christianreader | Kiwiria's May Reads

I've read surprisingly few books in May. Obviously I do need to learn how to knit and read at the same time, because I'm pretty sure that's where a lot of my reading time has disappeared off to. Ah well, I'm sure I'll make up for it some other month ;)

Insurgent - Veronica Roth, 4/5, 544 pages
The problem with most dystopian/post-apocalyptic series is that it is really the world building that makes the story so interesting. Once that is established, it often falls back to being an 'ordinary' series, and more is required to keep it interesting.

This was one of the reasons I was a bit hesitant to start "Insurgent". I had loved "Divergent", and thought it one of the best books I read all last year. Would "Insurgent" really be able to live up to it?

Unfortunately, not quite - as reflected in the slightly lower rating I've given it. But it certainly tries. It picks up exactly where "Divergent" leaves off, and races on, full speed ahead, from the very first page. Since less page-time is dedicated to the world building, more space remains for developing the characters and furthering the plot. Veronica Roth surprised me very pleasantly by managing to write a second book in a trilogy that doesn't just come across as a placeholder/transitory book. The plot doesn't just exist to bring the story to it's natural conclusion in the third book, but works in its own right as well. It'll be interesting to see where she takes it in the final book.

Austenland - Shannon Hale, 3/5, Audiobook ~6hrs
I really enjoyed Shannon Hale's "The Book of a Thousand Days", which I read a couple of years ago, so I think my expectations were much too high here. It's a fluffy retelling of "Pride and Prejudice" and as such inherently predictable. Fortunately the book did improve somewhat once Jane settled down and became less mental, but I still don't think I'll bother with the sequel.

I did like Mr. Nobly though :) And now I feel like a reread of P&P is past due :)

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi, 4/5, 352 pages
I had read very varied reviews of this book - it seemed like a pretty even split between people loving it and people hating it - so I was a bit reluctant to start. It sounded like a plot that would be right up my aisle though, so I decided to give it a shot.

As you can see from the rating, I didn't regret it. Granted, it took quite awhile for it to get properly started, but once it did I couldn't put it down, and I found myself trying to figure out how to read and knit at the same time, so I could get a few more pages in. The writing style took some getting used to as well, but fortunately became more fluid as the book progressed.

I really enjoyed it, but I wish that it had been perhaps 50% longer. So much time was spent building the universe and setting the stage, that very little real plot had time to unfold. I had a feeling that the entire book was a prologue to the last few chapters, and the epilogue was where things really got started. Very obviously the first book in a series, but thankfully no real cliff-hanger. Still, I can't wait for the next one!

Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~20hrs
So much darker than the other books in the trilogy. Guess the name should really have given it away, but I was still slightly surprised as I still look at this as a children's series.

It might just be that it's been awhile since I'd read the two first, so I didn't remember them in as much detail as I perhaps ought to; or that I read those as physical books and listened to this as an audiobook, but I found it very slow to start - I think I was between 25%-33% through before I really got interested in the story. It did capture me at last though, and I enjoyed hearing what happened to Meggie, Reese and Mo next. I thought it a very fitting and beautiful end to the story and loved what happened to Violante ("Her Ugliness").

Little House on Rocky Ridge - Roger Lea MacBride, 4.5/5, 353 pages
I wasn't sure if this follow-up series to "The Little House" would work - especially not when reading it as the first time as an adult - but it did. I absolutely adored it. Roger MacBride manage to capture much of the charm of LIW's books, and recreate it in this series about Laura's daughter. There isn't much to it, but it's a comfort book of the best kind.

I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for more books in the series.

The Future of Us - Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler, 4/5, 364 pages
First of all, if you haven't yet - go read Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why" first. It's SO much better! That said, I was actually very pleasantly surprised by this book. I'd heard such mixed reviews, that I didn't know what to expect and thus ended up enjoying quite a lot more than I had feared. I found the premise fascinating and was interested in seeing how Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler handled it.

In parts, this is a typical YA novel, but the sci-fi aspects makes it refreshingly original and different. Some issues I think were skirted somewhat and/or handled too superficially, but all in all, I liked the direction the novel took, and felt it ended the only appropriate way.

It's a fun read, even if it did come across as a bit of a let-down after reading Jay Asher's first book, "Thirteen Reasons Why", which absolutely blew me away. Thankfully, the books are different enough that I wasn't really tempted to constantly compare.

Into the Mist: Silver Hand - Steve Finegan, 4/5, 400 pages
I was sent a copy of this ebook as an ARC, and really appreciated the chance to get to read it. Steve Finegan paints amazing word-pictures, and I was quickly drawn deep into the book. Into the Mist: Silver Hand reminded me a lot of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper and Shamran by Bjarne Reuter in its atmosphere and structure.

Since ItM:SH is the first book in a series, it very much served to set the stage for the coming books, and as such I preferred the 'OtherWorld' aspects of the story to those in 'ThisWorld'. I really, really liked Ellie, and wanted to shake Gabe for being so enamoured by Rachel as to forget about her from time to time. I know that the dark powers of 'ThisWorld' has something to do with that, and am intrigued to see whether this will be explained further in the next book in the series.

Unfortunately the book ended with quite a cliffhanger, which is a major pet peeve of mine, and thus subtracts one star from the rating. Even so, ItM:SH is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Dystopia - Dennis Jürgensen*, 5/5, 636 pages
Dystopia is one of those amazing fantasy books, that - though I remember I love them - I forget from time to time just HOW good they are. I love the universe that Dennis Jürgensen creates, and the detail he puts into the description of it.

Even though I more or less know the story by heart by now, I still lose myself completely in the universe of Dystopia, and the fates of the eudaimons and the two humans. It's the age-old fight between good and evil, but with some delightful twists that make it seem new and original.

If I ever win Lotto, I'll take the time off work to finally translate it into English :)