The Singing

Today’s post is on “The Singing” by Alison Croggon and it is the last volume in the Pellinor quartet. It is 470 including notes and appendixes and it has maps so the reader can follow Maered and Hem’s journeys. The cover has Maered and Hem on looking at the reader with her harp in her arm and Hem’s tuning fork around his neck. It is published by Candlewick Press. The intended reader is young adult but anyone who loves high fantasy and sword and sorcery books will love this series. There is violence in this book but nothing more than any of the others in the series so parents need not worry. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- This breathtaking final volume of the Pellinor epic follows the separate journeys of Maered and Hem as they desperately seek each other out in a battle-ravaged land. With the Black Army advancing north, all Seven Kingdoms of Annar are on the brink of defeat. Reports are dire on every front- and the way is fraught with bloodshed, betrayal, and, for Maered, horrifying visions. But brother and sister share an unshakable resolve. Together they possess the secret to the mysterious Singing. Prophecy holds that, as one, they can release the powerful ancient music of the Elementals and defeat the Nameless One and the accumulating forces of the Dark. But will they find each other in time?
Alison Croggon masterfully fulfills the promise of the first three books in a startling, richly satisfying conclusion to an acclaimed quartet.

Review- This is a strong ending novel. Almost all questions are answered and the ones that are not are more character histories that we just do not get to see. I really enjoyed this book and this series. The characters are interesting and the final character movements are fun and I did not see them coming. I expected at least one of the main characters to die but Croggon saves everyone in the end and that was very nice. This has been a very dark YA series and I was expecting a dark ending but Croggon pulls it out and it is wonderful. I was so glad that Maered, Hem, Cadvan, and everyone else makes it. She leaves it open to go back to this world and tell more stories with this characters. I hope she does. There are not plot holes, not one dropped, nothing to pull you out of the story. The darkness in this one is not as bad as The Riddle, more like The Crow, and so it does not overwhelm the reader with it. The final image of Maered and Hem releasing the song back into the world moved me to tears. The notes at the end of give us some information about the characters after the end of the novels and I hope that Croggon goes back and tells us more than that. I know that she is working on a new story in this world and it follows Cadvan but I hope for more.

I give this one Five out of Five Stars. I get nothing for this review and I bought this book with my own little money.

Chime

Today’s post is on ‘Chime’ by Franny Billingsley. It is 361 pages long and is published by Dial. The cover is beautiful with a young woman; it is the main character, she is looking at the reader, with waves and dead hands around her reaching for her. The intended reader is female young adult and that is pretty much all who are going to enjoy it. There is no language, no sex, no drug use but there is underage drinking but other than that there is nothing to make parents worried. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.
Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

Review- I enjoyed this book but I have some problems with it. The biggest problem is I forgot things about the story between readings. I would forget where the characters where, what was going on, and this is not helped by the narration. The narration is jumpy, it goes from present to past and maybe to the future. The villains are ununderstandable. I did not know why the one boy wants and hates Briony and her stepmother is just a raging thing that neither Briony or the reader understands. The love story is not bad but not really interesting. I think that is because Briony is crazy, I think that everything she sees, everything she talks to is not there. The title comes from the Chime Child who can tell who is a witch and who is not. But Briony does not think that she is a witch because of the Chime Child but because her stepmother tells her that she is. It does not help that Briony does not have memories about some important details and even in the reveal I was just confused about what was going on. The only thing that I really got was this that people who are small and fearful will jump at anyone who is different to explain why children die. The writing itself is very good and easy to read but I think that Billingsley just did not have enough help with the narrative problems of her story.

I give this Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for this review, I borrowed this book from my local library and I read it for an assignment for grad school.

Arabella

Today’s post is on “Arabella” by Georgette Heyer. It is 312 pages long and is published by Source Books. The cover is a print of a lovely oil painting of a pretty young woman dressed in the fashion of the Victorian era. The intended reader is someone who likes historical romance but really anyone who likes humor, clever dialogue and love stories will love this and the author. Ms. Heyer is known as the queen of historical novels and this one is not any different. There is nothing in this book to alarm anyone, there is no language, no sex, and talk about how bad things like lying and drinking are. No moralizing but natural consequences of doing those things. This book is told from third person close moving from character to character as the story goes on. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Impetuosity is Arabella’s only fault…
An enchanting debutante and the eldest daughter of an impoverished country parson, Arabella Tallant embarks on her first London season. Armed with beauty, virtue, and a benevolent godmother, Arabella is sure to be a success, as long as her notoriously impetuous temper does not interfere.
His arrogance proves too much for her to bear…
But when Robert Beaumaris, the most eligible Nonpareil of the day, accuses her of being yet another pretty female after his wealth, Arabella allows herself to be provoked- into a deceitful charade that might have unexpected consequences.

Review- This book is hilarious. This is a historical romance set in the Victorian era. Ms. Heyer did a great amount of research so she knows what she is talking about. If you have never had the delight of reading one of her novels then you need to go to your local library or book store and get one. I started with Arabella and I have not looked back since. Arabella is an innocent girl who does not care for the ways of wooing from the ton and that makes all the more fun for those of us who like regency novels. Mr. Beaumaris is funny because he believes that he has seen and done it all; until he meets her. Mr. Beaumaris makes a cake of himself and Arabella rises to the challenge. The dialogue is where this book just shines. Arabella and Mr. Beaumaris fence words from the beginning to almost the end and the happy ending is very good. The secondary characters are the ones who give the plot real movement in the ways of Lord Fleetwood being a gossip and Arabella’s brother getting into trouble. I did not doubt the Happy Ending but I was curious about how we were going to get there. Mr. Beaumaris redeems himself from being just a jaded elite to someone who wants to make someone else happy. He is my second favorite Heyer hero with the first being Mr. Carlton in A Lady of Quality which I will be rereading and reviewing soon.

I give this Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I proudly own this book.

Tin Swift

Today’s post is on ‘Tin Swift’ by Devon Monk. It is the second in her Age of Steam series. It is 369 pages long and is published by ROC. The cover has one of the main characters (I think that it is Cedar Hunt) with a Steampunk rifle in his hands, goggles on his head, and an airship behind him. No mistaking this one; it is Steampunk. The intended reader is someone who read the first one (you need to know what is going on), likes Steampunk, and things blowing up (good thing for me because I have read the first book and I like the other two things.). There is some language but not too bad, there is no sexuality, but the violence makes up for that. There is a torture scene with some detail; so the weak of stomach be warned. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of book- In Steam Age America, Men, Monsters, Machines, and Magic Battle To Claim The Same Scrap Of Earth And Sky. In This Chaos, One Man Fights To Hold On To His Humanity- And His Honor…
Life on the frontier is full of deceit and danger, but bounty hunter Cedar Hunt is a man whose word is his bond. Cursed with becoming a beast every full moon. Cedar once believed his destiny was to be alone. But now Cedar finds himself saddled with a group of refugees, including the brother he thought lost.
Keeping his companions alive is proving to be no easy task, in part because of a promise he made to the unpredictable Madder brothers- three miners who know the secret mechanisms of the Strange. To fulfill his pledge, Cedar must hunt for a powerful weapon known as the Holder- a search that takes him deep into the savage underbelly of the young country and high into the killing glim-field skies defended by desperate men and deadly ships.
But the battles he faces are just a hint of a growing war stirring the country. To keep his word, Cedar must navigate betrayal, lies, and treacherous alliances… and risk everything to save the lives of those he has come to hold dear.

Review- This is a very strong second novel in a series. Monk does not drop the ball; the only I wish I had done was reread the first one because it has been over year and so I have forgotten too much, I spent some time remembering details and so on, but it did not stop me from getting into the story quickly again. The story picks up a few weeks after the first novel with our heroes on the road to Kansas. Mae Lindson is going insane from the binding on her and that is important to the story. The details are important but they came back to me quickly as I continued reading. The characters are wonderful as before with brave heroes and I really loved the villains in this one. By that I mean they are very good villains. There are new characters introduced both heroes and villains. The best villain from the first book Mr. Shunt is back in this one and he makes the other villains even better. The magic is still really unknown but believable and wonderful. Honestly I can think of nothing that I did not like about this book. The dialogue is good, the characters grow well over time, the plot is fun and just the right amount of twisty. If you have not read Monk before or her Age of Steam series I do recommend highly.

I give this a Five Stars out of Five. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

The Well of Ascension

Today’s post is on “The Well of Ascension” by Brandon Sanderson. It is the second book in the Mistborn Trilogy and is published by TOR. It is 796 pages long including Metals Quick-Reference Chart, Names and Terms, Summary of Book One, and a sample of An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham. The intended reader is someone who loves high fantasy, political intrigue, and sharp twists. Parents be warned: There is much bloodshed, gore, and darkness. Over fourteen (14) should be fine but use your own judgment. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Evil has been defeated. The war has just begun. They did the impossible, deposing the godlike being whose brutal rule had lasted a thousand years. Now Vin, the street urchin who has grown into the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire.

They have barely begun when three separate armies attack. As the siege tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

It may just be that killing the Lord Ruler was the easy part. Surviving the aftermath of his fall is going to be the real challenge.

Review- Just like with Mistborn I feel at a loss to try and give this a good enough review. This is hands down one of the best second novels in a trilogy that I have ever read. I have many trilogies over the course of my life and I will no doubt read many more; but this one will stand the test of time. Sanderson does something amazing with this novel. In Mistborn, the first novel, he created a vivid and dramatic world and he fills it out but he does not really leave the main city of Luthadel. The characters grow so much over the course of the story and unlike Mistborn, which takes place over a year, this one happens in months. Vin and Elend grow apart then they come back together even stronger. Sanderson does not really tell the reader much about the past of this world. Why is this god trapped in the well? Where are, if any, other gods? But he does explain much of the Terris lore but I look forward to discovering more. He weaves more and more threads together and I cannot wait to see the end picture. There are epic battles in this one, there are villainous villains you love to hate, and there is betrayal that is unexplained and unexpected. Still little is explained about why Vin can do what she can. Why someone is mistborn or misting is still a mystery but I did not think about this until after I finished reading this novel. I was pleased that Sanderson has think up a faster way to travel that I thought about in the first novel. It is Vin can push and pull metals so she makes herself the center of a wheel basically and rolls to the great battle. Everything about this book will please you as a reader. The more I read of Sanderson the more I understand why Robert Jordan chose him.

I give this Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Today’s post is on “Do You Believe in Magic?: The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine” by Paul A. Offit, M.D. It is 305 pages long including notes and a bibliography. It is published by HarperCollins. It is a review of all current alternative medicine from the perspective of a doctor working with very sick people day in and day out. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A medical expect- the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia- offers a scathing, sure-to-be-headline-making expose of the alternative medicine industry, revealing how even though some popular therapies are remarkably helpful due to the placebo response, many of them are ineffective, expensive, and even deadly.
A half-century ago, Acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese herbs, Christian exorcisms, dietary supplements, chiropractic manipulations, and transitional Indian remedies were considered to be on the fringe of medicine. Now these practices- known as alternative, complementary, holistic, and integrative medicine- have become mainstream, used by half of all Americans today seeking to burn fat, detoxify livers, shrink prostates, alleviate colds, stimulate brains, boost energy, reduce stress, enhance immunity, eliminate pain, prevent cancer, and enliven sex.
But as Dr. Paul A. Offit, the chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, reveals, alternative medicine- an unregulated industry under no legal obligation to prove its claims or admits its risks- can actually be harmful to our health. In Do You Believe in Magic? He exposes the risks of alternative treatments, including megavitamins, acupuncture, dietary supplements, and Chinese herbs; debunks the treatments that don’t work, and explains why. He also takes on the media celebrities who promote alternative medicine, including Mehmet Oz, Suzanna Somers, and Jenny McCarthy. Using dramatic real-life stories, he separates the sense from the nonsense, showing why any therapy- alternative or traditional- should be scrutinized. He also shows how nontraditional methods can do a great deal of good, in some cases exceeding therapies offered by conventional practitioners. As he advises us, “There’s no such thing as alternative medicine. There’s only medicine that works and medicine that doesn’t.”

Review- I really enjoyed this book. The topic is of interest to me personally because I have some health problems and I do some alternative methods. By the end of this book I was sure that Dr. Offit would not have any problems with what I do in my life. He takes apart the money making machine that is alternative medicine and he names names. It is interesting to learn about the beginnings of alternative medicine here in America and some from around the world. Offit gives information about both the good medicine that works and how good doctors fall from grace. The whole book comes down to this- do not use someone else’s wisdom for your own good judgment. Offit does not blame people for looking help or answers because medical science does not have all of them. He comes down hard on the people who steal from the hopeless. I felt Offit’s compassion for the families just trying to get some hope in dark places.

I give this one Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

Hounded

Today’s post is on “Hounded” by Kevin Hearne. It is the first in the Iron Druid Chronicles and is 304 pages long, including a preview if book two Hexed. It is published by Ballantine Books. The cover has the main character in profile drawing a sword from behind him. The intended reader is an urban fantasy fan and that is mostly it but most of us like urban fantasy and this is not a bad one to start with. There is talk about sex, there is detailed violence, and there is bad language so beware. The story is told from first person perspective of Atticus that main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old- when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power- plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish- to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Review- I was not expecting much from Hounded other than entertainment but Hearne knows his lore. I have personally studied mythology for almost 20 years when I was very young and learned that people believed in gods other than Jesus. I am not a scholar by any means but I like to think that I have more than just a basic understand of mythology. Hearne passed that tested with ease. He loves his myths too and it shows in this book. Atticus himself is an interesting and fun character. He takes the blows the plot throws at him with grace and ease. He does not really grow but I am willing to put that to the side because this is not just a first novel in a series but Hearne’s first novel. There are some very witty lines but I like the ending lines the best-

“You used way too much Cold Fire,” the Morrigan said. “You should plan on being immobile for a couple of days. I hope that you put on some of that lotion the mortals are so infatuated with. Can’t have you dying of skin cancer.”
The Morrigan laughed mockingly and then squawked harshly as she changed into a crow and flew away. And she wondered why she didn’t have any friends.

Hearne does a lot with the little that he is given. I am looking forward to reading the next and seeing where he goes with this series. The only thing that I do not like about Atticus is that he is a slut but I do not like that in any of my characters. It is some that I just do not like. Maybe because it is too easy of a weakness to have, anyone can have it, and maybe that is the appeal of it. Anyone can have it so maybe more reader will relate to it, I do not know, but other that than minor problem a good first novel.

I give this book a Four out of Five. I get nothing for this review and I got this book for free from Dragon*Con 2010.