Fortune's Fool

Today's post is on 'Fortune's Fool' by Mercedes Lackey. It is published by Luna which is an imprint of Harlequin Books. It is 362 pages long and is the third in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. The cover has the two main characters with some of the elements of the story like the paper bird and the harp. The intended reader are fairy tale lovers, light romance readers, and fans of Lackey. There some sexuality in this novel so be warned. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

Ekaterina - Katya - is the seventh daughter of the Sea King. She has the very rare and special gift as the seventh, she can walk on land as easily as she can swim through water. She is her father's hands and eyes on dry land. The Sea King wants to keep peace between him and dry land kingdoms. So Katya helps with that because whenever something odd goes on she goes to help. With The Tradition on her side she has done much good for her kingdom. The Tradition is what makes things go in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, it helps good people and when people are lazy bad things happen. One kingdom has not had any trouble in almost three centuries. When Katya gets to Led Belarus she discovers why. The kingdom has a Fortunate Fool. Sasha is the seventh son, a prince and a Songweaver. He has been going around his kingdom and helping keep the darkness from coming in it. That is because Led Belarus does not have a Godmother, so the royal family is dealing with The Tradition themselves. They meet and fall in love. Before they can do much Katya is called back to her father because something is taking magical young women. Before too long Katya is taken too but unlike all the older women she chooses to be taken. A Jinn is taking the women and he is going to take more than that. With Katya inside and Sasha outside the Jinn does not what is coming for him.

This is the third in a series but you do not have to have read the others to enjoy this one. All the Five Hundred Kingdoms are stand alone series, there are some repeat characters from the earlier books but nothing that would trip up the reader. The story is as fun and fanciful as a fairy tale should be. I only have one problem with the series. There is some sexuality in them. It is not gratuitous, it is the main characters who are in love, and it does not last long. I think that it just because I do not like sex in my fairy tales. I have read the originals and I know that they are about sex but I really like the innocence's better. It is nice to see some of the characters from the earlier books. In this one it is the two dragon champions from 'One Good Knight' and Godmother Elena is talked about from 'The Fairy Godmother'. The magic system is fun and easy to understand. The characters are funny and they know that something outside of themselves is moving the world and the story along.

My rating is a solid four stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Today’s Non-fiction post is on ‘He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut and 49 other double standards every women should know’ by Jessica Valenti. The intended reader is female but it also male friendly anyone over the age of about 13 can read this; there is some language but not much and it helps the reader hear the author’s voice. The cover is multicolored stripes with a black box in the middle with the title and author information in it. There Be Spoilers Ahead but this is non-fiction so I’m not really worried about it.

From the back of the book- Double standards are nothing new. Women deal with them every day. Consider the following examples:

·         He’s a hipster, She’s a Ho

·         He’s Gay, She’s a Fantasy

·         He’s Angry, She’s PMSing

·         He’s Independent, She’s Pathetic

·         He’s Successful, She’s a Showoff

·         He’s Dating a Younger Woman, She’s a Cougar

Women are held to a different standard than men. And mostly we just put with it- but we don’t have to. Jessica Valenti offers 50 solutions to 50 of the most pressing double standards that women confront. With sass, humor, and in-your-face facts, she informs and equips women with the tools they need to combat sexist comments, topple ridiculous stereotypes and end the promotion of insidious double standards.

Review- This book is easy to read, has useful information, and does give some advice about how to deal with the fair world we live in. Valenti is very passionate about her topic and it shows. All the solutions were common sense ones but because I have been very lucky and not been in some of those situations I had not thought about them. I know that it is not popular to be a feminist but I am one. Valenti also talks about how unpopular it is to be a feminist. Now Valenti is not saying that men have problems and double standards to deal with too. She does talk about how if a guy is just nice to his girlfriend; he will be given a hard time by others, that he is too ‘soft’ and the like. But the main focus is about women in this broken world of ours. But she does have answers for everything there is some misinformation in it but it only one thing and I think that you should do the research for yourself about all 50 topics she talks about. But the heart of the book is in the right place, that place is making life better for everyone, not just women, because sexism effects everyone.

I give this a solid four stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Halfway to the Grave

Today's post is on 'Halfway to the Grave' by Jeaniene Frost. It is published by Avon which is an imprint of HarperCollins. It is 358 pages long. The cover has the main character in a short black dress with thigh-high boots and a silver dagger. The intended reader is urban fantasy lovers. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

Catherine (Cat) Crawfield is a vampire hunter. Not just any vampire hunter but one who is half vampire herself. Her mother was date raped and five months later Cat was born. Her mother hates all vampires. She has been telling Cat that she has to fight the evil in her because of her father. Cat kills vamps who think that she is a little dumb girl that they can eat. For eight years Cat has been doing this until one night she picks the wrong guy. He knocks her out and when she wakes up tied up. He wants to know who she works for. Cat tells him no one. Of course he does not believe her. But then she flashes her eyes at him, something only a vampire can do, and he believes her. His name is Bones and he hunts vamps too. Bones decides to train her so that they can hunt bigger targets together. Over the course of the story they fall in love. But the story is really about Cat learning that her world is much bigger than she knew. There vamps who do not kill their victims, there are humans who like to be fed from, there are ghouls and ghosts. The big bad in this novel is a vampire who is kidnapping young women. He is taking them and making them slaves that other vamps rape and feed from. In the end Cat learns that vamps are not the only bad guys in the world and sometimes they do not work alone.

I was not sure that I was going to like this story. I am not a vampire person. They just do not do it for me. But Cat won me over. I like that she believes in what she is doing. She tries to make the world a better place in anyway she can. Once she sees that not all vampires are just soulless killers, she lets go of her preconceived notions. She learns to accept herself for who she is not what. By chapter three I was really having fun with this book. Bones is interesting and fun. He is very honest with Cat about the world and how he feels for her. It is the dialog that fuels the character growth and plot. Cat's mother does her purpose of making the reader feel bad for Cat. She had to grow up with a mother who hated her on some level. The action scenes are okay but not the best part of the story. I will be reading the rest of the series with pleasure.

I give it a solid Four stars.

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack

Today's post is on 'The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack' by Mark Hodder. This is the first book in a series Burton & Swinburne. It is published by Pyr and is 371 pages including a brief historical information about the characters in the book. It has a very lovely cover by Jon Sullivan showing Jack with blue flames and in the rest is in grey scale. The intended readers are adults who like steampunk, alt history, or well written books. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

The year is 1861 and King Albert is on the English throne. Sir Richard Francis Burton has just gotten the worst news of his life. His friend and competitor John Hanning Speke has shot himself in the head on the day they were to debate about the source of the Nile. On his way back to his house, after getting drunk at his club, Burton is attacked by a strange man, on silts and glowing with blue fire,  who blackens his eyes and yells at him to leave him( the blue fiery man) alone. Burton has no idea either who he is or what. The next day Burton is contacted by the Prime Minister and asked to investigate the very odd things that happen in the Empire. Like Jack and dogs who walk like men and many other odd things. After having people die around him, Burton decides that he is going to go it alone. That is until Swinburne begs him to take him on as his assistant. Algernon Swinburne is a poet who needs to feel live or else his end will come in a bottle. So with a new assistant Burton goes to uncover the mystery of Spring Heeled Jack. In this world there really is more than your philosophy has ever dreamed of.

There are parts of the story that are not interesting but 85% is just enchanting. The world building in this book is some of the best that I have ever read. It is so subtle. Hodder gives you pieces of the world so that it does not overwhelm you. It is like uncovering a world that you thought you knew but just did not realize it. I liked Burton who you spend the most time with but I hope that Swinburne has a bigger role in the next book. You just do not get much time with him but time you are with him, Swinburne is really funny. Hodder did great amounts of research into the real Victorian age to give us offset one. As someone who read a lot of books from this time(yay English major) I really appreciated all the little details, like calling a match a lucifer.

I give it Four and Half stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my little money.

Cinder

Today's post is on 'Cinder' by Marissa Meyer; it is book one of four of the Lunar Chronicles. It is published by Feiwel And Friends which is an imprint of MacMillan. The book is 387 pages long excluding author's note at the end. The cover has a foot with a metal bone showing and a lovely red shoe. The book is told in Four parts and thirty-eight chapters. The intended reader is YA. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

Opening line- The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle.

Cinder Linh is the best mechanic in New Beijing. She is also a cyborg, seen as a mistake by most of earth's peoples, and by her stepmother. As a cyborg Cinder has no rights, she is not seen as human anymore, so her stepmother makes her work and then takes all her money. The start of the book as Cinder is changing her too small foot. The Prince Kaito seeks her out because he needs her to repair one of his personal androids. Cinder agrees to help with Prince of course. But bad things come in threes in this book. First there is an outbreak of the deadly virus that has killed almost two-thirds of the human population, her sister Peony gets it and dies and the deadly queen from the moon comes. The queen of Luna wants to marry Kaito and get power on Earth but Kaito and his father having been fighting to stop this for years. When Cinder's younger sister gets the disease, her stepmother 'volunteer's' her for a research subject. Cinder discovers that she is immune to the disease but nothing saves her sister. Cinder discovers more about herself and why she was made a cyborg. The knowledge will make her decide what she is going to do. Because both the earth and the moon's people are in her hands.

I enjoyed this book but it is for young adults. That does not mean that it is bad or badly written but for an adult reading it, it was not something special. I would give this to young girls to read because they will enjoy it or if you really love the Cinderella story. It is an interesting retelling and I will read the other books in the series which there are going to be four. The next one comes out early next year. The writing is good but I really loved the font. The font is very pretty and pleasing to look at, I would stop reading to just look at the font but I'm weird. So it is a fun beach read.

I give this a three and half out of five stars.

Mistborn

Today's post is on 'Mistborn' by Brandon Sanderson. It is published by TOR. It is 657 pages including an excerpt of 'Hero of Ages' and a brief explanation of the very unique magic system. The cover has the main character Vin on it in an action pose with mist around her and the enemies are shadowy but there. The intended read is anyone who loves fantasy and anyone who can read. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

I trying to think of a way to summarize this plot of Mistborn. It is a daunting task. This plot is very sublime. I was expecting to enjoy this book and I did but this book is so much more than just an enjoyable fantasy story. After reading this book I know understand why Robert Jordan chose him to finish The Wheel of Time series. I will try and please understand that my summary is a very poor and pale representation of this story.

Vin is a street urchin. She survives by being a good 'luck' for her thieving crew. Her brother beat into her that everyone will betray her in the end. Her crew leader gets too greedy. Vin knows that something bad is about to happen but that is not unusual in The Final Empire. The Lord Ruler is immortal and he controls everything. From the skaa slaves to the nobleborn. Skaa and noble are not to have children together. The Lord Ruler claims that is because he wants to maintain purity but is really about controlling who could have the power to be Mistborn. But Vin knows nothing of this at the start of the novel. She just knows that she has luck and she has to use her luck to survive. Into her chaotic live comes Kelsier. He knows that Vin is a Mistborn and he saves her life. Then he starts to train her in her powers. The over arching plot is about overthrowing The Final Empire but there is so much more. The characters, the subplot, and the imaginary are wonderful. But I will get into that in the next paragraph.

I cannot begin to express how wonderful this book is. I feel stupid for not reading it before. This book is clever, the writing is so easy to fall into, the characters are so believable. There is a main character death and Sanderson does not waste it. It  is one of the most vivid imagines I have from the story. The character's final words are just sublime-

"I killed you, once," the Lord Ruler said, turning back to Kelsier.

"You tried," Kelsier replied, his voice loud and firm, carrying across the square. "But you can't kill me, Lord Tyrant. I represent that thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try. I am hope."

The Lord Ruler snorted in disdain. he raised a casual arm, then backhanded Kelsier with a bow so powerful that Vin could hear the crack resound through the square.

That is one of the most powerful imagines of the whole book. He does in about six lines what some writers cannot do in six hundred. He makes it real. The magic system is very mysterious but again Sanderson does not waste what he has. The takes about two scenes for the reader to really get an idea about how the system works. The first one with Kelsier doing a raid on a noble house and the second is when he starts teaching Vin how to control her powers as a Mistborn. Again this is a very poor and pale representation of this wonderful wonderful book. But  do not take my word for it, read it yourself.

My personal rating for this one is Five out of Five with gold stars all around.

I am getting nothing for my reviews. I either bought the book with my own money or I borrowed it from the library. I bought this one and I own it with pride.

Fluke

Today's post is on "Fluke Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings" by Christopher Moore. It is 321 pages long and is published by William Morrow an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. The cover has a whale tail with the words 'Bite Me' on it. It is divided into four parts with thirty-eight chapters. The intended reader is adult and maybe older teen. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

The opening line is- Amy called the whale punkin.

Nathan Quinn is obsessed with finding out why the whales sing. That is his whole life. His partner Clay, his grad student Amy and his business, everything is about why. So when his office is broken-in and all his life's work is stolen or destroyed his knows that he is on to something. Something is just the beginning. With the mystery of what is going getting deeper with every chapter Nate learns more than he ever dreamed possible. There are whales, humans and things in between. There is a love story, teachers that cannot stand bad grammar and Jersey boys who think that they are Jamaican.

To start with I did not like this book; at all. I did not find it funny. The humor in it is for people who think that penis' are just the funniest thing on the planet and I am not one of them. After I discovered the answer to the mystery which is there is an ancient sea-creature at the bottom of the ocean that is going to kill humankind because we are scary; I was done with the book. In fact I could not make myself read the last 20-odd pages. I was so bored during this book that I had to make myself read it so that I would be done with it. I rarely have to do that. As I am sure you have noticed that I am easy to please in books and movies. But this was just a big waste of my time. Do not read this book it is not funny, it is horrible. I, personally, will never read anything by Moore again.

I am giving this book One star out of Five. And it is Lucky to be getting that. I get nothing for this review and lucky for me I borrowed this from my local library.