Browsing Category

reviews

reviews July 20, 2013

The Magician’s Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

The Magician’s Apprentice (The Black Magician Trilogy 0.5) by Trudi Canavan

Taking place hundreds of years before the events of “The Magicians’ Guild, The Magician’s Apprentice “is the new novel set in the world of Trudi Canavan’s Black Magician trilogy.
In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to her father, the village Healer. Her mother would rather she found a husband. But her life is about to take a very unexpected turn.
When the advances of a visiting Sachakan mage get violent, Tessia unconsciously taps unknown reserves of magic to defend herself. Lord Dakon, the local magician, takes Tessia under his wing as an apprentice.
The hours are long and the work arduous, but soon an exciting new world opens up to her. There are fine clothes and servants and – to Tessia’s delight – regular trips to the great city of Imardin.
However, Tessia is about to discover that her magical gifts bring with them a great deal of responsibility. For a storm is approaching that threatens to tear her world apart. (Goodreads)

Tessia is the village healer’s daughter and has nearly an obsession with healing. After an incident in Lord Dakon’s house She shows that she has magic and her life is gonna change forever. Lord Dakon takes her as his apprentice and his other apprentice, Jayan, is none too happy about it. And soon Kyralia is being invaded by Sachaka, a neighbour country, who gave them their independence.

The other story follows a Sahaka woman named Stara who finds herself married because she has to get pregnant and her sister-in-law’s life depends on it.

I truly enjoyed this book! I loved the relationship between Tessia and Jayan. Jayan is from noble family and first thinks Tessia as simple peasant and is jealous about the time Dakon takes teaching her. I loved how they’re relationship changed with time and develops into friendship.

I thought it was interesting how the magician’s must obtain more power from the apprentice’s and aren’t all powerful once getting to certain level.

The only complain I have is that while I liked Stara and the story, I thought it was quite unnecessary. It was more like two completely different storys. Stara met Jayan and Tessia once for like 3 seconds and that was it. But it was kinda refreshing to move to other story for awhile.

I think it would have helped if I had read her other books before but it can stand as a stand alone.

5/5
Published: Orbit (2010)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 702
Source: my own

reviews July 19, 2013

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires 1) by Rachel Caine

It’s a small college town filled with quirky characters. But when the sun goes down, the bad comes out. Because in Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows—one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. The popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks on the school’s social scene: somewhere less than zero. And Claire really doesn’t have the right connections—to the undead who run the town.

When Claire heads off campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Hew new roommates don’t show many signs of life. But they’ll have Claire’s back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.. (Goodreads)

I have to say that I was positively surprised about this book and very much enjoyed this. I’m not usually huge fan og these kinds of books because it’s just too YA for me. At least there was no sparkly vampires or going out in the sun.

I liked Claire but I wished at times that she would have more spirit but I guess time for that comes later on… There was few “omg, he’s so hott” scenes that could have been left out but thankfully there wasn’t many of them. What I didn’t gt why was it such a big deal that Claire was nearly 17 and the boy’s were nearly 19? Not sure if Michael was actually 19 but anyway… I mean it’s still only 2 years. I mean that’s kinda normal and not in “Eww, that’s gross! category.

And I cant believe that the book ended on such an evil cliffhanger! That’s just…wrong! Now I have to read the next book.

3,5/5
Published: Allison & Busby
Format: Paperback
Pages: 348
Source: my own

reviews July 19, 2013

Angel Time by Anne Rice

Angel Time (The Songs of the Seraphim 1) by Anne Rice

The novel opens in the present. At its center: Toby O’Dare—a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A soulless soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a series of aliases—just now: Lucky the Fox—and takes his orders from “The Right Man.”

Into O’Dare’s nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions comes a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O’Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to thirteenth-century England, to dark realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews, where children suddenly die or disappear . . . In this primitive setting, O’Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love. (Goodreads)

The first half of the book tells how Toby came to be an assasin. About his childhood in New Orleans with alcoholic mother and little brother and sister after his fathers death. He’s practically taking care of his sisters and running the house and the thing that helps him going through al this is playing a lute. He has great love for historic books about medieval religious stuff and when he was little he dreamed becoming a priest. But all this ends when he comes home and finds his whole family dead. He leaves without leaving a trace behind. Some time after going to New York he meets a man who’s going to change his life and making him come an assasin. He meets an angel on his latest mission and the angel, Malchiah, send him to 13th century England to save a Jewish family.

I had some fears about reading this book because I couldn’t finish the first Christ book. But I’m a huge fan of hers and love all her other books so I had to try. And I’m glad I did. It’s not just about angels, it’s more about a man trying to find himself. While most of the religious stuff went over my head I always love her writing style and how she describes everything. I have no knowledge about Jews in that time period, or much in general, so it’s interesting to learn more.

4/5
Published: Knopf Doubleday
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 364
Source: my own

reviews July 19, 2013

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family’s Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter’s abilities.

But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra’s parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola’s reactionary followers. Played out against this turbulent backdrop, Alessandra’s married life is a misery, except for the surprising freedom it allows her to pursue her powerful attraction to the young painter and his art. (Goodreads)

I have to say that I wanted to like this more than I did. I don’t know much about Italy and I wish I’d knew more about the things that happened in the book. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and the only one that I wanted to read about was the painter, who isn’t mentioned by name. I did some skipping in the beginning but it did get better towards the end.

2,5/5
Published: Random House (2004)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 403
Source: my own

reviews July 19, 2013

Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham

Hugh and Bess: A Love Story by Susan Higginbotham

Forced to marry Hugh le Despenser, the son and grandson of disgraced traitors, Bess de Montacute, just 13 years old, is appalled at his less-than-desirable past. Meanwhile, Hugh must give up the woman he really loves in order to marry the reluctant Bess. Far apart in age and haunted by the past, can Hugh and Bess somehow make their marriage work?
Just as walls break down and love begins to grow, the merciless plague endangers all whom the couple holds dear, threatening the life and love they have built. (Goodreads)

Elizabeth de Montecute (Bess) is not happy when she hears that she is to marry Hugh le Despenser, son of Hugh le Despenser the Younger.A man twice her age and not to mention horrible family history. Hugh is not thrilled either but the king himself offers the marriage, he won’t say no.

After the executions of Hugh’s father and grandfather and his own time in prison, he is trying to restore the family name and shows himself loyal to the King.

I loved the relationship between Bess and Hugh and especially seeing Bess mature. I loved how kind, gentle and patient he is with Bess. The scene in the court when Bess comes little tipsy is just hilarious! Not all husbands would have been so understanding. Loved his sense of humor and his remarks about his family history.

I liked how Edward III was portrayed and I wish there would have been more of him, but maybe that’s just me…

I really enjoyed the book and wished it would have been longer!

4,5/5
Published: Sourcebooks Landmark (2009)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 287
Source: my own