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The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.
The first half of this book is quite good. It follows the life of an orphan master's son as he grows up in North Korea. How he comes to work in intelligence, his rise in the ranks, then his eventual fall into the grinding machine of the regime. It's a very bleak and realistic look inside the reclusive country.
*sleight spoiler alert* The second half is rather odd. The main character escapes from a labor camp and literally assumes the identity of one of the most famous people in the country. There is also the addition of another narrative voice, an interrogator, as well as several chronological jumps before and after the disappearance of the North Korea's most famous actress and her children. The whole second half of the book thus felt like a far-fetched and overly dramatic movie.
7.5 out of 10.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
After the odd story of Orphan Master's Son, Shadow and Bone was a breath of fresh air. I found the writing to be very strong for a debut novel. Characterization was also very good with a good deal of complexity, even for the villain. And thankfully the romance wasn't overdone. I do hope we get more detail on the world-building and magic system in the next book, though overall everything was very enjoyable. Can't wait for more!
9 out of 10.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafon.
The Prisoner of Heaven is a good sequel to The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. Prisoner is the shortest book so far in the loosely connected quartet, and gives quite a bit of background on Fermin. It is very much a sequel book, tying the two previous books together into a larger narrative, while also setting up the story for the next book. The main drawback is that the book cannot stand on it's own. You wouldn't read this without reading either Shadow or Angel's Game.
8 out of 10.
The first half of this book is quite good. It follows the life of an orphan master's son as he grows up in North Korea. How he comes to work in intelligence, his rise in the ranks, then his eventual fall into the grinding machine of the regime. It's a very bleak and realistic look inside the reclusive country.
*sleight spoiler alert* The second half is rather odd. The main character escapes from a labor camp and literally assumes the identity of one of the most famous people in the country. There is also the addition of another narrative voice, an interrogator, as well as several chronological jumps before and after the disappearance of the North Korea's most famous actress and her children. The whole second half of the book thus felt like a far-fetched and overly dramatic movie.
7.5 out of 10.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
After the odd story of Orphan Master's Son, Shadow and Bone was a breath of fresh air. I found the writing to be very strong for a debut novel. Characterization was also very good with a good deal of complexity, even for the villain. And thankfully the romance wasn't overdone. I do hope we get more detail on the world-building and magic system in the next book, though overall everything was very enjoyable. Can't wait for more!
9 out of 10.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafon.
The Prisoner of Heaven is a good sequel to The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. Prisoner is the shortest book so far in the loosely connected quartet, and gives quite a bit of background on Fermin. It is very much a sequel book, tying the two previous books together into a larger narrative, while also setting up the story for the next book. The main drawback is that the book cannot stand on it's own. You wouldn't read this without reading either Shadow or Angel's Game.
8 out of 10.