Gemma
I have started this series around four times over the years, and always I have only managed the first book. This reread was fantastic.
I enjoyed every aspect of the book, and have no complaints. I thoroughly enjoyed comparing scenes to the TV show as I remembered it and gaining the broader idea of the world as a whole.
I only have this four stars so that the following books could have the chance to beat its rating.
I picked up Half a King from the library on a whim because I have heard the name Joe Abercrombie quite a lot. It was supposed to be a quick read to introduce me to the author.
PLOT ???????????????
The story centres around Yarvi, a crippled second son in a world where he isn???t expected to amount to much. He is considered ???half a king???, not worthy to inherit the throne. When his father and brother perish, Yarvi is suddenly forced into the forefront of a dangerous world he thought he would never have to confront.
WORLD-BUILDING ???????????????
I personally feel like this could have been a fantastic novel, if all aspects of it had been done in more detail. The cast of characters were not developed, or given histories or motivation past a sentence each midway through the book. The world the book depended on wasn't clearly explained at all. Every character spoke about the history and religion as if it was incredibly important, yet none of that was explored or set up at all.
CHARACTERS ???????????????
I particularly found the main character to be irritating and immature during the entirety of the book. This is understandable, and many books follow an immature character trying to grow up quickly to assume a responsibility they must bear, it simply was the case that I felt Yarvi had no features that endeared me to him. I felt that the characters felt like caricatures, and utterly unbelievable. A large portion of the dialogue felt forced and over the top.
OVERALL ???????????????
A lot of reviews I have seen on GR for this series feature the comment that Abercrombie???s other books are an improvement on this one. I won't continue with this series, but I might try another of Abercrombie's as I've heard his other books are better.
A fantastic teen fantasy novel about a young girl assuming the role set out for her in youth to follow in her father's footsteps.
I always enjoyed Garth Nix books in the past, but I was worried they wouldn't feel as compelling now I'm older. The novel was fast paced and very interesting, I only wish there had been more.
The Graces was an unusual book. It's probably the best way I have to describe it, as I'm not sure I have a clue what I just read.
The book follows a teenage girl as she moves to a new school and becomes obsessed with a family called Grace, who she suspects to be witches. She is determined to become part of their inner circle, desperate for the brother to fall in love with her. In fact, I didn't feel like the main character and narrator of this book had any strong personality or direction. There didn't feel like there was any insight into her past (except brief mentions of her parents behavior which was never explained or examined). The character even remained nameless for the first portion of the book!
The Graces were interesting, but majority of them were not really given much depth. I think this book would have been a strong candidate if the characters had been fleshed out and given more aspects to make them feel 3D.
I picked up this book because I fancied a captivating read that I could get through quickly. I've been hovering around 50% of the way through It by Stephen King for 2 months now and I wanted a success story to motivate me.
Stranger in the House was a captivating, quick read. I was gratified by how quickly the percentage increased on my kindle, and motivated to keep reading. I found the story to be somewhat predictable but an enjoyable read.
Particularly where I felt this book fell short was the length and the lack of development. The writing style felt a lot more “show” rather than tell, and did not build up a emotional response to flat characters I felt were doing some bizzare actions to further the plot.
I do not fault the plot for being predictable for a predictable plot can still be a great book if written in an intelligent and exciting way. More that the book was lacklustre in a few ways.
I am so disappointed with this book. On October 1st, I was on my way out the door to work and forgot to pick a book to bring with me. My boyfriend brought me this book and I thought it would be a quick, entertaining read that would make me think.
Boy, it did make me think. I thought a lot about the climate of tensions between Japan and Germany through the USA, I thought a lot about how the people in the book regarded others in different social classes. But mostly I thought about how interesting this book could have been. The premise of the book is exactly up my street and I was so excited about it. I found the writing style difficult and boring to parse, the characters had the potential to be really intriguing but never seemed to do anything particularly interesting.
This really should be a 3* read because I respect what the book was trying to do, but I had such high hopes I dropped it a star of pure disappointment.
I watched the film 6 months ago, and I adored it. Matt Damon has been a favourite actor of mine for years and I love science fiction (particularly that which feels grounded in reality). Within 10 pages of the book I knew Matt Damon was the perfect choice to play Mark Watney.
Mark Watney is possibly the most likeable character I've ever read. I suppose he has to be, as he and he alone carries the book for at least 75% of the pages. He is funny and interesting, and I appreciated his discussion of the science and technology he was using (abusing) to achieve his goals. It was a highly entertaining read but it also sparked my interesting in the topics he was discussing.
There's not much else to discuss, because for me the character of Mark Watney is what made this book so special. The writing was fantastic, I enjoyed that each Sol entry was brief and packed full of interesting events. I felt like I was with Mark, or at least listening to him speak about his experiences. I expect an audiobook of this would be even better, particularly if it is read by Matt Damon.
Easy five stars.
This is a complicated review to write. I cannot, in any possible way - no matter how small, say that this is a bad book. It is written so well that at parts I had to stop and think about it. The characters feel real, fleshed out and like defined people.
It's really the type of book I'd expect from Jonathan Dee, whose list of achievements feels too long to list. I devoured this book in multiple, massive sessions. The prologue for me was boring and felt like a struggle to get through. I couldn't reconcile the nameless narrator with the descriptions of the two men on the blurb, and I certainly did not like him. While that last point turned out to be a recurring theme throughout the book, the prologue is a brief low point that with hindsight was a good opening chapter.
This is not a book about the growth of one person, or the journey people go on. It's a deep look at the ways different people can be selfish for all of the different reasons they can be selfish. In certain cases, a seemingly selfless act has selfish consequences. I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would and I think it was down to the outstanding portrayal of the characters. They had flaws that felt human and understandable - I even felt like I recognised characters from my own life in the novel.
I strongly recommend this book if it interests you. Even if its out of your usual reading selections (it was very far out of my usual choices).
I picked this up to give me a sense of achievement while reading It. I was particularly looking forward to the movie which is coming soon, so I thought this short novel would be a good choice. This is the first Agatha Christie I've ever read, and I found it enjoyable.
Firstly, I do not often read crime novels. Its just not something I reach for often. I enjoyed reading this book, particularly for how fast I was getting through it. It felt like a quick, intriguing read that kept me going. I enjoyed all the characters, and thought the interactions between this large cast was well written. In addition, I thought the book was a good length for the period of time that it considered.
One note, I felt the descriptions of the reasons behind the deductions were a bit overwhelming and unclear, but I think the movie will clear things up for me.
I can't believe this book is so good! It was sitting on my shelf, waiting patiently, for when I'd finally pick it up. I knew I was going to enjoy the book from the blurb and the thousands of fantastic reviews here on Goodreads, but I was nervous it would be more YA than I prefer.
What a daft worry now I've thought about it. I don't like YA books and while Victoria Schwab writes YA, V. E. Schwab decidedly does not. I think the book is well designed and fits together perfectly. Each of the characters feel like full, interesting people that I enjoyed reading from the perspective of.
There's not a single part of this book I'd change, as far as I'm considered its a perfect book.
Updated September 2018, as of re-reading:
While I agree with my previous comments regarding how much I enjoyed this book and in particular the character of Kell, my feelings about the book overall have changed a bit. I personally feel like the world could have comfortably been up to 200 pages longer to flesh out the world and the characters established relationships and give the world a more three dimensional feel.
So, The Power isn't the book I was expecting if I'm honest. I was expecting to follow a girl and her story as she discovered her new abilities. I thought it'd have more emphasis on the story telling aspect? The book feels like its more politically charged than that.
I have to admit that the book is of a good quality. The writing style definitely had more of a reserved style that I associate with academics. I felt the writing was right for the book, as it is supposed to be a documentation of a historical event. The writing tried to balance a traditional fictional style with this more reserved style, as we get insights into characters thoughts. I really felt these styles did not mesh well.
I wasn't emotionally attached to any of the characters. I think this was partially due to the writing style, the perspective almost felt removed from the plot with no emotional connection to the person being observed.
In the end, this just wasn't the book for me. I think this could easily be a good read if you go into it knowing what you'll be reading.
The Magicians' Guild ???????????????The Novice ???????????????
The Novice is a massive improvement on book one in the series, and I loved The Magician's Guild. The series as a whole are full of find memories for me as ten years ago they were the first adult books I ever read. They opened a door for me into adult fiction and fantasy fiction in general that I am forever glad I found.
I said in my review for book one of the series that while I loved the atmosphere of the book it was lacking in plot and made for a strong set up for the later books. I completely agree with this statement since finishing book two. The same atmosphere is present in this book, with added uneasiness and intrigue. The plot moves quicker than previously, and has slightly more complexity.
In fact, my only complaint in the entire book is the way a characters sexuality is handled. Spoilers ahead. One of the main cast is gay, but is revealed to have used magic to suppress these feelings as his sexuality is frowned upon in his home land. When he reaches magical exhaustion, he is no longer ‘healing' his feelings away and remembers his past. Honestly I feel this is a ridiculous way to handle the situation - homosexuality isn't something wrong with any person and should be able to be healed away. I think the author was trying to do something with the character, who remains a favourite of mine despite the blunder, that she simply did not properly consider when writing.
I'm giving this book ??????????????? regardless. It's a fantastic novel that balances a large cast well and gives each character plenty time as to build up familiarity with ease. There is a real sense of history withing the world, and there isn't any part where I feel exposition was laboured or obvious. I am fond of every character, even some I shouldn't like.
Finally the ending was just enough of a cliffhanger to make me desperate to read book three.
I have remembered this series for years, and finally decided I wanted to re-read it this year.
The plot focuses on the war between the Guard and the Order of Chaos, as the Order try to create chaos by changing history. Our main character has been training with the Guard since he was a young boy and has finally graduated to become a trainer himself. To his dismay, his pupil is his ex-best friend's annoying younger sister.
This first book was a pleasant surprise, as it had more depth and detail than I expected. I also enjoyed the mixture of adult and teen heroes working together. Over the next few books, I expect the plot to develop further and become more complicated.
This was a reread for me, I first picked up this series 10 years ago and adored it. in fact, it was the series that got me into reading properly. And it inspired in me a love of fantasy that still burns today.
The first book in the trilogy is a fair bit different to how I remember it, the plot moves slower than I remembered. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and it's many characters. I get a good sense of the people in this book and their mannerisms and relationships. While some characters and their plotlines are boring and predictable for me, overall the book was a very interesting and engaging read.
I will say that the book does more for the trilogy as a whole than it does for itself. And by that I mean that the plot of book one is not particularly complex or compelling. Rather, the book sets the world up well and builds a strong network of characters I feel connected to. This means it sets up the following two books very well indeed without being considerable as a standalone. Actually I wouldn't read this if it were a standalone. But the plot of the trilogy will uphold the first book enough that the development makes it worth it.
I encourage everyone to try the series, particularly the second book. It's a strong favourite of mine.
