Book Entry February 2015
February went by too fast! It is already March 4th. Happy birthday to my daddy. And I am finally getting around to doing this book entry. So I hit a bit of a reading slump in two weeks of February. With how short that month was, it is a mystery how I finished anything really.
Books read in February
10. Cities of Blood by Peter Ackeroyd - 3 stars
11. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell - 2,5 stars
12. Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis - 4 stars
13. Seraphina (Seraphina 1) by Rachel Hartman - 4,5 stars
14. Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians companion) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
15. The Son of Sobek (Percy Jackson and The Kane Chronicles crossover 1) by Rick Riordan - 2,5 stars
16. A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird 1) by Claudia Gray - 3 stars
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Romance
Goodreads Link
When Eleanor first meets Park, she thinks he's obnoxious. When Park first meets Eleanor, he thinks she's weird. It is hate at first sight. But as they suffer each other's company in silence on the bus rides from and to home every day, Eleanor and Park realise that first impressions can be deceiving.
2,5 stars
After reading this book I’ve come to the conclusion that Rainbow Rowell is probably not for me. I read it in one sitting, a good two hours, but after the first forty pages I was very tempted to put it down.
The reason for that had to do with two things. The way the two characters addressed each other in their heads at the start (stupid Asian, stupid red head). It became repetitive and annoying. The second thing is the way this was written. There are chapters where it changes a lot between Eleanor and Park’s thoughts. This was how it was formatted like:
Eleanor
Third pov thoughts (sometimes only three sentences)
Park
Third pov thoughts (sometimes only three sentences)
It would ping pong back and forth like that. It jolted me in and out of the characters, and out of the story.
The story did pick up after that as did the characters. It was cute. But that was all it was for me. It didn’t move me emotionally. It didn’t feel like there was a very big climax. It was also predictable in a way. However I did like the open ending about the three words and keeping it open about whether or not in the future they end up together again.
Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
Fantasy
Goodreads Link
Amara is never alone. Not when she's protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they're fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she's punished, ordered around, or neglected.
She can't be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes.
Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, he's yanked from his Arizona town into Amara's mind, a world away, which makes even simple things like hobbies and homework impossible. He's spent years as a powerless observer of Amara's life. Amara has no idea . . . until he learns to control her, and they communicate for the first time. Amara is terrified. Then, she's furious.
All Amara and Nolan want is to be free of each other. But Nolan's breakthrough has dangerous consequences. Now, they'll have to work together to survive--and discover the truth about their connection.
4 stars
Otherbound felt like something different than that I have read lately. The focus is on two characters, intermittently. Where in other books you will often see this being written in an I pov, this was written in a third pov without taking away how well we got into their heads. Because of the set up of the plot the two lines were very weaved together. I really liked this. When we went to the second character I was still involved in the story of the first character and vice versa. It worked very well.
Up to about 60-70% of the book I wasn’t sure which direction this was going to head in. It wasn’t very predictable. After a twist was revealed it became a tad more predictable but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment. The pacing felt right. Action was alternated by small bits of rest. I was captivated by the events happening on both ends, the fantasy world and our world.
The ideas surrounding the magic and Nolan’s connection to Amara’s world I found interesting and clever. I like it when magic isn’t without repercussions or when someone isn’t the only one who can do things. I also liked how some things were dealt with (Nolan’s epilepsy/travelling to another world and the effects on his life, bisexuality). They all had their flaws and things which made it feel real. Especially Nolan.
As for the characters. Oh my, Nolan with his sister and his parents. I wanted to hold him. Amara is a strong girl. She has her defenses up high and it was a bit harder to get into her as a character. Having Nolan as a counter balance was good. The other characters surrounding them were good additions. I am fond of Nolan’s sister.
There was romance in this book but it didn’t take away from the overall plot. It was nice to see them together and the hints, but I wasn’t entirely invested in it.
Seraphina (Seraphina 1) by Rachel Hartman
Fantasy
Goodreads Link
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered-in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
4,5 stars
his book took me a bit to get into. The first fifty pages I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but around a 100 pages I caught myself liking Seraphina. I was absorbed into the story and this character.
What stands out to me about this book is the intricate culture that this society has. Religion, music, court, politics. I enjoyed that immensely though remembering all the names from things was a bit confusing at the start. It is good the back of the book has a glossary. It is not a light read by all means. It is intelligent in its word use, has great quotes and passages to make you think about issues.
Seraphina took some getting into but once I did I really started liking her. She is a great character on her own, and despite her childhood where she was taught she shouldn’t stand out, impulsive and brave. I love her relationship with her uncle, and I have a fondness for him as a character. I do have more of a pull towards the (half) dragon characters in this book. They all had their own quirks. Lucian and Griselda were both interesting. I’m not sure where Griselda stands completely yet, though she is taking some steps in the right direction with that ending. I see someone referring to the relationship between Griselda and Seraphina as a friendship. I don’t see it like that yet.
Overall the relationships between the characters were also intricate, and not clean cut.
The only down point of this book for me was the romance. It wasn’t bad. However after a few conversations and spending one day together all of a sudden Seraphina knew she loved him. I can understand falling for him, but not the direct: I love you. That was a leap too far and this with the ending made me lose a bit of interest in this romance.
I am really looking forward to Shadow Scale! I am so curious to see who we will meet.
Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians companion) by Rick Riordan
Fantasy/Mythology
Goodread Link
Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod?
In this whirlwind tour of Greek mythology, Percy Jackson gives his personal take on the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece - and reveals the truth about how they came to rule the world.
3 stars
I really like that this book exists. Percy Jackson books do touch on some of the mythology obviously, but knowing a bit more background about all the Gods we met throughout it and their relationships helps. I for one was mostly familiair with the more well known myths.
Having said that I did have issues with this as I read it. More specifically I had issues with Percy as the narrator. For me it felt it tried to hard to compare it to modern times. Talking about texting other Gods and all that in times that didn´t exist. I understand doing it, but it went too far for me.
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebrid 1) by Claudia Gray
Sci-fi/Romance
Goodreads Link
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer-her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul-escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt-and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
3 stars
This book throws you straight into the action with moments of flashbacks in between. I found this very hard and the focus of the start of this book really threw me. I think it wasn’t so much that we were thrown into the action, but that I found it hard to connect with the main character. Her focus on the two guys in her flashbacks I found odd as she had just lost her dad. Shouldn’t her focus of flashbacks have been on that? And not on that guy she thinks is a traitor? I understand there being romance in this book. I got that from the synopsis. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw those kinds of connections away. How is her dad less important than her connection with the traitor? Also I wondered what this apparent proof was that he had killed her dad. It was cutting the brakes so what proof did the police have? Later on something was revealed that made feel even more flimsy for me. With that start I considered putting this book down.
Luckily I didn’t. The first world they travelled to didn’t really appeal to me as much (mostly because it wasn’t as build up nicely), but when we got to the second world, I loved that. There could have been more world building there I think but I still really liked the use of the Russian culture for this world. Unfortunately the next world was another dull one. The idea of the last world though was great.
With the change to the second world the plot started to pick up and I found myself more engaged in it. The plot twists later on didn’t really surprise me but some I did not expect. Which is nice for a change.
I’m not completely invested in the characters, though nearing the end I became more open to Marquerite as a character. Her relationship with her father (in the various worlds) and the Russia world Paul were a great addition to the story. More so than the relationships she has with Theo and Paul.
As for the romance, as you might have guessed from the first paragraph of this review, I’m not too happy with it. The love triangle in this between Marquerite, Theo and Paul is so forced. From the start it is so clear she is going to go for Paul anyway. The added in Theo ‘romance’ just wasn’t needed. And even for the later plot twist, it still wasn’t necessary. I think if the start of the book hadn’t been so focused on her relationship with Paul in flashbacks and the added in Theo triangle hadn’t been there, the romance in this book could have been fine.[ Her struggle between the Russian world Paul and her world Paul would have been a great something to explore more. That kind of romance would have been great. I liked that.
Goodreads Challenge - 16/100
Books by Dutch Authors - 2/12
This month was okay reading wise. Otherbound (this months book by Dutch Author) and Seraphina really stood out though. I heavily recommend both!
February Book Haul
+ 2 ebooks. The Poison Princess by Kresley Cole and The Restorer by Amanda Stevens.
March TBR
About half I picked straight out of my book case. The other half I picked through my tbr jar. I also already finished The Gospel of Loki for a buddy read and am now reading Spritit Bound (Vampire Academy 5) by Richelle Mead. I doubt I'll finish this stack because of picking those two up but we'll see. :)
Books read in February
10. Cities of Blood by Peter Ackeroyd - 3 stars
11. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell - 2,5 stars
12. Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis - 4 stars
13. Seraphina (Seraphina 1) by Rachel Hartman - 4,5 stars
14. Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians companion) by Rick Riordan - 3 stars
15. The Son of Sobek (Percy Jackson and The Kane Chronicles crossover 1) by Rick Riordan - 2,5 stars
16. A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird 1) by Claudia Gray - 3 stars
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Romance
Goodreads Link
When Eleanor first meets Park, she thinks he's obnoxious. When Park first meets Eleanor, he thinks she's weird. It is hate at first sight. But as they suffer each other's company in silence on the bus rides from and to home every day, Eleanor and Park realise that first impressions can be deceiving.
2,5 stars
After reading this book I’ve come to the conclusion that Rainbow Rowell is probably not for me. I read it in one sitting, a good two hours, but after the first forty pages I was very tempted to put it down.
The reason for that had to do with two things. The way the two characters addressed each other in their heads at the start (stupid Asian, stupid red head). It became repetitive and annoying. The second thing is the way this was written. There are chapters where it changes a lot between Eleanor and Park’s thoughts. This was how it was formatted like:
Eleanor
Third pov thoughts (sometimes only three sentences)
Park
Third pov thoughts (sometimes only three sentences)
It would ping pong back and forth like that. It jolted me in and out of the characters, and out of the story.
The story did pick up after that as did the characters. It was cute. But that was all it was for me. It didn’t move me emotionally. It didn’t feel like there was a very big climax. It was also predictable in a way. However I did like the open ending about the three words and keeping it open about whether or not in the future they end up together again.
Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
Fantasy
Goodreads Link
Amara is never alone. Not when she's protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they're fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she's punished, ordered around, or neglected.
She can't be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes.
Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, he's yanked from his Arizona town into Amara's mind, a world away, which makes even simple things like hobbies and homework impossible. He's spent years as a powerless observer of Amara's life. Amara has no idea . . . until he learns to control her, and they communicate for the first time. Amara is terrified. Then, she's furious.
All Amara and Nolan want is to be free of each other. But Nolan's breakthrough has dangerous consequences. Now, they'll have to work together to survive--and discover the truth about their connection.
4 stars
Otherbound felt like something different than that I have read lately. The focus is on two characters, intermittently. Where in other books you will often see this being written in an I pov, this was written in a third pov without taking away how well we got into their heads. Because of the set up of the plot the two lines were very weaved together. I really liked this. When we went to the second character I was still involved in the story of the first character and vice versa. It worked very well.
Up to about 60-70% of the book I wasn’t sure which direction this was going to head in. It wasn’t very predictable. After a twist was revealed it became a tad more predictable but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment. The pacing felt right. Action was alternated by small bits of rest. I was captivated by the events happening on both ends, the fantasy world and our world.
The ideas surrounding the magic and Nolan’s connection to Amara’s world I found interesting and clever. I like it when magic isn’t without repercussions or when someone isn’t the only one who can do things. I also liked how some things were dealt with (Nolan’s epilepsy/travelling to another world and the effects on his life, bisexuality). They all had their flaws and things which made it feel real. Especially Nolan.
As for the characters. Oh my, Nolan with his sister and his parents. I wanted to hold him. Amara is a strong girl. She has her defenses up high and it was a bit harder to get into her as a character. Having Nolan as a counter balance was good. The other characters surrounding them were good additions. I am fond of Nolan’s sister.
There was romance in this book but it didn’t take away from the overall plot. It was nice to see them together and the hints, but I wasn’t entirely invested in it.
Seraphina (Seraphina 1) by Rachel Hartman
Fantasy
Goodreads Link
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered-in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
4,5 stars
his book took me a bit to get into. The first fifty pages I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but around a 100 pages I caught myself liking Seraphina. I was absorbed into the story and this character.
What stands out to me about this book is the intricate culture that this society has. Religion, music, court, politics. I enjoyed that immensely though remembering all the names from things was a bit confusing at the start. It is good the back of the book has a glossary. It is not a light read by all means. It is intelligent in its word use, has great quotes and passages to make you think about issues.
Seraphina took some getting into but once I did I really started liking her. She is a great character on her own, and despite her childhood where she was taught she shouldn’t stand out, impulsive and brave. I love her relationship with her uncle, and I have a fondness for him as a character. I do have more of a pull towards the (half) dragon characters in this book. They all had their own quirks. Lucian and Griselda were both interesting. I’m not sure where Griselda stands completely yet, though she is taking some steps in the right direction with that ending. I see someone referring to the relationship between Griselda and Seraphina as a friendship. I don’t see it like that yet.
Overall the relationships between the characters were also intricate, and not clean cut.
The only down point of this book for me was the romance. It wasn’t bad. However after a few conversations and spending one day together all of a sudden Seraphina knew she loved him. I can understand falling for him, but not the direct: I love you. That was a leap too far and this with the ending made me lose a bit of interest in this romance.
I am really looking forward to Shadow Scale! I am so curious to see who we will meet.
Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians companion) by Rick Riordan
Fantasy/Mythology
Goodread Link
Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod?
In this whirlwind tour of Greek mythology, Percy Jackson gives his personal take on the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece - and reveals the truth about how they came to rule the world.
3 stars
I really like that this book exists. Percy Jackson books do touch on some of the mythology obviously, but knowing a bit more background about all the Gods we met throughout it and their relationships helps. I for one was mostly familiair with the more well known myths.
Having said that I did have issues with this as I read it. More specifically I had issues with Percy as the narrator. For me it felt it tried to hard to compare it to modern times. Talking about texting other Gods and all that in times that didn´t exist. I understand doing it, but it went too far for me.
A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebrid 1) by Claudia Gray
Sci-fi/Romance
Goodreads Link
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer-her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul-escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt-and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
3 stars
This book throws you straight into the action with moments of flashbacks in between. I found this very hard and the focus of the start of this book really threw me. I think it wasn’t so much that we were thrown into the action, but that I found it hard to connect with the main character. Her focus on the two guys in her flashbacks I found odd as she had just lost her dad. Shouldn’t her focus of flashbacks have been on that? And not on that guy she thinks is a traitor? I understand there being romance in this book. I got that from the synopsis. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw those kinds of connections away. How is her dad less important than her connection with the traitor? Also I wondered what this apparent proof was that he had killed her dad. It was cutting the brakes so what proof did the police have? Later on something was revealed that made feel even more flimsy for me. With that start I considered putting this book down.
Luckily I didn’t. The first world they travelled to didn’t really appeal to me as much (mostly because it wasn’t as build up nicely), but when we got to the second world, I loved that. There could have been more world building there I think but I still really liked the use of the Russian culture for this world. Unfortunately the next world was another dull one. The idea of the last world though was great.
With the change to the second world the plot started to pick up and I found myself more engaged in it. The plot twists later on didn’t really surprise me but some I did not expect. Which is nice for a change.
I’m not completely invested in the characters, though nearing the end I became more open to Marquerite as a character. Her relationship with her father (in the various worlds) and the Russia world Paul were a great addition to the story. More so than the relationships she has with Theo and Paul.
As for the romance, as you might have guessed from the first paragraph of this review, I’m not too happy with it. The love triangle in this between Marquerite, Theo and Paul is so forced. From the start it is so clear she is going to go for Paul anyway. The added in Theo ‘romance’ just wasn’t needed. And even for the later plot twist, it still wasn’t necessary. I think if the start of the book hadn’t been so focused on her relationship with Paul in flashbacks and the added in Theo triangle hadn’t been there, the romance in this book could have been fine.[ Her struggle between the Russian world Paul and her world Paul would have been a great something to explore more. That kind of romance would have been great. I liked that.
Goodreads Challenge - 16/100
Books by Dutch Authors - 2/12
This month was okay reading wise. Otherbound (this months book by Dutch Author) and Seraphina really stood out though. I heavily recommend both!
February Book Haul
+ 2 ebooks. The Poison Princess by Kresley Cole and The Restorer by Amanda Stevens.
March TBR
About half I picked straight out of my book case. The other half I picked through my tbr jar. I also already finished The Gospel of Loki for a buddy read and am now reading Spritit Bound (Vampire Academy 5) by Richelle Mead. I doubt I'll finish this stack because of picking those two up but we'll see. :)