The Heir Chronicles, Book One - The Warrior Heir

By Cinda Williams Chima 

[Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old
Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small
Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has
to take daily and the thick scar above his heart
set him apart from the other high-schoolers.

At least, until the day Jack forgets his 'medicine'.
Suddenly he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident
than ever before. And it feels great - right up until
he loses control and almost kills someone.
An incident which proves to be just the beginning.

Jack is about to learn the startling truth: he is Weirlind;
part of an underground society of magical people
who live among us. More, Jack discovers that he's 
unique: he's one of the last of the warriors, and his
power has manifested at a time when both houses are
hunting for a warrior. And until one of the feuding
houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, they'll stop
at nothing to get Jack to fight for them...]

I got bought this book for Christmas as my friend thought it'd be my type of thing, not that she'd read it herself - she just knows me that well!

And I did enjoy this book. I'd never heard of it before and as always, when getting into a new fantasy series it takes me a few chapters to get my head around the new terms, but I grasped them pretty quickly.

The prologue was intriguing and definitely a good way to pull you into the story (also nicely looped around at the end and neatly tied up).

The main bulk of the book was great though. I loved the characters, especially Jack, Will and Fitch. The mix of everyday life thrown into contrast against magical battles and sparring was very well done and I didn't find any of it boring which you can sometimes get in fantasies with all the description.

The tension throughout was brilliant, one big long adventure with little quiet moments that were cute or refreshing. The final battle (although I guessed Jack's opponent moments before it was revealed) was good, I felt it could've been a tiny bit more dramatic. I wasn't on the edge of my seat because it was the outcome I expected too.

I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series will bring though. I love the idea of ancient magic and tournaments so I'm intrigued!

Also more to come about Jersey soooooon...



☽

Mistborn: Book One, The Final Empire

By Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by Michael Kramer

Image From Goodreads

[A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields. But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on a criminal that no one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy - the magic that lies in all metals.]


It took me a while to get into this one. There were a lot of new concepts and places and characters I had to learn all at once, so getting my head around it in the beginning was interesting.

Once I'd begun to understand it though, it was great. I really warmed to the characters. They were interesting and well-rounded with flaws and dreams like anybody else.

I particularly liked the banter that seemed to go back and forth between them, especially in the first half. It all got very serious towards the end with consequences taking place.

I couldn't decide whether Vin's harshness towards herself was irritating or endearing. We've definitely all been there. But her interactions with Elend at the beginning were heart-warming and had you rooting for them all the way through like most budding romances tend to do.

I loved getting to know backstory's of the characters as well, especially Kelsier and Dockson. I was also intrigued by the different "types" of characters: mistborn, mistings, Gods, terrismen, obligator, inquisitor, mistwraiths. The inquisitor's and mistwraith's fascinated me most with their individual, unique qualities.

The whole balance of adventure and plotting the downfall of an empire against the structural system of class within balls that were thrown, court gossip and power battles between various houses was enchanting.

I was shocked by the ending though. Everything seemed to fall apart so quickly but it was very exciting and I can't wait to see what happens next!



☽

The Strain

By Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Narrated by Ron Perlman

Image From Goodreads

[A plane lands at JFK and mysteriously 'goes dark', stopping in the middle of the runway for no apparent reason, all lights off, all doors sealed. The pilots cannot be raised.

When the hatch above the wing finally clicks open, it quickly becomes clear that everyone on board is dead - although there is no sign of trauma or struggle. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Centre of Disease Control must work quickly to establish the cause of this strange occurrence before panic spreads.

The first thing they discover is that four of the victims are actually still alive. But that's the only good news. And when all 200 corpses disappear from various morgues around the city on the same night, things very rapidly get worse. Soon Eph and a small band of helpers will find themselves battling to protect not only their loved ones, but the whole city, against an ancient threat to humanity.]

I've been watching the TV series for a while now (series three has just finished!) and I thought del Toro's take on vampires had such a unique twist that I couldn't help but be drawn in. 

I loved it from the start. So I thought I would try reading/listening to them as well.

I'm happy to say this first book is on par with the TV series. Except for a few differences, they are exactly the same and because I watched it first I can picture everything perfectly!

I love how it's almost read like a script with the headings of each section the whereabouts in the city. 

The dialogue is good, a bit bland at times, and the descriptions are fantastically gross. 

The added music effects were really creepy and helped to break up all of the parts. 

I was so creeped out listening to this that even walking around my empty house in the day I had to put the radio on to ease my nerves!

The characters are the best part. I grew to them quickly in the series and, subsequently, the books. 

The snippets of backstory we get for each character is great, especially for Setrakian.

Fet is my favourite character, although that might be something to do with the TV series too. He still has a sense of humour even amongst all the end-of-the-world-ness going on.

From watching the series first though, I am a little disappointed by the lack of Dutch and Eichorst. Both of these characters were so amazing in the series, I hope they do make an appearance in later books.

I'm definitely intrigued as to whether the next two will follow with the series or branch off. They've certainly left off where series one ended and I can't wait to read the next one!

Dark Heavens: Book 1, White Tiger

By Kylie Chan.

Image from Goodreads

[A young woman accepts a position as nanny to the young daughter of a handsome, wealthy, and mysterious Chinese businessman only to discover her new employer is really a god and every foul demon in creation is out to destroy him!]

I love Chinese mythology and just learning about the Chinese culture in general was fascinating which is what led me to read this book, along with a recommendation from a colleague at work.

The plot, I enjoyed.

It was action-packed and full of humour, especially between Emma and Leo. But, I did feel that a couple of things happened too quickly, like some bits just came out of nowhere.

And then there's also the dialogue. In some places, it worked (like with the humour), but in other places it felt like a filler and there were a handful of things said that the characters were implying that weren't obvious and never got fully explained.

The characters were great. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of the different levels of Chinese Gods and their "true forms", at least the true forms as they were in this book (I don't know if that's how they're truly perceived). Simone was a cute asset and Mr Chen was a dutiful mysterious father.

I have to say though, the thing that let it down for me was, well, the protagonist, Emma, and the relationship between her and Mr Chen.

Every other sentence they'd repeat stuff like "I know this can never happen" or "we're complete fools for letting it go this far". Blah, blah, blah.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the second half of the book was just filled with these sayings and it got really frustrating.

I also noted that Chan likes to use a handful of specific descriptive words a bit too much, which also got annoying.

It turns out that this is actually part of a trilogy, but I don't even know if I want to read the rest of them if the writing was that repetitive. It wasn't all that enticing with the ending either so I may just leave it as it is.

✌︎

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles, #1)

By Patrick Rothfuss.

Narrated by Rupert Degas.

Image From Goodreads

[Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the 
magically gifted young man who grows to be the 
most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a
troupe of travelling players, his years spent as a
near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his
daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a
legendary school of magic, and his life as a
fugitive after the murder of a king form a 
gripping coming-of-age story unrivalled in recent
literature.

A high-action story written with a poet's hand,
The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that
will transport readers into the body and mind of
a wizard.]

Oh my god, I am loving listening to audiobooks. Why did I not do this sooner?!

I can't believe distributing audiobooks is one of my main tasks at work and it took me a good six months before I even thought about, just maybe, listening to one myself. 

Duh, what an idiot.

The Name of the Wind is a brilliant, intriguing, fascinating read (or listen in my case).

So far, I can determine that it is about a young man's adventure through childhood alone - after an unfortunate, tragic event occurs to his family - and his ambition to get to the university, so that he can finally learn about (and I presume track down) the people that took his family away from him so soon.

It is longggggg (just over 28 hours worth), but it is so worth it. Every detail and minor action is thought of, it is so beautiful.

I did struggle initially to get to grips with it, but I think that's only because of it's quite complex story (to begin with) as you're thrown right into the middle of it and have to learn all these new characters and places and events and terminology that Rothfuss just made up.

I did enjoy Rupert Degas's reading though, he can do a multitude of voices very well and I can clearly tell all of the characters apart from this.

I also absolutely loved the characters. I got so drawn into their lives that - even though there wasn't a whole lot of action action - you're completely intrigued by all of the mundane events that goes on. 

You end up really really rooting for Kvothe as he always seems to get himself into some sticky situations. You also forget that the whole thing is pretty much him telling his story to a scribe, occasionally flitting back to the present day.

The friendships (and even the enemy-relationships) are beautifully done. There is humour and knowledge and disbelief all entwined. And even though Kvothe is meant to be in his mid-teens, I can't help but root for him to get the girl.

It does say in the blurb that he's a wizard and I would just like to clarify for anyone who wants to read this that he isn't a wizard in the sense like Harry Potter, but it is a story that includes an underlying magical theme. 

Basically, whatever you think you know of magical literature, put it aside and be prepared to get something fresh and fantastic. 

I can't believe this was all just one day of him telling his story with the promise overall of three days (obviously within this one day he has told the majority of his childhood and teenage years).

I am definitely hooked on wanting to know what happens next, following his story as he grows into his adult years can only get more interesting I believe! 

(I am currently about 15 hours into the sequel which is an astonishing 43 hours long!!)

Absolutely brilliant.

The Mortal Instruments: Book One, City of Bones

By Cassandra Clare.

I'm a bit off this week, what with the bank holiday and having Friday off too!

And I know I've been writing a lot of reviews lately but that's because I've been an unprepared nancy of late and need to get my butt in gear and prepare you some more interesting posts!

Definitely some on the way, I promise.

For now though, I've been wanting to read The Mortal Instruments series for a while now, especially after seeing the film a few years ago.

[Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and

werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn to the

Shadowhunters, a secret group of warriors dedicated

to ridding the earth of demons, Clary encounters

the dark side of New York City - and the

dangers of forbidden love.]

So, even just reading the blurb again, I can see that this may look a little like one of those predictable and cheesy books. Don't get me wrong, some of it really is, but it's actually a lot better than I expected as well and so easy to read!

Clary, the protagonist, was a little young for me to really engage with - especially everything she managed to get herself in to. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the plot.

I enjoyed the different fantasy elements and the dialogue was excellent, although there was some rambling in places that wasn't really needed. The characters were well developed and I grew to know all of their motivations through their actions and the way others spoke of them, even if they were the antagonists.

Jace and Magnus Bane were my favourites with their sarcasm, wit and charm. Luke was a character that also grew on me the more I read. Clary, on the other hand, was whiney and irritating, especially as she kept forgetting all about Simon. No one forgets about their best friend, no matter how interesting their new life has become.

And the ending! Even though I knew about it thanks to the film, it still grossed me out (no spoilers here). What a twist though, if I hadn't known the plot already!

I'm definitely intrigued to see how the rest of the books unfold.

✌