Book Post
Book post, because you know...books :D
I don't know if I already posted about the first two below so I'm just going to post them anyway!
In Extremis (Crime Scene Investigation 9) by Ken Goddard
3 out of 5 stars
A ruthless and expertly trained contract killer is on assignment in Nevada's remote Desert National Wildlife Range...and he deliberately sets in motion a series of seemingly unconnected events that will soon test the skills of Gil Grissom and his team of CSIs -- Catherine Willows, Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, and Greg Sanders -- to their limit. For all is not as it appears in this federal refuge, as law enforcement and lawbreakers alike are quickly caught up in a growing crime scene that leads to a deadly game of one-upmanship....
* Overall this book was an okay read. But it seemed to lack a spark of surprise in me as I was reading it. I think part of this had to do with the first chapter which focused on the contract killer. I felt the chapter was too long, we learned too much about him already and it left no surprise to the case later in the book. Also there was a lot of technical talking in this, sometimes too much on one page to keep it interesting for the ones that do not have a scientific background or interest.
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson 3) by Rick Riordan
3 out of 5 stars
It's not every day you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human.
But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.
Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...
* Somewhat spoilers in this below.
This series remains an easy and somewhat entertaining read. It does not require much thinking.
The plot in the base was somewhat the same as the other two (even Athena pointed that out at the end). I guess this is to point out Percy's flaw more. Like we didn't know that from the first time we read about him. Also Percy clearly wants to be the hero, the way he gets jealous of Thalia. I also dislike how they put Thalia away at the end but added in another child that could fit the prophecy.
But I did feel it was a bit better when it came to the other characters he was travelling with like Thalia and Zoe compared to Tyson in the sea of monsters. And I do wonder about Luke. There are some hints about him.
Among the Nameless Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars 0,5) by Diana Peterfreund
3 out of 5 stars.
This is a short prequel story about a character that appears in the serie 'For Darkness Shows the Stars' when he was younger.
You can find it online through here.
* This is my first introduction to this series. I wanted to read this prequel to see if the series would be worth a read. And I am still undecided. Kai did grow on be throughout the second part of this short prequel but I have no fondness for him. The Innovations are interesting. It took a while before the pieces about the world it was set in fell into place. It might be easier to read if you have read the first book of the series.
It was an okay read overall.
Castle in the Air (Howl's Moving Castle 2) by Diana Wynne Jones
4 out of 5 stars
Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare-and disagreeable-magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydreams. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah's eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn't all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn's mysterious dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?
* At the start of this book I felt it was an okay read but I wasn't very impressed or taken by the new main character Abdullah or the princess Flower-in-the-night. But the second part of the book was great with a few twists I wasn't entirely expecting and it also makes the first part fall into place more. I can say that when thinking of the first part now, it makes me smile and I appreciate it more as I know the full story. It also made me think: Why didn't I see this earlier? It makes so much sense!
Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires 1) by Rachel Caine
3 out of 5 stars
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new room mates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?
* I am unsure of what to think of this book. There are parts of it that I certainly dislike. Claire being 16 living with 18 year olds and not getting her ass shipped out of Morganville by her friends. It also feels like they wanted to make her special by being 16 and in college and be smart. It is emphasized upon a lot but besides a few small moments she doesn't seem to be that smart. The way the vampires were introduced to Claire I was not happy with and the extreme aggression of Monica felt unbelievable. But at the same time I am somewhat interested in Morganville itself and it does have a lot of things happening. Maybe if I can find the others somewhat 'cheaply' I will consider reading the rest of this series. At least it is better than 'Fallen' by Lauren Kate. I feared it might be the same.
2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge - 7/30
(Goodreads apparently counts manga and short prequel stories too, oh well)
1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - 4 stars
2. xxxHolic: Rei volume 1 by Clamp - 4 stars
3. In Extremis (Crime Scene Investigation 9) by Ken Goddard - 3 stars
4. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson 3) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
5. Among the Nameless Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars 0,5) by Diana Peterfreund - 3 stars
6. Castle in the Air (Howl's Moving Castle 2) by Diana Wynne Jones - 4 stars
7. Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires 1) by Rachel Caine
Also I bought two books that were on offer from the Iron Fey Series. It is book 2 and 3 in Dutch. I don't have the first book but I'm sure I'll buy it some time this year. They were not even 10 Euro for the both of them so I figured I shouldn't pass that by!
I think I might organize the book shelves again but this time on authors (alphabet) and pick out the non-fantasy/sci-fi (and such) and non-fiction.
I don't know if I already posted about the first two below so I'm just going to post them anyway!
In Extremis (Crime Scene Investigation 9) by Ken Goddard
3 out of 5 stars
A ruthless and expertly trained contract killer is on assignment in Nevada's remote Desert National Wildlife Range...and he deliberately sets in motion a series of seemingly unconnected events that will soon test the skills of Gil Grissom and his team of CSIs -- Catherine Willows, Nick Stokes, Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle, and Greg Sanders -- to their limit. For all is not as it appears in this federal refuge, as law enforcement and lawbreakers alike are quickly caught up in a growing crime scene that leads to a deadly game of one-upmanship....
* Overall this book was an okay read. But it seemed to lack a spark of surprise in me as I was reading it. I think part of this had to do with the first chapter which focused on the contract killer. I felt the chapter was too long, we learned too much about him already and it left no surprise to the case later in the book. Also there was a lot of technical talking in this, sometimes too much on one page to keep it interesting for the ones that do not have a scientific background or interest.
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson 3) by Rick Riordan
3 out of 5 stars
It's not every day you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human.
But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.
Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...
* Somewhat spoilers in this below.
This series remains an easy and somewhat entertaining read. It does not require much thinking.
The plot in the base was somewhat the same as the other two (even Athena pointed that out at the end). I guess this is to point out Percy's flaw more. Like we didn't know that from the first time we read about him. Also Percy clearly wants to be the hero, the way he gets jealous of Thalia. I also dislike how they put Thalia away at the end but added in another child that could fit the prophecy.
But I did feel it was a bit better when it came to the other characters he was travelling with like Thalia and Zoe compared to Tyson in the sea of monsters. And I do wonder about Luke. There are some hints about him.
Among the Nameless Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars 0,5) by Diana Peterfreund
3 out of 5 stars.
This is a short prequel story about a character that appears in the serie 'For Darkness Shows the Stars' when he was younger.
You can find it online through here.
* This is my first introduction to this series. I wanted to read this prequel to see if the series would be worth a read. And I am still undecided. Kai did grow on be throughout the second part of this short prequel but I have no fondness for him. The Innovations are interesting. It took a while before the pieces about the world it was set in fell into place. It might be easier to read if you have read the first book of the series.
It was an okay read overall.
Castle in the Air (Howl's Moving Castle 2) by Diana Wynne Jones
4 out of 5 stars
Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare-and disagreeable-magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydreams. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah's eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn't all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn's mysterious dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?
* At the start of this book I felt it was an okay read but I wasn't very impressed or taken by the new main character Abdullah or the princess Flower-in-the-night. But the second part of the book was great with a few twists I wasn't entirely expecting and it also makes the first part fall into place more. I can say that when thinking of the first part now, it makes me smile and I appreciate it more as I know the full story. It also made me think: Why didn't I see this earlier? It makes so much sense!
Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires 1) by Rachel Caine
3 out of 5 stars
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new room mates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?
* I am unsure of what to think of this book. There are parts of it that I certainly dislike. Claire being 16 living with 18 year olds and not getting her ass shipped out of Morganville by her friends. It also feels like they wanted to make her special by being 16 and in college and be smart. It is emphasized upon a lot but besides a few small moments she doesn't seem to be that smart. The way the vampires were introduced to Claire I was not happy with and the extreme aggression of Monica felt unbelievable. But at the same time I am somewhat interested in Morganville itself and it does have a lot of things happening. Maybe if I can find the others somewhat 'cheaply' I will consider reading the rest of this series. At least it is better than 'Fallen' by Lauren Kate. I feared it might be the same.
2014 Goodreads Reading Challenge - 7/30
(Goodreads apparently counts manga and short prequel stories too, oh well)
1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - 4 stars
2. xxxHolic: Rei volume 1 by Clamp - 4 stars
3. In Extremis (Crime Scene Investigation 9) by Ken Goddard - 3 stars
4. The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson 3) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
5. Among the Nameless Stars (For Darkness Shows the Stars 0,5) by Diana Peterfreund - 3 stars
6. Castle in the Air (Howl's Moving Castle 2) by Diana Wynne Jones - 4 stars
7. Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires 1) by Rachel Caine
Also I bought two books that were on offer from the Iron Fey Series. It is book 2 and 3 in Dutch. I don't have the first book but I'm sure I'll buy it some time this year. They were not even 10 Euro for the both of them so I figured I shouldn't pass that by!
I think I might organize the book shelves again but this time on authors (alphabet) and pick out the non-fantasy/sci-fi (and such) and non-fiction.