Belle
Lesley Pearce

Genre: romance/historical
Audience: women
Rating: 3.5/5

Lesley Pearce is one of the best selling female writers in the WORLD. I am not sure why, because her writing style is weak compared to Belinda Alexandra and Kate Morton, but I guess she has been around longer. Still, she writes an engaging heroine and an interesting story. One of my customers described her writing as "dull" and it did not take me long to realise why. She writes like Danielle Steel. Her text is filled with "she felt sad at the treatment of the poor children" and other such text that is what they call "tell" not "show". Also, her language came across as quite immature, like she was writing to a child (although the content is certainly intended for an adult). Belle however was an interesting character, making many foolish mistakes due to her impulsive behaviour and lack of foresight. Of course, she was also the victim of terrible circumstances and some very bad men. But there were good men too, and good women and several shades of grey between the two. And a lot of sex. Some of it horrific, some of it rather less so.

Belle is the daughter of a brothel-keeper, but despite this she has been raised to be an innocent, good girl. She can read, and has a strong mind and will. But her sweet life turns to tragedy when she bears witness to a brutal murder. Shortly after she is abducted and introduced to the very trade her mother has carefully kept her away from - prostitution. But not one to take her fate lying down, Belle retains a confidence and spirit that is as admirable as it is bittersweet. Events take her to France, New York and also New Orleans and along the way she touches the hearts of many. But will she ever return to her beloved England? And if so, will she still be the same Belle she once was?

Reflections on Mirrorworld

Reckless
Cornelia Funke

Genre: fantasy
Audience: Ages 12+ (with some mature concepts)
Rating: 2.5/5

I love Cornelia Funke. The Inkheart trilogy ranks up there in my "favourites". However, I did not love this book. I should have - it had all the elements of something I would enjoy - fairytale references, dark fantasy, a mirror reflected into ours. A curse. What it suffered from was poor plotting and poor writing. Is this how Funke's work usually is? Or is it the fault of the Translator (Not Anthea Bell, as her previous novels had been)? Who knows? Whatever it was, this felt like only half a book. It started introducing Jacob, one of the Protagonists to the Mirrorworld - a faerie tale world through the looking glass. It then jumped 12 years into the future when Jacob had been visiting on a regular basis, only to have his younger brother follow him and subsequently be cursed by a dark fairy to turn into one of the stone people, the Goyl. Constant inferences were made to events and adventures Jacob had participated in the past, but the present was a choppy shambles of unfinished sentences. I found my attention - and thus my comprehension - wandering throughout and forced myself to re-read several pages.

Another thing of note - although I found this in the "children's" section it is not really a children's book. Will and Jacob are adults, Jacob engages in several (albeit quite subtle) sexual encounters in the book. However, the writing style is too simple to be an adult's book. So I'm going to classify it as Young Adult, although that doesn't feel quite right either...

Cornelia, you've let me down.

Midnight Witchery

I shall Wear Midnight
Terry Pratchett
Book 4, Tiffany Aching

Genre: fantasy
Audience: Ages 12+ (with a few swearwords and mature concepts)
Rating: 5/5

If any author deserved a Knighthood, it is most certainly Sir Terry Pratchett. This book was his offering for 2011 and is a splendid "cross-over" novel - which means to say it should appeal to young and old alike. The indomitable Terry Pratchett spirit is alive and well here - with a sprinkling of puns, delightful use of language, parody and humour. Tiffany is back in full spirit in what is the last of her adventures (at least to be cast in print). With any luck we shall see her make an appearance in some later novels. Speaking of making an appearance, there's a few faces here that will be familiar to faithful readers - and I'm not talking about the irrepresible Nanny Ogg!

Tiffany has now earned her pointed hat and is the Witch of the Chalk. This is not a job to be taken lightly, with too many sleepless nights taking their toll. And something is stirring. Something dark and ancient. Something that witches, throughout the centuries, have learnt to fear. Suddenly it seems that the world is turning against witches and Tiffany must face the danger - but she's not alone. She's got her faithful Nac Mac Feegle friends to watch her back - and, as usual, they're spoiling for a fight.

Good stuff indeed!

Here's my review of book #2 - written in 2005, as you can see, I was trying to be a wee bit clever...

Hat Full of Sky
(sequel to "Wee Free Men")

Ach crivens! Tiffany Aching, the big wee hag has returned. Two years hae passed since she beat the scuggan fairie queen wi' nothin' more then her fryin' pan an' 'er wits. Now she's got somethin' more to contend with. She's off ter start her 'prenticeship wi' the peculiar hag Miss Level, and ter meet some other big wee hags her own age. But there's an eldritch beastie out ter get 'er. But it's a beastie ye cannae hit, one that gets inside ye head and takes o'er ye body an' ye mind. Luckily, she's got the Nac Mac Feegle Big Man, Rob Anybody, an' 'is pack of willin' volunteers ter 'elp her, aye?

Another fine offering from Terry Pratchett, whose children's books not only teach the reader some new words (thanks to Tiffany and her dictionary reading habits) but he does not write down to his audience although he's not as harsh on his characters as Eoin Colfer. A good, and very fun read with some serious moments and a good gutsy heroine. A delightful read for young an' old alike.

And ye cannae forget the Nac Mac Feegle, the wee red-haired pictsies what were thrown out of Fairyland fer being pished* all the time.

* According to the glossary of commonly used Feegle words, pished translates as "tired".

The Bounty Hunter, Stephanie Plum

The "Stephanie Plum" series is an excellent blend of chick-lit and crime novel. Highly addictive, they are also best read in singles or pairs as I suspect reading three or more in a row would dampen the enjoyment. And thus I began reading this series in 2005 and really had to dig deep to track down my original reviews. After some seeking I finally managed to unearth my 2003-2005 book reviews website - http://thebibliofiles.xi.co.nz which I updated religiously for two years or so, before I got bored with it. With any luck, this blog will last longer. And maybe earn more readers?

Having discovered one of my friends owns all the books, I have been borrowing them off her in steady increments. And pacing myself.

High Five
Janet Evanovich

Genre: Chick-lit/Crime
Audience: Women with a good sense of humour
Rating: 4/5

Our favourite sassy bounty hunter is back - and once again - she's broke. Her only job - a bad-tempered computer nerd who's jumped bail on a concealed weapon charge. But no Stephanie Plum tale can be so ordinary. Before we know it, she's hunting for an old man that may have been kidnapped by aliens; a psychotic murderer is on parole and on her tail; she's got a midget hiding in her closet; an Italian watching her every move and she's forced to take work from the mysterious Ranger, who has ethics of his own. And to top it all off, there's Joe Morelli as well, still pursuing her with determination (and lust) in his eyes...

My reviews of the earlier titles:

One for the Money
A very quick and easy read, with enough light-hearted comedy intermingled with action, violence and some frankly quite frightening scenes to keep you on your toes and turning the pages.

Stephanie Plum is down on her luck - she's lost her job, sold off half her stuff and not only that, she has to face a meal with her dinner-at-six parents. It is then that they suggest she takes up working with cousin Vinnie, a "debt collector" of a different kind - he brings in felons that have failed to appear in court. Thrown into the job as a bounty hunter, Stephanie is given the mission to bring in one Joe Morelli, a former ex-cop wanted for murder. He just also happens to be the irresistable macho pig that took her virginity and then wrote the details on the bathroom wall of Mario's Sub Shop. Not only that, but there's also the problem of the heavyweight stalker...

Looks like Stephanie really has her work cut out for her - especially since she doesn't even know how to load her gun.

Two for the Dough
The return of Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter not-so-extraordinare with her usual flare of luck and with a new felon to catch, and a very nasty one. And to make things worse, he's cousin to that charming bastard, Joe Moreilli. He's also a twisted sadist and when pieces of embalmed bodies start showing up, Stephanie can only hope she hasn't gone one case too far.

More light-hearted fun and crime from Evanovich, a good and easy read for a rainy day. I think, however, I might wait a few months afore delving back into the world of Stephanie Plum.

Three to get Deadly
Another fun, fast-paced crime novel with a feisty heroine, sexy men, exploding cars, wise-as-ex-prostitutes and an all round crazy plot. Great fun for a quick, relaxing read.

Four to Score
An entertaining aeroplane read. Enjoyable, as always with some nifty sex scenes. If you like that kinda thing. It's classic Evanovich - she's one of those tongue-in-cheek (and in some cases, hand-on-cheek) with bitchin' heroines, sexy, mysterious men, a rollicking mystery that seems to tie in three different threads. Sassy and fun, with a bit of excitement for good measure.

Life as a Dog

Dogboy
Eva Hornung

Genre: Contemporary/Literary
Audience: Mature audiences (adults)
Rating: 5/5

This is easily the most disturbing, yet oddly beautiful book I have read this year. It is dark and bleak, but portrayed in a way that seems almost natural. The life of feral child, Romochka is frightening and heart-rendering. The way he is treated by his own species, frankly terrifying. It is a compelling and quite intense read.

Romochka is only four years old when his mother abandons him. Alone and hungry, he wanders from home and follows a nursing bitch back to her den. The gentle dog adopts him as one of her puppies and from then Romochka grows up with the dogs. His life is a harsh one - a struggle to survive through the terrible Rusisan winters, and as he grows older, he learns to mingle with two worlds - the human world and the dog. He is a bright, resilient boy and one cannot help but admire what he survives.

Highly recommended.

Havoc
Chris Wooding
Malice series bk 2
http://www.chriswooding.com/

Genre: steam/cyberpunk/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+ (although probably more geared at teen)
Rating: 4/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this second half of the "Malice" duology*. Wooding has stepped away from the somewhat Japanese/anime feel of his earlier books and into a league of his own. Well, maybe not quite a league of his own - it's one he shares with China Mieville. A world of dark technology, strange devices, creepy, mysterious villains and a pervading feeling of ultimate doom. Tension and intrigued are maintained throughout this novel, where text is interspersed with graphic novel scenes.

"Malice" starts with a comic book. But not one you can buy off a shelf. No, the "Malice" comic book is often talked about but rarely found. Copies of it are difficult to find, and can lead to more trouble than they are worth. Within the pages of these books is a dark character, known as Tall Jake. There is a ritual to contact him - to call for this mysterious man to come and take you away. And if you follow it - be it in jest or be it with real intent, Jake will listen. And he will come for you. Sometimes he might make you wait a week or a year, but after performing the ritual, you will know that you are living on borrowed time. For the adventures featured in the comic book are not stories. They are the truth, and if you are really (un)lucky, you might earn yourself a starring role...

If you like dark, creepy dystopic worlds where kids rule the roost, then this is the book for you. But be warned - it is not advisable to read it after dark. Unless you want to have really wicked dreams. Or no sleep at all.

And here were my views on:

Malice
A nicely creepy, dark cyber-fantasy for young adults. Although it got off to a somewhat shakey start, it quickly picked up the past and dragged me into the dingy, almost steampunk world of Malice. Intermingling with comic book pages is a clever idea, however, some parts proved a little difficult to read (I work better with words than pictures). As it did not really build to much in the way of a climax, it left me feeling faintly unfulfiled, but eager for the next instalment, "Havoc". Intriguing and original ideas.

* It's in two parts cos it was too long for one book. Wooding says so himself. That explains the rather abrupt ending I made note of above.

OOOOOH , there's gonna be a MOVIE! I hope they don't make a trainwreck of it. I bet it will be in 3d...

The Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Necromancer
Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel, bk 4

Genre: Fantasy/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+
Rating: 4/5

Things are really starting to build up. And like the characters, the reader no longer knows who to trust. The Dark Elders look set to overwelm the world, but John Dee is no longer in their good books. Machiavelli has sided with a famous outlaw and Scathach and Joan of Arc remain trapped in the past. The twins are reunited with the Flamel's - but for how long?

Don't expect a conclusive ending - there's two more books to come - DO expect, lots of adventure, surprises, twists and a few new characters. One of the things I enjoy about this series is googling the name of the new characters - because aside from Sophie and Josh, they're all from history, folklore or such-like. Try it and see, you might be surprised!


The Sorceress
Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal, Nicholas Flamel, bk 3

Genre: Fantasy/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+
Rating: 4/5

I like the way Scott is going with this series. The characters are chosen from history, folklore and legend and the plot is intriguing. The modern-day touch gives it the edge that appeals to the youth of today too. This third one follows two seperate threads of plot - that of Nicholas and the twins as they struggle to come to terms with the changes that are undertaking them (and the world) and Perenelle Flamel, as she is trapped on Alcatraz. The character of Perenelle is further developed. With a good mix of action, adventure and mythological monsters thrown into the mix, this should appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

Not much I can say about the plot, without giving too much away (this is the third in the series) but this series follows the adventures of Sophie and Josh Newman - two teenage twins who are working summer jobs in a small American town when everything turns haywire. Suddenly they are thrust into a world where monsters stalk the earth, stone can be animated into life and Dr John Dee, a legend come to life, is after them.

Here's what I wrote about book 1 (I never reviewed book 2, possibly because WeRead, the Facebook app I was using was particualrly buggy at the time):

The Alchemyst
Very readable and quite enjoyable. This adventure/fantasy novel combines mythology and the modern day. Whilst nothing remarkable, it's compelling enough (and open-ending enough) to entice me to read on.