I read Vampire Academy (2007) by Richelle Mead after hearing about it from some Cannonballers and thinking that it sounded like a fun read. And for the most part it was quick and entertaining. Sure, it sometimes made me feel old. I thought that Rose was sometimes a bad role model, acting like a “mean girl” without remorse, but on the whole I enjoyed it. There’s a lot of teen vampire books out there, and in this one Mead switches things up by creating three […]
The City and the Abcity
Target: China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun Profile: Young Adult, Fantasy, Weird Fantasy ‘China Miéville’ and ‘children’s book’ are not, at first glance, two things that would appear to mesh. Miéville, who I have described in previous reviews as being macabre, dense and sometimes overwhelmingly complicated (in an enjoyable way), is hardly the first person I’d pick to write a book for older kids and young adults. Nevertheless, Un Lun Dun is a triumphant piece of fiction. It taps into the fundamental truths of adventure stories, […]
Another Grim Dystopic Future by Atwood
Another of Atwood’s famous dystopic novels, this one the first in a trilogy based on an apocalyptic future after the genetic manipulators and profit-mongers have prompted a sort-of “Noah’s Flood” in the form of an engineered plague to wipe the slate clean. Crake, the genius who created the plague, is gone but his “children” live on as a handful of bioengineered innocents intended to repopulate the world under new—Crake’s– guidelines. Crake’s appointed “shepherd” for this flock is Jimmy, now known as the Snowman, who managed […]
Sign me up for super armor
It seems I was just saying it’s hard to find a good sci fi/ fantasy book with a female lead and here I found two in a row. Heaven’s Queen is the third (and final) book in the Paradox Series. Since this is the third book, it’s hard to say much without spoiling the series, so, in general, I’d just say this was a good series with a satisfying (but predictable) ending. I’ve probably said too much… I am going to give this book 3 stars. Here’s a breakdown…
She may be the daughter of gods, but she’s pretty dumb
2.5 stars Disclaimer! I was granted an ARC of this book from HarperTeen via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. Isadora is the youngest mortal daughter of Isis and Osiris, yup, those guys, the Egyptian gods. As seasons passed, and their believers started dying away, Isis found a solution to make sure she, her husband and all their immortal family still have worshippers, by having a mortal child every twenty years. She keeps them close, then sends them out into the world to manage on […]
Come for the Druid, Stay for the Pop-culture Quoting Ageless Hound (re-read)
“Toto didn’t deserve that kind of trauma. He was so tiny.” Kevin Hearne’s Hounded (Book 1 of the Iron Druid Chronicles) was yet another discovery I made through John Scalzi’s Whatever; the short version of the Big Idea is that Atticus O’Sullivan is older than Jesus (sorry, them’s the shakes) and being hunted by an angry Irish god. Well, in the first book. Eventually, he ends up being chased by a Loki who’s convinced Ragnarok is just around the corner – and Atticus’ fault. Which […]