Ram

A good read!

Revisado: 03-24-16

My introduction to Yates was through “The Easter Parade” and “Cold Spring Harbor” is where I went next. While this was a good read, I wouldn’t consider it the best of Yates. I'm aware he can be repetitive in his themes so I am happy to leave space and consume his novels slowly but I found this somewhat lacking after my delight with “The Easter Parade.” Nevertheless, I would recommend it to any Yates fan.

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A Good Fantasy!

Revisado: 06-13-15

[3.5 stars]

‘When the Heavens Fall’ reads a lot like most fantasies do, which is both good and bad. Good because it’s a fun read while you’re at it, interesting and unique enough that you’re enjoying it while you’re in the book. But also disappointing because it really isn’t anything different from what a lot of other fantasy books have to offer. That is, while it clearly has it’s own story, characters, and world, it doesn’t manage to stand out on it’s own. It’s unique but not anything fresh or innovative.

Having said that, I am aware of the fact that this is the author’s debut novel and I do realize it’s only the beginning of a series. So while I made my way through this at a reasonable pace, if I do pick up the next installment in the series, I’m definitely hoping for more excitement. What I can say was more enjoyable was that the author offers more than one perspective in the story. A lot of the other fantasy I’ve read either just follows first person or opt out for third person omniscient. With this one, you get a lot of voices with their own stories so that aspect is a bit more filling in this book than in some other fantasies. At times, I was also reminded somewhat of ‘The Way of Kings,’ but mostly in that we get more than one perspective.

I also enjoyed that we are required to learn about the fantasy world more via conversations and as the story moves along rather than major sections of info-dump where the authors pauses to explain the history of one thing or another. Sanderson does have a habit of dragging things out and while at times ‘When the Heavens Fall’ did slow down for me, I don’t think it necessarily drags at any point.

Because I read this on audiobook, I must also point out that while the narrator—Oliver Wyman—does an excellent job at the voices, the narration of regular passages did seem a tad tedious. It often felt like he was narrating the book with his head down and his voice seemed a bit stifled. I’m speculating about this of course, but I just thought it strange that he does the character voices with such expertise but then I would have so much trouble concentrating on the regular, non-dialogue text. If I had to rate the narration separately, I would give it four stars.

I would recommend this if you’re just looking for an easy fantasy read. If you want something wholly unique and original, this probably doesn’t have a lot which will impress you (especially if you’re a avid fantasy reader). But it’s a good read nonetheless and if I come across the next book in the series, I would love to give it a read.

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Not what I expected but still, a good book!

Revisado: 03-14-15

“The Shell Collector” wasn’t exactly the kind of book I was hoping to read when I began listening, but, to my surprise, it was exactly the kind of book I needed to read at this time. This book is categorized as “science fiction” on Goodreads (I am assuming this is because Howey mostly writes science-fiction) but that is not the case with this book. I would call “The Shell Collector” more of a romance with some bits of speculative fiction sprinkled in

Once I dived into this book, I expected it to be a full-blown dystopian fiction and it wasn’t anywhere close to one. But very early on, I caught on to this and it was a good thing thing too, because it helped me finish this book faster. “The Shell Collector” is a quick, easy read but the time span within which this book progressed is incredibly slow…so when one chapter ends in the middle of the conversation, the next chapter, instead of switching scenes, picks up that same conversation. This was why it became easy to assume that there was going to be very little action happening in the novel. One might assume that this is disappointing, but it wasn’t…why? Because I needed a romance novel in my life right now. After having read “The Known World” by Edward P. Jones (not one of my best reading experiences nor an easy book to read), I needed something fluffy and “The Shell Collector” is basically just a fluffy, average romance story.

Although the setting takes place in a futuristic, not by much but still, world, the story mainly revolves around the relationship, and the conflicts, between Maya and Ness. Ness and his company are responsible for a lot of the world’s disasters and Maya, a reporter, is out to exhort revenge for being Ness's part in this disaster. But when Ness invites Maya for a conversation, she is not expecting to begin understanding him at a level that makes it harder for her to do her job.

As a romance, this book duplicates a lot of the common tropes found within the romance genre. Which was unfortunate, but as I was looking for a comfort read more than anything, I enjoyed reading this book nevertheless. What I did love about this book though, was the pace of the novel and the romance itself. As mentioned before, the story progresses at a very slow pace but it actually makes the romance seem a lot more realistic than the way in which the usual contemporary romance novels are written. So although there were some cliched parts in this story, it was still refreshing to see a well-plotted and believable build-up to the romance.

Although limited in its use of characters, the ones we get to see never for a moment felt flat or unbelievable to me. I enjoyed reading about them and although I cannot say I absolutely loved and adored them, I enjoyed the journey they partook in this book. I also enjoyed the writing of Mr. Howey. Although not as excellent, it was good enough to hold my interest and help me enjoy the story without being distracted by petty errors with grammar (which, unfortunately, happens more often than one would think).

And lastly, because I listened to the audiobook and did not read the physical book, I must comment on the excellent performance given by the narrator. She hits all the right attitudes, tones, and emotions perfectly and I enjoyed listening to her read The Shell Collector quite a lot. I would highly recommend this as an audiobook because it makes for a very relaxing, soothing read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by any external motives.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

A good book!

Revisado: 02-23-15

I do not have much experience with hard science-fiction, certainly not much dealing with AI technology, but I really enjoyed listening to ‘Dark Intelligence’. It was at times challenging but overall, a rewarding experience.

The only issue, which was mainly just a personal one and not one I think would always matter to others, is the technical jargon. I have read a few hard science-fiction novels here and there and more often than not, I am capable of keeping up with the “fictional science” that the author is building and writing about. In this one, it was mostly just the very common, technical things that baffled me at times. Some of these sections were also closely lumped together so I did end up losing track here and there of the explanations.

I also have to show some appreciation for the author’s style of writing. Despite not being able to comprehend all the technical lingo, the writing of this novel still maintained its focus on what the story is about more so than the specifics. I don’t often remark on the writing of a science-fiction/fantasy author, mostly because that doesn’t seem of much importance really, but I couldn’t help but notice that despite having trouble understanding some bits of the science, I was still able to understand everything that was going on, as well as be interested enough to continue listening to the book.

To reiterate the writing skills which this author displays, I also loved how the book starts off at a slow, steady pace and matures into something more complex and more exciting. Seeing as how this is a completely different world from ours, the author does an excellent job of building up everything step-by-step to keep the story, along with the characters and the world building, from overwhelming me.

All in all, if you are a hard science-fiction fan, this book won’t disappoint. If you are not, I think this is still a good, enjoyable read. You may or not have trouble with the specifics but I think you’ll still easily be able to enjoy the story for what it’s worth.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.]

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Surprisingly good!

Revisado: 01-31-15

Because of the lack of hype around this book, I had no expectation going into this book. So it was quite a surprise when I ended up really liking this book.

The book starts off a little rough but evens out as you move forward. It took me a while to get into it because, although I expected this to be an Adult fantasy novel, I didn’t expect it to be as gritty as something similar to ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by George R. R. Martin. The fantasy world seems more like a dystopian since there isn’t much order or governing going on and where slavery and rape isn’t as big of an issue for the population as I would think it would be. But thankfully, the focus shifts more to Danr’s story/quest forward and less on the cruelty of the world as you get further into the story.

But despite the fact that Danr is the main protagonist of the story, half troll half human, I actually liked Aisa—and to a greater extent, even Talfi—more than any other character. Considering she is a sex slave and constantly abused by her master and his wife, she is a very strong female protagonist. She is at times sassy, sharp, and loyal to the bone towards someone who looks after her. Despite the fact that her father sold her into slavery, at one point in the book, she even comes to let that past go. For someone who bares physical scars of rape and abuse, covers herself in heavy clothing so the world can’t see, I can imagine that forgiving the man who became the reason for it all wasn’t an easy feat. She is incredibly strong and I loved her for that. Talfi, on the other hand, is just as lovable a sidekick as one would want. Although there isn’t much humor in this book, Talfi’s trustworthy attitude contrasting against Aisa’s dark sorrows and Danr’s self-deprecating musings was a refreshing change at times.

Danr, as good a character as he was, was sometimes a bit too annoying. Not for any particular reason honestly, simply because of this constant good vs evil fight he has with himself. I sympathized with him, because of the way he has been treated all his life, but often I just wished he would get over the notion that everyone thinks he is a monster and move on with life. In retrospect, he did have the potential to be a bad person (as do we all) but he never lets out the “monster” within him so I really felt bad that he wasted so much time scolding himself over nothing.

There is a bit of confusion in terms of what is the targeted audience for this book. In reminded me slightly of ‘The Final Empire’ by Brandon Sanderson because of this. The world itself definitely deals with a lot of adult issues but because the main characters are quite young, sometimes their narratives can make feel as if you are reading a young adult novel. Then something awful would happen, or someone would swear (some of the swear words seemed out of place at times actually) and suddenly, I am snapped out of the misunderstanding that this is not a young adult novel.

Overall though, I was more than satisfied with numbers of twists and turns this story takes, as well as the fantastically neat ending. It was a little too neat perhaps, in terms of what happens with Talfi, but because I like him so much…I don’t really care. The mixture of orcs, humans, elves, etc. also never felt as overwhelming as I thought it might—everything felt as if it belonged in the story. If there is a second book in this series, I am certainly looking forward to it!

Disclaimer: An audiobook copy of this book was provided by Audible in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any exterior motives.

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esto le resultó útil a 45 personas

So much potential wasted…

Revisado: 01-16-15

My initial interest in ‘Frostfire’ was sparked not only because of the premise of the book, but also because the author claimed (on her website) that this series will not have a love triangle as one of its conflicts. In this point in the game, I think it’s fair to claim that most of YA fantasy/sci-fi (particularly the ones with a female main character) is riddled with these undesired love triangles and squares which generally don’t add anything to a story. So when I became aware that this one doesn’t follow that cliché, I immediately jumped at the chance to read this book.

Oh how wrong I was! My first issue should be evident since I just explained that tidbit about love triangles in YA…and that is that this book most definitely *does* have a love triangle. The only different direction this book takes is that instead of a conflict between two boys and a girl, there is a triangle between two girls and a boy. Which crazily enough, is, in fact, a love triangle, despite the false claims the author makes about the book. There we have disappointment number one.

Disappointment number two is how little development there is within the story and with the characters. Much of the story is pretty much a series of encounters between either Bryn and Konstantin or Bryn and Ridley. A few kidnapping attempts and one or two possible murders but honestly, very little besides the romance and an introduction of the fantasy world is discussed within this book. And I assure you, by *no* means am I exaggerating here.

This leads me to my final disappointment and the ending…

Disappointment number three is where this book *really* falls apart. Knowing that this book is the first book in whole series, I wasn’t expecting a solid conclusion to everything that jumpstarts the conflict that is this book. But I *was* expecting *some* sort of a conclusion, possibly a satisfying transitioning end from this book to the start of the second one. But this book literally just stops in the middle—the most abrupt of endings I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. There is no progress made about why Konstantin tried to attack Bryn’s father, why he apologizes when he hurts people, why he warns Bryn to run, or basically anything else at all. The only thing we really discover by the end of the book is that Bryn has feeling for Ridley. Horrah! (Because we *really* could not tell from the synopsis right?).

The only good thing about my experience reading the book was the narrator—who did an outstanding job with the story. I sped through it like fire and though I am disappointed with the story and characters, I was quite impressed by the narrator of the audiobook. So if you do pick up this book for some reason, I would recommend the audiobook because the book itself has very little to offer and is barely scrapping half a star.

There was so much potential within this world of Kanin Chronicles, if only the author could have come up with the motivation to actually write out a proper story with some realistic characters and exciting scenes. Unfortunately, the end of ‘Frostfire’ leaves you with just as many questions that you began with in the first place.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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esto le resultó útil a 30 personas

Wonderful book!

Revisado: 12-15-14

It was a great change of pace to finally get back into reading History books. It has been quite some time and even longer since I last reviewed one so I seem to have lost touch…we’ll try this today anyway.

While listening to the audiobook of Neptune, it struck me that the writing of this book is easily the most lovable thing about this book. It seems to differ from the writing style used in “Napoleon: A Life” by Andrew Roberts (which I am also currently reading) and it is, in its own way, much better. The writing style seems more personal and easier to follow. The author has written (and performed) the book in such a way that it mostly felt like I was listening to a story rather than historical data about a certain event.

At one point in the book, quite early into the book, there is a scene in which Roosevelt is about to give a speech and the author paints such an image of that singular moment that it felt so personal and intense, almost as if I was a part of it. It describes how Roosevelt paced back and forth in his office, revising his speech, and his concentration on making sure his speech was as clear but potent as it could be. The significance of that moment, as I listen to how Roosevelt looks at the speech, crosses out one word, and replaces it with another felt unbelievably real, as if I was in the moment. While “Napoleon” was a compilation of historical data, “Neptune” felt like almost like a personal narrative.

“Neptune” also tends to flow fluidly from one chapter to another. While listening to the book, I wasn’t really ever aware that I’d already finished a chapter and moved on to another. And when I did notice, I realized the author also has a way of ending his chapters is such a way that despite the fact that this book is purely factual, it still makes the reader want to turn the page and find out how the story continues…almost like a cliffhanger. So while listening, these chapter breaks felt more like section breaks and I flew through hours of this audiobook in the span of a week.

What I liked the most about this book, however, is that it focuses on more than one aspect of D-Day as a historical event. It displays the political drama between nations, the military tactics through which such an event was undertaken, and the somewhat personal side of what war was like for the soldiers themselves and the sociopolitical relationships between American and British soldiers.

This is what makes this book a really great educational read. And I think it would be appealing to many audiences, well, many audiences who enjoy non-fiction. If you have a history buff in your family and are looking for a gift this Holiday, I would highly recommend trying this one.

Disclaimer: An audiobook copy of this book was provided by Audible in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by any person, place, or event.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas