Obabscribbler: Books 1 - 15
Hi everyone! I'm new here, so please be gentle.
Books 1-15 posted as one. I’m not going to count manga in this list, even though I read a lot of those as well (I'm an insomniac so I have long hours to fill). This isn’t because I consider it ‘beneath’ regular books or anything elitist like that, but because if I’m going to review/rec manga they deserve their own list and I'm aware they aren't everyone's bag, so I'm going with regular prose for official posts.
- Runaway by Meg Cabot (2012-01-01) - Book III in the Airhead Trilogy
Good: Finishes off a series I started over a year ago and answers a lot of the questions the other two books threw out, most of them in satisfying ways. After a slew of below-par books, this is something of a return to form for Cabot.
Bad: You WILL want to bash the main character over the head at several points in this book. She’s not as bad as a lot of female teen protagonists, and she can be surprisingly complex at times, but self-absorption and incidents of Missing The Point will make you scream in frustration or reach for the imaginary mallet. Also? Meg Cabot’s habit of using only sentence fragments. Totally like a real teenager’s speech. Yeah, but also totally annoying. After a while. Get it?
- Only His by Susan Mallory (2012-01-02) - Book VI in the Fools Gold series
Good: The Fools Gold series is a guilty pleasure of mine - unashamed romance and kitchen sink drama with just the right amount of snark for my tastes. For some people the formula can get tiresome after six books, but for me this is the kind of thing to curl up with on a rainy day.
Bad: As I said, the formula can feel repetitive at this point. Very much a case of Your Mileage May Vary.
- Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor (2012-01-07) - Book III in the Looking Glass Wars Trilogy
Good: Finishes off the trilogy and has several cinematic moments.
Bad: How is it that a story about all-out magical warfare can be so BORING? Even the attempts at characterisation and romance for the main male and female leads are stiflingly dull. I liked the first book in this trilogy (imaginative, thrilling, original and emotive - my little wizened heart soared at the reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland mythos as a steampunk adventure!) but was underwhelmed by the second. I had high hopes for the third and was crushed to find out it was an exercise in tediousness to get to the end. It could have been so good and instead this turned out to be nothing more than the bad execution of a good idea. One to avoid, I’m afraid.
- Forbidden Nights With a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks (2012-01-09) - Book VII in the Love at Stake series
Good: Heh. Another guilty pleasure series of mine. I make no bones about liking supernatural romance and urban fantasy novels, but I’m aware other people look down their noses at the entire genre. A shame for them, because this series is wonderfully snarky and entertaining, putting a new spin on vampires (and here shapeshifters) in modern times and how their world could have evolved right next to ours. Plus, the SNARK!
Bad: I’m very ‘meh’ about sex scenes and this series has a truckload. If they’re your thing, then this will be right up your alley, but if you’re like me you’ll find yourself skipping past chunks of the narrative while characters engage in very descriptive hanky-panky.
- Twilight Hunger by Maggie Shayne (2012-01-13) - Book VII in the Wings in the Night series
Good: Yet another vampire romance series. This one is more serious than the last, and to be fair Shayne does keep you guessing about the main pair here and whether they will end up together by the end. Happy endings are not a given. Also, as with most books in this series, you don’t need to have read those beforehand as they take place in the same universe, but don’t follow the same characters, so each book could technically be read as a standalone.
Bad: After reading several books from later on in continuity, this one felt stilted and meandering in several places. The side characters were far more interesting than the leads and, to be honest, it was more bloody-mindedness that got me to the end than actual enjoyment. Don’t start with this one if you’re new to the series - it won’t make you want to continue.
- Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie (2012-01-20) - Book I in the Psychic Eye series
Good: Interestingly, this is written by a real-life psychic, so it provides several fresh ideas for the ‘unusual detective who solves crimes the cops can’t figure out’ genre. The main character has several good scenes and there are some witty lines.
Bad: Another one that drags in places. Good ideas, yes, but the editor should have been more on the ball.
- Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty (2012-01-22)
Good: Epic! This is what Arch Enemy SHOULD have been! The idea of a world where superheroes are real, but those who are born with useless powers get side-lined and treated like second class citizens is brilliant, and the style and pace of the narrative makes it even better. The main character, Keepsy, is the kind of protagonist you hope for and will soldier through bad books to find. I can’t recommend this one enough!
Bad: Skip it if you don’t like superheroes. That’s … about all I can think of.
- Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly (2012-01-24) - Book II in the Angel Trilogy
Good: It says something about this one that it’s 700 pages long and it didn’t feel like it. Even the quiet scenes are written so well, and with such subtle nuances, that I was entranced. The cast is sprawling compared to the first book, but again, the author’s grasp of characterisation and pace make sure you can keep track of everyone and actually CARE when something bad happens to them.
Bad: 700 pages and a lot of it is teen angst. We’re not talking Twilight-bad-angst, but teen angst is teen angst if that turns you off a book.
- Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister (2012-01-26) - Book I in the Silver Dragons series
Good: Katie MacAlister can write snarky dialogue with the best of them.
Bad: I loved her other series of books so I assumed I would love this one too. A mistake, as is happens. I just didn’t care about these characters. Actually, in some cases I actively hated them - not good when the worst offender happens to be the male lead and he’s in more than two thirds of the book. I have the second book in the series and this one did end with a cliff-hanger, but honestly? I won’t be bothering to find out what happens next anytime soon.
- Guilty Pleasures by Lauren K. Hamilton (2012-01-29) - Book I in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series
Good: A bittersweet ending to a powerful narrative. The bad guys are defeated (very bloodily) and the good guys have several plot threads that can be followed up in the squillions of sequels I know already exist.
Bad: Boy howdy, did this one take ages to get started. I builds up momentum around the halfway mark, but until then it’s hard going. At times the narrative seems like more style over substance, and while I can admire Hamilton’s descriptions and poetic turn of phrase, some explanations of who everyone is and what the heck is going on would be nice.
- The Nightmare Thief by Meg Gardiner (2012-01-30) - Book IV in the Jo Beckett series
Good: Action-packed literally from start to finish. This one has ‘Hollywood adaptation’ painted across it in neon colours. Also, Evan Delaney is back! I SO want another novel about Evan rather than another Jo Beckett one next.
Bad: Let’s face it; Jo Beckett becomes a Mary Sue during the course of this book. She’s not as bad as some canon Sues, but she becomes more superwoman than psychiatrist over the course of the story. While this doesn’t impact reading pleasure on the whole, you will have to suspend your disbelief of the things she gets away with and the coincidences that happen to make her come out on top of the bad guys.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2012-02-03) - Book I in the Hungers Games Trilogy
Good: Finally tried this after seeing the trailer for the movie version during the course of a Media Studies lesson. I wasn’t expecting much, and if you’ve read/seen any of the Battle Royale adaptations there isn’t much new ground covered in the concept of teenagers trying to kill each other for televised entertainment of others, but the power of this book is in is heroine. Katniss, despite having a daft name (yes, yes, it makes sense in the post-apocalyptic context, but it’s still daft), is someone you can root for even when she makes mistakes (which she does frequently) and screws up (which she does a LOT) because she rings true as a person, not just a character written to sound human.
Bad: Battle Royale did it first! Very gory in places for a YA book, although the sequels are worse. First part of a trilogy and it knows it - be prepared to read the next two books as well.
- The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein (2012-02-07) - Book I in The Anna Strong Chronicles
Good: Does some interesting things with the vampire mythos, I guess.
Bad: Why is it so many of the vampire books I’ve read this year are so damn boring? I can barely remember what happened in this one. Blood-tinted candyfloss - nice while it lasts but you don’t remember it later and it leaves you feeling empty and craving something more substantial.
- Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben (2012-02-12)
Good: Willing to take risks with the touchy subject of AIDs and homosexuality while also weaving a damn good medical thriller. This is Harlan Coben on good form!
Bad: Very obvious in parts that this was written in the early 90s. If you can get past that, however, there are very few things not to enjoy if you like well-written, fast-paced thrillers.
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2012-02-12) - Book II in the Hungers Games Trilogy
Good: See everything I said about The Hunger Games and times is by ten. This novel ups the ante in every conceivable way!
Bad: See above. Gorier and more heart-wrenching than the first book, and leaves things on an ever bigger cliff-hanger, so if that doesn’t float your boat this isn’t the series for you.