The Rossetti Letter - Christi Phillips

An easy read that is reminiscent of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, an adventure in the modern day solving a historical mystery. The writing is pretty good, and both story lines (Past and Present) work well together, no part to long no part to short. I would recommend this to anyone who liked the Da Vinci Code and is looking for a light read.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making - Catherynne M Valente

one sentence summary:
September is 12 and she is tired of her boring old life so goes on a grand adventure.

review:
This is a brilliant story, it reminds me of a cross between Phantom Toll-Booth and Caroline. It is so well written that even though it is a children's book I am going to have to recommend everyone take the time and read it. The characters are all unique, there are no stereotypes or tropes to be found on the pages of this thrilling little story. The writing it self is beautiful, with poetry like prose on every page. With each new character comes a new adventure. Do yourself a favour and read this (also a great gift if you don't know what to get a 7-10 year old or for a baby shower... every kid should have this on their book shelve).


10/10

Day by Day Armageddon Origin to Exile - J. L. Bourne

one sentence summary:
Zombies have taken over, only the smart survive.

Review:
I would call this a well written zombie survivor diary. The story in my opinion is realistic with chaos and lots of shifting attitudes of the main characters. The highlight of the story is a dog and how many sacrifices the people make to keep the dog around, to maintain their humanity is amazing (and realistic to my way of thinking). I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys zombie apocalypse stories where people actually survive in realistic ways.

7/10

Ape House - Sarah Gruen

one sentence summary:
when greed takes over people can do terrible things for their own entertainment.

review:
this was a really well thought out and beautifully executed story, I particularly enjoyed the main characters and their platonic relationship (nice for a change) with each other. I also learned a lot about Bonobos, they are fascinating creatures and they were the highlight of the book. Humans, I have concluded are terrible creatures and the world would be a lot better off with out us. I recommend reading this if you don't mind being pissed off at the world for a bit and are looking for a great, well written story.

9/10

Fangland - John Marks

one sentence summary
 A reporter travels to Transylvania following a story and disappears, her source shows up in New York and strange things start happening.

review
This is a well written story with an original idea pushing it. The characters are well developed and deal with the situations they are thrown into in a realistic way, which is nice. The dialogue is a bit stilted from time to time and the action is a bit off (but I can't quite put my finger on why). All in all it is a moderately well done modern Dracula story.

7/10

Last Known Victim - Erica Spindler

one sentence summary:
in the years since hurricane Katrina Patti O'Shay has wondered what exactly happened to her husband during the storm, she is about to find a clue.

review:
A well written romantic suspense, it has all the twist and turns and pacing you would expect from a best selling romantic suspense author. The characters are recycled from earlier books but the focal point has shifted. The supporting "damsel in distress" character was by far my favourite, a tough talking stripper who helps the cops out. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys the category.

6/10

Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovitch & Dorien Kelly

one sentence summary
Kate life fell apart and she is looking for a change in pace so moves to her old family summer home which is falling apart around her but she has dreams of making it into a B&B.

review
This story was great! Exactly what one expects from Evanovich, a quirky romance with lovable characters and a dash of drama and adventure. The writing is witty and fast paced with new twists and turns introduced just as you are getting a rhythm in the story which creates a very exciting page turning read. It is very formulaic but it is a formula I like. It you also like predictable love stories with lovable characters read this one too!

8/10

Dark Heavens Trilogy - Kylie Chan

one sentence summary
A nanny enters the world of mythology when she agrees to care for the daughter of a god.

review
This is a great series, the mythology is so well researched and described that it is easy to fall under the spell of the story and believe the unbelievable. The series gets stronger as it continues forward, the third book being the most well written. I enjoyed the characters for the most part, the only really weak link is the character of Simone, a little girl wise beyond her years. For the most part she is believable but she is also the only catalyst that dispels the suspension of disbelief that is so crucial to fantasy writing and she does it more than once. Aside from that I look forward to this series continuing.

Sins of the Flesh - Caridad Pineiro

one sentence summary
genetic experiment gone wrong finds love when a mercenary is sent to clean up the scientists mess (with her being the most volatile mess left behind)

review
a strong start to a new series, it has everything, action, adventure, romance and science fiction all well executed and combined to make a great story. The characters are all really well developed and as Cat and Mick's relationship unfolds you will be drawn in to their world. This novel has ups and downs that keep you guessing and interested from beginning to end. A definite page turner.

6/10

Next - Michael Chricton

One Sentence Summary:
 in an era of genetic manipulation what happens to the "miraculously" cured?

review:
I thought this was a hilarious, over the top look at a genre I enjoy, near-future sci-fi. An eccentric wealthy evil scientist sends a bounty hunter matching all the stereotypes after a humble scientist you cured his own disease by testing on himself, there is also an intelligent talking parrot.  And the list or over the top tropes goes on and on. That said there is truth in stereotypes and the corporations portrayed in the novel make you think and become a bit paranoid. If you enjoy sci-fi and have the ability to see the humour in over the top characterizations I recommend this for you. This received mixed reviews both from the bloggers and the pros.

7/10

The Lovers - John Connolly

One Sentence Summary:
Former private eye Charlie Parker has been discredited and is now working as a bar tender.

review:
When I started this I didn't know that it was book 8 in a series, but it became apparent rather quickly that there was back story I was missing. That said it was fine that I was missing the back story, the writing was good for the thriller genre and the story telling was among the best. There is an obvious reason why Connolly has been on the New York Times Bestsellers list so often. He tells a fast paced story with interesting plot points and well written characters. I recommend this to people who enjoy the genres of crime fiction and thrillers. I do intend to go back and read the rest of the Charlie Parker series at some point.

6/10

The Twelve - Justin Cronin

One sentence summary:
The fall out of a military project to use an extinct virus to engineer super soldiers and unleashes an evil that is so horrific the world quarantines North America to avoid all out loss.

review:
A sequel so epic it deserved its own post! The writing is better than the last half of the first book but it is better in parts and mediocre in others. It is easy to tell as a reader what parts Cronin really enjoyed writing, bits about Grey and the "past", the year "0" parts especially stand out as well done. I would love to read more about year 0. The writing was pretty good and the plot pounds along at a healthy clip.  I thought it was really clever how Cronin summarized the first novel in the prologue in "bible verse" format. There were some really dark plot points though, darker than expected (which is saying a lot for a post apocalyptic story). I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Passage.

8/10 (if you have read The Passage this gets a 10/10 read it now rating, though I may be alone on that judging by the other reviews) I guess objectively (based on writing of this as a stand alone) I would actually give this a 5 or maybe 6 but I love the characters so much I rate it much higher.

The Crystal Cave - Mary Stewart

one sentence summary:
the story of Merlin before he was the great Wizard we all know him as.

review:
A wonderful take on the Merlin myth. We are introduced to a young Merlin and follow him as he enters adulthood. Filled with family drama and suspense, mystery and intrigue this is a well written, entertaining read. Stewart did a fantastic job of flushing out not only fantastic characters and relationships but also a fascinating country complete with politics and details that are often overlooked in "Arthur" stories. A great mix of verifiable fact and familiar myth. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys long, detailed historical novels and/or the Arthur legend.

6/10

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

one sentence summary
 The movie is a classic everyone has seen, the book is better.

review:
This story has everything, drama to action to love and adventure. It tells a compelling story using a fantastic vocabulary built around amazing characters and their adventures. I recommend everyone go steal a fourth grader (boy or girl, doesn't really matter) and read this novel out loud with them. If you haven't read it yourself do it now or forever consider yourself deprived of one of the best stories ever. It is a highly entertaining fast paced read with easy to follow intersecting character lines. I have heard criticism that the female protagonist isn't strong, and isn't a good role model, this is true, she isn't but you can use her as a lesson on what not to do in life, and as an adult look at her as one of those stupid annoying females that we all know far to many of. This is a parody after all, you do have to be able to laugh at the characters in their over the top trope ness. In conclusion if you haven't read it read it now...

10/10

Krewe of Hunters Series - Heather Graham

one sentence summary:
The government has allowed the leading expert in paranormal investigations to pull together his own rag tag crew of agents, all of whom see the world a little differently.

review:
Heather Graham will never win a Pulitzer but she will make a ton of money if she keeps writing like this. All easy reads full of adventure, intrigue and romance. Great beach reading. You could read one as a stand alone or the series in order, the back story from each previous book isn't necessary but it is neat to see characters reappear occasionally. I enjoyed this series.

6/10
8/10

 

Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Jules Verne

one sentence summary 
An inquisitive scientist goes on a journey to the centre of the earth.

review
The writing is antiquated, the story is timeless and the characters are charming. I love the attention to detail and the general quality of the writing, it seems to me that authors used to write better than they do now. I recommend everyone read this great adventure.

8/10

Angelfall - Susan Ee

one sentence summary
Angels have been sent to earth to destroy the modern world. A true apocalypse.

review
I was surprised at how well written and well thought out this book was. It is categorized as young adult but has more violence than the Hunger Games series by far. The plot is enthralling and fast paced. The characters are very sympathetic (I dare say I feel more for Penryn (this book) than I did for Katniss (hunger games)) and well written. The novel also touches on mental illness and some of the less glamorous aspects of a post-apocalypse world that most novels skim over.  If this quote makes you squeamish I do not recommend you read this book, "six butter knives stick out of his chest in a circular pattern. Someone has drawn a powder-pink lipstick pentagram with the knives at the end of the points. Blood bubbles up...My mother is safe. She has purposely missed his heart, and he will slowly bleed to death." I highly recommend this novel to anyone who still want's to read it after reading the above quote. It is beautiful and haunting, violent and full of compassion. It is an all around good read.

8/10

The Frankenstein Series - Dean Koontz

one sentence summary:
What if the story of Frankenstein was true, a man was really created hundreds of years ago, and survived.

review:
This series has an interesting premise which is what made me pick up the second book (which was the best of the three) but the writing is mostly lack lustre. Most for the characters rely heavily on stereotype and, for an author who has written as much crime as Koontz, to procedural bits were truly awful. the core characters are all well developed though. The dialogues are really the strongest aspect of the series, and the interactions between the character are really well thought out plot devices, apparently this project was started as a tv script, and from the writing that makes sense. Light on the descriptive prose (and what is there feels out of place) but well thought out on the character interactions. I am not sure I would actually recommend this series but it is entertaining enough.

6/10
I have only read the first three books in the series and am not sure I will ever continue with the series.

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - The Brothers Grimm

one sentence summary:
Before there was Disney fairy tales were much more gruesome.
review:
I happen to know a lot about the brothers Grimm and I can tell you that they did not come up with all of these stories on their own, rather they collected all the folk tales in Eastern Europe and wrote them down, thus they get all of the credit. I do not recommend these for children unless you stop reading and add your own happy endings because none of the true endings of fairy tales are happily ever after ones. These are all timeless classics and I believe no library is complete without them in it. Translated into almost every language these are all brilliant stories. Personally, I have a beautiful copy that was given to me by one of my mom's friends at my baby shower.
10/10

Eve Duncan Series - Iris Johansen

one sentence summary:
Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor she gives faces to forgotten bones.
review:
This is a decently written entertaining series. Eve Duncan, the protagonist is a very strong character but there are many other notable ones as well. Some of the books Even takes centre stage and in others she doesn't and that is what makes the series so interesting. The writing and settings are pretty standard for the genre, the plot of each novel is interesting as a stand alone with an over arching mystery covering much of the series. Well worth the read if you like that sort of thing.
6/10

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