*Not pictured above, because they were ebooks: Gunlaw, by Mark Lawrence, and Michael Vey and The Prisoner of Cell 25, by Richard Paul Evans; cover images and links included for those titles below.
#10: The Map of Chaos (Triologia Victoriana #3)
Felix J. Palma
Sheer
chaos from beginning to end. I thought and I hoped it would be better,
but the longer it dragged on, the worse it got, finally stumbling to a
shambling, misshapen monster of an ending. Boo. The "Triologia
Victoriana" was a series I happened to spot on the "Staff Picks" shelf
at the library. It had a fairly high rating on Goodreads too; the blurb
drew me in, promising a genuine romp through Victorian classic
literature. What I got was a haphazard, ponderous mess of somebody
else's really strange pipe dream, mashing up all the dark and weird bits
of said classics. Each time, I cracked open the thick tone, hoping for
something fascinating—endearing, even—after the "debut jitters" (I
assumed) of the first book, largely attributed to the fact that the book
wasn't originally written in English, but translated. (Still...
Inkheart and the Ruby Red trilogy weren't originally in English either, and those
are freaking fantastic!!) That being said, I will own that there were
brief moments of a poignant sentence or two amid the doggerel and purple
prose (the ugly kind of purple that wishes it were mauve but cannot
quite manage plum so it ends up a really ridiculous, sick kind of faded
color), but the characters were insufferable and the plot nearly
incomprehensible. Not worth the time it took to read it, really.
#8: The Calder Game (Chasing Vermeer #3)
Blue Balliett
Blue Balliett
Entertaining,
wistful, intriguing. A bit off-kilter with the psychology of it, the
worldview, but it's definitely deeper than the fluffy, empty stuff of
juvenile literature. It's been a while since I read a Balliett book! The
intrigue is always well-paced and fascinating, very much mystifying and
confusing till everybody figures things out and explains it so that the
rest of us understand what is going on. These books are certainly great
for budding art enthusiasts looking for an intriguing adventure
consisting of high-profile-yet-obscure creators of abstract art!
#7: Driving Heat (Nikki Heat #7)
Richard Castle
Richard Castle
Wow.
I can actually tell a change in the writing style. I was kind of
excited when I first realized these novels were intentionally written as
if Richard Castle penned a new novel inspired by his experiences of
each successive season. With this in mind—I felt like even this latest
installment really did a good job of reflecting the harrowing and
painful circumstances of the last season. The grittiness, the sense of
betrayal, the brutality—all are sharply different from the amorous,
steamy idealism of the previous novels in this series! Very good, but
very dark.
I was NOT disappointed! Lawrence populated
his stories with a handful of core characters and deceptively simple
concepts, which then give him room to rapidly develop these things and
expand them over the course of the tale as it unfolds, pulling the
reader inexorably deeper into the world he has fashioned. The most
difficult part was being "forced" to wait two to four days between
installments, instead of just reading on through the whole thing in the
fewest number of sittings. To be fair, it was better than a TV show,
because he updated twice a week, not just once. But the wait just about
killed me sometimes! Really good stuff!
#5: The Doomsday Code (TimeRiders #3)
Alex Scarrow
Alex Scarrow
Just
splendid. Twists as always, but I am caught up in the fascinating turns
this story is taking, and the situations faced by the different
characters. Can I just stop and appreciate how much Time Riders has
defied my expectations and furthermore delighted me at every turn? No
premise too far-fetched, no paradox left unanswered. Last time, they had
to go all the way back to a prehistoric era—this time it's medieval
times, the time of King Richard and Robin Hood. The story also brings
somebody along from the kids' future, who knows more about time travel
than they do. There's more development with Bob and Becks (endless
sources of entertainment!) more about Liam and Foster... Wonderful
stuff! The storyline with Maddie can get kind of cheesy, but I am
neither put off nor annoyed at it. Score!
#4: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson
WOWIE
KAZOWIE. Oh Sanderson, you wonderful human being. If I could ever
achieve the character depth of Rowling and the whimsy of Funke, adding
the compelling prowess of Sanderson–I would be a very happy fantasy
writer! This Mustborn series is taking my breath away in all the ways,
frankly, that I expected of Dune (but it never quite managed...). The
rich world, the vibrant characters, the ancient prophecies guiding the
plot forward... All of these combine in just the right amounts to
deliver a story worth paying attention to. Definitely some "kill your
darlings" moments, with all of the feels attached to characters you
didn't know you cared about—but I am very much looking forward to the
next book!
#3: The Guilty (Will Robie #4)
David Baldacci
David Baldacci
Guess what?
Will Robie is still at it! I had convinced myself that it was a
trilogy—then I saw this one, and I distinctly remembered the abruptness
and openness of the ending of "The Target" and how that left me with not
very much closure—of course that wasn't the end! "The Guilty" honed in
on Robie confronting the demons of his past, the bad blood between him
and his estranged father whose abuse, both verbal and physical, is what
drove Robie to leave all that behind and join the military, intending
never to see his father again... But he has to put all that aside to
investigate the truth behind the allegations that Dan Robie murdered
somebody. Twists and secrets you never see coming till they hit you hard
enough to blow your mind—Baldacci wins again. Intense and
poignant—another rousing success.
#2: The Liar's Key (Red Queen's War #2)
Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence
Boom,
baby! This series is turning out with a lot more laughs and breathless
moments than the last one! How do I love a Mark Lawrence novel? Let me
count the ways! After the dark, tortured bloodbath of the Thorns trilogy
that introduced me to the Broken Empire and the state of the world
after the Day of Thousand Suns, it seems Lawrence is really letting his comedic (albeit gallows humor) side show
in this series. I'm calling it "Jal and Snorri's Epic Adventure!" Sure, it's still grim and
dark with plenty of murder and vicious mayhem... but the number of laughable moments has
definitely shifted in balance between violence and humor! I love it even more than the last series. I am very excited for the final book, Wheel of Ossheim. Bloody brilliant!
#1: Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4)
Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer
OH
ALMIGHTY YES!!! It has been how long since I read Cress? (Hint: MORE THAN A YEAR!!) Now at last, I reach the moment I have been
nearly tearing hair out over... and it delivered. Hoo boy! Did it deliver!! The most
perfect adaptation, and excellent closure I could have wished upon star
for. All lovers of cyberpunk and fairy tales should absolutely read this series!
Winter not only introduces last character in our main cast, but it also gives readers the final showdown against Queen Lavinia
that we've been waiting for since Book 1!! Glorious full of feels. Definitely number one on this list!
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