Book Review: The Red Planet Series, #1-4, by William Graham.

Book Review: The Red Planet Series, #1-4, by William Graham.

From Vermont to Mars, (The Red Planet, #1)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

From Vermont to Mars is the first novella in the Red Planet Trilogy. While listening, it becomes obvious rather quickly that this novella is based on world building. It follows two members of a family, a man, Virgin Birch, in Vermont and his granddaughter, Emily Birch, on Mars, after water crisis’ lead to the growing colonisation of the moon and Mars. It was really interesting to see the issues presented to both characters from the big company that controls construction on both Earth and Mars. I also really enjoyed how Part II of this novella was set like a diary as I felt like it really fit with the style of novella.

Rating = 5* /5*

The Red Planet Murders (The Red Planet, #2)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The second novella in the Red Planet Trilogy, The Red Planet Murders didn’t hold my attention as much as From Vermont to Mars did. With the major plot surrounding the conflict between democracy and company controlled autocracy, the novella itself felt very politically American. Maybe I just felt a bit uncomfortable with that because I’m not American? It’s incredibly brief and parts do become quite boring. Rating = 3* / 5*

The Martian Republic (The Red Planet, #3)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. While better than The Red Planet Murders, this novella is disappointing. It follows the election of the first Martian President and it felt very much like extreme left vs extreme right. It wasn’t a good election and for the most parts neither seemed to help the poor of Mars, which was the aim of the extreme left candidate. A lot of this focused on the use of a spin doctor, rather than the actual politics. I think the key phrase in this novella was “if we repeat a phrase enough times, people will start to believe it.” It had weak execution and weak follow through. I did really like the narrator. He’s narrated this trilogy extremely well. Rating = 2* / 5* The Red Planet President (The Red Planet, #4)                                                                                    I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I liked the idea of the fight against corruption, spearheaded by the first Martian President, Jane Sterling. I don’t quite think that her policies were that great, but the plot was pretty good. It probably would have been better if it had been longer, as the storyline felt quite condensed. Rating = 4* / 5*

Book Review: The Shock of the Fall, bu Nathan Filer.

Book Review: The Shock of the Fall, bu Nathan Filer.

I DNFed this book at exactly 100 pages, or 31%. 

I have no idea what was happening in this book or where it was heading, or even really, where it had come from. It felt like everything was about Simon, but Simon died three pages into the book and I still couldn’t figure out what he’d actually died from. All I know he suffered from was weak muscles and Downs Syndrome. Aside from poor writing and inconsistent plot, the characters weren’t brilliant either. Matthew was boring, and his parents were flat. 

The first 31% of this book doesn’t convince me that Matthew is actually schizophrenic because he feels too together in the novel. His thoughts and feelings are pretty present and his schizophrenia isn’t shown through his behaviour and language, but he tells you. It’s just a massive disappointment.

Rating = 1* / 5*.

Book Review: Matched, Matched #1, by Ally Condie.

Book Review: Matched, by Ally Condie. (Matched, #1)

I was supposed to be buddy reading this book with Amy but I kinda rushed ahead. I'm not so happy that I did.

I don't quite understand why I didn't really like this book. I loved the premise, but the execution let it down. I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen, and then the big thing that happened was Cassia kissing a boy? Like what? It felt incredibly slow and it was really difficult to see where the plot was going.

The only good part of this novel really, aside from a chapter at the beginning (maybe that's just because I liked the Matching ceremony and the link with Cassia's dress and the front cover of the book, which I would say is really good. I really like the front cover) is the last few chapters. Something finally happens, and the pace of the book changes. 

With a lackluster plot, you'd have thought that the character development would be good. But no. It's not. Cassia comes across as a love torn teenager who can't choose between Xander, her best friend who she would have a good life with, and Ky, the local mysterious bad boy who she only likes because of a mistake. I love her name, but her character is incredibly boring. Xander is basically non-existent until Cassia sees him playing games and he's signing them up to couple-y things without her permission. He totally didn't deserve Cassia's treatment of him in the book. Ky is much more interesting than either Xander and Cassia, especially as the book teases his backstory and his ineligibility to be Matched, but he's still not amazing. However, I did like Cassia's Grandfather. He's only in about a quarter of the book, but he has more sense than all the other characters combined. 

I think my major gripe with this book is that it really just focused on the wrong things. Why did Society develop like this? How long has it been like this? Why can't people write anymore? How exactly do they match the teenagers? (just saying genes isn't helpful, Cassia's Official. Does she even have a name?) How did they choose the 100 Poems that survived? I get that poetry plays a large part in this books, but what else did they save besides poetry? Why were the artifacts removed? Why were the trees cut down? (just saying that its a warning isn't helpful either, Cassia) But instead of all of these questions being answered, we got learning to write in sand, jealous girlfriends and a lot of pages about a compass. I don't think I've read so much about a compass since The Golden Compass .

While I will read the read of the series, I think for dystopian future novels, I'll stick with Three Days Breathing .

Rating = 2* / 5*.

Book Review; Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell.

Book Review; Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell.

I loved this book!!! I found it very difficult to put this book down (though I did a couple times) and I felt drawn into the story and Cath’s world. Being that it centres around fanfiction, I wasn’t a massive fan of the excerpts of the fanfiction that Cath wrote being at the end of the chapters. It made sense for the story, but I personally struggled with it because it distracted me from the actual plot and Cath. I loved reading about the relationship between Cath and Wren (and I love their names). Seeing them fall apart and the stress that Cath was under in the first semester felt very real and relatable. It was really interesting to read the differences in how they treated their mother, though the whole debacle did make me really dislike Wren. In fact, the entire book minus the last four chapters made me strongly dislike Wren. I also liked Cath and Wren’s father and it felt nice to see a depiction of bipolar, and how it’s affected Cath. It was difficult to see how it affected Wren, but then, Wren was difficult. I really liked Reagan. She was possibly the most mature character in the book and I thought she was brilliant. I loved the way she handled living with Cath and drawing her out of their room. I also found her dislike of twins pretty entertaining. For the first quarter of the book I was trying to figure out if Cath would date Nick or Levi. I never really liked Nick and I liked the culmination of their storyline, with Cath receiving the support of Professor Piper (I imagine that Cath really frustrated her for the majority of the novel and fair dos to the woman for sticking out and supporting Cath) as well as her friends. However, I did really like Levi. I liked him from the moment he offered to walk Cath to her lectures in the dark, because I thought that was really sweet and gentlemanly. I just really loved this book and I thank the person who recommended it to me, because it was brilliant. Rating = 5* / 5*.

Book Review; The Enigma Series, #1 and #2, by Charles V. Breakfield and Roxanne E. Burkey.

Book Review

The Enigma Series, #1, The Enigma Factor, by Charles V. Breakfield and Roxanne E. Burkey.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The characters were really good. I enjoyed learning about these people, especially Jacob and Otto, though I suspected Petra of being a turncoat the entire novel. I thought they were written really well and I really liked the friendship between Jacob and Buzz.

However, there was a lot of conversation, so it wasn’t exactly fast paced, and the plot itself was quite confusing. It was a bit weird because the plot tried to be fast but the topic itself slowed it down and with all of the exposition talking, it felt really strange. The hacking aspects of the book sounded interesting but they felt rather overdone. I say sounded, because it was quite difficult to follow because it didn’t make much sense to me. However, I am a complete computer novice.

I didn’t like the sex scenes. They weren’t particularly good, so either they needed more attention, or they needed removing.

The group itself confused me. Are they a stealth group? Because it seems like everybody knows they exist and can request their services. 

So I was confused by most of this novel, but I really liked the characters, character development and the writing style.

Rating = 3* / 5*.



The Enigma Series, #2, The Enigma Rising, by Charles V. Breakfield and Roxanne E. Burkey.

                                                          

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this book, and I much prefer this book to #1 in the series. It looked deeper into Jacob, Petra and Otto, as well as looking into the other members of the R-Group. As in book 1, my favourite part of the novel is the character development and the character interactions, which was excellent.

I did struggle with the plot a bit, because there was a lot of moving parts that I struggled to link together. It reminded me a bit of the Jack Reacher novels with all the moving parts of the plot. The tech aspects did again feel overdone, but not as bad as the previous novel.

Rating = 4* / 5*.

Manga Review: Silver Spoon, Volume 1, by Arakawa Hiromi

Silver Spoon, Volume 1, by Arakawa Hiromi.

This is a slice of life manga from Arakawa Hiromi, who also wrote Full Metal Alchemist, and is influenced by the part of her life which she spent on a dairy farm.

This follows Hachiken Yugo who moves to an agricultural high school in order to get away from his family, knowing nothing about agriculture. I just love Hachiken! He's just so relatable, struggling with what to do and the lack of a dream to dedicate his life to. Finding himself surrounded by all of his classmates who have their own dreams (to become a veterinarian, take over the family farm or to work with horses) only depresses Hachiken more.  

I love Yezo High School! It's just so friendly and the students are brilliant. I always thought that it would be difficult to show secondary character development in manga, but Arakawa Hiromi manages it spectacularly. There is such a diverse secondary cast that are enjoyable to read besides Hachiken and I think that it's brilliant.

Also, there is seriously so much food involved in this manga. It makes me hungry just reading it, and it all looks delicious. I feel Hachiken's struggle.  

Rating = 5* / 5*

Book Review: The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael

The Legend of the Blue Eyes, #1. by B. Kristin McMichael

This was a really interesting book. I particularly liked the concept of the four night humans - dearg-dul, baku, lycan and tengu. Unfortunately, a lot of the novel is dedicated to Arianna, the main character, being doted on and kissed by various boys, rather than on the plot, which was the interesting aspect of this novel. I still don't know what the legend of the blue eyes is, but I don't know if I want to read the second book to find out. 

Arianna has four boys surrounding her; Devin, Turner, Andrew and Thomas. I personally found Turner the most interesting and fleshed out with actual characterisation. Devin, while I liked him at the beginning, simply devolved into "I'm protecting you because of your grandfather" and became a relatively boring character. Andrew and Thomas only came in near the end so while Arianna has already kissed Andrew, we know barely anything about him. Thomas is motivated by a family debt so maybe kissing won't be occurring for him in the near future?

I did really like the friendship between Lord Randolph and Gabriel. I did prefer Gabriel of the two, but I thought they were both interesting and I wish that more of the book had delved into their friendship, the war between the dearg-dul and the Baku and why that made Arianna so special.

Rating = 3* / 5*

Book Review: Serenity, by Craig A. Hart

Serenity, Shelby Alexander #1, by Craig A. Hart.

Shelby Alexander is dragged into a murder mystery after a local girl is found on his property. After accepting payment from the local gang leader, relative of the girl found on his property, he is dragged into a turf war.

I liked Shelby Alexander. He is older than the average male protagonist and I liked how his age is portrayed, especially through his relationship with a bartender who is the same age as his daughter. I also liked his good friend Mack, and I kinda wanted to know how his relationship with Gloria was resolved after he left Serenity.

I loved the humour of the characters and the random little tidbits involved in the books, especially the maple syrup tapping and fishing in ice. It was really interesting and I feel like I learnt something.

However, my major complaint about this book is that I feel like it's more of a sequel book rather than the first in the series. It's written almost as if you already know all the characters and I found it a bit difficult to remember all of the characters, especially the Ellis's.

Rating = 4* / 5*

Book Review: Ellie Quin: Girl Reborn, by Alex Scarrow

Ellie Quin: Girl Reborn, #5, by Alex Scarrow.

I have been loving this series and I can't wait for the next in the series to come out. I've read the first five in less than a week and I'm seriously addicted.

However, I do have some minor issues with the plot and a few mistakes, for example <spoiler> when the scorpion chops off Ellie's hand, he chops off her right hand. Later, its her left hand. Maybe that was just a mistake that got overlooked in the writing process. Being left handed, I feel for her more having her left hand chopped off. </spoiler>. My main issue with the plot however is <spoiler> that Mason made Ellie so that she wouldn't make friends easily and hence she would keep travelling, never content to stay in one place. But the major thing about Ellie revealed in this book is that she is capable of carrying and birthing a baby. But how is she supposed to do that when she's been programmed to effectively not make friends so that she stays on the run? </spoiler>. Basically, the main issue with this series is inconsistency. 

Overall, a good book with a few errors.

Re-Read 2017

This is very much a sequel to Ellie Quin in WonderLand, as Ellie and Jez are still marooned in WonderLand, only now they know that it's incredibly creepy. The murder mystery continues, though it feels more like a subplot as compared to Deacon's parallel plot. I don't find it all that entertaining, especially as it's difficult to actually relate that to the plot of the novels. 

Deacon is closing in on Mason and Ellie by hunting down the Rebornist Church and the Awoken. In many aspects, I am beginning to really like Deacon, but I have the feeling that the Administration are going to attempt to "keep him quiet" after the events of the series, much as he does to the "loose ties" he finds in his numerous cases. It's really Deacon's part that pushes the plot forward as the reader finally discovered what exactly Mason did to Ellie that makes her this target of this governmental hunt.

Mason also makes a return and parts of the novel are dedicated to his views and actions and what he's doing while Ellie is on WonderLand and Deacon is hunting for clues through New Haven. It's finally explained why he created Ellie Quin and his motivation behind the entire point of this series. I loved it, and I'm starting to really like Mason, especially now that I can establish what his motivations are.

I actually like the cliffhanger. It is part of the Alex Scarrow writing style to leave a cliffhanger, and Ellie Quin: Girl Reborn does not disappoint. You have two cliffhangers, one for Ellie and one for Deacon, and both are exciting and promise good things for Ellie Quin #6. 

However, the inconsistencies are beginning to become more obvious. There are numerous small spelling and grammar mistakes which are easy enough to ignore. The most obvious inconsistency is Ellie's hand but there are other minor inconsistencies such as the dome that Ellie's father was growing the meat plant in. In one book it's Betsy and in another it's not. Also, Ellie refers to her family occasionally, but only refers to her brother Ted and her father. It's like she's forgotten that she had a sister and a mother.

I rated this a 3.5* because I felt that the Ellie/Jez plot was really boring and not entirely relevant to the plot of the series (other than they're in one location so that Deacon and Mason's plots can be successful) while Deacon and Mason were quite interesting.

Book Review: Ellie Quin in WonderLand, by Alex Scarrow

Ellie Quin in WonderLand, #4, by Alex Scarrow.

This instalment follows Ellie and Jez as they escape the Administration and are subsequently abandoned on a theme park / pleasure resort world called WonderLand. Originally built for the rich of Celestion, it was abandoned mid-build due to the decline and later ecological disaster of Celestion.

This was very much split between two plots; Ellie and Jez living on WonderLand, and Deacon searching for clues on Ellie in New Haven.

Ellie and Jez's part feels very much like filler between book 3 and 5, with a vague murder mystery built into WonderLand. Why are there only two maintenance crew at WonderLand and why are they so odd? Grey and Shelby are indeed very strange, and you read it very much from Ellie's perspective who finds Shelby robotic and Grey creepy.

Deacon's part on the other hand, is much more interesting. I got the feeling that it was Deacon's parts pushing the plot forward, as he hunts for those helping Ellie Quin and rubs into the Rebornist Church and their violent subset the Awoken. Sean, Ellie's childhood friend is returned and it is explained who he is and what he's been doing since The Legend of Ellie Quin.

As such, this instalment felt very slow, much like The World According to Ellie Quin. I'm hoping that this doesn't become a pattern across the series. Also, the series is beginning to show the time period in which it is written. It relies heavily on famous scientists from this era when the novels are set multiple centuries in the future. With the various technological advances that have been made prior to this series, you'd think that there would be the scientists to accompany that, but there isn't. The ending is also very abrupt. It's neither a cliffhanger or has closure. It felt very strange.

Rating = 3* / 5*

Book Review: Beneath The Neon Sky, by Alex Scarrow

Beneath the Neon Sky, Ellie Quin #3, by Alex Scarrow.

Re-Read 2017

This series is getting better and better! It features Ellie, Jez and Aaron as they embark on a new shuttle business, ferrying people to see the fast disappearing snow caps. Though they only managed to make one successful trip before the Administration, in the form of Deacon, catch her trail, I really liked that subplot. It was really nice to explore the friendship between Ellie, Jez and Aaron, and even a romantic relationship is hinted at a couple times between Jez and Aaron.

We finally see more of Mason. I find Mason possibly the most interesting character in the books. The three main characters are all driven by primary desires; Ellie by the nomadic urges that Mason amped up within her psyche, Jez by the need to leave Harper's Reach, and Aaron by the need to make money and live a happy life. Mason's reasonings are not yet understood because of how little he features in the books. Parts of it are obvious as well as aspects from book one, The Legend of Ellie Quin, but I think it would be really interesting to delve into Mason's character more.

I also like the relationship between Deacon and Leonard. I find Deacon an interesting character. He is so intwined in the need for the continued existence of the Administration that he is willing to kill all the children that Mason was involved in creating. It would be just as interesting to delve into Deacon as it would be with Mason.

As for the plot and pacing, this was a much better novel than book 2, The World According to Ellie Quin. The plot was propelled and the pacing was consistent. It was an exciting novel.

I love the continued usage of the Wikipedia-style excepts, though they seemed to be somewhat lacking in this book compared to book 1 and 2.

There were a couple grammar mistakes and just general mistakes, such as the name of the dome that Ellie's father used to change the farm crop. The tubweeds make a triumphant return as a result. I do think that there is a growing usage of swearing, a lot of which feels mostly unneeded.

Rating = 4* / 5*

Book Review: The World According to Ellie Quin, by Alex Scarrow

The World According to Ellie Quin, #2, by Alex Scarrow.

Re-Read 2017

I don't like this second instalment in the Ellie Quin series as much as the first book. It's very much a character and plot development. While necessary, it feels a bit plodding.

It follows Ellie and Jez as they attempt to save money in order to make it off of New Haven. They have multiple different jobs including a burger bar, a pyramid scheme and a recycling plant. As a statement of the type of work available to young adults in the real world, it works, but as entertaining reading, not as much.

That being said, I did love the character development of Ellie and Jez. More so Jez, as she was only in a couple chapters at the end of book 1, she's explored in much more detail in this book. She's head strong, confident and the complete opposite of Ellie. It's very interesting to see the dichotomy between Aaron and Jez as Ellie's two friends.

Scarrow's world building is, as usual, pretty spectacular, especially for a short book. I did have trouble imagining the Boojam that Jez and Ellie visit, but I'm not sure if that was the description (which amounted to a person that looks like an elephant?) or my ability to imagine.

The more I read this series, the more I adore the Wikipedia style excerpts included occasionally. It gives you a sense of destination as they talk about 'the legend of Ellie Quin' and her effect on the human universe.

Rating = 3* / 5*

Book Review: The Legend of Ellie Quin, by Alex Scarrow

The Legend of Ellie Quin, #1, by Alex Scarrow.



Original Read 2016

Short, snappy and intriquing. I can't quite believe that Ellie is twenty as she doesn't act twenty years old, more like a teenager, but thats only a minor criticism. 
I can't wait to read book 2!!! :-)

Reread 2017

Having come to Ellie Quin from Time Riders, I was expecting something relatively similar. Well, it wasn't. Scarrow's writing remains brilliant and I find myself invested in Ellie's future. I wanted for her to get to New Haven and to succeed in New Haven.
I love the way that Scarrow world builds, creating so many different alien cultures, fashions, languages, worlds and I particularly liked the few short passages dedicated to the dome integrity at Ellie's home and at New Haven. I thought the link was pretty cool. 
It is pretty short, with some chapters lasting one page and some lasting five or six, and as a result some secondary characters are pretty one dimensional, especially Ellie's siblings Ted and Shona. My previous criticism stands, and Ellie doesn't act like a twenty year old, more like the teenager that she appears to be. Due to Jez's late introduction, she's not a well developed character yet, not to the same extent as Aaron Goodman (and what a brilliant name that is). 
I also really like the Wikipedia style entries that are used occasionally during the course of the book. It's interesting to see how Ellie is so important while she's at the beginning of her 'legend' and to see the comments that are written so many years after the posts and the divergent thoughts about whether Ellie was real or just a legend.
Also, how strange is it that somebody can never have seen snow?

Book Review: In The Dark, by Daniel Fox

In The Dark, by Daniel Fox

I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Steve is an ordinary man who wakes up in hospital after an accident. Suffering amnesia, he doesn't remember his wife, his son or his business.

This was such a wonderfully written novel, I couldn't stop listening. It was so interwoven that even at the end I was asking myself questions about the plot. It was easy to get caught up in Steve's confusion and to completely immerse yourself in the novel. Part of that must be attributed to the brilliant narrator, Timothy McKean, who really made Steve feel like a flesh and blood person. Every emotion was brilliantly portrayed and amazingly crafted.

I loved the psychological twist running through this book, and at times I did start to question whether Steve was really suffering from brain damage, especially after he started seeing his father. The explanation for this was so sweet and made me love this book even more.

The love triangle between Hayley and Lisa threw me a bit. I thought from the beginning that Steve was married to Hayley and Lisa had used the accident as a way of slipping herself into his life. Well kind of and not really at the same time. Lisa and Tyler I found rather interesting. Given the ending, I'm not entirely sure why the plot is as it is, but I'm willing to give it another listen to try and understand. Tyler also confused me throughout the novel because he never acted like a son to Steve, and given the ending, I do now understand, but it was a major question that I kept asking throughout the novel.

Overall, this book was amazing. Absolutely worth a listen.

Rating = 5* / 5*