Reading Rainbow!
Jan. 8th, 2008 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aidenfireSo, uh, three books at a time might lead too much a bit too much post for your flist, especially considering how v. spam happy I've been lately. Here's the latest six. I, uh, did say I read fast...
Now with Amazon links!
The Portable Door by Tom Holt
Oh man, what fun! A very British fantastical comedy. The fantasy part is woven in very slowly and very carefully, so you almost don't notice it's happening until you look around and everything is swords and sorcerers and epic duels instead of your dull office and the missing stapler and the photocopier that never seems to work. The brilliance of this book is how those things tie together. And god, so funny! I was laughing out loud all the way through. Well written, great characters, and a unique and interesting plot, full of surprises. Highly recommended.
Jinx High, by Mercedes Lackey
I figured out afterwards that this was the final book in a trilogy, so that may answer for some of my problems with the book. However, it was easy to pick up and understand what was going on regardless; it does work as a standalone. Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite fantasy writers--I'm particularly fond of her Dragon Jousters and Heralds of Valdemar series. She's known for writing those sorts of books, which, as you might guess from the titles, are set in that particular era of fantasy--castles and kings and court intrigue. This book is set in the modern day, and something about it just kept hitting me wrong. It felt like she was trying too hard, almost. The writing felt stilted at times. She's still a master of plot, and that was what was carrying me along. The story was complex and fully developed, and it really drew me in. Another fantasy (my mother is on a committee, choosing the best of the "fantasy in the real world" type books so there are a lot of them around the house), and Lackey always has a good hand with magic and mystery. The adults were strong and well written, but the story was set in a high school, and the teenagers were little more than stock characters--one-dimensional and boring. This was especially disturbing to me when I thought the book was focusing on them. The trilogy is about one of the adults, which makes it a little better, but still, there is no excuse for the shallowness of these characters. To reiterate, story is good, writing and characters flawed at times, overall worth reading. Recommended if you have the time, but not a must read.
Gettin Lucky, by Micol Ostow
Painfully bad. I almost want to just end my review there. But I won't. Rom com chick flick of a book but. god, so bad. I didn't care about the characters, and even found the main character annoying and one-note. She didn't date a guy she really liked because he was an aires. seriously. the climax happened when she learned he was on the cusp so might be whatever sign is next. shoot me now. Not a character that I respect at all. The plotline was very predictable--some of that, of course, comes with the genre, but this one was more predictable than most. I knew what was going to happen from the second the male lead was introduced a few chapters in. This is not too atypical, but usually the fun comes in from watching how the characters end up together. I just didn't care about either of them, or their friends or their problems. I have absolutely no problem with soft silly rom coms but there are a lot of better ones out there. Not recommended.
Devilish, by Maureen Johnson
Another of the fantasy in the real world books. Fantastic protaganist. Not only believable but someone I wanted to be friends with. So smart and kickass! The story takes place in a very strict Catholic school, and I had a lot of fun watching the lead character bending (and/or demolishing) the school rules. Great side characters as well, and a plot that kept you guessing. I was surprised all the way through to the end. I also felt the characters grew through the book, and it was really interesting to see them making the tough decisions and how those decisions affected their world views. Recommended.
The Boyfriend League, by Rachael Hawthorne
I read another of Hawthorne's books, Snowed In, and thought it was sub-standard for her. This one is right back up where I wanted the other to be. Sure, it's still fluffy rom com, and it's not going to be winning a Pulitzer or anything, but a lot of fun from start to finish. Really strong and well developed characters. I found myself getting sucked into the story and being genuinely concerned about how the characters were going to resolve their problems. Made me laugh a few times, and even surprised me a few times as well, which is pretty rare for this genre of books. Recommended.
A Fistful of Sky, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Really good book. Another of those fantasy in the real worlds. This one involves a girl whose whole family has magical talents, manifesting around puberty. She's patient when her older siblings turn, but then her younger siblings turn as well, and she kind of gives up hope. She's just getting comfortable with her life and her place in her family when changes start happening to her. Great set up--her whole family is so interesting, and all such different characters. I had a special spot in my heart for her brother Flint whose magic never did quite what he expected it to. The pacing was a little weird in the beginning, a lot of time jumps that weren't developed very well, but when it settles into the period it wants to be in, it's smooth sailing. Very well written on the whole. Highly recommended.
Now with Amazon links!
The Portable Door by Tom Holt
Oh man, what fun! A very British fantastical comedy. The fantasy part is woven in very slowly and very carefully, so you almost don't notice it's happening until you look around and everything is swords and sorcerers and epic duels instead of your dull office and the missing stapler and the photocopier that never seems to work. The brilliance of this book is how those things tie together. And god, so funny! I was laughing out loud all the way through. Well written, great characters, and a unique and interesting plot, full of surprises. Highly recommended.
Jinx High, by Mercedes Lackey
I figured out afterwards that this was the final book in a trilogy, so that may answer for some of my problems with the book. However, it was easy to pick up and understand what was going on regardless; it does work as a standalone. Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorite fantasy writers--I'm particularly fond of her Dragon Jousters and Heralds of Valdemar series. She's known for writing those sorts of books, which, as you might guess from the titles, are set in that particular era of fantasy--castles and kings and court intrigue. This book is set in the modern day, and something about it just kept hitting me wrong. It felt like she was trying too hard, almost. The writing felt stilted at times. She's still a master of plot, and that was what was carrying me along. The story was complex and fully developed, and it really drew me in. Another fantasy (my mother is on a committee, choosing the best of the "fantasy in the real world" type books so there are a lot of them around the house), and Lackey always has a good hand with magic and mystery. The adults were strong and well written, but the story was set in a high school, and the teenagers were little more than stock characters--one-dimensional and boring. This was especially disturbing to me when I thought the book was focusing on them. The trilogy is about one of the adults, which makes it a little better, but still, there is no excuse for the shallowness of these characters. To reiterate, story is good, writing and characters flawed at times, overall worth reading. Recommended if you have the time, but not a must read.
Gettin Lucky, by Micol Ostow
Painfully bad. I almost want to just end my review there. But I won't. Rom com chick flick of a book but. god, so bad. I didn't care about the characters, and even found the main character annoying and one-note. She didn't date a guy she really liked because he was an aires. seriously. the climax happened when she learned he was on the cusp so might be whatever sign is next. shoot me now. Not a character that I respect at all. The plotline was very predictable--some of that, of course, comes with the genre, but this one was more predictable than most. I knew what was going to happen from the second the male lead was introduced a few chapters in. This is not too atypical, but usually the fun comes in from watching how the characters end up together. I just didn't care about either of them, or their friends or their problems. I have absolutely no problem with soft silly rom coms but there are a lot of better ones out there. Not recommended.
Devilish, by Maureen Johnson
Another of the fantasy in the real world books. Fantastic protaganist. Not only believable but someone I wanted to be friends with. So smart and kickass! The story takes place in a very strict Catholic school, and I had a lot of fun watching the lead character bending (and/or demolishing) the school rules. Great side characters as well, and a plot that kept you guessing. I was surprised all the way through to the end. I also felt the characters grew through the book, and it was really interesting to see them making the tough decisions and how those decisions affected their world views. Recommended.
The Boyfriend League, by Rachael Hawthorne
I read another of Hawthorne's books, Snowed In, and thought it was sub-standard for her. This one is right back up where I wanted the other to be. Sure, it's still fluffy rom com, and it's not going to be winning a Pulitzer or anything, but a lot of fun from start to finish. Really strong and well developed characters. I found myself getting sucked into the story and being genuinely concerned about how the characters were going to resolve their problems. Made me laugh a few times, and even surprised me a few times as well, which is pretty rare for this genre of books. Recommended.
A Fistful of Sky, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Really good book. Another of those fantasy in the real worlds. This one involves a girl whose whole family has magical talents, manifesting around puberty. She's patient when her older siblings turn, but then her younger siblings turn as well, and she kind of gives up hope. She's just getting comfortable with her life and her place in her family when changes start happening to her. Great set up--her whole family is so interesting, and all such different characters. I had a special spot in my heart for her brother Flint whose magic never did quite what he expected it to. The pacing was a little weird in the beginning, a lot of time jumps that weren't developed very well, but when it settles into the period it wants to be in, it's smooth sailing. Very well written on the whole. Highly recommended.
