Review: The Eyes of the Desert Sand by Edwin Wolfe

Goodreads Summary:

How many parents would believe their thirteen year old son who told them that two vampires and a hooded stranger had tried to abduct him? Strange thing is, young Ethan Fox is convinced his parents, George and Betsy do believe him. Could it have something to do with the mysterious poem he wrote in his sleep? Or maybe it has something to do with his past, the past he cannot remember before his eighth birthday. Something strange is afoot, and it is about to turn Ethan’s world upside down.While vacationing with his parents, to get away from the crazy events of the previous two weeks, Ethan encounters a young girl named Haley Hunt who he is strongly drawn to… and the feeling is mutual. Together, Ethan and Haley are lured to The Residence, home of the Caretakers, an organization of intelligent beings sent to earth to nurture the human race and protect them from un-earthly influences.Armed with special abilities, including the power to evolve any earthly creature, the Caretakers take in their unexpected guests. They have been watching young Ethan Fox, and are curious as to why the Grimleavers, their mortal enemy on earth, would want to abduct a young human child. Together, Ethan and Haley journey to magical worlds, make new friends, and help the Caretakers unravel the stories greatest mysteries. Along the way, they learn that the Caretakers have been here since the beginning of human history and have played a key role in shaping human lore. In their world, vampires, werewolves, trolls, and even Medusa herself really do exist but have been kept hidden from the human world around them. Ethan is the key as they ultimately discover the Grimleavers true intentions, to unlock the four portals to the elemental worlds of the Chrysalis.

Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
Release Date: January 11, 2012
Series? The Chrysalis Chronicles #1

LONG STORY  SHORT:

This book is just absolutely cute and sweet. Then again, it also is a very well thought - out fantasy story. I'd recommend you read it if you're up to something a bit different, funny and if you don't mind younger characters in YA all that much.

REVIEW:

I didn't know what to expect with The Eyes of the Desert Sand. Just by cover and synopsis I guessed it would be targeted towards a slightly younger audience, maybe thirteen year olds and I think I was right with that. This might have to do with the main character's age as well.

What I didn't expect was that this book would make me smile on almost every page. And it wasn't even particularly funny in dialogue or anything. It's just that the author did a wonderful job with world building. All the different creatures and settings and devices she invented were so easy but at the same time fantastical and magical and just very, very sweet.
The story itself was slightly predictable but somehow still original.
The writing, I suppose, could've been a bit more fluent and the dialogue was a bit stiff at times, but that was not a big matter to me.
But it's really not about the details with The Eyes of the Desert Sand - it's about the world you enter, those tiny little details that are so weird. It definitely reminded me of the fairytales I loved when I was younger.

All in all, I guess I'd recommend this book to a younger audience or to older people who don't mind reading a book that is a bit simpler, a bit lighter and just ... innocent :)

RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Goodreads Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. 
Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 
Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined

Release Date: August 7, 2012
Series? Yes! #1
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)



LONG STORY SHORT:

If this was school and I was the teacher and had to grade Throne of Glass it would get an A- from me and I'd smile, pat the book on the shoulder and say "Very well done." Or - to sound a bit less freakish - I'd tell the author that. Because Throne of Glass is just that: very well done. Realistic, developed and developing characters, well figured-out plot, interesting relationships, one or two fabulous twists and a showdown ending. The only thing that's missing is the blow that throws me off my feet.

REVIEW:

Throne of Glass is a great fantasy story that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. Although the main character, Celeana was a bit strange to me at first I liked her more and more the further the story went, the more I got to know the character and her history and the more of her personality was revealed. Celeana is incredibly strong, has her own opinion on things but on the other hand shows this girly side that makes her love puppies and everything that has to do with fancy dresses and balls and all that good stuff.

I know that many people were let down a bit by the love interests in this book and their lack of personality and development and I must say, thinking back now I get what they mean. The guys really just appeared, had their scene and left it and didn't really show any flaws or edges or anything. They were a bit flat, I'll admit that, but the thing is I didn't even notice because I fell in love with one of them (okay, Dorian) immediately and was concerned about nothing but their happy ending throughout the rest of the book.

Anyway, if there is a happy ending you have to find out yourself and I highly recommend you do, because Throne of Glass is the kind of book that you might not keep thinking of days after you finished it, but you definitely are sad to leave the characters and move on to another story.

All in all, if all this hasn't got you convinced just yet, let me tell you the finale is the bomb as I couldn't put the book out of my hands until I knew how it ended. Oh, and the plot twists that totally caught me by surprise? One more reason to read Throne of Glass.

RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Review #16 City Of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

Goodreads summary:
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.



No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?


Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 534 (Hardcover)
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series? Yes. No.5



LONG STORY SHORT:

The Mortal Instruments Series - at least in my opinion - gets better with every new installment. This one now really drew me into the Shadowhunter world, made me want all the characters to exist in real life so I could experience their sarcastic dialogues first hand. City Of Lost Souls made me laugh and cry, provided some great messages. But most of all I'm starting to wonder if it is possible to invent a story like that - a story world like that. I'm almost convinced Cassandra Clare has some bonds to the Nephilim because otherwise I couldn't explain how she fabricated that work of art that COLS is.

REVIEW:

Why I bought City Of Lost Souls? Is that a question? I mentioned before that I wasn't a big fan of the first installments of the series. It got better with number three and I felt at home for the first time in the Shadowhunter world in City of Fallen Angels. Seeing how huge (page wise) City of Lost Souls was I couldn't wait to get into it.

I have to admit I haven't read other people's opinions on this book yet so I don't really know how the general view on this book is. I love the atmosphere Clare puts into her novels, like she knew the characters personally and simply describes what she remembers. Also, she put great twists into this book that kept the suspense high until the end and that made me race through it way too fast because I was dying to find out if and how they could solve all the problems that came up.

I don't think I have to talk about if I liked the characters, because - hey, I was reading the fifth book here! - of course I did. What really caught my eye this time was what I missed last time: how each and everyone grew up. They all reach that time of your life where you start knowing what you want in life and what you are willing to sacrifice. Besides all the Shadowhunter action that happened you could see how everyone made decisions that were important for their lives and how almost all of them stopped thinking like enthusiastic teenagers, but more like young adults who know that nothing is forever and that all of your actions come with certain consequences.

The only thing that bothers me - and that has always bothered me - is Clare's tending to stop reasonable world building when it would just be very important. I have been a bit disappointed of every Mortal Instruments installment until now, because at the end I feel like she moves things into the direction she wants them to go without having a real explanation for why this or that is possible all of a sudden. As I read the last few pages I caught myelf thinking stuff like "Okay, that could've happened right at the beginning - without the 500 pages in between!", so that was a little sad.

Overall, if you like the Mortal Instruments I think you will definitly devour this book! As I said, I enjoyed entering this world again so much that I couldn't even focus on some flaws the book might have had. The only thing I noticed was how easy Clare always makes it for herself in the end. She thinks of this amazing, twisted but very reasonable plot throughout the whole novel and then the (round about thirty pages long) epilogue disappoints me. Other than that, I loved it!

RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Review #13 Insurgent - Veronica Roth

Published: 2012
Pages: 505 (Hardback)
Genre: Dystopian
Long Story Short: Amazing! So much happening! Great story world!

Goodreads synopsis:


One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.


Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.


New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.


In this first paragraph I usually say why I bought this book. This time? One word: Divergent.

Yes, I loved Divergent. I'm not a big dystopian fan, but I loved Veronica Roth's writing, how easily you could slide into the world she created. I liked the different factions, the main character Tris, the fast paced action, the different twists and turns the story took.

For the first time in a while, I wasn't afraid to read a sequel. Usually, I am disappointed with sequels. Whenever I loved a first book, my expectations towards the second one are so high - no author could possibly fulfill them. Insurgent, though, was not a problem at all. If anything, I liked it even better than Divergent.

The points I mentioned above - why I liked Divergent so much - are still true for Insurgent. It is as action-packed and suspenseful. The one thing that made it even better - in my opinion - was the way the story world expanded, how you got to know so much more about factions and the characters and the different relationships. Again, after the first few pages, I felt like I was in the story and I love when books do that.

What I also liked was the love story that was there but only slightly, in the background. Tris and Four's relationship developed like it would probably have in real life. I was so glad Insurgent didn't turn into one of those the-world-around-us-doesn't-matter-anymore-because-we're-in-a-relationship kind of way.

There was nothing actually that I didn't like about this book. Amazing. Simply Amazing. Everyone, really, should go and pick it up now :)


RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Review #13 The Selection by Kiera Cass

Published: 2012
Pages: 327 (Hardback)
Genre: Dysopian
Long Story Short: A great dystopian for everyone who doesn't love dystopians :)
Goodreads synopsis:


For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.


But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.


Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I read some reviews about this book complaining how this wasn't a dystopian novel and therefore boring and not what they expected and just a simple love story with a huge cliffhanger. I think all these things are true. And they're what I loved about The Selection.

I have to say I had my problems with America's personality at first. Or ... the whole time actually. She seemed to me like a very forced, unreal copy of Katniss Everdeen. This whole oh-I-don't-want-to-marry-the-prince-and-live-a-carefree-life-and-support-my-family-attitude? I don't know. I just didn't really believe that. The way it was written, I mean. I still don't know who America is. She wanders through life and feels torn between an amazing prince and a guy she knows she can't have. In addition to that, she is - of course - a total tomboy and loves life at its simplest. She doesn't care about pretty dresses, maids, luxury, anything. She has no clue how to interact with girls (they're all way too bitchy and girly and mean!).

As you can see I found the main character pretty annoying. Which is usually bad. I really enjoyed reading this book, though. The story idea itself got more and more appealing to me. Other than Mer, I am a girly girl and I love stories about princes and palaces and dating shows and just all that kind of stuff. And my problem with most dystopians is that instead of girly stuff they often povide much violence and war and suffering. The Selection was what I would consider I dystopian for either first-time-dystopian readers (although it might give you the wrong idea of a dystopian novel) or people who (like me) have not really caught up with the dystopian band-wagon yet.

All in all, this book certainly isn't for everyone but if you are looking for a light, rather different and pretty exciting read without deaths and brutal fights this would be the book for you!

RATING: 2 out of 3 Smarties

Review #8 Beautiful Darkness-Kami Garcia, Margeret Stohl

Ready for the second installment of a series set in a smalltown where everything seems predictable but nothing really is? Where everyone from mad scientists to ordinary librarians seems to have a secret or two that are not ordinary at all?



Goodreads summary:

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.
Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems


I read Beautiful Creatures, the first book in the series, a few months ago and I loved every little detail about it. Especially the setting appealed to me. A small town where everyone and their grandma knows you and your family (like...literally!) and a boy who fit in the picture all his life until...he doesn't anymore. Throw in a cute and tragic love story and the book is for me. I bought Beautiful Darkness right after I finished Beautiful Creatures but somehow put it off until now. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed.

I still find the story in general amazing. All the little secrets in Gatlin that are uncovered throughout the novel always surprised me and kept me reading. I think Ethan is a great character. Not only is he absolutely nice and friendly and polite and funny (perfect boyfriend-material), but his development also is described so thoughtfully. During these two books and all the experiences Ethan makes the reader can really see him grow and make decisions that become more mature with every step he takes. Same with the other characters especially Link and Ridley. After finishing Beautiful Darkness I felt like I knew them all in real life.

The plot in this book was very different from the one in the first book which took me some time to get used to. There were so many new and different settings and characters and I didn't expect the story world to expand the way it did.

What I really didn't like in the book, though, was Lena. My favorite character from the first book turned into the most annoying one in Beautiful Darkness. Throughout the first 100 pages I was close to putting the book down quite often just because I couldn't stand Lena's behaviour. I mean, it was okay for her to act the way she did and totally reasonable, but still. Fifty pages to me would clearly have been enough to show her state of mind.

All in all, I didn't like this book as much as i liked the first one as it was very hard for me to get through the first 100 or so pages. After that, though, it was okay, I just felt like I couldn't really get into it anymore. I'd recommend continuing the series anyway, though, because the ending of this one made me look forward to number three so much. From what you can guess from Beautiful Darkness in my opinion makes reading Beautiful Chaos unavoidable :)

RATING: 2 out of 3 Smarties

Review#7 Matched - Ally Condie

If your whole life was planned out perfectly, if you had the best chances, if you had the opportunity to live a life without risks - would you give it away for a boy?

Goodreads summary:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. 

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow

I know that this is probably a novel that one will either love or hate. I had the advantage of not knowing that when I started reading it so that I could find my own point of view on this book and it turned out to be very positive.

Although I do see why some people did not enjoy Matched at all, I found it to be a very fast read. I think what I liked most about it was how you could glide into the story easily, the world was easy to understand. In many dystopians I find it hard to focus on everything that happens plus the complicated rules of the dystopian worlds plus getting to know all the characters etc. Ally Condie in my opinion used very simple language to quickly point out the overall structure of the world, introduce the characters and the protagonist's history.

Now on to the story itself. I have to admit that looking back I recognize that there does not happen that much throughout the novel. Fast paced action or any kinds of twists and turns were not included. It is weird, though, that this did not struck me as I was reading the novel. Same with the relationships between the characters. Actually, their development is very structured and without surprises. Again looking back it seems to me like the author knew where she wanted the story to go and simply went that way without any interruptions. There were no outstanding events, no fights, no dangerous, life-threatening moments. I'd describe the book as very quiet and settled. It's easy to get through, but it doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat.

All in all,  I have to say: I see why some people found it boring. AFTER having read the book I see the flaws many readers pointed out in their reviews. Anyways, as I was reading the book, I enjoyed it very much and I found it to be a quick read that was easy to get into.

Greetings,
the Booksmartie

RATING: 2 out of 3 Smarties

Review #6 City Of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

You assumed the world was in order again after the end of the mortal war and the happy end for Jace and Clary? You thought the Shadowhunters would simply start over and live their lives, kill some demons in their free time without major incidents? Oh well...you thought wrong!



Goodreads summary:

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She's training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend. 


But nothing comes without a price. 


Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse wrecking his life. And they’re willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other. 


When Jace begins to pull away from Clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace. 


To be honest, the first two installments of the Mortal Instruments Series were not really for me. I read them, found a place for them on my shelf and moved on. I just couldn't get as excited as some of the hardcore fans could. I got the box set of the first three books, though, so I read the third one, too and actually liked it alright. There were many twists and turns in the story that kept me reading and at the end I wanted more and decided to read the fourth book, as well. I loved it.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how I felt familiar with all the characters and settings from the beginning. After getting to know Clary, Jace, Simon and all the others in books one to three, in book four I was much more able to identify with them and to understand their actions. Also, I felt like their was a lot more focus on the development on both their personalities and relationships. I blame that partly on the fact that it does not have that much "movement" in it. Almost all of the characters stay in one place and interact with each other, they have more time.

As for the pace, I found this one a bit slower than the other three, but that was not a problem at all. I was so into the story and the writing style was so fluent that I found myself checking the page number and being shocked by how much pages (and time!) had gone by without my noticing. It was actually really hard for me to put this down and remind myself that neither shadowhunters nor demons or other paranormal creatures exist and I'm still having a hard time accepting it :)

The only thing I disliked about the book was its ending. I won't say what it was exactly that bothered me because that would be a big spoiler, but I found it a bit unreasonable and I would have expected something like what happened in the end of this book at the beginning of the next book.

Anyway, I would recommend City of Fallen Angels for everyone, especially the people out there that (like me) could not really get into the story at the beginning of the series.

Greetings, the Booksmartie

RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Review #1 Divergent-Veronica Roth

If you had to - could you describe yourself in one word and stick to that description for the rest of your life?
Yeah, clearly I coulldn't. And I'm sure most other people would answer this question with a "no",too.
However, Divergent - the dystopian novel written by Veronica Roth - which I'm going to tell you about today deals with exactly that question. Well...not only with that question...

Goodreads Summary:

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.



Divergent is Roth's debut novel which is only somewhat surprising since the author is only 23. Uhu. Try writing such a  jewel before most other people even move out of their parents' house! 


What I liked about this book was that it actually didn't feel like a book while I was reading it. And reading didn't feel like reading.. It was more me getting sucked into a world that I could not leave until I finished the book. I read during all of my classes at school,while I was eating, I sacrificed sleeping (very unusual for me).
Due to the fact that I wasn't reading, but living in the story I cannot tell you guys much about the characters except that I could totally relate to the main character and that all of them seemed very real to me. I never felt overloaded with too much information about the characters' history or their appearance, it was just enough to picture them in my head and to understand why they were acting the way they did.


What was just striking about this book was of course the story and the storytelling. So many little details turned out to be huge and so important in the course of the story. Divergent belongs to one of those books that do give you little hints so that you always have a certain sense of knowing what's going to happen - and then it's totally different.
All the little twists and turns in the novel, the development of some of the characters that was often surprising but never unreasonable and the way Roth can transform you into the story world made this book my new all-time-favorite!


Greetings, the Booksmartie


RANKING: 3 out of 3 Smarties