Village School by Miss Read

It's been a bit stressful at work lately, since we're working towards our launch. And when I'm stressed, I tend to want comfort reads. And while I'm not sure how I heard of Village School, but this is definitely a comfort read!

Village School follows the only school of the village of Fairacre as it goes about the school year. While this is supposed to be a novel, it reads very much like a biography of the school and its headmistress. New students enter, a teacher leaves, they go through various village events, and so on. Life is placid (although there is some small drama) and on the whole, very cozy.

While there isn't any actual plot, I love this book. The entire village came to life, not just Miss Read and her students. While not everyone is pleasant (I would not like to meet the Mrs Pringle) and some are have disconcertingly dark problems (Joseph's alcoholic father for example), the book does manage to remain rather light. Although Miss Read talks about the challenges of teaching in a rural village, with its lack of resources and primitive plumbing, she also talks about the children growing up among nature, of games played in a field with a cow, and how trips to the beach is an adventure for everyone.

I don't think a village like this exists anymore. For better or for worse, there is the internet, television, and modern plumbing (the last thing is definitely for the best). But I really enjoyed this book and I am so glad that this is a series because I will definitely be reading more.

Black Star Canyon (The Complete First Season) by Creep Creepersin

I don't really have much experience with serials. So when I heard Creep Creepersin (CC) on a podcast, I asked him about it (I think it was something like, how do you write a serial? It sounds cool), and CC very generously offered me a copy. This was sometime ago, but because I was having school, I was a bit afraid to start, lest I couldn't stop.

Until one day, I was stuck on a plane. So I cracked open the ebook and began reading. When the first episode finished, I was a little hesitant as to whether I should continue, since the style of writing felt different to me. But then I saw the first hint and was hooked. I read on, and as the story got more and more melodramatic, the hints got harder and harder to figure out. I finished the first season not knowing anymore than when I started, but very intrigued as to what was happening.

Black Star Canyon starts with a murder, but unlike most mystery series I watch, things do not get clearer. Instead, as we get to know these over-the-top characters, things just get murkier. Who is hiding what? And then, another body is found. And the mayor's daughter is severely attacked. Who is behind all these mysterious crimes?

What I liked about this serial were the hints, which hooked me, then drove me crazy because I couldn't guess what was going on. The characters are definitely over the top, especially the mayor, and whether or not you like them is a personal preference. Personally, I like the cops, while the mayor and his family kind of grates on me.

Another thing that you'll either love or hate is the writing style. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's a very exaggerated feel. Kind of like a TV drama. It's very, very vivid, and I think because I was reading something that wrote in the opposite style (I think it was a non-fiction business book), it felt a little strange to me, at least until I got used to it.

All in all, this is a fun novel. You'll either love or hate the vivid prose and over-the-top characters, but one thing that'll probably hook you will be the serial format, with the hints at the end of every episode.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the author. I was not asked to give a review, but since I finished reading it, I figured I might as well give my honest opinion.

A Coin for the Ferryman by Rosemary Rowe

Note: This is my last week in Singapore and I have friends staying with me. So don't expect any updates until next week! Thanks :D 

So this is the last book of the Libertus series that I've been able to get my hands on in Singapore. Sigh, I really wish they had all the books, because I want to continue reading - it's definitely been getting more and more original.

A Coin for the Ferryman starts with a status change for Junio. Libertus has decided to make him a citizen and adopt him as a son! Junio is a really likable character, so I'm glad that something good is happening to him. He's even going to get engaged! Unfortunately, a corpse is found on the site of his future house (and the land of Marcus), which threatens to curse their new home if the spirit isn't appeased by Lemuria. Wanting the happiness of Junio and tasked to solve the mystery by Marcus, Libertus has to race against time to find out who the corpse is and why he was murdered. (And contrary to the blurb on the back, Junio doesn't play a significant role in this book - Libertus' temporary slaves play a bigger part)

This book reintroduced Kurso, who became Libertus' slave three books back. I'm only pointing it out because he completely wasn't mentioned in two books back (not sure about the previous book, because I haven't been able to get my hands on it). It makes me wonder if there's an inconsistency here.

I really liked the mystery in this book. Libertus engages in a lot of detective work, and I could almost follow along with his thought process this time. There wasn't much action (although there were a few deaths), but there was a hint of the family tension within Marcus' family. I would so dearly love to read a book that talked about Marcus' trip to Rome with Julia. His mother sounds insufferable, and the type of character you'll love to hate.

A lot of previously background characters take bigger roles here, as the characters mature and move into different roles. I like this change, and I'm hoping some of these 'new' stars will play a bigger role in the later books.

Enemies of the Empire by Rosemary Rowe

The 7th and second last book on this series that I've been able to get my hands on. That took much less time than expected - this books get finished very fast.

This story takes place in the outskirts of Britannia, where Libertus is accompanying Marcus on a trip. But, when one unfortunate night gets Libertus thrown in jail for suspicion of murder, the resulting investigations uncover not only a dead man walking, but a possible plot of rebellion.

The amount of investigative work in this story is higher than The Ghosts of Glevum, and the amount of action is probably roughly the same. After all the army is involved, even if a century of soldiers is only 80 people. Looks like we're moving towards a happy equilibrium here!

What I liked about this book was that it explored the tensions between the Roman conquerors and the conquered Celts. While Libertus is a Celt, he has a lot of vested interest in making sure that his Patron Marcus survives, and after that long period in captivity, he's pretty much integrated into Roman life. Same for his wife and slave Junio (Junio was even born in slavery, which means he's the most "Roman" of them all). So it was interesting for the book to go to a more rural area and look at the anti-Roman sentiment. I particularly enjoyed all the little pieces of history trivia.

It's a pity that I've run out of books and time to read. I'm hoping that because the later books are published later, I can get my hands on a physical copy. Either that, or it's really really time to get an Amazon gift card because it seems like all the books are on Kindle.

Love love loved this series. It especially picked up in the later half, because it deviated from the pattern of the first few books and got more and more original.

The Ghosts of Glevum by Rosemary Rowe

Book 6 of the Libertus series, and it threw me for another surprise! I really think that Rosemary Rowe got more confident after book 4 and started taking more risks. Book 5 and Book 6 have been more original in terms of the mystery and the situations that Libertus gets in.

In book 6, Libertus gets to explore the underside of society. When the guest of honor dies, Marcus, Libertus' patron, is accused as the murderer. When the charges are escalated to conspiracy against the Emperor, Libertus has to find the real culprits before everything is too late. Oh, and at the same time, he's being hunted down, so he can't investigate as normal.

So why is the book called The Ghosts of Glevum? Because Libertus is thrown together with a group of beggars, thieves and the lowest of the low. Those are the people that he has to pay for any scrap of information.

And I'm not sure if that makes me a callous person, but I had absolutely no sympathy for the ghosts of Glevum. I know that they have to eke out a living any way they can, but their opportunism and lack of charm makes it awfully hard for me to sympathise with them. In fact, it's only at the very end of the book that one of them (only one) does something that we can call "generous".

Mystery-wise, it's a bit disappointing. Since Libertus spends most of the book on the run from the law, there's very little investigating going around. In fact, I re-read the ending a few times, and I still don't understand how Libertus managed to piece it all together.

Overall, this is a pretty good story. It's an interesting look at the darker side of Roman Britain (remember, read the introduction so you know how much of it is accurate). Mystery-wise, it was meh, and I'm hoping the next book ramps up the investigating and the deducing again.

The Legatus Mystery by Rosemary Rowe

We're at Book 5 of the Legatus series, and oh my, it's totally different from the first four books! For one thing, there isn't a body - at least not at first.

When the Emperor sends a Roman Ambassador to Glevum, everyone is thrown into a tizzy getting ready. Unfortunately for the priests of the Imperial Cult, there's a dead body in the temple (incidentally also the temple of Jupiter). But when Libertus goes to investigate, the body disappears. And then reappears. And in the meantime, blood appears out of nowhere, and a ghostly wail is heard throughout town.

The set-up alone makes it different from the previous four books, but there's an added twist here. Libertus is hunted down by a mob. The series sees probably the most action so far as Libertus has to out-think and out-run a mob with help from Junio and his wife. It certainly kept me glued to the book, flipping page after page after page.

Plus, the characters in this book are interesting. I don't think more than one new character will become a recurring character in the series, but their personalities made a strong impression on me.

By the way, it is worth reading the introduction in this book. Since the book deals with the Imperial Cult, history purists will be interested in seeing which sections of the book are accurate and which sections were made up by the author.

I think this book makes for a nice change in the series. The murder mystery is unusual, Libertus doesn't get to do what he normally does, yet somehow, he manages to solve it. I am definitely more motivated to read on after this.

Teaser Tuesday - A Coin for the Ferryman by Rosemary Rowe

This is the last Libertus Mystery book the library has, and I'll be finishing it just before my friends come. Yay!

I'm sort of happy and sad that I'm at the end of the series (for now, until I figure out how to buy the later books). The teaser for today:

Something that might have been a smile half spread across his face. It gave him the appearance of a crafty bear. (Page 76)

What is your teaser this week?

The Chariots of Calyx by Rosemary Rowe

The fourth book in the Libertus series, this follows the whole 'Libertus is unwillingly dragged into a mystery again'. After the third book, where he caught a glimpse of his lost wife, he's especially unwilling to investigate.

But, Libertus is accompanying the Roman Governer (of what was then Britain), so he has no choice but to investigate the death of Caius, the chief corn-officer - a pretty important guy in Roman times. Caius' mother is insistent that the murderers are his young wife and her lover, the charioteer Fortunas. But, his first wife and son still live in the same household, and they all have a pretty strong motive for murder. When Libertus gets beaten up and another body is found, it's clear that there's more to this case than what everyone first thought.

As always, there's a twist in this story that I did not see coming. In fact, I have yet to find a story in this series where I could predict the murderer. I guess I'm losing my touch. I had to re-read the ending of the book a few times before I even saw all the clues.

The characterisation here doesn't move forward very much. Most of the book is wrapped up in the mystery. The only surprise came at the end, because Libertus' search for his wife made a huge huge jump. I'm not saying anymore because that would be a spoiler, but suffice to say, if you're interested in this particular subplot, then this book is a key turning point. Extremely important turning point.

I'm still loving this series. I hope I can find a used copy one day and get the whole collection.

The Germanicus Mosaic by Rosemary Rowe

The first book in the series, The Germanicus Mosaic, follows Libertus, a freed slave, as he's tasked by his patron to solve a murder mystery.

Libertus had previously worked on a floor for a retired Centurion named Germanicus. However, shortly after he finishes the work, Germanicus is found murdered. Initial suspiscions fall on one of Germanicus's slaves, who was known to be close to the master and could imitate people well. However, when that slave turns up dead, and Libertus is attacked while investigating, it's clear that the simplest solution is not always the correct on.

In fact, the ending of the book contained a surprise twist. It made sense when I re-read it (I found a lot of the clues Libertus talked about), which is something that I really enjoy. This is the sort of book that you can read more than once, in order to pick up on the little clues that you missed. Sort of like an Agatha Christie mystery, but set in Rome-occupied Britain.

Since this is the first book, the subplot involving Libertus and his long-lost wife isn't that strong. All we know is that he is searching for her. The emphasis on this book is on the mystery.

As a first book, this does a nice job of setting the surrounding and characters for us. The relationship between Libertus and his patron Marcus (who doesn't pay him because it would be an 'insult'), and Libertus and his slave Junio are established here, and will be developed more in the later books.

All in all, this is a great start to the series. I really enjoyed it, even if it wasn't the first book of this series that I read :p

The Libertus Series by Rosemary Rowe

A long time ago, at a friend's house, I read a murder mystery set in Ancient Rome. I'm not too sure what it was, but I remember enjoying it, and I remember something about blood letting and a bowl of blood. It took me a long time, and I'm still not too sure, but I'm pretty sure that the Libertus series is what I'm looking for. So when I managed to go to the Central Library (the only place with the books), I borrowed about three of them at one go and devoured them.

So for the next few weeks, I'll be trying to catch up on the series, and will be reviewing them every alternate day or two.

There are 13 books in total. Screenshot from Goodreads. 

I'm going to break with tradition and review A Pattern of Blood, the second book in the series, before The Germanicus Mosaic, the true start. Why? Because A Pattern of Blood contains a bowl of blood, and is most similar to the book I remember reading. So I'll start with that, then go on to review the books in chronological order.

But, what I've noticed so far:

The mysteries are largely unrelated to each other. The same few characters appear, but other than that, it seems like you can read them out of order. The only connecting thread is that Libertus is searching for his lost wife. That's the only thing that will not make sense if you read the books outside of chronological order.

Alright, I think all introductions are done. So, enjoy the week of Libertus Mystery reviews~

Lisez La Fleur by Alexandra Lanc

Hi everyone! You remember Alexandra right? My Google+ friend, who also writes for An Excuse For Company? (Short promotional insert: if you haven't, go and download this month's free copy of the magazine here) Well, she was hosting a blog tour, and well, here her's stop!

Today, I'm reviewing her book Lisez La Fleur (translation: Read the Flower), a book about vampires!

Lisez La Fleur stars Lorine, a soon-to-enter university student who's dragged to France. Her family's dysfunctional, but she won me over through her love of her little brother Josh. I have a little brother myself, so I immediately related to her. While in France, she meets the mysterious Honore, who invites her to his club. Deciding to do something for herself for once, she accepts his offer, but finds out that she's actually at a castle for blood-thirsty vampires!

What I liked was that the vampires weren't brooding mysterious young men but bloodthirsty killers closer to Dracula. Plus, through the prologue, we get the sense that what Lorine experiences (the rest of the book is in her point of view) isn't as straightforward as she thinks.

The interesting thing about this novella series is reader participation. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and then, the readers can go to Alexandra's website to take part in a poll that influences the book's progression. Now, when people talk about ebooks and self-publishing changing reading, this is what I think about. Now ebooks that look like a website with no plot (not that I can see), but something that results in greater engagement with the author and the reader.

Now, voting for this book ends on June 18th, so make sure you get this novella, read, and then vote before then! There's violence in this (well, it has vampires), so I'd recommend this for older teens and up.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review.

Blood and Thunder by Isabella Fontaine (The Grimm Chronicles #5)

Today is the day! It's the day of the Blood and Thunder Blog tour post!

Blood and Thunder is book five in The Grimm Chronicles, although it's supposed to be able to be read as a standalone. Since this book starts directly where the Orphanage of Doom ended (and I read this first), I was a bit confused, but I got my bearings pretty quickly

In this book, there's not only fairy-tales, but also Moby-Dick!

Yup Moby Dick. One of the classics I've never read (I really must remedy this soon). But if, like me, you've never read this book, no fear! What appears is what everyone knows (call me Ishmael) and the rest is a creative spin on the characters. Call it a form of fanfiction, if you will. And this link to the book is purposeful, it drives the plot.

Character-wise, I really did like Alice. She was a no-nonsense hero, prone to giving in. In school, she's not the most popular of girls (anymore), but she is a fencer! (As someone who does kendo, anything to do with swords gets my vote!). Sam-the-dwarf makes a minor appearance here (only in the front chapters), and of course, Seth plays a big role.

The only 'problem' with the characters was the lack of backstory. Espcecially for Chase, who, although is introduced in book four, only starts to play a big role in this book. His background is explained sometime in the book, but it is something that I thought should have been communicated earlier. If you haven't read the earlier books, you may be a bit lost.

And compared to the other books, the social dynamics in school are the strongest here. Alice used to be popular (well, she used to date someone popular), but now, she's dangerously close to social outcast status. And conversely, her friend Trish is starting to become popular (and hence more distant). Apart from the cliques, there's also the blatant favoritism. For example, athletes get a free pass, but normal students will get the full weight of the law on them.

Overall, a really interesting book. It's quite short (close to 150 pages) so if you have the time, you should give it a read(:

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of the book from the authors (via Enchanted Book Tours) in exchange for a free and honest review

The Orphanage of Doom by Isabella Fontaine (The Grimm Chronicles #4)

School has started! And the delicate balancing act Alice has been doing is about to start crashing. Not now, though, that will start in book five. But here, you can see the different pressures that Alice has to face.

One of the pressures being school. Alice's friend Trish is trying to get Alice to be popular again, but seriously, after you've been fighting all sorts of monsters, are you going to let an immature brat boss you around and tell you what friends you should unfriend from facebook? I didn't think so. I do think, though, that it gets much worse in the next book.

Also, this book is the first that features two Corrupted. Or rather, two Corrupted battles in one go. One is about music (who wants to guess the fairytale?) and the other is about the titular orphanage (this one is really hard to guess). In fact, I would say that the storyline involving music is the pre-dominant storyline.

Carrying on from Book three, Seth continues to play a bigger part in the series. In fact, it's almost as though he's Alice's partner (along with Briar). Also coming from Book three (with a mention in Book two!) is the dwarf Sam. You remember Sam, good-ole-heart-of-greed Sam. He's quite amusing here (not very scary though).

We're also introduced to a new character - Chase. Right now, we're just given his backstory, but he's probably going to play a significant role as the series goes on.

And as the series goes on, the Corrupted get more and more fleshed out. I like how there are Corrupted that aren't evil yet. They all acknowledge that they will turn evil one day, but for some, that day has not come. It's quite sad that most of them have to "die" after their encounter with Alice.

And tomorrow: the blog-tour post you've all been waiting for - Book Five in this series!

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for a free and honest review.

Revenge of the Castle Cats by Isabella Fontaine (The Grimm Chronicles #3)

- TV narrator voice- In the last episode/book of the Grimm Chronicles....

Alice collapsed from poison cuts from a mutated Frog Prince (and nope, surprisingly, that isn't a spoiler). So Revenge of the Castle Cats opens with a bang, as Briar rushes to get Alice somewhere she can receive help. Having read the last two books, I jumped into the flow straightaway, but for a first time reader, it might be a bit confusing.

When that's all and done, Alice is back to fighting the Corrupted. This time, it comes in the form of an app. Yes, an app, like that of Smurfs Village, Tiny Tower and the like. Meaningless but strangely addictive. But what if the addiction was affecting your life? For example, getting you to buy a certain product. Or you know, kill someone.

The Corrupted in this book are the dwarfs in Snow White. And there's a little twist. Well, I can only say that one of the dwarfs will become a recurring character in the later books. What I like about this book is that it's the book that shows very clearly just how integrated the Corrupted are into society. That makes them scarier/increases your paranoia.

In addition, Seth is going to play a bigger part in this book. Sadly, Trish's role will diminish. Well, I'm not that sad, I never liked Trish. I do like, however, that this book mimics a teen's life, where friends can come and go, but childhood friends will always stay. The book ends just as vacation ends, so from the forth book onwards, we're going to see Alice balance hero-duties, the library and high school. (Yup, the library is still there. In fact, there's a continuation of a subplot from the second book)

Start with book one, and keep on reading! This is a series you'll love(:

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of the book from the authors in exchange for a free and honest review.

Happily Never After by Isabella Fountain (The Grimm Chronicles #2)

And here, is book two in The Grimm Chronicles series. Admit it, your interest was piqued by book one wasn't it? (;

Happily Never After has our hero Alice trying to deal with the um, fallout of Book One (must. resist. spoiler). And this time, she's been getting dreams (dreams are hints to the Corrupted) about rats. Lots of icky rats (sorry, I'm squeamish). At the same time, she's finding out that some of the most prominent businessmen in town may be Corrupted.

In this book, Alice and Briar are the dominant characters. Her good friends, Trish and Seth are starting to fade in the background. In fact, Trish is becoming unlikable. And because this is set in the holidays, there is no mention of school.

Well, Alice is volunteering at the library. I love the descriptions of the volunteering, and how it isn't a walk in the park. There are the nice librarians, but there's also the strict librarians that is everyone's nightmare. I really do like the mix of characters. It's also to see a character that reads and then uses the knowledge to fight the bad guys.

I didn't mention this in the last review, but in both Happily Never After and Prince Charming Must Die, the book not only comes with the fairy-tales that inspired the series, but also with the "lost diary" of another Hero called Grace Cohen. It's set in the Depression-era America and could be a story in its own right. It features Briar (of course), and hints at some characters that are going to play a bigger part in the series as it goes on.

I'm loving book two and the series!

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for a free and honest review.

Prince Charming Must Die by Isabella Fontaine (The Grimm Chronicles #1)

So, I'm starting the new year with a series review! I have a book tour coming up soon, and the authors were kind enough to give me all the books thus far in the series! So, for the next five days, enjoy my reviews of The Grimm Chronicles (then go out and get a copy for yourself!)

So, Prince Charming Must Die is the first in this series. In this book, we meet Alice, the next Hero. Her job is to go around using a magic pen, killing the Corrupted. The Corrupted are the characters from Grimm's fairy tales that came to life after the brothers wrote their stories on pieces of magical paper.

I really like the idea of the Corrupted. Grimm's fairy tales have always been dark, so it's not hard to imagine the characters unravelling after their tale is told. After all, if you've suddenly become a prince after being the last born son/serving boy/lowly peasant, the power's going to get to your head. And the whole happily-ever-after thing. Well, as you grow older, you get cynical (especially if you read a lot of historical fiction). So I love the idea of immortal characters growing twisted as the years go past.

Alice, is an awesome heroine. I like how she loves reading, and isn't after the cool crowd. But yet, she isn't part of the cool crowd either. Neither is she a loser. That deviates from a lot of normal YA books already!

And how cute is Briar? (the Br'er Rabbit). He might be a huge walking, talking rabbit, but he's got a wonderful sense of humour! And I love watching him discover the Internet.

Note: there is some mention of sex in the book, but nothing explicit ever happens. If you're watching out for something, you should be paying more attention to the dark humour.

This is a really good start to the series. If you love retold fairy tales, you'll love all the fairy tales that are mentioned here. Plus, the authors have added the original fairy tales as an appendix at the end.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review.

Judge by R.J Larson

In the very recent past, I managed to read Prophet , the first in this series. And suddenly, I saw Judge, it's sequel on NetGalley. Well, I couldn't click the request button fast enough. Plus, I requested it from Bethany House just to be on the safe side(;

The book was as good as I expected. I couldn't put it down.

Judge revolves more around Kien, although Ela plays a significant role. Kien is getting to know the will of the Infinite, and is sent a bunch of different places whose names I can't remember. Meanwhile, Ela is sent to give judgement on Parne - her hometown.

I must say, this book has a lot more Biblical parallels than Prophet. Kien undergoes a experience that's way similar to Jonah. And the destruction of Parne is an awful lot like the destruction of Jerusalem. But it's not a rehash of the Bible, R. J Larson takes the familiar histories and turns it into something new. If you don't read the Bible much (in this case, start a daily plan now!), you might not even recognise the parallels.

But you will take back the messages of justice, mercy and repentence. Why does God destroy a city but spares another? Why destroy anything at all? Well, God hurts, He grieves at what his children are doing. And He is Justice, so he must destroy evil. But He is also Mercy, and he will forgive those who repent.

Of course, our favourite characters are back - Ela and Kien. They have much less interaction in this book, mostly because they're in different places, but they develop a lot more. And Jon and Bekah, characters that we met at the end of Prophet, are developed more fully. But, there is one sad piece of news. I won't say what, but it involves a character and bad things.

If you liked/loved Prophet, you'll love Judge.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

The Bad Miss Bennet by Jean Burnett

I hardly ever do this. I've been putting down more books (I'm too lazy to read a book I can't connect with), but I hardly ever write a review for a book that I put down halfway. But yet, this book infuriated me so much that not only did I have to stop reading (I tried, I really tried), but I had to rant about it.

Yes, you have been warned, this is a rant.

I think, if you know me well, you can tell that I hate it when sequels change characters drastically. Especially for classics like Pride and Prejudice. So why one earth did the author change almost every character from Pride and Prejudice?

Look, Elizabeth is described as being without a sense of humour, Darcy has become some conservative uptight noble and Georgina is exactly like the rumours Wickham spread of her. It's as though the entire last chapter (or last few chapters for that matter) was ignored. There's a lot of say, but the one thing that made me so mad that I couldn't finish the book was Georgina's upcoming marriage. Not only does she choose a womaniser, she's portrayed as an irrational, jealous fiancee. Really? This is the sweet girl whom Elizabeth is close to, and sees how her sister-in-law and husband function? Really?

And what was all this for? To make Lydia more appealing (at least, that's the only reason I can find), by making everyone else so unlikable. Lydia is the "free spirit", the "fun one", the one that's supposed to appeal to the modern female audience. Except that she doesn't.

Lydia is selfish, manipulative and has no brains whatsoever. Oh, and she thinks the world of herself, being so "romantic" and all. So fine, you want to write an unlikable heroine, that happens (I remember .... Ok, no more talk). But at least write a good plot. If I don't like the protagonist, I should at least want to finish the book to find out what happens.

But no, Lydia drifts aimlessly from one event to another, whining and trying to scheme the whole way. And for some reason, there's a new character (Jerry) that she "falls in love" with, and he falls in and out of the plot in the most unbelievable ways (so he dies, but didn't really die, but then he leaves for America?). Can we have some consistency here?

So no, I did not like this book at all. It could have been a fun take on Jane Austen's classic, but it all went downhill when the author mangled the well loved characters of Pride and Prejudice. Add in a weak (or if I was harsher, non-existent) plot, and there's absolutely no reason to keep reading. I probably wouldn't have written a review either, but you do not mess with Pride and Prejudice.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. I was (obviously) not obliged to write a positive review.

More books for review!

Yesterday, I got more books from Zondervan that I'm really excited to share with you. It's my 3rd time receiving physical books, but the excitement never wanes(:

*Pssst: please excuse the lousy photos. I was way too excited to take good photos.

This is the biggest package I've gotten so far <3

The reason for all this books is that I (sadly) haven't read the Dragons of Starlight series by Bryan Davis before, so Charleen very kindly sent me the whole series.

The Dragons of Starlight Series consists of four books: Starlighter, Warrior, Diviner and Liberator:

Sorry bout the camera strap. I was too excited and didn't notice.

As you can see, there was a slight mistake and I got two copies of Starlighter and Diviner, but not Warrior. They're sending over a copy of Warrior so I can do a full review, but more importantly (for you guys anyway), I've been given permission to host a giveaway for the extra copies of
Starlighter (Book 1) and Diviner (Book 3)! I'm still working out the details, so feel free to tweet/comment with suggestions.

Another really awesome looking book I got is Aldo's Fantastical Movie Palace by Jonathan Friesen:

I'm really interested in the magical movie theatre premise. I can't wait to read it.

Here's the book trailer:



Well, I know what books that I'm going to bring with me to Hokkaido (I have a 16 hour train ride, a plane ride, and a lot of train time ^^)

Beyond The Wall by James Lowder (and other contributors)

Beyond The Wall is one of those books that explores the world behind the books. In this case, it explores the world in the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin. You may be surprised to see this because I haven't talked about A Song of Fire and Ice before and you're right. Before I picked up this book, I had absolutely no knowledge of this amazing world.

It seems counterintuitive, not to mention spoiler-ish, but I actually became interested in this series because of this book. I'm the otaku kind of fan, so when I become a fan, I like to know as much as possible about the world (you should see how often I'm at the Detective Conan wiki!). I don't mind spoilers because honestly, I like to read for the writing.

And wow, I'm still not even half-way through A Game of Thrones and it's such a great book. It's also a very long book though, so a review will come later. Maybe much later :p

Ok, now back to Beyond The Wall. Beyond The Wall is very easy to read because each chapter is a stand-alone chapter, discussing one particular issue about the series. This means you can jump around chapter sequences and what not, and it wouldn't make much difference.

And well, the topics themselves were interesting (and prepared me, in a good way, for what to expect from the series). They cover things like topics from feminism, sexual violence to things like the challenges of adapting it as a graphic novel and a brief guide to collecting the series (incidentally my favourite chapter, since I like to collect books. And stuff in general). Each essay is written in an interesting (and distinctive) style. The length is just right too, enough to inform me but not long enough to bore me.

With such diverse topics, it's interesting to see that one common feature would be a comparison of A Song of Fire and Ice with Lord Of The Rings. And the comparison is not favourable. Adjectives like "simple" are used often to describe LOTR so if you're a fan, just take note. For the record, I believe that Lord of The Rings is much much deeper than they make it appear to be. And if you have a problem with the moral absolutism in LOTR, then why are you imposing an absolute judgement on the book?

From this, I have a rough idea of the series so far, and it makes me want to read all the books. I'm not sure how I'll deal with some aspects (like the whole sexual violence thing), but at least I'm prepared for it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.