Kiwiria's February Fables

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

I think for once my knitting has taken a back seat to my reading! That's what happens when I return to a favourite series ;) However, it has also meant that I've now learned how to knit and read at the same time!! As long as the reading is on my iPad, and the knitting is straight stockingette in the round, that is ;)


The Calling - James Frey, 2.5/5, 477 pages
As you can see from the rating, I wasn't terribly impressed. This book has been compared to "The Hunger Games" in several reviews, which I don't think is entirely fair. Firstly because apart from the fact that the main players may end up having to kill each other, the plots are nothing alike otherwise (which is evident just in that "may" in my previous sentence); and secondly because "The Hunger Games" is just so much better! ;)

I liked the plot well enough, and in the right hands, I would probably really have enjoyed the book, but unfortunately I didn't care for the writing style at all. For some odd reason James Frey chose not to use indentations at all, which took some getting used to, and there were 73 end notes throughout the book, all referencing some goo.gl link or the other. I tried checking out the first 3-4 of them, but they seemed to have absolutely no relevance to the plot, so I just dropped them after that. They served no purpose other than to annoy me.

Mostly the book could have done with a good editor. It was really slow moving in places, and I think I'd have liked it a lot more if it had been a complete story in itself, rather than the first book in a series.

I doubt I'll be reading the sequels. While I did like Sarah and some of the other characters, as a whole I just don't care enough.


Manga Classic: Pride and Prejudice, 3/5, 377 pages
Fair disclaimer first: I don't usually read graphic novels (although I am starting to branch out), and in fact, this was my first manga ever. While I had no problems at all getting used to reading right-to-left, and appreciate that way of staying true to the media, I quickly realized that I am not a fan of these types of drawings. It seemed entirely too cutesy for me.

However, that is personal opinion and definitely not an indication of the quality of the drawings. They were objectively very gorgeous and extremely detailed - even in the lower res of the ARC.

It is, of course, a very simplified and abridged version of Jane Austen's masterpiece (as it would have to be - even at 377 pages!) which unfortunately emphasizes that the plot itself is rather silly and unrealistic, when not clothed in Jane Austen's amazing prose. I did catch myself in thinking, "Sheesh, really?" several times, but of course Po Tse and Stacy King couldn't change the plot, and everything was very true to the book... which makes me wonder if I'd find the book equally silly if I was to reread it now.

But silly or not, I do love P&P, and it was fun to read this different version of it, and it did come across as a true homage to the original. There can be no doubt that both the illustrator and the editor are big fans of the book.

I'd recommend it without hesitation, but as an addition to reading the original - not instead of doing so.


Lesbian Assassins - Audrey Faye, 4/5, 117 pages
You can't hide talent. And that also goes for this author, writing under a different pen-name in a completely different genre. The wordsmithery is still there, as is the ability to create engaging characters and wacky situations.

I've put off reading "Lesbian Assassins", as I wasn't sure it could live up to my expectations, being so completely different from what I'm used to from this author. Fortunately, my concerns were unfounded, and I ended up reading the book in two quick sittings. It's ridiculously readable, and I quickly fell in love with the characters.

Looking back at it, I did think that perhaps the climax was just a tad too perfect to be entirely realistic, but it didn't bother me too much, so I'm keeping it at four stars.

I really hope Audrey Faye goes ahead and writes a sequel. I'd love to read more about these charming characters, and am certain we haven't even scratched the surface of their secrets yet.


Ash - Jason Brant, 4.5/5, 336 pages
A random Amazon Kindle daily deal that turned out to be FAR better than I had ever expected. I had great difficulties putting it down, and finished it in just a few days (would have been faster if I hadn't deemed it perfect commute reading). Well written (or engagingly written, anyway) and lots of action from the very first page.

It did leave a couple of threads hanging, but no more than what is acceptable for the first book in a series (no cliffhangers!) and I'll definitely be checking out more of Jason Brant's books.
Tags:  author: br, february 2015, suspense

 
Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel, 3/5, 304 pages
I'm afraid this book suffered severely from too much hype. It was good, but certainly couldn't live up to my expectation. Mostly I felt like the book couldn't decide which way to go -- was it a story about the "apocalypse" or about the aftermath? Instead it tried to be a little bit of both, meaning that it ended up rich on world-building and low on plot. Even now I'm not sure what the plot was supposed to be... Arthur's life story? Kirsten's life story? How Station Eleven came to be? Eluding the prophet? Getting to the airport? All of the above? None of the above?

It's probably telling that I enjoyed the flashbacks more than the present day events, and as a whole, I found the book well-written, but ultimately too easily forgettable.

The three stars is because the first few chapters and some of the flashbacks had me at the edge of my seat. More of that (=focus on the apocalypse and the early years) and I would probably have LOVED it.


A Modern Witch - Debora Geary*, 5/5, 299 pages
A Hidden Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 300 pages
Witches on Parole - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 421 pages
Witches Under Way - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 419 pages
Witches In Flight - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 413 pages
A Reckless Witch - Debora Geary*, 4.5/5, 304 pages
A Nomadic Witch - Debora Geary*, 4/5, 263 pages
Yes, I'm rereading this series again - and loving every moment of it :) This time I decided to give in to my urgings and use my iPad Kindle app to highlight all my favourite passages... the books are turning very colourful indeed ;)


Book of the Month: Ash
Biggest Disappointment The Calling

Comments

[dantheman23.livejournal.com]

There are so many books named The Calling (I've read one of the others in fact) and there are two authors named James Frey that I couldn't even figure out for sure which one you're talking about :p But my search did lead me to the book How to Write a Damn Good Mystery by one of the Frey boys, so my search was fruitful : ) I've read and own How to Create a Damn Good Novel and its sequel (and there are very few books I think are good enough to actually own!) so I'm anxious to read that one.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

It's the same James Frey who wrote the very controversial "A Million Little Pieces". Direct link to The Calling here (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20510241-the-calling?from_search=true&search_version=service_impr) :-)

I'm glad your search paid off in other respects though :-)

[dantheman23.livejournal.com]

Yeah I figured it was that guy; I remember the whole controversy but never read anything by him.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

If The Calling is anything to go by, you're not missing out.