Kiwirias Books for March

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Altar of Bones - Philip Carter, 4/5, 488 pages
A thriller with a fascinating plot that unfortunately fell just short of the 5th star. I was intrigued while reading it, and while reading it, I considered it a true page-turner, yet when I put it down for some reason, it was just as easy to pick up another book as it was to return to this one - I wasn't dying to know what happened next, unless I was actually in the middle of reading it.

The riddles surrounding the Altar of Bones and its Keepers were fascinating, but unfortunately the end was rather disappointing - there was this huge build-up and then it just fizzled. The last few pages of the book changed the atmosphere completely.

Who Is My Shelter? - Neta Jackson, 5/5, 409 pages
Who Is My Shelter is the last book in the House of Hope series. I'm sorry to have reached the end. I want to know more about the Manna House, the House of Hope and especially about the Yada Yada Prayer Group. I wonder if Neta Jackson has something more in store for us, or if she feels ready to write something else now.*

All the various threads from the earlier books are wrapped up nicely in this one. Not necessarily tied down fast, but working in the right direction, and I actually appreciated that everything had a happy ending here and now, but just hinted at one in the future - it seemed more realistic that way.

So once again I acknowledge that I was right to give the series a second chance after being so very disappointed by the first book - the remaining three more than made up for it. And as always Yada Yada works as a breath of fresh air for my faith and my prayer life.

* Just read this on her webpage:
And now ... what's next??? I'm working on a new novel, reviving one of my characters from the original Yada Yada series, introducing some new (annoying) people, and stirring the pot in what I'm calling "SouledOut Sisters." -Neta

Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins*, 5/5, 323 pages
Very promising first book in a new fantasy trilogy. I literally couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting despite having plenty of other things to do. Can't wait to get my hands on the next two books.

Reread in 2011 in preparation of book two in the series. Every bit as good as on my first read-through - good thing I have "Demonglass" readily available so I can start it straight away!

Demonglass - Rachel Hawkins, 4.5/5, 359 pages
I was very, very happy to finally get my hands on this! Thanks to receiving Hex Hall as an ARC I have literally been waiting for years to read the next book in the series.

Thankfully it lived up to my expectations. The atmosphere I so loved in Hex Hall was back in Demonglass and I didn't really mind that they weren't actually at Hex Hall for most of the book as all the important characters were still there.

My one complaint about the book is that it employed one of my biggest literary pet peeves by ending with a huge cliff hanger. I don't need everything tied up nicely - especially not in a single book in a series - but this was too much. So, alas, only 4.5 stars for book 2.

Daughter of the Blood - Anne Bishop, 3/5, ~17hrs
After all the raving reviews I'd read, I think my expectations were perhaps a tad too high, and I ended up disappointed. It's not a bad book by any stretch, but it came across to me as very obviously the first book in a series as great effort was spent on building the universe and the characters and very little plot actually happened. I 'read' it as an audiobook and very often found my attention drifting as I really wasn't all that interested in many of the characters and their sub-plots.

That said, because so much time was spent on introducing the characters, I ended up being very fond of especially Jaenelle and Daemon, but also of Saetan and Wilhelmina. I liked their relationship and enjoyed reading about the love they had for each other.

I'm not sure that's enough for me to want to read the rest of the series though. Guess it depends on how attached I feel I've become to the characters as it certainly won't be for the plot.

Døderummet - Susanne Staun, 3/5, 327 pages
(The Death Room)
Very, very slow to start. In fact I'll admit to almost giving up on it within the first 20 pages because nothing was happening, and I didn't care for the writing style so it bothered me that nothing was happening. However, I thought the book blurb sounded so interesting that I was determined to give it a decent chance, and thankfully it paid off, and pretty soon I couldn't put it down.

Still, while entertaining enough, as you can see from the rating, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. There was too much vigilante work in it for my liking, and the main character was border-line psychotic... something nobody apparently seemed inclined to act upon.

I'm not sure I found the plot all that believable, but it kept me riveted while reading as I had to know what happened next. I'm quite satisfied I merely got it out of the library and didn't actually purchase it though - I don't think it merits a reread.

The A-List - Zoey Dean, 2.5/5, 243 pages
I'd been wanting to read The A-List by Zoey Dean ever since I got the chance to review her How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, which ended up being one of my favourite books read that year. Unfortunately The A-List didn't even come close to living up to my expectations, and I was sorely disappointed.

It started off very promising, with exactly the "Clueless"-like atmosphere I'd enjoyed so much in How to.... Unfortunately, it didn't keep it up and the plot started jumping all over the place. I think part of the problem was that it's the first book in a series, and too much page time was used setting the scene and introducing all the characters and plot lines that would be picked up in later books, leaving this one with a very unfinished feel.

It would probably have worked well as a pilot in a TV-series, but as it is, I have no desire to read the rest of the series.

On the Banks of Plum Creek - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 4.5/5, 235 pages
I remember being totally scared by the grasshoppers after reading this book. I'd read about the plague of the locusts in the Bible, but it never really *clicked* exactly what it meant until after reading this. I can't remember if I noticed this before, but on this readthrough it constantly strikes me how simple a life the Ingalls lived. I know it's (mostly) written with rosy-coloured glasses but I really think there were a lot of advantages to it - more time to play (no TV or computer), more time to spend with your family (again, no TV or computer to compete with)... on the other hand I would miss having more than 3 books at my disposal ;-)

By The Shores of Silver Lake - Laura Ingalls Wilder*, 4/5, 220 pages
This is very obviously a 'transitional' book where Laura has to get her and her family from one place to the next but not much happens. It's a true sign of a good author, however, when even books where 'not much happens' are well worth reading :)

Through the Wardrobe - Herbie Brennan, 4/5, 215 pages
I was hooked the very first time I read about this book, and even though I have now forgotten where that was, I didn't forget about the book, and was thrilled to finally get my hands on it. 16 essays about the Chronicles of Narnia - obviously a must for any Narniophile like myself.

Thankfully it was worth the wait. Most of the essays were charming and interesting, and if there was a slight unbalance with more essays being about Prince Caspian than any other book in the series, then that can be explained by the essay collection being compiled shortly after the release of the Prince Caspian movie.

Unfortunately there was one essay that ruined it for me and which I couldn't even stomach reading through the first time. Comparing C.S. Lewis to Al Gore and making Prince Caspian all about preserving nature? Really? Seemed like just a bit more than a stretch to me.

So skip over "Waking the Trees" and enjoy how the remaining 15 essays faithfully explore the magic that is Narnia :)

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls, 4/5, ~11hrs
A fascinating book. I knew absolutely nothing about Jeannette Walls before picking up this book, and had actually gotten the impression that it was fiction rather than a memoir.

But despite not knowing who Jeannette Walls is, and therefore not having any expectations whatsoever, I soon found myself deeply caught up in the book. The narrator suited the part well, and Jeannette's life was absolutely fascinating. Granted, her parents' behaviour bordered on child abuse from time to time, but it was obvious to see that it wasn't from any ill intent (unless selfishness counts as ill-intent) and that they really did love each other.

I'm incredibly impressed that so many of the children did so well with their lives with the upbringing they had. Seems very obvious to me that they owed it to their constant effort to stick together and help each other.

I really appreciated a look into this aspect of American living that I'd never known much about before.

The Rapture - Liz Jensen, 2.5/5, 348 pages
I wavered between a rating of two or three. It was slightly more than just okay, but I'm not sure that I'd go so far as to say I liked it.

The plot sounded fascinating - a girl in a psychiatric ward finds herself able to predict natural catastrophes. I'm not sure I entirely agreed with the execution of it though. It kept me entertained while reading it, and with the recent events in New Zealand, China and Japan it was scarily relevant. However, as I turned the last page, I felt that there were far too many issues left unexplained and far too many threads left open. I always get frustrated when supernatural events *just happen* and aren't explained in some way that's believable in the context of the story.

In short I guess the book is best described as a pre-dystopian book with a definite judgement day influence.

No BSC books this month!!! Wow! But a total of 12 books read - 3 of these were rereads. Hmmm... that brings me to 46 books for the first 3 months. My goal was 50 (for a total of 200 by the end of the year), so I'm not doing too bad. I need to speed up a little bit though, but hopefully April will help there with both the Dewey Read-a-Thon and a LOOOOONG plane-ride!


Book of the Month: Who Is My Shelter?
Biggest Disappointment: The A-List. I had had such high expectations.