Book Review: Duck Boy

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Book: Duck Boy

Author: Bill Bunn

Recommend: I wasn’t a big fan of this one, it just felt tired and overdone.

I received this book as an ARC through netgalley about a month ago and finally got around to it. I don’t know why I delayed so long but something just kept pulling me away to something else. I wish I had waited longer or just not gotten to it.

While this book wasn’t a bad read, it wasn’t really good either. The whole plot line felt very tired and worn. The magic or alchemy system felt flimsy and needed more thought. The other world they travel to, is very vague and hard to imagine. The characters were somewhat interesting, however the main character frequently repeating the nickname others called him was distracting. If the author had done it even half as much as he did, it still would have been too frequent. The kids seemed to have so much freedom and ability to influence their world that it came off as completely unbelievable.

This author has some potential but I think this book needed a major rewrite to be an enjoyable read.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

Book Review: Article 5

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Book: Article 5

Author: Kristen Simmons

Recommend: It was an interesting read. Not at all what I expected.

I saw this one a few months ago. It was on my massive list of books to read. I thought the concept was interesting. What if having a child out-of-wedlock was illegal? What if breaking a statute meant that you would disappear? What if the government was run by a moral code and one religion? That is the questions the author poses. What would the extreme case look like?

I really enjoyed the story line. What I didn’t like was the completely negative spin it took on traditional values and Christianity. The author seemed to think that having morality regulated would turn into something horrible. While anything can be taken too far, I think that the author forgets that the ideology in the book seems to be based on Biblical ideals and core of the Bible is God’s love for the people He created. The author seems to think that a world run by Christianity would be a world full of unfair rules and regulations and that the slightest thing would be met with extreme consequence. A world run by true Christian values would be one of love, caring, sacrifice and mercy, not violence and hatred. A situation similar to the book occurred a month or so ago in Mali (Couple given 100 lashes after child born out of wedlock) but it wasn’t Christians, it was under Islamic extremist rule.

I also think that there is a huge structural flaw with Article 5 of the statues. I think the idea that someone would be condemned for being a single parent doesn’t make sense with the structure she has created. If the whole idea is to promote traditional values, there still would be single parents, even if children weren’t born out-of-wedlock. What about widows/widowers? What about cases of rape? What about cases of abandonment? It’s just not solid enough to make sense to anyone reasonable.

While this was a fun fast-paced thrill ride, I think the author is trying to push her agenda through an engaging story.

Final Rating:

Get it free

Book Review: The Future of Us

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Book: The Future of Us

Authors: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Recommend: This was a great read but honestly I think should have been aimed at people in their late 20s to early 30s and not teens.

After reading Thirteen Reasons Why, I decided that I had to pick this one up even though I was rather skeptical of it due to the subject matter. This book is set in the late 90s when a girl receives a computer from her father; a guilt gift for abandoning her and moving away with his new family. However when she logs into AOL, she finds herself on this odd webpage called Facebook, staring at herself fifteen years in the future.

I really enjoyed this because I was in high school in the late nineties. I got every reference and knew every song. I remember what AOL was like. I had a computer in my house but many of my friends didn’t. Cell phones were still a tool instead of a toy and most teens had pagers instead of cell phones. While this helped me connect with the story more, the core of the story is basically what every time travel story is about. Should you change the future/past or leave it alone and how to the decisions of today effect tomorrow?

This book automatically had me. The main character is a band geek. Any book that includes high school band is always better for it

This was a fun read but definitely made the reader think. I appreciate Asher’s books because they really force people confront themselves in a way a simple story doesn’t. Worth the read and if you’re my age, a fun trip down memory lane.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: The Pleasures of Men

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Book: The Pleasures of Men

Author: Kate Williams

Recommend: Most of it was a good read but…

I actually somehow received two copies of this book as an ARC directly from the publisher. I was not sure I would enjoy it, so I had been putting it off. The title alone made me wary and finally, I decided that I needed to tackle it before it was released.

This book tells the story of a young woman, stuck within the confines of Victorian England who is somehow drawn to the violent murders occurring in London, near her home. As the body count rises, she gets closer to the truth but can’t she figure it out before she becomes the killer’s next victim?

Most of this book was an enjoyable fast-paced read with a complex, flawed main character that is extremely compelling. However, the amount of sexual content in this book made it very hard to enjoy. This author, in particular used this crude device to keep the story moving and to pad the length. It did nothing for the story but create a sense of shock and annoyance, particularly since it such an obvious tool to keep the reader plowing through the book. The book would have been much better without it.

While it was an interesting read, the center section was just too unbearable to make this something I would recommend to anyone.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

The end of summer and the Summer challenge 50

August 6th means that while you are reading this I am in my classroom, putting music stands and chairs out, pushing my benches back into place, pulling out instruments, and getting ready for my students to show up next week. I really can’t believe how fast this summer has gone. I spent it writing and reading like crazy. I escaped the hot sun outside and dove into a plethora of distant worlds created from the minds of others. Now though, summer is gone and I have to go back to work.

This means some changes on the blog. To start, I won’t be posting daily like I have been. I’m going for a bare minimum of once a week but am shooting for 3 times a week. We’ll see how things settle out after school starts. The end of summer also means returning to work on my master’s degree which means a huge loss of reading time for me.

I am glad that I set this challenge for myself this summer. I feel as sense of accomplishment and relief. I don’t have to push quite as hard anymore

In case anyone is wondering here are the books I read for the summer challenge in the order I finished reading them! Note: Some of the reviews for these haven’t posted yet but are coming soon.

1.  Overseas by Beatriz Williams (5/25/12)
2.  The Kings of Casino Park by Thomas Aiello (5/28/12)
3. A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King (5/28/12)
4. The Piano by Jane Campion (5/28/12)
5. Black Sunday by Thomas Harris (5/29/12)
6. Into the Green by Charles de Lint (5/30/12)
7. The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card (5/31/12)
8. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (5/31/12)
9. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohlijian (6/1/12)
10. Eve by Anna Carey (6/2/12)
11. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (6/3/12)
12. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen (6/4/12)
13. The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind (6/5/12)
14. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (6/5/12)
15. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (6/6/12)
16. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (6/6/12)
17. Jane Slayre by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin (6/7/12)
18. Reamde by Neal Stephenson (6/12/12)
19. The Strain by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro (6/13/12)
20. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma (6/15/12)
21. Fire and Ice by Patty Jansen (6/16/12)
22. Dirty Little Angels by Christ Tula (6/17/12)
23. We Are Absolutely Not Okay by Students of Scriber Lake Alternative High School (6/18/12)
24. Threat of Darkness by Valerie Hansen (6/18/12)
25. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (6/18/12)
26. The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams (6/18/2012)
27. Caught in Crystal by Patricia C. Wrede (6/19/2012)
28. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (6/23/12)
29. Room by Emma Donogue (6/24/12)
30. The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (6/27/12)
31. The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (6/28/12)
32. Soulbound by Heather Brewer (6/28/12)
33. Duck Boy by Bill Bunn (7/2/12)
34. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (7/3/12)
35. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (7/4/12)
36. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (7/4/12)
37. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (7/4/12)
38. Bag of Bones by Stephen King (7/5/12)
39. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (7/6/12)
40. Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (7/6/12)
41. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (7/7/12)
42. Weak and Loved by Emily Cook (7/8/12)
43. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (7/9/12)
44. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (7/10/12)
45. Jane Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford (7/10/12)
46. Sirensong by Jenna Black (7/10/12)
47. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (7/11/12)
48. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (7/12/12)
49. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Makler (7/12/12)
50. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (7/13/12)

Book Review: The Graveyard Book

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Book: The Graveyard Book

Author: Neil Gaiman

Recommend: This was a fun, short jaunt in the land of the macabre.

I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman. He reminds me of the Tim Burton of literature. His books are always completely unique and quirky with a dark side while still maintaining an overall satisfying experience. This book is no different.

When a toddler unwittingly escapes the murder after him and wanders into a graveyard, he is adopted by the ghosts. They keep him safe and raise him amongst the dead because beyond the graveyard the man who murdered his family is waiting, still seeking the little boy who got away.

While the plot of the book sounds terrifying, it centers more on the boy and his unique childhood. It is funny in places, odd in others and some things never quite get explained. However, instead of it taking away from the story, it adds to it. The easy and frank prose makes for an enjoyable and quick read.

I was trying to find something that I could say that was negative. I try to give at least one thing that might put a reader off the book. The only thing I could come up with for this book is that the topic is a bit strange and might not be for every reader.

If you haven’t journeyed into the worlds of Neil Gaiman this one is a great place to start.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Book Review: City of Lost Souls

Book: City of Lost Souls

Author: Cassandra Clare

Recommend: Worth reading if you’re a fan of the series. I swear this author just loved to torture her two main characters.

The latest book in the Mortal Instruments, a YA series,I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this one since it came out. A friend loaned it to me and as soon as I got through a couple of books that were pressing on my pile, I dived in. I had been waiting over a year to find out what happened to the male lead and how they were going to save him and so I couldn’t wait to get started.

Jace is being controlled by Clary’s brother. She does everything she can to try to find him. When they can’t, will she do the unthinkable and join her brother just to be with him again or will she fight, knowing it could be the end of the person she loves?

This was a great read. I still think that the last two books just don’t have the power of the first three. They are still a great read, but something is missing. I love how prolific this author is though. With two series going simultaneously, it seems we get a new book in each every year. I really can’t imagine waiting two years for this one!

Also, for more conservative readers, this author does include characters that are homosexual and are seen in a positive light. The author also chooses to allow her teen characters to be sexually active. While these scenes are not like reading an adult romance novel, they are rather suggestive. While this might not pose a problem for adult readers, some parents may not find this material appropriate for their teens.

This week the first images from the upcoming movie based on the first book of the series were made available. While I don’t know if this series will reach the level of Twilight, The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, I think it will draw a very large fan base. I personally can’t wait to see it!

This is the 5th book in the Mortal Instrument series, which starts with City of Bones. You can read my reviews of the previous books in the Mortal Instruments series here.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: Jane Vows Vengeance

Book: Jane Vows Vengeance

Author: Michael Thomas Ford

Recommend: Are you kidding? I love this series. I’m just sad to see it end

The third and seemingly final book in the Jane Austen vampire series was a blast to read. Poor Walter finds out that Jane has been married before, putting off the wedding yet again until it can be resolved. They tour Europe on what should have been their honeymoon with the usual entourage of literary vampires making their appearance.

I think my favorite moment in this book is when Jane meets Solomon Grundy (yes that one from the poem about the days of the week). I don’t want to give too much away but I laughed out loud when I was reading it and woke my poor husband up. (I really do think I torture him with my reading sometimes. Poor guy. Of course I don’t bother him about his World of Warcraft obsession so maybe it’s a wash).

I definitely recommend this one after you’ve read Jane Bites Back and Jane Goes Batty. I know this one will be joining my library soon

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: The Book Thief

Book: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak

Recommend: Definitely.

This is another one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read for ages. So many people have recommended it. I got my hands on a copy this week. At first I didn’t think I would like it. At the end, I cried.

Set in World War 2 Germany, The Book Thief steals her first book the day her brother dies. The next from a Nazi book burning. A brave, real kid trying to live through the horrors that surrounded her. Told by death, this book has a unique perspective of what it was like for the people of Germany under Hitler’s rule.

I have to say that I think this book would have been better in some ways if Death hadn’t given away the ending quite so soon. The first half of the book it seems like the author was stumbling a bit with his unique narrator. The last quarter it was impossible to put down. I think on a reread, it wouldn’t seem so strange.

The characters are what stand out the most in this book. Leisel is a very powerful character, somewhat flawed like the rest of us but with an amazing heart. Hans and Rosa are fabulous in their own ways. Max is so strong even though everything is going against him and I dare you not to feel for Rudy.

This book is going to end up on school reading lists everywhere. It is going to be a book that stands the test of time. I don’t own it yet. It will be the next book I buy.

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!

Book Review: The Help

Book: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Recommend: No question about it. This one is an instant classic.

I’ve been hearing about this book for ages it seems. Everyone was shocked when they found out that I hadn’t read it yet. Sometimes when a book is so insanely popular, I tend to avoid it. I think it might be a bit of latent teen rebellion that’s not quite worked through my system yet. I actually am glad that I waited to read it. If I had read it when the movie came out, I know I would have been pressured to go see the movie and as much as I loved the book, I just have no desire to see the movie. I just think I would be terribly disappointed by it.

I loved this one. It tells a great story without going to one extreme or the other. Sometimes, books about racial conflict can be extremely biased. This one felt honest. Instead of taking a side, it seemed to simply share both sides of the conflict. I also love that this isn’t about the center of the civil rights movement and that there isn’t some HUGE and seemingly instant resolution.In real life, prejudice doesn’t disappear instantaneously. It is a slow progression until one day someone realizes that they have reached the end of a journey they didn’t even realize they had started.

If you haven’t picked it up yet, what are you waiting for?

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: Talulla Rising

Book: Talulla Rising

Author: Glen Duncan

Recommend: Not as good as the first one and I couldn’t recommend that one either.

I received this book as an ARC through a drawing on shelf awareness. Then I realized that it was the second book in a series. So I had to pick up the first one, which I reviewed a few days ago, called The Last Werewolf.

This book follows a character we are introduced to midway through the first book, Talulla as she attempts to save her son from a secretive cult planning to sacrifice him for the chance to walk in daylight.

While the storyline was fast-paced and engaging, the language and sexual content were extremely distracting and ruined the book for me. The author didn’t seem to have any sense of restraint in that area. The strong point of the first book was the writer’s ability to make the character’s age believable. While the writer made it very clear that Talulla was a young werewolf, born in current times, the whole thing felt very rushed and plot driven instead of insightful.

While it’s an engaging read, the lack of depth and the mass amount of inappropriate content makes it not worth spending time on.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

Book Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Book: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Author: Rachel Joyce

Recommend: Such an amazing read. Anyone would find this one amazing.

I got this one in the mail a few weeks ago. I honestly wasn’t really excited about it. I pulled a few others of the ARC stack before I finally decided to buckle down and start it. The idea of reading a book about a recently retired man who had worked in a brewery for most of his adult life didn’t seem interesting. From the description, he seemed as dry as toast and just as interesting. I opened the book expecting to be completely disappointed.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was quickly engaged and was disappointed when I had to put the book down for dinner. I picked it up to see if I could get a bit further before bed and before I knew it, it was 3am and I had finished it. Harold Fry is bored. He is recently retired and has nothing to do with his life. His wife is distant and his son is never there. Then he gets a letter from Queenie, a woman he had worked with at the brewery and finds out that she is dying of cancer. He walks to mail a letter to her but his letter just seems completely inadequate. He walks to the next mailbox and the next. This starts a walk that spans over five hundred miles along the roads of England. A journey that will changed Harold and everyone he touches.

I loved this book. It was simple yet profound and the characters pulled the reader in. Harold was very easy to connect with. The way the author revealed more about his life in layers, letting the reader get to know him piece by piece made the story telling technique very effective.  The well-read will see the influence of the author’s favorite writers through the text in a positive way. It is one of the best examples of good writers being heavy readers I have seen in quite some time.

This is a book that will keep you thinking and want to pick up again.

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!

Book Review: Deadlocked

Book: Deadlocked

Author: Charlaine Harris

Recommend: Even if you’re a fan of the series, I don’t know that you’ll enjoy this one…

Yes, I admit that I rather enjoy this series of books – or at least I used to. Right now I’m kind of fed up with them. It has started to feel like the author is a one trick pony and the main character’s decisions have become increasingly plot driven instead of character driven. While I know that these aren’t great literature, there is a certain level of integrity to the nature of the characters you create that every author should maintain. I personally feel like Ms. Harris has lost sight of that in the last couple books.

In this book, Sookie’s relationship with Eric Northman is strained and seems to be in danger. Add in problems with the fae and a very powerful gift that everyone seems to want to steal and Sookie’s life is again far too exciting for her own good. Sookie’s responses to Eric in this book just don’t come across as genuine. Eric’s responses to Sookie are ten times worse. The ending scene of the book is a HUGE cope out to create tension that will lead into the next book.

At this point, I’m about ready to stop reading this series all together. The whole thing is feeling very phoned-in.

Side note: In no way, shape or form do I endorse the TV show based on these books. True Blood is not appropriate for anyone – period.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

Book Review: The Last Werewolf

Book: The Last Werewolf

Author: Glen Duncan

Recommend: I want to say yes but have to say no.

I try to be careful when I choose to try to get an advanced copy of a book that it is not in a series. However when I requested Talulla Rising I didn’t realize that it was the second book in a series. This is the first. The problem with getting a book further alone in a series is that if you haven’t read the rest of the series, you have to go back and get caught up or the book you need to cover will not make enough sense to be worth the time. So with that in mind, I requested this one from the library.

The Last Werewolf is one of those books that isn’t quite your run of the mill book but is also not something I would classify as literature either. The strongest point to this book is the voicing of the main character, Jacob or Jake (and n,o the Twilight similarity did not escape me). As you read, you truly get the sense that the main character has lived for 200 hundred years. The author mixes the writing style of some of the great classics with the word choice and phrasing of today in a way that I have never seen accomplished quite so well. This writer knows how to strike that delicate balance of the current times having an influence without losing all trace of his past.

The story line is very engaging, at least once he meets Talulla. The first half of the book, Jake is a whiny, suicidal werewolf who doesn’t seem to care about anything. The second he meets Talulla, everything changes and the book instantly becomes a fast-paced and gripping read.

Now comes the big however. I cannot recommend this one in good conscience. The amount of skimming/skipping I had to do was insane. Sex seems to be almost a third of the book. If I didn’t need to finish this one, so I could review the ARC of the next, I would have abandoned it.

Overall this is a great book ruined by too much adult content.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

Book Review: Silence

Book: Silence

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Recommend: Not as good as the first two, but still a fun read!

I literally dived from the second book straight into the third. I was excited to see where she would take the story. I never imagined that she would start the third book with Nora having no memory of anything that happened in the past five months including meeting Patch or Jev. I don’t know if this is just me, but when I hear amnesia, I instantly set myself up to very disappointed in the story line. This one did get better as the book continued. I was impressed that there was a plausible explanation for the amnesia, which is rare.

If you’ve read the first two books, it is worth reading the third, although it is not as strong as the first two. It is still a fun, fast-paced read and worth the time.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Book Review: Weak and Loved

Book: Weak and Loved

Author: Emily Cook

Recommend: What a tough but amazing journey for this family (and the reader).

I was approached by this author who asked me to review her book. I was a bit nervous about it honestly but decided that reading something by a Christian author, even it if wasn’t that good, was never a bad plan. So I agreed. I’m so glad I did.

Confessions: This author has an amazing blog about her journey. I took a cursory glance at it but didn’t realize what it was about. The book request came in while I was sick, in quite a bit of pain, and on medication. When I got better, I really wasn’t sure what the book was about except I remember something about a health struggle with her daughter.

When I got into it and realized that it was about her daughter’s epilepsy, I was immediately pulled in because I know what living with someone with epilepsy is like. My dad is epileptic. One of my earliest memories is calling 911 because dad was in the middle of a seizure (although his are a different variety than the author’s daughter). While I haven’t personally experienced an epileptic seizure, I definitely know what it is like to feel powerless while a loved one’s brain goes haywire and causes their body to shutdown.

While the topic was immediately interesting to me, what stands out most with this book is her honest discussion about how her faith was tested, shaped and strengthened through the difficulties of the situation. She definitely made me think about how we deal with difficulties in our lives and reminded me that in tough circumstances that it is not enough to know that God won’t give you more than you can handle but to remember that the only way you can handle it is through his strength.

We all have difficult things to overcome and this author helped me remember that God has it. The strength is his – not ours.

For further reading, her blog can be found at http://www.weakandloved.com/. Hurray for three years of freedom from seizures for this little one!!

*The ebook will be available on kindle for free from July 15-19th!!

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!

Book Review: Crescendo

Book: Crescendo

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Recommend: Definitely, if you have read the first book in the series, Hush, Hush..

Okay, I devoured this book. I also almost threw this book about six times. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still frustrating. Everything seems to be going well for Patch and Nora until he mysteriously starts spending time with Marcie, the girl who makes her life miserable. Angry, Nora breaks up with Patch. Enter Scott, the mysterious boy with a secret. Overnight, Nora’s life falls apart and she is driven further into the secret life of the angels and their offspring.

I don’t like to compare books to each other but this book is this series’ version of New Moon except instead of the boy leaving, he stays and continues to hurt her. It was an extremely engaging read. I wanted to toss it aside but had to know what was coming next and so I kept going after a few seconds.

I envision this series joining my collection as soon as I can afford it. Definitely worth the ride.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: Bag of Bones

Book: Bag of Bones

Author: Stephen King

Recommend: I am a glutton for punishment but most of the book was fantastic..

I cringed when I picked this one up. I have a love hate relationship with King’s writing. I love about 75 to 80 percent of almost everything I’ve read. I hate the last quarter. He can never end a book in the way I want it to end. I think the most spectacular example of this is Under the Dome but I digress.

I really loved the first 75% of this book. I loved the main character. He was compelling in a way only a couple of King’s characters are. Everything in me wanted everything to work out for this writer. After the death of his wife, he never really recovered. Then he finally went back to their summer lake house, where almost immediately, Mike knew that something strange was going on with his house. There was something else there – something not quite alive but not completely gone either.

I loved the book.  I honestly thing one of the best things about this book is the large amount of references to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, a great book. Through those references, it gave the readers an idea of where the story was headed, although it is obviously not the same. If it had been, it would have had a better ending!!

The main character was enough of a skeptic to be believable but not so much that it hindered the storyline. As great as Mike was, little Ki and her mother Mattie made the book. I cant’ say much more about it, without giving away too much. I think this basically goes without saying, but just in case you haven’t read a Stephen King book there is a fair amount of adult content in the book. I definitely did some skipping in certain places, however it was the kind that is at least somewhat important to the plot.

Now I really want to see the A&E special based on the book. I just hope the ending is better than the book.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Book: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Author: Cory Doctorow

Recommend: It had good point and not so good points…

I was browsing the shelves, looking for something short and simple to read after going a few days without doing much reading. I had been too sick to read for a few days and was finally feeling up to picking something up but didn’t want a huge tome to weigh me down. When I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it and so it came home with me. The added bonus was that it was only a couple hundred pages, short and to the point.

This science fiction tale is set in ‘the happiest place on earth‘ where the main character is seemingly powerless to stop his life from spiraling out of control.  It starts with his murder, which is not the end in this futuristic society, and his subsequent attempts to get back at the woman who murdered him.  In a world where public opinion is currency, popularity is the center of everything.

This over the top story was an interesting read, until the reader finds out who was responsible for his murder and why they had killed him. Then he makes a truly odd decision and the book ends on a strange note.

I enjoyed most of the book, however it was a bit depressing in some places. I also found the ending to be a bit bizarre. It was a fun read overall though and worth picking up when you have some free time.

While I did rate this as used, you can download this one for free from the author here.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Book Review: The Night Eternal

Book: The Night eternal

Authors: Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Recommend: If you’ve read the first two, you might as well finish the trilogy.

I picked this one up from the library after reading the first two books in the trilogy. This book is set two years after the second book and is the conclusion to the series. The human race is now living in service to the vampires. They have become labor and a source of food. However the small gang from the first two books are still fighting against the vampires, carrying on Abraham’s mission to save the world from the Master.

While this book does bring the whole story to a basically satisfying conclusion, I can’t help but feel like the authors really copped out after the first book. This book’s time gap was a weak excuse to change the relationships of the main characters with very little rhyme or reason to it. The whole book was leading to a very obvious end point and it lacked a sense of suspense because the end was just far too obvious. I think that this would make a great movie, but they didn’t hint at the ending, they slammed the reader over the head with it.

This book was even more of a let down than the second, even though it was better written because it was just too obvious. While it wasn’t a bad read, it wasn’t a good one either.

Final Rating:

Get it free