While my mum watches The Age of Innocence (which I kind of hate after studying it at University) I think I'll get some of my reviews done - and wait for my
del.ici.ous bookmarks to export to
Pinboard.
Inevitable spoilers, if you actually need the warning.
Books
The Kate Daniel books are definitely my favourite but I still enjoyed this book. I like the world created and the way the Edge works. Declan is actually kind of awesome but I adore Jack and George - although I often forgot how young they were supposed to be.
I am looking forward to the next book and I loved Declan's family so I hope they are in it a lot.
I really enjoyed this. It was a bit heavy-handed with it's message - everyone is special, and that family is important - but it made sense considering it was written for children.
Chris Wooding is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. He writes really rocking books.
Orna is a fascinating character. I'm not really a fan of first person perspective because I usually find it jarring. However, here, it works really well. The whole keeping the reader (as well as Orna) in the dark was excellently done and had a few fabulous twists in it.
The whole Casta as Silverfish thing should have been SO obvious to me, but I'm ashamed to say that I never thought anything of the use of 'he' when referencing Silverfish. I really shouldn't have assumed that Silverfish was male, but then I suppose that was really the point *g*
The other twist, I completely didn't see coming. It was brilliant. REALLY brilliant. Because of all the awful things that had happened to Orna I never even once considered anything other than the conclusions she was coming to. They made sense and they were utterly plausible. But, instead of preventing treason, she prevented a peace treaty. Brilliant. Horrific, obviously, but a wonderful twist.
However, no matter how much I enjoyed The Fade, I thought Poison was brilliant and amazing and totally my favourite. I like how they both have non-conventional endings.
Poison's baby sister gets taken by the Phaerie and she goes off to get her back. Along the way she comes across a strange girl who looks vaguely familiar travelling back to Poison's home town. She also finds her role in life but in doing so loses the chance to find her sister. The part I found the saddest is that her sister then went out to find Poison, just like Poison had done so for her, but, within the book, never finds her. That was the most bitter sweet part of the book, I think.
Aelthar the Pharie Lord was kind of my favourite character - despite him wanting to wipe out the rest of humanity - and I was really quite disappointed when he was killed.
DO I even need to say that the chapter with the giant spider that nearly ate Poison was by far the creepiest and most scary?
I greatly loved this book. Seriously could not put this book down.
I really can't think of enough words to describe how awesome this book is. It's got dragons, swords, a girl having to pretend to be a boy so she can train to be a Dragoneye, emperors, coup's, fighting, transgender's where it's TOTALLY NORMAL - same with gay people. All in all, this book absolutely rocks.
Although I was totally yelling at Eon that it was stupidly obvious why she wasn't able to access her dragon powers. SO DAMN obvious. And yay to Lady Dela for working it out.
The next one is already out, and, despite the whole 'having about 200 books to read' thing, I'm sorely tempted to get it and read over Christmas.
I can't quite believe that this is the first China Mieville book that I've read.
It's bloody awesome and so cleverly written. I love the parallel's between our London and Un Lun Dun.
My favourite character, though, is Curdle. A freaking milk carton was my favourite character. This is very me.
I loved the whole 'prophesy is all fucked up' thing. Prophesies never work out. Buffy taught me that many years ago *g*
49) Mr Gun and the Dancing Bear
50) The Ice Cream Con