#10. The Eternal War (TimeRiders #4)
Alex Scarrow
Heh.
Blah. Too many open ends and not enough endearing moments. I actually
made "rank predictions" based on how much I liked previous books in the
series... But this one came out a bit weaker in the storyline than the
rest. Almost like the author was saying, "I know I have spent the last
three books focusing on the two forefront main characters and it worked
out just fine, but in the interest of fairness I am going to change
things more drastically than ever AND I will make a HUGE deal out of the
"poor, neglected" secondary characters... Just for a change."
Unfortunately, it didn't work. It was change purely for change's sake, and it fell flatter than I would have liked... Bummer.
#9. P is for Peril (Kinsey Millhone #16)
Sue Grafton
This
one is one of the good ones. Considering that among the characters is
one from a previous book that I didn't enjoy much. Kinsey is quickly
swept up in a soap opera of scandal and drama when a woman comes to her
about the disappearance of her husband—and chief among the suspects is
his ex-wife, who resents Kinsey's involvement. Throw in a miraculous
advertisement for a small studio apartment from two brothers who may or
may not have murdered someone, and a nursing home embroiled in insurance
fraud, declaring medical expenses for deceased patients.... Kinsey is
up to her ears in Peril, but that's never stopped her!
#8. Trigger Mortis (A James Bond Novel)
Anthony Horowitz
Pretty
good, felt like a real Bond film... At least, the Daniel Craig version.
Fast cars; strong and "independent" women (like the one who
simultaneously teaches him motor racing and wins his regard... And the
"reporter-not-a-reporter" who sparks his affections), outrageously cold
villains who "just want to watch the world burn..." Coupled with a
desperate motorbike chase... This could totally be a film and I would
not be surprised. Horowitz has done a great job with his tribute novels, first for Sherlock and now Bond--I like to think Sir Ian Fleming would be pleased with the homage, if not gratified for the respect paid to a character he invented.
#7. Grave Peril (Harry Dresden #3)
Jim Butcher
Yet
another exciting installment of the Dresden Files! This one felt a
little "out of continuity", with the sudden (but understandable) absence
of Murphy and the addition of a character named Michael (who, given
Harry's occupation and the nature of this series, could very well
actually BE a reincarnated Templar knight or something!) with a wife and
kid—but then again, there were a lot of things that seemed to directly
follow the events of the previous book, so I wasn't sure what to make of
the things... But I really liked the book! The way the plot stacked up,
the awesome character development moments, the red herrings that seemed
so convincing but turned out to be false... Really good!
#6. United As One (Lorien Legacies #7)
Pittacus Lore
Wonderful
ending to a great series! I have been hungering for this moment ever
since "The Fall of Five" when I first had to begin the long wait for
each successive novel, fully expecting each to be the last... Only to
run smack into the cliffhanger at the end... But FINALLY THIS IS THE
LAST ONE FOR SURE NOW PEOPLE!! And I could not have asked for better
closure for all the characters involved. Great and awesome characters
and a neat premise that fits together like a tightly-crafted puzzle. I wasn't sure at about halfway through as it seemed to teeter on the precarious edge of "doing too much", but it all swept into resolve, and I really like the conclusion of the matter.
#5. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)
Brandon Sanderson
Holy
crap, that ending, though! I can honestly say that I wasn't ready for
this book. Strange that it has felt like "falling action" ever since the
end of the first book. It's like certain specific characters die to give closure to the end of the first book, and
every single "supporting character" feels the fallout for the rest of the series. I loved the
character development that went on. Quite possibly my favorite part of
Sanderson's style is he takes a scenario that would otherwise feel like a
history textbook for a nonexistent world, so why should we care—then he
makes us care about the world because we care about the characters
living on it. These locations and place names and interim rulers were so
far-flung that many of them would have sailed right over my head—if
their existence had not borne special significance to the characters I
liked. The ending was a real head-scratcher, I had to read some scenes
several times to understand what was going on—but all in all, it came to
a close and I liked it.
#4. The Golden Yarn (Mirrorworld #3)
Cornelia Funke
Beautiful,
stunning as ever... BUT STILL NOT THE END!! It's been a year (or more)
since I read the first two books—and even that was right at the end of
my "Cornelua Funke book binge" when I read pretty much all of her other
printed works, so it's not as if I had any other stories of hers to read
till I discovered this one—my WORD, I love this woman's style! It's
beautiful, it's dark, it's ethereal, it's magical—she takes the magic of
fairy tale and fantasy and kicks it up to a whole new level. She
basically recreates "typical" fantasy magic to fashion her own breed,
with its own set of rules and parameters. I quite enjoyed this book,
long though it was—right up until the back cover when I discovered that
she still has not one but TWO MORE books to release in the series! Be
still my heart!
#3. Queen of the Tearling (Tearling #1)
Erika Johansen
Oh
my gosh! SO BEAUTIFUL!!! But WHO IS THE FETCH???? This is the book
where all the cliches happen in Act 1—and are promptly pointed out by
the self-aware narrative and systematically dismantled by a very capable
author and fashioned into something quite unique and wondrous to
behold. I am completely smitten with this book and all the promises
contained therein. It's fantasy of an ornate and medieval nature; it's
paranormal magics and dark rituals with shadow creatures; it's noble
characters and traitors you don't see coming; it's a simple peasant girl
raised with all that she needs to be queen—except the knowledge that
she in fact was one. It's a princess having to fight against the legacy
left by her mother and struggle through the process of establishing a
new legacy—and hoping that the radical changes will gain a foothold
before enemy nations roll in to wipe out what is left of her little
kingdom. It's so many questions I never knew I had but now I cannot rest
until they are answered. It's definitely my favorite "new" book!
#2. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Raven Boys Chronicles #3)
Maggie Stiefvater
Holy
moly. Another left hook to the feels-box. DANG it just keeps right on
going! Gansey and Adam and Ronan and Blue... The more Gansey tries to
hunt down Glendower's tomb, the more the Grey Man steps in to either aid
or hinder them, the more Greenmantle is just a jerk-face who is trying
to get there first—the more of Henrietta and Cabeswater secrets they
wind up unearthing, the more perilous their lives become... I forget so
much when I am reading these books. I forget that Noah is dead, I forget
that Ronan's family may or may not actually exist, I forget which boy
Blue is actually falling in love with, I forget that there won't be an
actual "happily ever after" because literally EVERYTHING THAT OUGHT TO
HAPPEN WILL IN FACT KILL THEM BOTH. It is truly some kind of wizardry
that keeps me so firmly entrenched in this series. I am a fly on the
wall of 300 Fox Way and there is no going back. On to the next (and
final) book!
#1. The Wheel of Osheim (Red Queen's War #3)
Mark Lawrence
Superbly
satisfying ending to a spectacular series! Should the opportunity
present itself, this will likely be the first out of all his series that
I would willingly own. Easily Number One on this list!
I loved the fact that Lawrence used
Jalan and Snorri to basically explore and expand the world he has
projected, in a way that just wasn't possible or practical with a
character like Jorg. I love the lightness of it; after the incredible
pain and anger and bitterness and dark of the Broken Empire trilogy, the
Red Queen's War comes as a welcome extended sequence of comic relief. I
definitely laughed many times over the series. I let myself actually
enjoy the various characters to the point of attachment—and the addition
of such magical entities as Baraquel, Aslaug, Loki, and the revelations
they brought were both amazing and awesome. I felt considerably more
satisfaction and closure at the end of this one than I did at the ending
of Emperor of Thorns—and the tie-ins to the modern world were even more
brilliant this time around. Well done!
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I am in the midst of amassing the books for the fifth list--Stay tuned! Head on over to my Facebook Page for quicker updates and more pictures! Catch you further Upstream!
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