christianreader | Kiwiria's September Reads

Alanna - Tamora Pierce*, 5/5, 216 pages
The first quartet written by Tamora Pierce, and while "Protector of the Small" has overtaken it as my favourite series, the two first books of this quartet are definitely my favourite books. I love reading about how Alanna fits into life at the palace - her lessons and the friends she makes. I read it for the first time when I was 12'ish and have reread it regularly ever since.

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher, 4/5, 262 pages
An amazing, exhausting and heartbreaking story. One of those books that you just can't put down because you need to know how it ends. Given the subject matter, it ought to be horribly depressing, but somehow it wasn't. Devastating, yes. Depressing, no. I can't understand why, but I'm glad, or it would have been much too difficult to read.

I liked the way the story was told - Clay's thoughts and actions interspersed with Hannah's story on the tapes. Definitely a book that told rather than showed, but for once it actually worked. The story wouldn't have been as gripping if we'd seen the events unfold as the happened - not to me anyway. In fact, it would probably have been a lot more depressing and frustrating that way, and might have meant I either wouldn't have finished the book, or would have given it a very low rating. Because the way I see it, the book isn't about Hannah. It's about Clay, and the other people on the tapes. They are the ones we are supposed to relate to, not Hannah. They are the ones whose actions we can learn from.

Well written and powerful book. I'm glad I've read it, even if it does leave me feeling emotionally drained.

Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb, 4.5/5, 880 pages
It took me a surprisingly long time to finish this book - especially considering I ended up giving it 4.5 stars! But I find that's often the case when a book has many different storylines. I end up being so wrapped up in each of them, that I get almost disappointed when a new one takes over and it's therefore easier to put down the book, rather than just read on.

But Robin Hobb does spin a good yarn. I loved the Farseer trilogy, and so far this one hasn't disappointed me. I enjoy getting to know the characters (even if I wouldn't mind less of Kyle and Malta - those two infuriate me!) and am interesting in seeing what happens next.

It does frustrate me a bit that this first book was so obviously just seeing the scene for the two others - many issues were raised, but few (if any) were resolved. Fortunately I was aware that this would be the case before starting the book, so it didn't annoy me as much as it would otherwise have done, but it might have been a factor in how long it took me to finish the book.

But now that I have finished it, I can't stop thinking about it, and want to start the next one straight away!

In the Hand of the Goddess - Tamora Pierce*, 5/5, 209 pages
Probably my all-time favourite Tamora Pierce book... although it's subject to change whenever I reread one of the others ;-) When writing this series, Tamora Pierce still stuck to the 'keep it simple' policy (something which she dropped in later books) making her earlier series both more accessible and more charming.

Mad Ship - Robin Hobb, 5/5, 906 pages
I hadn't actually expected this, but I think I might like this series a teeny-tiny bit more than the Farseer trilogy. Mostly, I think, because I'm more interested about more characters in this one. In Farseer is was really only Fitz' story I cared about. Here I'm equally interested in Althea's, Malta's, Wintrow's and Kennit's.

I do think it's a good thing that I know what to expect of a Robin Hobb trilogy. This was very much a transitional novel, which would usually have bothered me, but because I know her writing style, and know that this is the second book in a trilogy, I could just sit back and let events unfold, and stages be set, without wishing for conclusions and nice wraps, because I know they will come in the next book.

I was SO grateful to see Malta redeem herself. She frustrated me like nothing else in Ship of Magic, but really grew into herself in this book. Likewise, I'm grateful we saw so little of Kyle Haven. I assume that will change in the final book though.

The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen, 4/5, 374 pages
This book seemed quite different from the other book I've read by Sarah Dessen, and from what I expected from her from hearing from other readers. In one way it was the sane though - there's apparently always sone sort of tragedy that has occurred to the main character shortly before the book starts, and which she is coming to terms with during the book. But unlike the last book (where the tragedy was rape), here it is the loss of a parent, and somehow that made the book more rateable. This seemed like a true depiction of a summer of change in an average teenager's life. I really enjoyed it, even if I had hoped Macy would quit the info desk and confront Jason earlier.

Slammerkin - Emma Donoghue, 410 pages, 2.5/5
In many ways Slammerkin reminded me of older Danish books in style (like Ditte Menneskebarn and Guds blinde øje to name a couple of examples), but unfortunately that's not an entirely good thing. I've always thought those books too depressing for their own good and much to my disappointment, Slammerkin didn't buck that trend.

A shame, because I had had high hopes for it - Emma Donoghue's Room being one of the very best books I've read this year - and for a time it looked like Mary would figure out how to better her situation and make the most of what life had dealt her. I found the historical descriptions believable and interesting, which is what earned the book its average rating. As a whole, it was merely okay.

Forever - Maggie Stiefvater, 3.5/5, 480 pages
Better than "Linger" but not nearly as good as "Shiver". It really is a huge disappointment that Maggie Stiefvater couldn't live up to the expectations she, herself, set in the first book. I think a part of it may be that she's just a tad too fond of open endings. Not that everything has to be tied up in nice little bows, but I do prefer that there aren't enough loose threads left hanging to risk the whole thing unravelling.

Also, I found it a shame that I ended up being a lot more interested in Isabel and Cole than in Sam and Grace. The two latter had become caricatures of themselves, with their Great Tooby Love(TM) being the only thing that defined them. Isabel and Cole were a lot more complex and interesting.

I did appreciate Grace's confrontation with her parents though. It was high overdue, even if there was a bit of it in "Linger" as well.

Esio Trot - Roald Dahl*, 3/5, 62 pages
Read aloud to Nina's kids over Skype. Lovely hour spent :D

Book of the Month: Mad Ship
Biggest Disappointment: Slammerkin