat brings death and corruption. I found every aspect of this world entrancing. I really need to read more of Jamieson's work if this is what his mind is able to create. A fast paced and thrilling novel, filled with damaged characters in a a very unique world.
I really enjoyed this book, and not for the reason you'd think - at least not exclusively for that reason. I am talking about the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Most of them are meant to be from different history books that have been written about the events of the novel. They serve as an introduction to each chapter and some even foreshadow events that will occur in the sequel or provide an idea of where the author will be taking the characters in future novels. My favourite is the one from chapter 28, the quote is interesting but what actually made me laugh out loud is the book its supposedly from. The book is titled, "Assassinations Personal, Political, and Humorous." That has to be one of the best titles ever! I would love to read that book. Not only do these prologues make the whole novel that much more intriguing, they also serve to provide the reader with a much more detailed description of the political and historical setting of the events in the novel.
Jamieson is brilliant in the creation of this world. There is so much to see and be entranced by in it. The Engine itself is the greatest mystery and I really enjoyed the AI aspects of it. It is a harsh world, where cities are destroyed in hours by something people do not seem to understand. I also love that it is the cold that is the refuge of the humans. Heat brings death and corruption. I found every aspect of this world entrancing. I really need to read more of Jamieson's work if this is what his mind is able to create. A fast paced and thrilling novel, filled with damaged characters in a a very unique world.
Debris by Jo Anderton
I haven't read a lot of science fiction and Debris is one of the books that makes me realize that I am missing out. We meet our heroine Tanyana on that fateful day of "the accident." The consequences of that day lead to her losing everything she has every known as she is thrown from the height of society, to what is really, the garbage pickers of her world. Depressed and destitute, she doesn't crumble against the weight of her situation. Instead, she applies her brilliance to this new life and discovers something unexpected about her world.
Tanyana's journey makes a good read, however, the explanation of the scientific aspects of the world needs some more work. Also, the novel is somewhat predictable in its revelations and the end was much less climactic than hoped. Still, Debris is a promising start to an interesting series. I am very much looking forward to what comes next.
Tanyana's journey makes a good read, however, the explanation of the scientific aspects of the world needs some more work. Also, the novel is somewhat predictable in its revelations and the end was much less climactic than hoped. Still, Debris is a promising start to an interesting series. I am very much looking forward to what comes next.
The Girl of Fire and thorns by Rae Carson.
There are so many reasons I loved Girl of fire and thorns. The writing is fantastic. Elisa is such a great heroine and role model for kids today. In her Rae Carson has created a heroine who is smart and kind. Her greatest struggle is that within herself and recognizing her own worth and her vast potential. It is great to see her grow from a confused and overweight teenager, unsure of her place in the world, to a most capable and beloved Queen.
I really enjoyed this novel, because it is full of surprising twists and turns. I love an author who is not afraid to kill some characters and Carson is definitely one of those. The loss and pain that Elisa suffers only goes to make her more real and more admirable. As a fan of Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story and can't wait for book 2 and 3.
I really enjoyed this novel, because it is full of surprising twists and turns. I love an author who is not afraid to kill some characters and Carson is definitely one of those. The loss and pain that Elisa suffers only goes to make her more real and more admirable. As a fan of Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story and can't wait for book 2 and 3.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
An interesting start to a new series. I had been looking for something more steam punk, less fantasy and this fills that hole quite well. Eliza Braun is a tough heroine with a slight obsession with dynamite and blowing things up - which consequently describes her personality quite well. She is if anything explosive. Her reluctant partner is our bookish genius Wellington Brooks. He clearly needs some excitement in his life and Braun is more than willing to provide it as they are assigned as partners at the the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences where they work. Dead bodies are turning up around London and as Eliza discovers a connection to her past, the two are embroiled in the hunt for a mysterious brotherhood.
I enjoyed their budding relationship. For once, the female protagonist is the aggressive one. Brooks, her brilliant and reclusive partner is kept on his toes because of her forwardness and her unpredictability. She challenges him and his preconceptions at every turn and he is a very changed man at the end of the novel. This was a fast read with many explosions, with our heroine at the center of it, and many hilarious conversations between the two. Braun nloves to tease and Brooks is such an easy mark. What I enjoyed the most was the development of the two main characters. They are very different yet similar and as the story goes on we discover many of their secrets and their insecurities.
The end of the book left me wanting and the way the story is paced there much to be learned about these two. Hoping the next Brooks and Braun book is out sooner rather than later.
I enjoyed their budding relationship. For once, the female protagonist is the aggressive one. Brooks, her brilliant and reclusive partner is kept on his toes because of her forwardness and her unpredictability. She challenges him and his preconceptions at every turn and he is a very changed man at the end of the novel. This was a fast read with many explosions, with our heroine at the center of it, and many hilarious conversations between the two. Braun nloves to tease and Brooks is such an easy mark. What I enjoyed the most was the development of the two main characters. They are very different yet similar and as the story goes on we discover many of their secrets and their insecurities.
The end of the book left me wanting and the way the story is paced there much to be learned about these two. Hoping the next Brooks and Braun book is out sooner rather than later.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tinkers by Paul Harding
Pulitzer Prize winning novel of 2009 and after reading the polarizing reviews I expected it to be a wordy read. Its a mixture of poetic thought and prose and goes on tangents more often than not and definitely not for everyone. As George lies dying in his home he hallucinates about the house collapsing and remembers his childhood. However, it is not only his story. We also learn about his father Harold, an epileptic who left them when George was young.
There is nothing linear about this novel, it switches back and forth between the two narratives all the while explaining random things like how to build a bird's nest in vivid detail. Harding's descriptions bring everything to life in a way few authors can manage to do. You feel the panic that George feels as his father has a epileptic fit in front of him. My heart broke at his failed attempt to escape and at Harold's acceptance of George's need to run away. Every moment discussed comes alive through Harding's descriptions. Its beautiful and bleak. Clocks are the recurring metaphor and for me helped connect all the dots. All those random tangents come together and stress the beauty and complications of life as a dying man remembers his past.
While reading it I had to occasionally stop to absorb what I had read. It is a thing of beauty to have words have that kind of effect on the reader. You are weighed down by the writing to such an extent that you need a moment to breathe. I think its masterful and I found the ending was perfect.
You should not read this book if you don't like poetry. It might be a short novel in length but not so in prose. Expect to read things over and expect some confusion. There is no grand heroine or hero, no mystery to be solved, no answer to be had. Instead, the jumbled thoughts throughout the book combine to make the reader ponder the vast unanswerable question of life, loss, family and home.
There is nothing linear about this novel, it switches back and forth between the two narratives all the while explaining random things like how to build a bird's nest in vivid detail. Harding's descriptions bring everything to life in a way few authors can manage to do. You feel the panic that George feels as his father has a epileptic fit in front of him. My heart broke at his failed attempt to escape and at Harold's acceptance of George's need to run away. Every moment discussed comes alive through Harding's descriptions. Its beautiful and bleak. Clocks are the recurring metaphor and for me helped connect all the dots. All those random tangents come together and stress the beauty and complications of life as a dying man remembers his past.
While reading it I had to occasionally stop to absorb what I had read. It is a thing of beauty to have words have that kind of effect on the reader. You are weighed down by the writing to such an extent that you need a moment to breathe. I think its masterful and I found the ending was perfect.
You should not read this book if you don't like poetry. It might be a short novel in length but not so in prose. Expect to read things over and expect some confusion. There is no grand heroine or hero, no mystery to be solved, no answer to be had. Instead, the jumbled thoughts throughout the book combine to make the reader ponder the vast unanswerable question of life, loss, family and home.
Magic Slays By Ilona Andrews
Lately, I've come to realize most authors are great at milking the sexual tension for the first few books of the series but, as soon as the two characters get together the books seem to loose all their charm for me. The plot is boring, the characters loose their charm and I find myself questioning why I liked them in the first place. Case and point River Marked by Patricia Briggs -who I adore - but am still less than halfway through that book. Thankfully, that is not the case with this book.
Magic Slays is different from the rest of the books in the series. Somewhat slower in pace, and shorter as well, life takes a different turn for our heroine when her personal life settles down a bit and her professional life faces a bleak future. Her new agency "Cutting Edge Investigations" is struggling to exist with the lack of customers, until of course, a vampire literally falls into her lap. Saving the people lands her deep in the middle of a threat against all magic folk including her beloved Pack.
I liked this book for many reasons. I liked how their problems didn't just vanish magically cause of love. They come off as more grounded and real this way. I like how Kate didn't disappear into Curran. She wouldn't be Kate without that stubbornness and insecurities. I loved the tidbits about her mother. They threw me for a loop but her past makes more sense now than it did before. I liked the way Andrea's problems with the Order are resolved in a timely manner. I would have hated to have her whining about it in the background. This book is more of a bridge between the first four and the last couple. We know a fight is coming and this one gets our heroine there emotionally and physically. The events in this book are all about closing some doors that can set the stage for that final battle. I was expecting this book to revolve around Hugh, but he doesn't make an appearance until the end. Instead, this one in the series is about Curran and Kate. Its about the two of them figuring out how they want to live their "happily ever after" as it says on the website. Kate has doubts and Curran has his manipulative tendencies. It was quite entertaining reading about them figuring things out with the trademark humour that has been my favourite part of this series. To this day when I think about the first time the two met in Magic Bites and Kate had the audacity to say to him, 'Here Kitty Kitty,' I can't help but laugh out loud. I have trouble finding another author that can seamlessly blend tragedy and humour in the way Ilona and Andrew do. Suffice it to say even with a pounding headache that made me want to just close my eyes I managed to read this book cover to cover, forgoing sustenance and rest until I finished it. It was completely worth it with that ending. I simultaneously hate and love Ilona and Andrew for that last paragraph. It is a great hook for Book#6 but another year of waiting is a daunting thought.
Magic Slays is different from the rest of the books in the series. Somewhat slower in pace, and shorter as well, life takes a different turn for our heroine when her personal life settles down a bit and her professional life faces a bleak future. Her new agency "Cutting Edge Investigations" is struggling to exist with the lack of customers, until of course, a vampire literally falls into her lap. Saving the people lands her deep in the middle of a threat against all magic folk including her beloved Pack.
I liked this book for many reasons. I liked how their problems didn't just vanish magically cause of love. They come off as more grounded and real this way. I like how Kate didn't disappear into Curran. She wouldn't be Kate without that stubbornness and insecurities. I loved the tidbits about her mother. They threw me for a loop but her past makes more sense now than it did before. I liked the way Andrea's problems with the Order are resolved in a timely manner. I would have hated to have her whining about it in the background. This book is more of a bridge between the first four and the last couple. We know a fight is coming and this one gets our heroine there emotionally and physically. The events in this book are all about closing some doors that can set the stage for that final battle. I was expecting this book to revolve around Hugh, but he doesn't make an appearance until the end. Instead, this one in the series is about Curran and Kate. Its about the two of them figuring out how they want to live their "happily ever after" as it says on the website. Kate has doubts and Curran has his manipulative tendencies. It was quite entertaining reading about them figuring things out with the trademark humour that has been my favourite part of this series. To this day when I think about the first time the two met in Magic Bites and Kate had the audacity to say to him, 'Here Kitty Kitty,' I can't help but laugh out loud. I have trouble finding another author that can seamlessly blend tragedy and humour in the way Ilona and Andrew do. Suffice it to say even with a pounding headache that made me want to just close my eyes I managed to read this book cover to cover, forgoing sustenance and rest until I finished it. It was completely worth it with that ending. I simultaneously hate and love Ilona and Andrew for that last paragraph. It is a great hook for Book#6 but another year of waiting is a daunting thought.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Sentinel Mage by Emily Gee
I know I love a book when as soon as I finish reading it I go online to Google when the sequel is coming out. Sentinel Mage is one of these books. Unfortunately, there are no release dates available for the next two books in the trilogy so I am going to assume Emily Gee is working on the #2 now and hopefully I will have the sequel in my hand in a year.
Innis is a shape shifter living in the world of Seven Kingdoms. A curse has awoken in the land turning humans into blood-thirsty creatures. Innis is part of the elite group of mages sent to stop the curse. The only man who can stop the curse is Prince Harkeld. As the group travels across the Seven Kingdoms in their quest, they are stalked by assassins, zombies and soldiers sent by a power hungry King. The biggest challenge comes as always from within as Prince Harkeld's beliefs and prejudices are challenged and he is forced to look beyond the lies he had been living with. Innis shape shifts into a man to protect and help Harkeld as they are all pushed beyond their mental and physical limits.
I have been a fan of Emily Gee ever since I read Thief With No Shadow and The Laurentine Spy. Her originality surprised me then and it surprised me again with these two books. She has managed to create characters that are real and fascinating. Innis is a great mixture of bravado and confusion. Harkeld's struggle to accept the strange turn his life takes is heart breaking to read. The book deals with some very serious issues as it plays out its fantastical setting. Power, corruption, prejudice, and identity all come to head in this short novel leaving one anxiously waiting for book number two.
Innis is a shape shifter living in the world of Seven Kingdoms. A curse has awoken in the land turning humans into blood-thirsty creatures. Innis is part of the elite group of mages sent to stop the curse. The only man who can stop the curse is Prince Harkeld. As the group travels across the Seven Kingdoms in their quest, they are stalked by assassins, zombies and soldiers sent by a power hungry King. The biggest challenge comes as always from within as Prince Harkeld's beliefs and prejudices are challenged and he is forced to look beyond the lies he had been living with. Innis shape shifts into a man to protect and help Harkeld as they are all pushed beyond their mental and physical limits.
I have been a fan of Emily Gee ever since I read Thief With No Shadow and The Laurentine Spy. Her originality surprised me then and it surprised me again with these two books. She has managed to create characters that are real and fascinating. Innis is a great mixture of bravado and confusion. Harkeld's struggle to accept the strange turn his life takes is heart breaking to read. The book deals with some very serious issues as it plays out its fantastical setting. Power, corruption, prejudice, and identity all come to head in this short novel leaving one anxiously waiting for book number two.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Blackveil: Book Four of the Green Rider by Kristen Britain [spoilers]
I can't make up my mind about whether I hated or loved this book. I was depressed for a couple of weeks after reading it so its safe to say it left a mark on me. This should mean it is a good book since it affected me to that level but i truly hated the direction it took and the reason for that is what happened to Zachary in it. To me it felt like Kristen Britain broke his character and it broke my heart cause I truly love Zachary. The aftermath of his rape left me feeling the way I did after reading the rape scene in Patricia Briggs Mercedes Thompson story. Unfortunately Briggs wasn't able to recover her series to my satisfaction after that. Maybe Kristen Britain can.
To summarize this is what happens in Blackveil: Zachary gets shot by a poisoned arrow and goes into some kind of coma. While he is in a coma his advisors and that awful, awful creature Estora marries him and then goes on and has sex with him while he is in a painful haze and dreaming of Karigan. Another word for taking advantage of someone like that is rape. He wakes up and fires his advisors but agrees to stay married.
There are so many things that went wrong there.
1- The rape was horrific. I came very close to crying reading it. It was just so sad. He just lies there totally helpless while he is completely betrayed by his advisers and taken advantage of.
2- Estora: I used to feel sorry for her but this just turned her into a total villain. I don't care how much she loves him. Anyone who takes advantage of a comatose person like that is a hateful, hateful person. If that was Britain's goal - to transform Estora into a villain then bravo! But, if she expects us to just let her be the nice and just and perfect little Queen in the next book I am not going to continue reading the series. Also, she can't continue on this line of how Estora was trapped into this as a noblewoman with no other options. She had options. She did not avail herself of any of her options because she is a power hungry selfish person. She trapped him. Britain as the author was more than capable of creating alternatives. But she didn't and instead we are stuck with a broken Zachary stuck in a marriage without his consent.
3- Mapstone: needs to stop babying Zachary. Yes, she raised him but come on! he is thirty something. Her supporting Estora and Estora's actions also disgusted me. How can you be okay with that happening to someone you think of as your little brother. I am starting to hate Mapstone more and more and she is supposedly one of the good guys.
4- Zachary needs to develop more of a spine as a King. He didn't seem to care that he was raped -unless he is biding time for the whole possible pregnancy to be proven impossible - it seems so depressing to see him be completely all right with this strange marriage. I am hoping this awful thing that happened to him will make him realize more about his own wishes and future and maybe he can act towards those instead of letting awful things happen to him and not doing anything about them. There needs to be some kind of emotional resolution to this. Nothing was offered in Blackveil. I hate Estora enough that I would completely accept it if he kills her. It would make me like him more.
5- Karigan and Zachary - if Zachary is just gonna go with this screwed up marriage that pretty much destroys any hope of happy future for Karigan. It seemed like with all the other blossoming romances it was established that only Zachary will do for Karigan and if he doesn't change course the future seems very unhappy for our Karigan. I am unsure if I want to read 3/4 more books with Karigan yearning for something that she will never ever have. By breaking Zachary like that she destroyed so much more than just him. Britain also ruined any happiness for Karigan and i am unsure i want to keep reading more books about her with no future.
6- If Karigan is to have some semblance of a happy ending Estora dying seems like a natural solution to this screwed up situation that Britain has created. If she dies though her raping Zachary would be a needless plot twist -Zachary did not need to be broken for her to die.Plus she would be like a martyr and probably make Karigan look bad. And it would be such a cheat of a move for Britain to make.
Either way the future of the series is pretty despondent. The strange cliff hanger ending and the fact that we have to wait another 4-5 years for the next books doubles nay quadruples that despondency. Moreover, this book only brought forth so many changes that the series is evolving into something very different from the first three books. The added perspectives and adventures of Amberhill and Colin seem forced and unnecessary and not at all interesting. I wish she would just keep telling Karigan's story as the first couple of books did without forcing other story lines that are way too complex and added way too late in the series.
For such a long book it seemed the characters and the relationships went backwards instead of forward. The lack of a resolution at the end just adds on to that. I am looking forward to the rest of the series because I'd like to trust her to resolve the chaos that she created in this book. Book 1-3 were quite good so i guess she was due to screw up one. I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she knows what she is doing as I keep my fingers crossed. This is her world after all and next 4/5 years will hopefully dissipate the bitter taste Blackveil left in my mouth so I can read her next volume with a much more open mind.
To summarize this is what happens in Blackveil: Zachary gets shot by a poisoned arrow and goes into some kind of coma. While he is in a coma his advisors and that awful, awful creature Estora marries him and then goes on and has sex with him while he is in a painful haze and dreaming of Karigan. Another word for taking advantage of someone like that is rape. He wakes up and fires his advisors but agrees to stay married.
There are so many things that went wrong there.
1- The rape was horrific. I came very close to crying reading it. It was just so sad. He just lies there totally helpless while he is completely betrayed by his advisers and taken advantage of.
2- Estora: I used to feel sorry for her but this just turned her into a total villain. I don't care how much she loves him. Anyone who takes advantage of a comatose person like that is a hateful, hateful person. If that was Britain's goal - to transform Estora into a villain then bravo! But, if she expects us to just let her be the nice and just and perfect little Queen in the next book I am not going to continue reading the series. Also, she can't continue on this line of how Estora was trapped into this as a noblewoman with no other options. She had options. She did not avail herself of any of her options because she is a power hungry selfish person. She trapped him. Britain as the author was more than capable of creating alternatives. But she didn't and instead we are stuck with a broken Zachary stuck in a marriage without his consent.
3- Mapstone: needs to stop babying Zachary. Yes, she raised him but come on! he is thirty something. Her supporting Estora and Estora's actions also disgusted me. How can you be okay with that happening to someone you think of as your little brother. I am starting to hate Mapstone more and more and she is supposedly one of the good guys.
4- Zachary needs to develop more of a spine as a King. He didn't seem to care that he was raped -unless he is biding time for the whole possible pregnancy to be proven impossible - it seems so depressing to see him be completely all right with this strange marriage. I am hoping this awful thing that happened to him will make him realize more about his own wishes and future and maybe he can act towards those instead of letting awful things happen to him and not doing anything about them. There needs to be some kind of emotional resolution to this. Nothing was offered in Blackveil. I hate Estora enough that I would completely accept it if he kills her. It would make me like him more.
5- Karigan and Zachary - if Zachary is just gonna go with this screwed up marriage that pretty much destroys any hope of happy future for Karigan. It seemed like with all the other blossoming romances it was established that only Zachary will do for Karigan and if he doesn't change course the future seems very unhappy for our Karigan. I am unsure if I want to read 3/4 more books with Karigan yearning for something that she will never ever have. By breaking Zachary like that she destroyed so much more than just him. Britain also ruined any happiness for Karigan and i am unsure i want to keep reading more books about her with no future.
6- If Karigan is to have some semblance of a happy ending Estora dying seems like a natural solution to this screwed up situation that Britain has created. If she dies though her raping Zachary would be a needless plot twist -Zachary did not need to be broken for her to die.Plus she would be like a martyr and probably make Karigan look bad. And it would be such a cheat of a move for Britain to make.
Either way the future of the series is pretty despondent. The strange cliff hanger ending and the fact that we have to wait another 4-5 years for the next books doubles nay quadruples that despondency. Moreover, this book only brought forth so many changes that the series is evolving into something very different from the first three books. The added perspectives and adventures of Amberhill and Colin seem forced and unnecessary and not at all interesting. I wish she would just keep telling Karigan's story as the first couple of books did without forcing other story lines that are way too complex and added way too late in the series.
For such a long book it seemed the characters and the relationships went backwards instead of forward. The lack of a resolution at the end just adds on to that. I am looking forward to the rest of the series because I'd like to trust her to resolve the chaos that she created in this book. Book 1-3 were quite good so i guess she was due to screw up one. I am going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she knows what she is doing as I keep my fingers crossed. This is her world after all and next 4/5 years will hopefully dissipate the bitter taste Blackveil left in my mouth so I can read her next volume with a much more open mind.
Smilla's sense of snow by Peter Hoeg
After finishing the third book of the millennium trilogy I found myself bereft of Scandinavian literature. With Salander Larsson has written one of the most mesmerizing fictional characters. In Smilla Jasperson I believe I have finally found her match.
Smilla in her own way is as unique and as intriguing and tough as nails as Salander. She is a loner, a world renowned glaciologist, an heiress, a admirer of Newton, an anarchist, a rebellious daughter, an immigrant, an outcast by choice, sometimes unlikable but always a very stubborn and fascinating heroine. The book starts off with the death of Isaiah, the child of a neighbor. Isaiah was someone she knew and loved. It was someone who pushed his way into her life and she let him in even though she liked to be alone. He was someone who understood her and she had very few people like that in her life. The police determines the cause of death to be an accident. However, Smilla with her understanding of snow and ice discovers clues that say otherwise. Her search for answers leads her to a complex corporate conspiracy. In telling the story of her search for truth and justice Hoeg explores the history of Greenland and Denmark and its affects on the population of both countries. Smilla with a foot in both cultures - her father is Danish and mother is Greenlandic Inuit - is the perfect character for that as she pushes beyond her physical and mental limits.
While both books share certain themes Smilla is a much more introspective and philosophical character than Salander. Her pondering about life, post-colonial culture, ice, and Europe provide a weight to the narrative that left more of a mark on me than the millennium books. For me, Smilla is a thinking man's/woman's Salander and while some might find that boring, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story. I am not at all surprised it was Time Magazine's book of the year. Hoeg's prose brings to the fore the beauty of snow and ice covered landscapes of Scandinavia. I expected the unresolved ending as it only adds to the story. This is not a book to have a HEA ending or a villain at the end that most mysteries are known to produce. It resonates more as a piece of literature because it is much more than mystery. The mystery aspect only serves as a vehicle to explore the other themes of loss, identity, love, culture, colonialism and society of today surrounding the caustic and complex character of Smilla Jasperson.
Smilla in her own way is as unique and as intriguing and tough as nails as Salander. She is a loner, a world renowned glaciologist, an heiress, a admirer of Newton, an anarchist, a rebellious daughter, an immigrant, an outcast by choice, sometimes unlikable but always a very stubborn and fascinating heroine. The book starts off with the death of Isaiah, the child of a neighbor. Isaiah was someone she knew and loved. It was someone who pushed his way into her life and she let him in even though she liked to be alone. He was someone who understood her and she had very few people like that in her life. The police determines the cause of death to be an accident. However, Smilla with her understanding of snow and ice discovers clues that say otherwise. Her search for answers leads her to a complex corporate conspiracy. In telling the story of her search for truth and justice Hoeg explores the history of Greenland and Denmark and its affects on the population of both countries. Smilla with a foot in both cultures - her father is Danish and mother is Greenlandic Inuit - is the perfect character for that as she pushes beyond her physical and mental limits.
While both books share certain themes Smilla is a much more introspective and philosophical character than Salander. Her pondering about life, post-colonial culture, ice, and Europe provide a weight to the narrative that left more of a mark on me than the millennium books. For me, Smilla is a thinking man's/woman's Salander and while some might find that boring, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story. I am not at all surprised it was Time Magazine's book of the year. Hoeg's prose brings to the fore the beauty of snow and ice covered landscapes of Scandinavia. I expected the unresolved ending as it only adds to the story. This is not a book to have a HEA ending or a villain at the end that most mysteries are known to produce. It resonates more as a piece of literature because it is much more than mystery. The mystery aspect only serves as a vehicle to explore the other themes of loss, identity, love, culture, colonialism and society of today surrounding the caustic and complex character of Smilla Jasperson.
Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
For most series i start losing interest by book six. Authors tend to reach a point where they stall to fill the quota and to milk the popularity of the series for all that it is worth. Hollows was turning into one of these series. All the action, all the drama seemed to be the repetition of the same conflicts as previous books. In short, everything in the past couple of books was stagnant and I was getting bored! Pale Demon however (at least for me) changed all that.
I read it in one sitting. There was never any question of me taking a break to eat or drink, i literally could not put it down. The best part from the beginning was the redemption of the character of Trent. I have always felt that Trent, with his shifting loyalties and ambiguous morality is so interesting that he should be one of the more important characters. He is such a perfect companion for Rachel (romantic or otherwise) as she herself struggles to find the gray between white and black. The fact that he is pretty hot and Rachel drools a little every time she sees him suggests so much potential there for that relationship.
In this book we finally get a chance to explore some of that potential. Rachel, Trent, Ivy and Jenks decide to go on a road trip. Rachel has to attend the big Witch pow wow and Trent is assumed to be on some kind of elf quest. Trent being Trent will not say what the quest really entails. As predicted bickering ensues and that part is quite entertaining. I don't think I'll ever get sick of Jenk's tinkerbell inspired swearing. Pierce drops by and and so does a very interesting demon whose appearance provides some insight into Rachel's powers and potential as well as Newt's sordid past. Al as always provides a nice change from the witchy politics and Pierce's opining. Pierce as always says opine one too many times. Kim, i beg of you! please, give him a new word to use.
What i loved about this book the most is the sheer amount of progress that is made for all characters. Finally, i feel that the series is going somewhere. So many twists and revelations make it so more plot development occurs in this one book than in the last three combined. Trent overload also helps since i always felt that he was such a good character and Harrison was wasting him by not involving him more in the series. Some doors are closed (finally!) and a few are opened in the cliffhanger end to the book. Rachel is left with a very complicated choice to make at the end. Waiting a whole year to find out what she is going to do is going to be hard but i guess that is the mark of a good book. I finished reading it with a desperate need for more. The last couple of chapters left a smile on my face. My mouth hurt after a week of dreamily grinning about the kiss that i had been waiting for since book one. Thank you so much for that Kim! Can't wait for Feb 2012!
I read it in one sitting. There was never any question of me taking a break to eat or drink, i literally could not put it down. The best part from the beginning was the redemption of the character of Trent. I have always felt that Trent, with his shifting loyalties and ambiguous morality is so interesting that he should be one of the more important characters. He is such a perfect companion for Rachel (romantic or otherwise) as she herself struggles to find the gray between white and black. The fact that he is pretty hot and Rachel drools a little every time she sees him suggests so much potential there for that relationship.
In this book we finally get a chance to explore some of that potential. Rachel, Trent, Ivy and Jenks decide to go on a road trip. Rachel has to attend the big Witch pow wow and Trent is assumed to be on some kind of elf quest. Trent being Trent will not say what the quest really entails. As predicted bickering ensues and that part is quite entertaining. I don't think I'll ever get sick of Jenk's tinkerbell inspired swearing. Pierce drops by and and so does a very interesting demon whose appearance provides some insight into Rachel's powers and potential as well as Newt's sordid past. Al as always provides a nice change from the witchy politics and Pierce's opining. Pierce as always says opine one too many times. Kim, i beg of you! please, give him a new word to use.
What i loved about this book the most is the sheer amount of progress that is made for all characters. Finally, i feel that the series is going somewhere. So many twists and revelations make it so more plot development occurs in this one book than in the last three combined. Trent overload also helps since i always felt that he was such a good character and Harrison was wasting him by not involving him more in the series. Some doors are closed (finally!) and a few are opened in the cliffhanger end to the book. Rachel is left with a very complicated choice to make at the end. Waiting a whole year to find out what she is going to do is going to be hard but i guess that is the mark of a good book. I finished reading it with a desperate need for more. The last couple of chapters left a smile on my face. My mouth hurt after a week of dreamily grinning about the kiss that i had been waiting for since book one. Thank you so much for that Kim! Can't wait for Feb 2012!
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