Book Review: Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer

Review: Bloody Jack
Series: Bloody Jack – Book 1
Author: L. A. Meyer
No of Pages: 290
Release Date: 1 June 2004

ADVENTURE AND DECEPTION ON THE HIGH SEAS!

Life as a ship’s boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and daring sailor as the crew hunts murderous pirates on the high seas.

There’s just one problem: Jacky is a girl...

My Thoughts:

Bloody Jack has potential to rival Captain Jack Sparrow, she is that good.

Jacky wasn’t always called Jacky; she was once called Mary, living on the streets of London after That Dark Day when her parents and sister were claimed by the plague. The first part of our story details some of Mary’s adventures on the streets of London, begging, stealing and reading for pennies but when the boy who has been her gangs leader for four years dies she decides it’s time to move on with her life, and pursue her dream of sailing on the water. Because as Jacky says doesn’t matter if you die by hanging or die by drowning, you’re still dead, so she may as well give sailing a go.

I absolutely loved Jacky in every way, her scallywag nature, her adventurous mind and her caring heart. In many situations that most people would have stood back and saved their own necks, Jacky stepped forward and did what was right. Sure Jacky also causes quite a bit of trouble as she gets older, but all of it is good natured and well meaning.

What I loved most about Bloody Jack though – apart from Jacky of course – was the writing. It’s the sort that isn’t overly detailed but one still has the perfect picture of what is going on. The writing flows and reads fairly quickly. I also loved the style of Jacky’s language as she recounted her days in London and on the Dolphin. She literally wrote how she spoke with all of the:

“Methinks meself to bes a proper lady what gets married to some handsome man some day, or so methinks in me dreams and such, I knows I’m not a proper lady, but hopefully someone will takes me good-natured heart and all.”

One would think that may get a little annoying but it was so well done that it only added to the picture being painted. Jacky was no lady, and she never pretended to be, but she did have dreams and those dreams were quite big.

Bloody Jack was also split into five parts which I absolutely loved as well. We weren’t overloaded with plotlines, because Jacky can only do one thing at a time and have one thing on her mind at one time. Five different plotlines weren’t played out through the story but as each part came to a close so that part of the story was over and the next part began. It was marvellous to read because it let me keep track of everything that was going on and fit perfectly with the story.

Add into the masterful writing the plot and you have a perfect piece. Nothing about Jacky’s adventure was ever dull, but you still got time to breathe. Jacky got all the important information across without dumping it on us and still made room for witty remarks and engaging monologue.

I cannot fault Bloody Jack in anyway, the storyline was brilliant, the characters were flawless and Jacky is so loveable that I absolutely cannot wait to revisit her world as soon as possible.

Others in this series:
Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Under the Jolly Roger
In the Belly of the Bloodhound
Mississippi Jack
My Bonny Light Horseman
Rapture of the Deep
The Wake of the Lorei

Book Review: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Review: Wizard’s First Rule
Series: Sword of Truth – Book 1
Author: Terry Goodkind
No of Pages: 764
Release Date: 1 January 1995

One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations, to the fate of humanity. But until he learns the Wizard’s First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting magic exists at all…

A novel of incomparable scope and brimming with atmospheric detail: this is a world where heart hounds stalk the magical boundaries between countries, and worlds, for unwary human prey, blood-sucking flies hunt on behalf of their underworld masters, and where artists can draw more than just your likeness.

There is nowhere to hide, nowhere is safe. Here magic makes love twice as sweet, and betrayal and loss twice as bitter.

My Thoughts:

Wizard’s First Rule was epic, in more ways than just the page count.

Richard’s life is turned upside down after his father’s death and his encounter with a strange woman in the woods. Lifelong friends reveal lies that have been told to him since birth and a journey ensues to stop a madman from taking over the world as Richard knows it.

Where do I even start with Goodkind's tale of epic adventure... Wizard’s First Rule felt like three or four books in one, journeys to the mudflats, secret dwellings, dragons lairs and kingdoms surrounded Richards journey, all accompanied by beautiful scenery and a plethora of interesting and well developed characters.

Richard is a charming character. He is kind-hearted good willed and genuinely sweet. Kahlan is a strong stubborn woman who is the most powerful confessor in history and one of the highest ranking officials in Midland. And Zedd is not only comic relief but a powerful First Wizard who helps keep Richard safe and out of trouble by supplying information.

Wizard’s First Rule is a magical tale filled with dragons, epic journeys and quests as well as little spin off stories that Richard encounters along the way. Wizard’s First Rule is never dull even though it is meticulously detailed. I had a perfect picture in my head the entire time because of the scenery and detail being layered around the story.

One doesn’t want for anything with Wizard’s First Rule; it has romance, torture, action, adventure and a lot of logic thrown into the mix. The romance forming between Richard and Kahlan was sweet, it wasn’t lustful or committing it was a companionship that had an underlying tone of passion.

Sure Wizard’s First Rule was a little formulaic you could tell where we were going to end up but I loved the journey that we took to get there. The winding pathways that Richards’s character takes in this book though keeps it interesting. Was I expecting him to be captured by a Mord-Sith (BDSM evil chick who tortures people using their own power against them and breaks their will.)? No. Those kinds of off shoots really kept me going in this, it was the massive twists an plot forks that keep Wizard’s First Rule interesting.

I absolutely cannot wait to dive back into Richard’s story in Stone of Tears to revisit the world Goodkind has created and find out what further adventure’s Richard will encounter.

Others in this series:
Stone of Tears
Blood of the Fold
Temple of the Winds
Soul of the Fire
Faith of the Fallen
The Pillars of Creation
Naked Empire
Chainfire
Phantom
Confessor
The Omen Machine

Book Review: The Shadow Seer by Fran Jacobs

Review: The Shadow Seer
Series: Ellenessia’s Curse – Book 1
Author: Fran Jacobs
No of Pages: 337
Release Date: 2 April 2009

For generations prophets have foreseen the birth of the Shadow Seer, the oracle of dark visions and fallen kingdoms. But by the time of Sorron, King of Carnia, their warnings have mostly been forgotten and his name is known only to a handful of scholars. When Sorron's grandson, Prince Candale, falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by his saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She believes that Candale is the fulfilment of those long forgotten prophecies. She believes that he is the Shadow Seer...

My Thoughts:

The Shadow Seer was an extremely interesting read, but it was a little slow in its movement.

Candale is a prince with a secret; he is having prophecies, hearing voices, and seeing people that aren’t there. The Shadow Seer starts with Candale being gravely ill and close to death. All we hear are snippets of conversation between his relatives, arguments between his father and grandfather about how to best help him.

His grandfather sends for a woman named Mayrila, a conniving, gold-digging witch, who seems to be the only person who can help him. Mayrila saves Candale, but she also changes his life forever, revealing herself as his birth mother and him as the Shadow Seer, a dark prophet whose visions will only ever be of death and destruction.

Candale is an interesting character, if a little naive. He is intelligent and easily relatable being a quiet, odd child who fits in well enough at court, but is always dreaming and looking for something more. Candale did get a little infuriating at times when he went off by himself without thinking things through only to nearly get killed by his enemies. At times I wanted to shake him, but mostly I felt empathetic and a little sad about his situation.

The Shadow Seer was well written and completely engaging because it didn’t seem like you were racing to the finish line. Each new event in the timeline was well paced and flowed seamlessly into the plot.

The only problem with The Shadow Seer was that we never really get answers to our questions, the world of Carnia that Jacobs created was superb, but there was so much groundwork to lay that we only got to see snippets about the myths behind the shadow seer and those myths were relentlessly repeated.

The Shadow Seer was an excellently written story with an engaging main character who kept me entertained and continuously coming back for more. The mystery behind who Ellenessia is and how she is going to affect Candale in the long run has me itching to get my hands on the second book in this promising fantasy series.

Book Review: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Review: Cry Wolf
Series: Alpha & Omega – Book 2
Author: Patricia Briggs
No of Pages: 294
Release Date: 29 July 2008

Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer – and son – of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.

Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it’s Anna’s inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf – a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack...

My Thoughts:

Patricia Briggs has definitely redeemed herself in my eyes with the awesomeness that is, Cry Wolf.

Cry Wolf is actually the second book in this series with On the Prowl (a short story) being the first, detailing the events leading up to Cry Wolf. Although I didn’t read On the Prowl before I read Cry Wolf, it in no way detracted from the story and it was easy to pick up the events of what had happened previously.

Cry Wolf follows the story of Anna and Charles and their quest to find a rogue werewolf. Anna who is traumatised from living with her previous pack who abused her in more way that just physically is struggling to adjust and Charles who is an assassin for his father and not used to being close with anyone is new to the experience as well.

Anna and Charles wolves chose each other before Anna and Charles realised what was happening. So they have a strong attraction to each other even though they barely know one another. Anna is also a rare Omega wolf, which is neither submissive nor dominant and who doesn’t have to follow orders from anyone. Being an Omega also comes with special powers which Anna and Charles know nothing about.

Anna is a strong, extremely likeable character. She is traumatised but doesn’t try to act tough, she does however, let her wolf take over. Anna’s wolf has been protecting her ever since she was turned, I felt sorry for the wolf because she has taken on all the abuse suffered by Anna so that Anna can live day to day. Anna’s wolf is definitely very strong and although it’s confusing to distinguish between the two I think I loved Anna’s wolf for being strong enough to take all the pain away from Anna.

Charles was a little erratic with his behaviour because of Anna’s Omega effect on him. One minute he was calm and rational, the next he was growling at someone who looked at either him or Anna the wrong way.

After reading Moon Called what I loved most about Cry Wolf was the insight we got into Samuel and Bran. Charles is a lot younger than both of them and although Samuel seems at odds with the world seeing him in a different light, through his brothers eyes made him a well rounded character instead of the one we saw in Moon Called.

Cry Wolf was very character driven and I loved it. Anna and Charles were well developed, as were the secondary characters. We had a little bit of the trademark Briggs repetition, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as Moon Called.

I don’t know how the story will continue as it was wrapped up so beautifully at the end of Cry Wolf, but I do want to go back. Cry Wolf was action packed with its hunt for the rogue but also very sweet with its beautiful development of characters.

Others in this Series:
On the Prowl
Hunting Ground

Book Review: Frostbite by Ricelle Mead

Review: Frostbite
Series: Vampire Academy – Book 2
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 327
Release Date: 10 April 2008

WHEN LOVE AND JEALOUSY COLLIDE ON THE SLOPES, WINTER BREAK TURNS DEADLY...

Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir's on high alert, and the academy crawls with Guardians - including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks. This year, St. Vlad's holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose - and her heart - are in more danger than she ever could have imagined...

My Thoughts:

Once again we are taken on a spell binding journey thanks to Mead’s wonderful storytelling.

All Moroi are in danger as we finish the first few chapters of Frostbite. Rose herself witnesses the aftermath of a horrific Strigoi attack on an unsuspecting Moroi family. Worse still is that it is a royal family, and the note written in blood found at the scene suggests that the Strigoi are deliberately picking off the royals, which doesn’t do much for Rose’s peace of mind as Lissa is the only Dragomir (Dragomir’s are royal) left.

So the whole school and quite a few other Moroi take refuge in a heavily guarded, highly exclusive ski resort. Rose and her friends gear up for a week of skiing, dancing, relaxing fun. Until a couple of her friends take off after some Strigoi...and one ends up dead.

Again I absolutely loved Rose. Witnessing the attack at the beginning of the book cooled her down a bit and snapped her out of the heroism thoughts of thinking that she could take down six Strigoi, by herself. Unfortunately it didn’t cool down some of her friends.

We saw more of the other characters in Frostbite as well. Mia made her return once again causing trouble for Rose and Lissa. As we were sucked into Lissa’s head more often we got to see her way of thinking a little more. Christian was excellent in this book, caring for Lissa whilst still being quite witty and helping Rose out when she needed him. Dimitri...was after another woman...but still as hot as ever. And then we have Adrian.
Ahh, Adrian, give me a moment while I swoon. Although there are mixed opinions about Adrian’s character, I love every bit of it. He is a male version of Rose, stubborn, witty, vulgar, self-confident and absolutely hilarious.

Rose also tried to move on from Dimitri, which is commendable because it doesn’t make her a swooning teenager which are so often left with.

Frostbite was of the same calibre as Vampire Academy, if not better as the story heats up.

Others in this series:
Vampire Academy
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound
Last Sacrifice

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Review: The Iron King

Series: Iron Fey – Book 1
Author: Julie Kagawa
No. of Pages: 363
Release Date: 1st February 2010

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY – ONE SHE NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school...or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth – that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

My Thoughts:

The Iron King doesn’t live up to the surrounding hype in my opinion.

It’s all been done before, daughter of Oberon, the close friend Puck, the trek through faeryland and a changeling somewhere in the midst of it all. The Iron King has its high points and there was a good plot driving the story, but I couldn’t help but get the feeling of déjà vu.

Meghan’s brother is taken by someone from faeryland and replaced with a changeling. Meghan who has never fit into the society around her finds out that her best friend, Robbie Goodfell, is actually the Puck of legend. She asks him to help her get her brother back. And so, the adventure ensues.

The start was a bit slow, but once we get out of the summer court The Iron King does get quite intriguing. The detail put into the book was very vivid and although a bit much at times, created a colourful image in my mind that I quite enjoyed exploring through the eyes of Meghan.

Meghan is a strong character, she is focused and wilful. And smart. That was the high point of The Iron King, Meghan wasn’t stumbling around waiting for people to save her, she actually figured things out for herself, and while making a few mistakes they weren’t the cringe worthy disasters I have grown so used to when it comes to YA adventure stories. She worked out exactly how to bargain with the fey, where to go and after being taught, tapping into her power source.

Meghan was also believable. At one point towards the end, she is tempted by an offer, and to be honest I probably would have had a tougher time saying no to what was on the table. Yes she was tempted, she’s half human. She didn’t take it, but she was tempted. She also wasn’t all over Ash, the love interest, she was able to stay focused on the task at hand, and although some tantalising flirting was explored, Meghan didn’t lose sight of what she was there to do.

Grimalkin, the cat, I loved him, so smart, so funny, so witty, so Cheshire. Every time he spoke I got the Cheshire cat in my head. I don’t know if Kagawa did it intentionally, but if she didn’t...

The only other point was the swearing. We were censored for the first part of the book, when her mother was around. But as soon as Meghan entered faeryland, it’s like the gloves were off no holds barred so to speak. The language that was used was not offensive in my opinion but considering the fact that we had the line “said a word my mother would have grounded me for” in the first part to full blown S-bombs in the second and third, it was just a little unexpected.

So The Iron King, intriguing, strong character – read it for Meghan in my opinion – a little cliché, funny and strong story. Anyone who like faeries will love it, anyone who likes smart characters who don’t need to be told what is right in front of their faces will love it, and anyone who likes Alice in Wonderland will love it as well.

Others in this series:
The Iron Daughter
The Iron Queen

Others who have reviewed this:
Tigers All Consuming Books
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!

Available at:
Amazon
Book Depository

Book Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Review: Fire

Author: Kristin Cashore
No. Of Pages: 334

Release Date: October 2009

FIRE IS MORE THAN ATTRACTIVE, FIRE IS MESMERISING.

Fire’s exceptional beauty gives her influence and power. People who are susceptible to it will do anything for her attention, and for her affection. If she wished, they would abuse their power, crush nations and even destroy their own kingdom to please her.

But beauty is only skin deep, and beneath it Fire has a human appreciation of right and wrong. Aware of her ability to influence others, and afraid of it, she lives in a corner of the world away from people – not only to protect them but also to protect herself from their attention, their distrust, and even their hatred.

Yet Fire is not the only danger to the Dells. If she wants to protect her home, if she wants a chance to undo the wrongs of the past, she must face her fears, her abilities, and a royal court full of powerful people with reason to distrust her.

Beauty is a weapon – and Fire is going to use it.

With a cast of astonishing characters, a dangerous world and a captivating, elegantly written story, Fire is a powerful tale of intrigue, death-defying adventure, and unexpected love.

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Review: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
No. Of Pages: 370
Release Date: October 2008

In a world where people are born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are both feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing.

Feared by the court and shunned by those her own age, the darkness of her Grace casts a heavy shadow over Katsa’s life. Yet she remains defiant: when the King of Lienid’s father is kidnapped she investigates, and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap the old man, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced man whose fighting abilities rivalled her own?

The only thing Katsa is sure of is that she no longer wants to kill. The intrigue around this kidnapping offers her a way out – but little does she realise, when she takes it, that something insidious and dark lurks behind the mystery. Something spreading from the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king...

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerising world, a death defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will captivate you, and leave you wanting more.

Book Trailer: Fire - Kristin Cashore

There seems to be a growing trend with the Cashore books...the trailers are crappy. But anyway, here is the Fire trailer, it isn't accurate, but what the hey...

Review: Coming Soon

Droolworthy Covers: Eyes Like Stars - Lisa Mantchev

It's intriguing isn't it?  Innocent looking, mystical.

Book Trailer: Graceling - Kristen Cashore

The book trailer for Graceling is actually awful, I thought it was so funny that I just posted it anyway.

Review: Coming soon