Title: The Fool's Girl
Author: Celia Rees
Synopsis: The year is 1601, Violetta and Feste are in London and William Shakespeare is enjoying success at the Globe Theatre. But Violetta is not there to admire his plays; she is in England to retrieve her country's greatest treasure, stolen by the evil Malvolio, and she needs help. Her mission will take her from the shores of Illyria to the forest of Arden. In a quest that could mean life or death, can Violetta recover the precious relic and save her country and herself?
Review:
Finally, after days and days of reading all kinds of books, I've found something that actually appeals to me on all levels: character-wise, story-wise and feeling-wise. Because The Fool's Girl is yet another fantastic book from Celia Rees.
One thing that you need to know about this book is that the word "fool" in that time referred to someone who was a clown or jester; someone who was comic relief for a play. I didn't known that until I looked it up on the Internet. There were many moments of me wondering what the heck Will was talking about; I was trying to figure out why he needed an idiot for his next performance.
However, apart from that little confusion, the book is engaging and well-written. It's got strong male and female characters(which I especially liked. We don't normally get to see such well-developed characters in fiction nowadays).
This book also has something for everyone. There's action, adventure, some laughs and some romance. All in all, it makes for a good read on a rainy afternoon.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Between Reviews: Yay!!!
Guess what, people?(On second thoughts don't,I want to tell you myself)Chapter One of the seventh Artemis Fowl book is FINALLY out!! Yay!!(waves streamers around like an idiot)I've been wanting to read this SO much!!
(I apologise for the possibly unsettling excitement of this post. Not having enough sleep and then reading a chapter from the latest book from the series you love so much make a very bad combination)
Almost everyone has heard of Eoin Colfer's series of books for young adults, the enjoyable Artemis Fowl stories.(And if not, where have you been all these years? Go to your nearest bookshop/library and get them NOW!)I personally think that they are some of the funniest books that have been written ever, and better than even Harry Potter(whose plot I lost halfway through the sixth book and could never pick up again).
So, the first chapter has been released(available in pdf format here).Available with the chapter is the book cover, which is impressive, to say the least. It's basically got a shot of Artemis swimming through water(fully clothed,so don't worry parents)with plenty of bubbles surrounding him. And under him is the title "Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex" and the words "Out 20 July 2010" (my inner fangirl let out a loud shriek upon reading this, causing my brother to give me a "is-she-out-of-her-mind" look. Only slightly more than two months until I can read the entire book!)
(I just love parentheses)
One thing I noticed about the first chapter is the speed at which it moves along compared to the previous books, like there's some hurry to get it down and done(ooh, did I just invent a new phrase? I hope so). Another thing is Artemis actually realising that he has a mental disorder.(My inner cynic: Wait, you've got a mental disorder and you realise it now?I'm assuming that he's had the mental disorder for a few months. So,a few months and he realises this now? And he's supposed to have one of the highest tested IQs in Europe? Give me a break)
The mental disorder's name is revealed as well, so no spending the entire book going "let's keep running around till we find out exactly what mental disorder you've got". However, I think it's revealed a little too quickly. How does Holly know that it's specifically the Atlantis Complex? It could be anything. The chapter also contains plenty of action and a possible death.
So there's my opinion of the first chapter of book 7 of the Artemis Fowl series. Breathless and exciting. Hopefully the rest of the book will be as good, if not better.
(I apologise for the possibly unsettling excitement of this post. Not having enough sleep and then reading a chapter from the latest book from the series you love so much make a very bad combination)
Almost everyone has heard of Eoin Colfer's series of books for young adults, the enjoyable Artemis Fowl stories.(And if not, where have you been all these years? Go to your nearest bookshop/library and get them NOW!)I personally think that they are some of the funniest books that have been written ever, and better than even Harry Potter(whose plot I lost halfway through the sixth book and could never pick up again).
So, the first chapter has been released(available in pdf format here).Available with the chapter is the book cover, which is impressive, to say the least. It's basically got a shot of Artemis swimming through water(fully clothed,so don't worry parents)with plenty of bubbles surrounding him. And under him is the title "Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex" and the words "Out 20 July 2010" (my inner fangirl let out a loud shriek upon reading this, causing my brother to give me a "is-she-out-of-her-mind" look. Only slightly more than two months until I can read the entire book!)
(I just love parentheses)
One thing I noticed about the first chapter is the speed at which it moves along compared to the previous books, like there's some hurry to get it down and done(ooh, did I just invent a new phrase? I hope so). Another thing is Artemis actually realising that he has a mental disorder.(My inner cynic: Wait, you've got a mental disorder and you realise it now?I'm assuming that he's had the mental disorder for a few months. So,a few months and he realises this now? And he's supposed to have one of the highest tested IQs in Europe? Give me a break)
The mental disorder's name is revealed as well, so no spending the entire book going "let's keep running around till we find out exactly what mental disorder you've got". However, I think it's revealed a little too quickly. How does Holly know that it's specifically the Atlantis Complex? It could be anything. The chapter also contains plenty of action and a possible death.
So there's my opinion of the first chapter of book 7 of the Artemis Fowl series. Breathless and exciting. Hopefully the rest of the book will be as good, if not better.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Book Review: The Pact
Title: The Pact
Author:Jodi Picoult
Rarely has an author disappointed me so much in their books as Jodi Picoult.The first book of hers that I readMy Sister's Keeper(MSK) was engaging, funny and touching and I absolutely LOVED it. And then the quality of her books started going downhill. In simple terms, whatever I read after MSK seemed to fall into two categories: It Was Okay and Oh My God(not in a good way)
"So what category does The Pact fall into?" I hear you ask. Well, it falls into the It Was Okay category."But it's a book about a suicide pact made by two teenagers. Shouldn't it be more interesting or at least as good as My Sister's Keeper?" I hear you protest. Well, this book would have fallen into the Oh My God category, if not for one thing: Jordan McAfee, the lawyer(one of the two actually good characters in the book).
The rest is pretty much boring.The main romance in the book doesn't have enough zing(it seemed very one-sided, with Chris loving Emily more;she appears to have no interest in him other than using him as a tool to kill herseelf) and Picoult's used the formula of "one friend/sister is more lively, outgoing etc. and the other is quieter, more reserved etc." too many times.
Plus, I don't really understand why exactly Emily(one of the teenagers and the suicide pact initiator) wanted to kill herslf. The book states that she couldn't deal with not being able to live up to her parents' high expectations, so she decided to kill herself. Um, one small point: if you kill yourself, won't you be disappointing your parents even more? Just stop and think about that for a while before you decide to shoot yourself, okay Emily?
So this book wasn't good. However, it also doesn't fall into the category of bad. It's in-between and good for a one-time read. For multiple reads though, it falls flat. This is too bad, considering the very interesting premise.
Author:Jodi Picoult
Rarely has an author disappointed me so much in their books as Jodi Picoult.The first book of hers that I readMy Sister's Keeper(MSK) was engaging, funny and touching and I absolutely LOVED it. And then the quality of her books started going downhill. In simple terms, whatever I read after MSK seemed to fall into two categories: It Was Okay and Oh My God(not in a good way)
"So what category does The Pact fall into?" I hear you ask. Well, it falls into the It Was Okay category."But it's a book about a suicide pact made by two teenagers. Shouldn't it be more interesting or at least as good as My Sister's Keeper?" I hear you protest. Well, this book would have fallen into the Oh My God category, if not for one thing: Jordan McAfee, the lawyer(one of the two actually good characters in the book).
The rest is pretty much boring.The main romance in the book doesn't have enough zing(it seemed very one-sided, with Chris loving Emily more;she appears to have no interest in him other than using him as a tool to kill herseelf) and Picoult's used the formula of "one friend/sister is more lively, outgoing etc. and the other is quieter, more reserved etc." too many times.
Plus, I don't really understand why exactly Emily(one of the teenagers and the suicide pact initiator) wanted to kill herslf. The book states that she couldn't deal with not being able to live up to her parents' high expectations, so she decided to kill herself. Um, one small point: if you kill yourself, won't you be disappointing your parents even more? Just stop and think about that for a while before you decide to shoot yourself, okay Emily?
So this book wasn't good. However, it also doesn't fall into the category of bad. It's in-between and good for a one-time read. For multiple reads though, it falls flat. This is too bad, considering the very interesting premise.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Book Review: Murder, She Meowed
Title: Murder, She Meowed
Author: Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Synopsis: The annual steeplechase races are the high point in the social calendar of the people of Crozet. However, the festive mood disappears quickly once a jockey is found stabbed through the heart in the main barn. Soon, the post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, finds herself in a desperate race to trap the killer. Aiding her is her wise tiger cat, Mrs Murphy. Using her feline genius, Mrs Murphy finds herself on a trail that leads to the truth behind the murder. But will her human companion catch up in time to beat the killer to the finish line?
Review: Sigh.... This book had so much potential. It could have been a good story with animals as detectives. Instead, it just keeps dragging on, giving unnecessary encounters between characters, aiming, I think, for greater character development. That may not be bad on its own. However, it isn't on its own. The animals, the supposed 'main characters' of the book don't even get to make the final revelation on their own. Instead, more attention is given to the humans.
Finally, what do you make of these lines?:
"He'd never felt so much pain in his life, and being the self- centered man that he was, it did not occur to him that what he had inflicted upon his victims was much, much worse."
Sigh.... Which killer actually bothers to think about his victims?
Author: Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Synopsis: The annual steeplechase races are the high point in the social calendar of the people of Crozet. However, the festive mood disappears quickly once a jockey is found stabbed through the heart in the main barn. Soon, the post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, finds herself in a desperate race to trap the killer. Aiding her is her wise tiger cat, Mrs Murphy. Using her feline genius, Mrs Murphy finds herself on a trail that leads to the truth behind the murder. But will her human companion catch up in time to beat the killer to the finish line?
Review: Sigh.... This book had so much potential. It could have been a good story with animals as detectives. Instead, it just keeps dragging on, giving unnecessary encounters between characters, aiming, I think, for greater character development. That may not be bad on its own. However, it isn't on its own. The animals, the supposed 'main characters' of the book don't even get to make the final revelation on their own. Instead, more attention is given to the humans.
Finally, what do you make of these lines?:
"He'd never felt so much pain in his life, and being the self- centered man that he was, it did not occur to him that what he had inflicted upon his victims was much, much worse."
Sigh.... Which killer actually bothers to think about his victims?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Book Review- Stephen King goes to the movies
Title: Stephen King goes to the movies
Author: Stephen King
Synopsis: The book consists of five short stories of Stephen King's that were made into movies, as well as his personal commentary, all-new introductions, and behind-the-scenes insights.
Review: Since it was a collection of only five stories, I decided to do mini-reviews for each of them. Here they are.
1408:
Synopsis: The story revolves around a writer who stays in a hotel room that is a little different from the norm.
Review: Very, very creepy. The whole story plays out more like a hallucination than a typical "haunted place" story. No ghost actually appears throughout the entire story, instead everything seems to be more in the mind of the main character. The main part of the story is actually a description of a recording on a voice recorder. This may appeal to those who aren't such big fans of the usual "monster" story with blood and gore
The Mangler:
Synopsis: A worker in a laundry is killed in an accident involving a sheet-folding machine. However, there is no possible way the accident could have occured- or is there?
Review: This story is quite dark and involves quite a lot of black magic. There is also a graphic description of a worker's arm being ripped off by the machine which may not be suitable for sensitive readers(eg. yours truly). However, one thing that doesn't ring true(for me) is the police officer's sudden transition from non-believer to the other end of the scale. Other than that, this story is good for people who are fans of the traditional "possessed (fill in the blank)" story.
Low Men in Yellow Coats(Film title: Hearts in Atlantis)
Synopsis: A story of a young boy's friendship with the mysterious old man next door.
Review: Okay, this was the only story which I didn't like. Some individual scenes are good but the story doesn't come together as a whole. It's a bit too long and draggy and the slightly darker aspect of the story is ignored. All in all, the story works better as a collection of short scenes.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption(Film title: The Shawshank Redemption)
Synopsis: The story of life in a jail.
Review: It's nicely told, with believable plot twists. It's told in first person and thankfully, has a very strong narrator. It's also got a very fantastic plot twist at the end. The characters are believable and never does the story go into the realm of improbability.
Children of the Corn
Synopsis: A couple on a holiday run across a dead body. They take it to the nearest town, intending to turn it into the police, only to discover a very deadly secret about the town and its children.
Review: This is a terrifying account of what can happen when blind trust takes over all sense. The children in the story are just plain terrifying and the corn- let's not even go there. However, nearing the middle of the story, the narrating style takes an odd direction, but still remains understandable.
General Review: Very good stories, nice characters and strong plots overall. A definite must-read for Stephen King fans and anyone who enjoys stories of this sort.
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