Book review: ConscienceSarah on 'Sabriel'

Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
ISBN: 978-0007137312
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Review:
Before I start this review, I’d just like to congratulate the author of Sabriel, Garth Nix on having the best name ever. Apparently it is actually his real name, which is pretty cool, and I think it really sets the bar high for any aspiring authors who want to come up with memorable pseudonyms.

Anyway, onto his book. I really enjoyed reading Sabriel, much more than I thought I was going to at about the ‘Chapter 2’ mark. This was mostly because the first couple of chapters are set in Ancelstierre, a much less interesting land than the Old Kingdom, which I’d been given a taste of in the prologue. It’s a pretty good job the prologue was there actually, because I may well have given up on the book otherwise, thinking it would just be set in Ancelstierre. It’s a difficult setting because it’s not quite Earth and not quite Old Kingdom and I found it hard to place in my mind. Nevertheless, once the story managed to get going into the Old Kingdom, I found myself getting into it a bit more; that’s when the magic and necromancy started really getting good. I thought the concept of the land of the Dead was really effective. It’s a simple system to understand, but manages to remain eerie and other-worldly which I think is quite a difficult balance to get right. I was also convinced by the end that Sabriel’s branch of necromancy actually required some skill, because at the beginning I was thinking ‘Bells? Really? Anyone can ring bells.’ (I’m aware I’m probably showing myself as being completely ignorant about the art of necromancy here, so apologies if anyone is offended by my stupidity.) In a nutshell, I think Nix did a great job of making ‘binding the dead’ cool.

Whilst there are some interesting characters in Sabriel, there aren’t actually very many of them. This isn’t because there are loads of boring, unnecessary characters; there just aren’t many characters in general. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a criticism, it just means that a lot of the book is made up of Sabriel’s disclosed thoughts. However, out of the characters I have to pick from, Mogget is definitely my favourite. Although he’s frustrating at times, his sarcastic humour made me smile (I rarely lol at books) and I feel he’s a worthy companion for Sabriel. I was also very, very happy and excited when the character of Touchstone was introduced. The reason I was so excited? Well, sad, predictable and shallow as it is, I was crying out for a love interest. I’m actually very ashamed of myself for this and I was shocked at how easily I fell into the trap of wondering whether Sabriel and Touchstone would ever get together, but it made for an enjoyable read. Sabriel’s character was very well developed too, and Nix used the clever plot device of having one character who only meets her at the beginning and the end to demonstrate how much she’s grown as a person. Also, I never developed a strong dislike for her which is a plus for any main character (or maybe it’s just me that finds main characters get annoying, I don’t know).

The story itself was actually structured differently to how I expected it to be. There was an event a few chapters before the end that I thought would be the climax, but after it was over there was another climax. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but as a reader it really threw me off. If anything though, I think it helped make the final few chapters even more dramatic because I was ten times as shocked at every plot twist than I would normally be. The ending also left a suitable amount of intrigue in my mind as to what would happen in the two sequels. One question I really hope get’s answered: what was Sabriel’s dad’s real name? I shall keep you posted as to whether I find out this insignificant plot point.

ConscienceSarah

Review: Master on 'Goddess'

A new review for y'all. Enjoy!

Click here to read the review for 'Starcrossed', the first book in the series.

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Author's official website: http://www.josephineangelini.com/
ISBN: 978-0-330-52976-1
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My rating for Goddess: 5/5

If I had to sum it up in 3 words: thoughtful, emotional, epic.

Review:
'Goddess' is the final book in Josephine Angelini's 'Awakening' series, which is her debut. Personally, I think this is one heck of a promising introduction to the writer.

I started reading this, in the midle of exam season, as soon as it came through the letter box, and finished it in 2 days. If that's anything to go by, I think you can probably tell that I was very eager to find out what happens. And, honestly, this most definitely did not disappoint.

The plot has endless twists and turns that are unexpected, ensuring that there was never a dull moment.
I think it's fair to say that a lot of the most important scenes were quite near the end and I guess I was a little disappointed that it went by perhaps too quickly for my liking. Then again, if it was any slower, I'd probably get impatient.
Thinking about it now, I think there was just the right amount of build-up to the action and I can't think of any other way that I'd want it to be.

The aspect of mythology is arguably most potent in this book, [Spoiler alert] mainly because Helen has flashbacks to the past. It was interesting to not only have Greek mythology, but also Arthurian legends mixed in. I found these parts most enjoyable to read. [Spoiler over]

What I think Angelini does so well is capturing the emotions and feelings of the characters, which evokes emotions in the reader. I felt that it was very easy to connect with characters and the situations that they were in, for example, there were times when I was absolutely heart-broken for certain individuals, whilst other parts sent shivers down my spine.

Speaking of characters, it was wonderful to watch the ones who had been there from book 1 grow into themselves, but there were also new characters added that were just as memorable.

Overall, I think it is a brilliant ending to an incredibly captivating series that has been very well thought-out. All the loose ends from previous books were tied together, which provided moments, when reading, where I simply felt like jumping for joy! Having said that, it's also nice that Angelini has left some doors open if she ever wanted to do spin-offs or sequels in the future, which I would no doubt want to read.

I've tried to stay away from revealing too much of the plot in this review because I wouldn't want to deny you the joy of finding out and experiencing it first-hand for yourself.

This is definitely up there in my list of favourite book. I can't wait for the next series that Angelini brings out.

Comment your thoughts below :)

Review: ANT on 'Life of Pi'

ANT's first review has officially landed...take a look!

Title: Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel

ISBN-10: 0857865536

ISBN-13: 978-0857865533

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Review:

Hello Earth! Ooh, my first contribution to the blog, how exciting, eh? I hope this is the first of many.

Anyway, I'll get right to the point. I was looking forward to watching the much-anticipated Life of Pi at the cinema (I have yet to watch it, but I've heard good things, anyone seen it?) so when my nan bought me the book for Christmas, I didn't hesitate to read it over the holidays.

In a nutshell, it's about a boy named Pi, who is left with a Bengal tiger in a lifeboat after the ship he and his family were travelling to Canada on, sinks. The story tells of his survival at sea.

The book is split up into three sections. In the first, Pi reminisces about his childhood, his life at his father's zoo in Pondicherry, and his relationship with religion. I'm assuming that Yann Martel knows a thing or two about zoology and animal behaviour because he writes a lot about it in this section...a lot. I get the impression that he, like most people, gets carried away with the things that he loves, and hence talks (or in this case, writes) about those things in grave detail. It's a good thing to be passionate enough about something to be able to write 100s of pages on it, but I didn't think that all of the animal knowledge was necessary for this fiction novel.

That said, it gives you a little more understanding of the main story (which is told in the second section) on Pi's survival at sea with Bengal tiger, Richard Parker. As well as this, Martel is clearly a smart guy and a great author, his writing is captivating and, overall, the book is extremely well-written. The words he wrote in the first pages were the kind of meaningful, deep stuff that gets you thinking about the meaning of life.

All in all, I liked it and would recommend it because it's thought-provoking in the beginning, and really a great read when you get into it. It's meaningful, happy, sad, gory...and everything more. Not to mention it has a clever twist in the final section, which I won't reveal. I'll just say...read it and find out for yourself!

ANT

What dya think? Comment below if you are considering it, or if you've already read it :)

Review: Master on 'Starcrossed'

Hello there! Here we have Master's first review, enjoy :)

Title: Starcrossed

Author: Josephine Angelini

Author's official website: http://www.josephineangelini.com/

ISBN:  978-0-330-52973-0

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My rating for Starcrossed: 4.5/5.0

Me summing up this book in 3 words: mythology, cinematic, gripping.

Review:

Starcrossed is the first book in Josephine Angelini's debut series, and in my opinion this is a very promising start. It is arguably my favourite out of all the books I read last year, probably because it is just a great big ol' mix of a lot of things I'm into at the moment. To be completely honest, it was very difficult to put this down and I was pretty much hanging onto the edge of the book the whole time.

The story is based on Greek mythology, specifically Helen of Troy, but is set in modern day Nantucket. [If you want a proper plot synopsis read further. I just didn't want to spoil anything.] Even though there are other series based on modern-day versions of mythological characters, the way this is written plus the clever intricacy of how the myth is weaved into the plot, in my opinion, makes this stand out amongst the crowd.

The language used in the book is never really very complex, however it is used in such a way to create absolutely splendid imagery in the reader's mind. The scenes just play out in your head like a movie, which just makes it so much more enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this if you like Greek mythology, romance, drama and suspense!

Spoilers from here onwards.

Review: Wicks on 'Burn Mark'

Our second review, this time from dear Wicks :)

Simon Wicks here, bringing you my first book review!

Title: Burn Mark 
Author: Laura Powell
Author's website: http://www.laurapowellauthor.com/
ISBN-10: 1408815222
ISBN-13: 978-1408815229
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As I haven’t actually finished the book Gerry lent me I can’t review that... However I thought the book club blog looked a little bare so I’m going to review the book Ruby bought me for Christmas: BURN MARK by Laura Powell. ‘Ancient witchcraft. Modern world.’

Like it says on the cover, this book is all about witchcraft. The concept is that certain people develop the power to use magic in their late teens.  It tends to run in families, but not always! Now, we can’t just have magic users running around doing whatever they want. But luckily there is a big scary organisation called ‘The Inquisition’ to keep us muggles safe. The big punishment for those witches who step out of line?... You guessed it... burning at the stake. Now if you’re a witch and you want to stay within the law, you can get a job doing regulated magic or you can get yourself bridled. Bridling is where you register as a witch and you are fitted with iron cuffs that stop you doing magic. Now if you don’t fancy either of these options you can live the dangerous life of an unregistered witch. The ‘covens’ are mafia style gangs run by these underground witches.

The main storyline follows two teens living two very different lives (of course) but who have to learn to work together (didn’t you just know I was going to say that!). Firstly we have Glory, a coven member, trying to live up to the celebrity (and perhaps notoriety) of her grandmother and great aunt, the Starling Twins. I never usually sympathise with chavvy characters like Glory here but she does have charm in an ‘I can look after myself’ kind of way. We also have the much more refined Lucas, son of the High Inquisitor (avoiding spoilers- but no prizes for guessing what happens to him).

The story did feel a little formulaic at times but I found myself getting drawn in, even though I was reading on the train and there were a million distractions. Didn’t take me long to read either despite cringing at some of the burning scenes. It even taught me a few things about witches, which I must say was surprising! Overall an enjoyable read and one I will no doubt read again.

Rating: 13/15 Simon stars. 

One to read if you enjoyed: The Hunger Games, City Of Bones.

Feel free to comment below your thoughts on 'Burn Mark' if you have read it or are planning on reading it :)

Review: ConscienceSarah on 'Touch Not the Cat'

Here we have our first review by ConscienceSarah! Enjoy :)

Title: Touch Not the Cat

Author: Mary Stewart 

ISBN-10: 1444715038 

ISBN-13: 978-1444715033

Preferred age rating: 15

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Review:
Touch Not the Cat (by Mary Stewart) first published in 1976

When I first started reading this book, I checked back to the author and other books she'd written because I recognised her name and her beautifully descriptive style of writing that shows particularly when she's describing places. I discovered she'd also written The Merlin Trilogy (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills & The Last Enchantment) which I read the summer before last and thoroughly enjoyed.

First impressions/Stewart's writing style:
The first chapter of Touch Not the Cat opens with a quote from Romeo and Juliet: 'It is my soul that calls upon my name'. This encompasses many of the key themes introduced in the first chapter (love and death for instance) which also feature in Romeo and Juliet. The quote itself echoes the relationship between the two main characters from the first chapter: Bryony Ashley and unidentified character, who Bryony assumes is one of her second cousins, and with whom she has a telepathic connection. The quote also reflects the repeated calling of Bryony's name throughout the first chapter.

Stewart uses lots of description to build up a picture of Bryony's life and history. The long, informative passages progress through Bryony's own life or the history of her family before arriving at the day where the story starts with some reference to the imminent death of Bryony's father. Then the process starts again. The passages in the rest of the book are more chronological with fewer historical stories cropping up.

The first chapter is largely written in the first person from Bryony's point of view. However the last paragraph is in the third person and presents the thoughts and feelings of a man at Ashley Court in 1835 who is, again, unidentified, setting up the mystery to be unravelled...

A great read if you love mystery and/or romance.

WARNING: The rest of this post contains SPOILERS!