January Wrap Up

Well that was unexpected! I grossly underestimated the amount of books I was going to read in January! I planned for five books and I actually read eleven and finished ten. I blame the fact that some of the longer ones were really engaging, audiobooks, and the fact that the more time I spend in the book blogoshphere the more I want to read! My theme this month was High

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 1
Full Review
My Thoughts: A roller coaster ride of a fantasy novel with interesting and complex characters, a very cool world, lots of mystery, and enough action to keep everyone engaged if you are a fan of fantasy or not.
Rating: 9 out of 10

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 4
Full Review
My Thoughts: An amazing High Fantasy series but not the best book in the bunch. The political intrigue and characters with redemptive arcs were there but very little magic, some of my favorite characters were not featured at all, and the perspectives are a little unbalanced. It got better as the book went on though and was very enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10



Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 2
Full Review
My Thoughts: Even better than the first book. The characters are growing and developing and the plot wasn't so much of a roller coaster. This one was much more character driving and left me with a book hangover desperately wanting the final book in the series.
Rating:  9.5 out of 10




A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5
Full Review
My Thoughts: A Song of Ice and Fire like it should be. The missing favorites are back but so is the magic, the political intrigue, and characters with redemptive arcs. This book is full of so much mystery and theorizing that I can't help but plot the series conclusion. The cliffhangers left me with all the feels desperately longing for the next book.
Rating: 9 out of 10


Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Full Review
My Thoughts: A lighthearted and funny story that was a nonstop parade of odd and interesting characters that were only in the story for a brief period. Most of the story was odd and confusing but it all came together for an interesting and compelling ending. Could have used more world-building and action but pretty good.





Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Full Review
My Thoughts: Effortless. A beautiful and engaging young adult contemporary romance with realistic characters you can relate to, and a plot that flows and develops in such a beautiful way that when it's over you can't believe you finished it and you're so overwhelmed with feelings because not only are you upset it's over but it made you feel things deeply buried in your soul.
Rating: 10 out of 10



Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good historical fiction book that does a good job of setting the scene of the Edwardian era. The characters are interesting, a great slow-burning romance, but the plot is muddled, and the secrets are not very surprising.
Rating 7.5 out of 10






The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy Book 1 
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good start to a new young adult fantasy series with engaging and complex characters and a really cool world with tons of action. However it took awhile to become invested in the story, the constant change of perspectives was annoyinging, and the world-building was a bit confusing.
Rating: 7 out of 10



No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Full Review
My Thoughts: A really interesting young adult mystery with quirky characters that appealed to my dry sense of humor but was a surprising exploration of friendship and overcoming grief. The mystery aspect wasn't that difficult to solve and there were some weird plot details but thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10


 


Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5
Series Review to Come
My Thoughts: A fantastic ending to a really engaging series. This book in
particular was full of action, surprises, and tears.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10






What did you read this month? Leave me a comment and don't forget to check out my full reviews for all of these books and of course.. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Stardust by Niel Gaiman

Title: Stardust 

Author: Neil Gaiman 

Published: Harper, 2007 

Synopsis: In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian Era, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant -- as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain into a world that is strange beyond imagining, a world populated by evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, and goblin press-gangs -- a world redeemed only by true love. 

You know those authors that everyone seems to have read and loved? And even though you read a lot I'm sure there are those authors that everyone loves that you have never experienced for yourself. For me when everyone around you is gushing about this author there is this inner sense of shame that I haven't read anything they have written. For me, that author is Neil Gaiman. He writes the kind of books that I would love and I have heard nothing but good things about him and his writing style. So I finally gave in and decided to listen to the audiobook of Stardust for my High Fantasy month so I can no longer say that I have never read Niel Gaiman. 

Throughout most of the book I was very confused by what was happening. The books contains a host of eclectic and interesting characters and told briefly from many different perspectives. Many of these characters are only in the story for very brief periods and many of the storylines seem like they are not at all connected to the main storyline. That main storyline is the story of Tristran Thorn a boy who travels to the magical world of Faerie to find a shooting star so he can woo the girl that he loves, but when he finds the star he realizes that he is actually a girl who has fallen from the sky named Yvaine. Tristran and Yvaine go on a journey through Faerie to return to his home. Meanwhile they have to contest with an evil witch who is trying to take Yvaine's heart so she can stay young, a strange woman traveling to the market on the border between lands, and a group of men trying to kill each other while they search for the stone that will make them heir to their kingdom. 

The plot was not at all what I had expected. I don't usually like travel montages but in Stardust it worked. There were no long and drawn out explanations of walking through the mountains, everything was handles with such brevity. But brevity was the name of the game for this story. Many characters and storylines were only around for brief periods and if you blinked you would miss them. Throughout most of the story these all seem like they are all unconnected but by the end it all makes sense and Gaiman brilliantly weaves the stories together in a way that is interesting and fun. 

By the end I was completely entertained and enjoyed the book so much more than I thought. It felt to me a lot like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It had the same tone and dry British sense of humor. 

Perhaps the best part was that the audiobook was narrated by Mr. Gaiman himself. That is one of my favorite things about audiobooks, when the authors narrate them. You get such a pure representation of the story and they deliver everything in a tone that you know it's exactly how it was intended. 

I would have liked a little more action and world-building. My main criticism is that while there were moments that were action-packed and exciting it was the most thrilling fantasy story. Maybe it was because most of the other books I read this month were full of action and surprises but the plot of Stardust didn't make it much of a page-turner. But it was a very well-balanced story and was lighthearted, mysterious, and full of adventure. 

I give Stardust a 7 out of 10 

I recommend Stardust for someone who does not usually read Fantasy stories. It's a good introduction to the genre and won't get you bogged down in complicated magical systems, If you are a big fan of Fantasy maybe Stardust is not for you, If you've read Stardust what are your thoughts? Have you read anything else by Niel Gaiman, should I give a different book a try? Leave me a comment with your thoughts and Happy Reading!

January TBR- High Fantasy

I don't know what it is about winter that makes me want to read fantasy book. Maybe it's because I want to escape into another world while mine is so uninviting. Maybe it's because winter is a time to curl up under a blanket with a hot beverage and spend all day reading which lends itself so perfectly to the frequently lengthy fantasy books. Or maybe I'm making this whole thing up. Either way this January my plan is to read books that are High Fantasy.

For those not very familiar with the subgenres of Fantasy, High Fantasy is a story set in a completely imaginary world that is unrelated to our own, often one where magic exists in some way, or by the epicness of the characters, themes, and plots (often both).

There are three ways to categorize it:
1.) A world totally independent of our world which doesn't exist, think Lord of the Rings
2.) An alternate world is entered through a portal, think Chronicles of Narnia
3.) An unknown world exists within our world, think Harry Potter.

I prefer the first two as in the last one the lines get a little blurry when it comes to high and low fantasy. So now that I have explained myself here are my picks for January.


A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 4 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This series fits in to category 1 of High Fantasy and is about the fictional land of Westeros and the power struggle to control it. This book looks mostly at the political intrigue aspect of the series.






A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 5 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This book and the previous one were intended to be one book so I am marathoning them. This one is more about the magical elements in Westeros. A Storm of Swords (Book 3) was one of my favorites of 2013 and I hope these next two do not disappoint. 






Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads Amazon
Synospis: This also fits into category 1 of High Fantasy (I've heard some debate about this but I'll have no lip from you) and is book one in the Grisha trilogy. It is set in the fictional land of Ravka and tells the story of Alina who discovers a magical power withing her and joins the Grisha who are like magical soldiers.






Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 2 in the Grisha trilogy. I've heard great things about this series and I am really excited to read the first two books and finish the series later this year. I may also read the two novella that go with the series.






Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: There has been some debate over which category this fits in but my assessment is the second. It is the story of a half-fairy boy who is completely lovesick and goes on a quest to find a fallen star in the magical realm. I've been wanting to read something by Neil Gaiman for awhile and I'm really excited that this will be my first one. I'm going to listen to the audiobook which is actually narrated by Mr. Gaiman



Depending how these go I may add a book or two that is not High Fantasy (I'm already a quarter of the way done with A Feast for Crows), probably one that comes out in January but for the time being, here's my list.

What are you reading in January? Leave me a comment and check back for my reviews!