HOP Book 1: Dragon (Rustin Petrae) Book Review

Another exciting review for me, as it’s a book sent to me for review. It’s something I’ve found quite surprising – these new authors really want for their books to be read, reviewed. At first I was worried that, in offering to review a book for somebody, they’d simply think that I was trying to get a free read out of it. I was so very wrong. The author of this book, Rustin Petrae, seemed very thankful that I had reached out to him. Thinking about it, if I had written a book, I too would want to know how people felt about it. Anyway, this book is the first in a series of four, the second of which is to be expected July this year. Well then, on to the review!

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The Rooks are a race of people far technologically advanced, able to create almost anything they need from small nano-bots that are kept with them at all times. The Terraquois are a colony of people dwelling deep within the forest, in tune with nature and the animals. Many can alter their form to a beast representing their nature. The two people’s are at war. There’s a new player though, and when the Rook city is attacked by the Blak Army, a young Terraquois girl saves the life of a Rook Prince. And that’s where things really start going wrong.

Dark Rift – The Grey Tower (Alesha Escobar) Book Review

Yay, my second free book review, again from the wonderful Ms. Escobar. Dark Rift is the sequel to The Tower’s Alchemist in the Grey Tower trilogy, you can see the previous review here. I hope you went and bought it, as this really is an awesome series, gripping and thrilling. You can probably tell from my buoyancy that I enjoyed this book; and you bet I did! Let’s get going, then.

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In Dark Rift, Agent Isabella George knows that she is The Drifter – the time travelling wizard seeking the Akashik Records. Except she isn’t looking to infiltrate and steal the records. However, the Grey Tower law states that all Drifters must be hunted down and killed for the threat they post. Isabella’s father, a master Philsopher has them believing that he is the Drifter, and the seven trackers hunt him without pause. The war still rages through Europe, and Octavian’s forces are still pushing at the Allies. Isabella knows that she must prove to the Tower that she will use her powers as the Drifter to help them, whilst keeping them secret all the while. Octavian, however, is planning his move.

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The plot of this book is not quite as fast as the previous book. There is a reason for this, however – it all adds to the sense that Isabella is treading on eggshells. She is trying to figure out the secret of her powers, and waiting for her father to contact her. She knows that time is limited, but she cannot expose herself for fear of becoming a fugitive of the Tower. There are a lot more subtleties to this plot, and it makes for a very rich read. It’s not quite as action packed as Tower’s Alchemist, but this serves to highlight the fun when it really starts blazing; and there are a few scenes where things get pretty intense. It’s a very believable plot line, and Isabella does not overstep her bounds. You see, I saw one comment on the net regarding these books which claimed that whenever Isabella gets into trouble, she just uses a new power to fix things again. This is definitely not true, the author stays within the bounds of the restrictions she has placed on her character and doesn’t use a deus ex machina! This plotline will grip you relentlessly, and I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it. Going back to the romantic subplot I discussed in the previous review, it has refined a little. Let me just say this; one of the two blokes gets knocked off, so the choice becomes pretty clear. However, Ms. Escobar doesn’t move on to begin creating a relationship there. Will we see this in the third book? I don’t know for certain, but I can’t wait to find out!

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If you remember (or have read the books) you’ll know that the characters of the books are of a really good quality. They are incredibly deep, and believable. Not much is done to advance Isabella’s character, though we do see new elements of it. There aren’t too many new characters brought in, though we meet Isabella’s family. I’ve found it quite hard to tell which (if any) of the new characters will become a major plot element. We learn the names of a few of the seven trackers, most specifically Hotaru. However, I get the feeling that his part is played by the end of the novel, as you’ll be able to tell when you read it.We meet Octavian, but there aren’t any forays as to exposing him as a character, although I’d love to find out more about him in the third book. He’s been built up as an almost godlike figure, incredibly powerful and nigh on impossible to destroy. I doubt we’ll see it, but I think it would be amazing if there were a few chapters from his point of view in the third book, so as to show just how twisted and insane he is. Isabella’s first person thought-stream is also still vivid and very enjoyable to be a part of. The characters are much in the vein of the first book, so there isn’t a huge need for adaptation.

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Again, I have tried for a balanced review, and I feel that I have given it. It’s a very positive review as I really loved the book, but I hope the author can take the few pieces of advice I’ve imparted on-board. Thinking about it, it’d be really nice to think I’ve given a little bit into the final book, but that’d be indulgent of me. I really think you should purchase this book (and the first). They’re wonderful examples of modern literature, and anybody into fiction-fantasy is in for a wonderful ride! It’s only $4 on the Kindle, as it’s a very recently published novel (only a few months off of the press). Please, please download, and take a look at Alesha’s site (that’s free).

9/10. I really loved this book, and I’d recommend it highly. Congratulations, Ms. Escobar, another successful novel!

The Tower’s Alchemist – The Grey Tower Trilogy (Alesha Escobar) Book Review

Well, how’s that for a long title? Anyway, no matter. Now, I’m very excited about giving you all this book review. The reason being, it’s my first requested review! Ms. Escobar contacted me at datbookreviews.gmail.com to ask I I could review her book. I put up the ‘What Can I Do For You?’ page ages ago, but haven’t had any interest. Until now, yay! I’ve really enjoyed speaking with Ms. Escobar, and I’d love for you to visit her blog here. It’s been a pleasure chatting with Ms. Escobar via email, and she has very kindly provided me the second book for reading as well!

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Isabella is a trained wizard – an alchemist by distinction. She’s working for the Allies’ Special Operations, and it’s World War 2. She’s tired though. She’s had enough of fighting, and hands in her resignation saying this mission will be her last. The mission? Extract the Warlock Veit Heilveig from where he is creating chemical weaponry for the Germans. Under the guises of Emelie and Noelle, Isabella makes as many enemies as friends as she strives to find Heilveig. When she finds him, though, he is not the person he is thought to be – and nor is she. As secrets of her dead father begin to circulate, Isabella has more and more to contend with; and love not least.

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The plot of this book runs well. I wouldn’t say it’s an easy read, but it doesn’t chop around so as it doesn’t make sense. The book is written in the first person narrative voice, which means that the whole of the book is shown through Isabella’s eyes. This means that we aren’t confused by swapping perspectives and hopping around, which can make a book difficult to read. The plot moves at a fair pace, and you won’t find yourself getting bored! I myself was compelled to keep reading. I didn’t feel like the ‘romance subplot’ was a major element of the book, more a subtle undertone. However, the book isn’t a romance novel, so I think that this is right. Whether or not the author will choose to expand on this or not I’m not sure, but I found it to be an interesting part of the novel. It is kept on edge which way Isabella will go, so it isn’t a drab “yeah, she’ll choose the unlikely one”. Another subplot that Ms. Escobar has going is that of Isabella’s father. Thought to be dead, Isabella is beginning to not be so sure. It begins as a small thread of the story – a subplot if you will – but towards the end of the book it becomes more and more entwined with the solid plot, and it’s set to be a main string of the next book (I love my rope analogy – the story is a rope, and the subplots that make it up are it’s fibres. Loose ends are the frayed ones that stick out of the end, and weaker parts of the story is where the rope is worn). Either way, this plot will definitely keep you hooked.

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Writing in the first person voice can be a risky manoeuvre. If you can’t feed the constant thought and emotion into the character, then it can feel like a cutout paper character with no depth. This doesn’t happen here. One thing I’ve found is that in writing first person, the perspective character seems to draw off of the personality of the author or somebody the author knows well. Let me say this; Ms. Escobar either has, or knows somebody with a very interesting personality! Unfortunately, I don’t know her well enough to say. Isabella is a very interesting and depthful (it’s a word now) lady and a pleasure to read about. You can very much tell that she has strong feelings about how she no longer wants to play the game, and the hate she has for the warlocks, especially the vampiric Cruenti. We feel her pain as she loses two of her friends, and it is all very real. There are quite a few different characters that can get a little confusing, but if you’re on the ball then you’ll manage just fine. It’s just the small difference between Brande and Bernarde (I thought it might be a nickname, but they’re separate people). I also thought Ernest and Gabriel were one person (they aren’t). It’s not something that takes from the book, just something you should watch out for. It also doesn’t help that most people go by other alias names for their spy-work, so just keep on top of it all.

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I’d just like to write a little about new authors. This book has opened my eyes to the fact that a book doesn’t become a bestseller off of the printing press. The authors all start somewhere. Just because you haven’t heard of the author, doesn’t mean that it won’t be as good as a printed published author. The Tower’s Alchemist is better than a good few of the books that I have on my bookshelf that are sold physically in major chain stores. This book has no reviews on iBooks, and before now I would have glided over such a book as a risky purchase. On Amazon.com most of the reviews are very good, and the overall rating is 4.5 stars. Some nut on Amazon.co.uk has given it a 2 star rating which I feel is highly unfair as it is a very good book. Shame on you, Bob. Therefore, I’d like to say thank you to Alesha for opening my eyes to the fact that authors are real people, and it isn’t popularity that makes a book, it’s the book that makes the popularity. Thenceforth, I am going to try and take this blog in a new direction in helping new authors gain publicity. Subscribe and watch the blog for more information on this.

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Now, for the rating! I hope you can tell that I think thi has been a greta book, and I dearly hope you’ll all read it. It’s $2.99 for Kindle – that’s like a packet of cigarettes you don’t need, or a coffee, or maybe a McDonald’s burger. I don’t believe there’s anybody who can’t afford a coffee for a good read and to help a great writer keep writing. I promise you won’t regret this book. I’m not a big reader of spy-books, but I really enjoyed this one.

The Tower’s Alchemist left me wanting more, so I’m giving it a 9/10. What a book.

Alone On a Wide Wide Sea (Michael Morpurgo) Book Review

Since I read this years and years ago, this book has been one of my favourite books. I really don’t know what it is about it, but the story touched me in some way and I’ve never been able to forget it. I’ve picked it up and re-read it that many times, and I enjoy it just as much every time. A wonderful book, in my opinion. Of course, being a Morpurgo book it is a slightly younger reading age/style but I do really love it. I hope you do too.

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Part 1: In AOaWWS, is the story of an English orphan, Arthur. Separated from his sister Kitty, Arthur is sent to Australia on a boat. He makes a friend in a boy called Marty whilst on the boat, and they refuse to be separated in Sydney. Eventually, they end up on a farmhouse with a group of other boys, under the command of the ruthless Piggy Bacon. After a long while of beatings and toil, the pair escape through the Australian bush, and come under the care of Aunty Megs. She looks after them for a time, but ultimately sends them away for work at a Boat Yard. From there, events transpire for both boys – young men now.
Part 2: Arthur now has a wife, and a daughter Alexis ‘Allie’. After hearing his story, Allie makes Arthur promise her that they would sail to England and find his sister Kitty (her Aunty). Together they design a boat – the Kitty 1, a bath toy. Kitty 2, a pond boat. Kitty 3, a river racer. Finally, there is Kitty 4, a full sea-boat. Unfortunately, Arthur dies before he can make the journey. Allie vows she will continue with the search, and sets off alone on the Kitty 4 for England, her progress tracked by the Kitty 4 website.

The Saga of Larten Crepsley (Darren Shan) Series

The Saga of Larten Crepsley is an offshoot from the Saga of Darren Shan, Shan’s longest series of novels. There are four short novels in the Saga, adding to the current twelve. In fact, all of Shan’s novels are fairly short, and these are only slightly shorter than he normally writes; so if you’re a fan you probably won’t mind. Anyway, I think that they are a worth addition to the saga(s) and I’m glad I read them. Here we go.

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The saga (in saying this I refer to Crepsley’s, not Darren’s) is the story of Larten Crepsley’s history; how he became a vampire and rose through the ranks to become a general and so on. It does also tie in with the SODS (Saga of Darren Shan) and the war of the scars (vampires vs vampaneze). There’s also a bit of Larten’s romantic side, what with humans and with the gorgeous Arra Sails. This won’t be lacking in Desmond Tiny either..

The Thin Executioner (Darren Shan) Book Review

The Thin Executioner, by Darren Shan (whom happens to me one of my all time favourite authors) is a book I believe Shan released last year. It’s really strange writing about Darren Shan as an author, when you’ve read the whole of his ‘Saga of Darren Shan’ which features himself as a main character. Most people know Shan for his two large series; the Demonata and the aforementioned Saga. The Thin Executioner (TTE) is a one-off, standalone novel not related to either series. It’s nice, in a way, to have something totally new from one of your favourite authors which doesn’t relate to your previous readings.

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Jebel Rum is the executioner’s son. The trade of the executioner is one of the noblest and most respected position in the city, and the contest for it is rough. A day comes though, when Jebel’s father, Rashed Rum calls a speech after an execution and names the date of his retirement. In this speech, Rashed names his two eldest sons, J’An and J’Al, but not Jebel, whom is the runt of the family. This rejection of Jebel is as disowning him, and of the highest disrespect to Jebel. The only way to secure the position of the executioner is to win the mukhayret, a competition of strength and endurance. Knowing he has no chance in completing this, Jebel sets out to find a way he can, and takes upon himself the quest to Tubaygat, to petition the fire god Sabbah Eid!

Unfinished Tales (J.R.R. Tolkien) Book Review

Tolkien’s ‘Unfinished Tales’ is not a story in itself, but a collection of tales that relate to stories in The Lord of the Rings universe, which Tolkien has added to. Some are not ‘unfinished’, but more explanations, or even a ‘prequel’ style story. In this way, I cannot write this review as I normally would, as the book does not follow a single coherent plot, nor follow the deeds of one group of characters.

Necropolis (Anthony Horowitz) Book Review

In preparation for the final ‘Power of Five’ book, – which is still sitting on my desk, arrggghhhh! – Oblivion, I’ll review the second most recent book, Necropolis. The Power of Five series has been going a few years now, Horowitz is a slow writer at best. Hey, gotta keep the reviews flowing!

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In The Power of Five, we meet the final member of the Five – Scarlet, or ‘Scar’ in the old times. On a school trip to the blitzed London, she passes through an old door to what must be another part of the world. With a hasty escape, Scar’s life turns back to normal.. Until her father is whisked away to New York, and Scarlet soon summoned to follow him. Scarlet unwillingly accepts and takes the journey to New York, which is set to become.. A Necropolis.

Inheritance (Chistopher Paolini) Book Review

Inheritance, Christopher Paolini

Inheritance is the long awaited final book in the Inheritance (Eragon) Cycle. It’s been out a few months now, but the Hobbit has been out fifty years and I reviewed that! I won’t say this book is controversial, that’s the wrong word. Let’s just say some people liked how it turned out, and some didn’t. It was a bold move by Paolini, at any rate.

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In Inheritance, Oromis and Glaedr are dead, so Eragon is the only rider fighting for freedom. His brother Murtagh is fighting for Galbatorix with the power of the enslaved, dead dragons. It is time for a final stand, but Eragon won’t be taking it alone. From an ancient prophecy only the Werecats know, help may come – if Eragon can decipher the riddling words in time. Galbatorix has a new weapon, though, one that can stop the world in it’s tracks..

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The plot of Inheritance is fairly drawn out. It isn’t whirlwind like the first books, being more akin to the latter books. I think that this is good, as it would feel wrong to rush towards the final confrontation, as the Varden are still campaigning slowly towards Uru-Baen. One thing that arose for me in the plot was the Name of the Ancient Language. I seem to have missed when this was introduced, and had to catch up and work out myself what they were on about. I didn’t particularly like this plot twist, but more on that later. The thing is though, the last 100 or so pages of the book did seem to flow much more quickly. It’s almost as if the pace is building up towards the final battle. Paolini does a good job of making success seem nigh impossible for Eragon, and it doesn’t seem like he ‘gets bored’ and suddenly solves Eragon’s problems, as some writers do. It really feels like Eragon sorts it himself. There’s considerable sadness in the book, what with the romance of Eragon and Arya. I won’t give away plot detail, but I doubt their relationship turns out how you think it will!
Okay, okay; down to the bit that many people don’t agree on: the ending. I did not like the ending. Sometimes I like a clever end to a book, where the good guys outplay the enemy in an underhand roll of the dice. Not this time. Galbatorix being so powerful, and Eragon seemingly weak made me want a battle of epic proportion, where they truly match their strength and Eragon only just manages to overcome Galbatorix having been forced to his knees and nearly defeated (maybe I’ll write my own ending. If so, I’ll post it). Also, I wanted – conversely to the Lord of the Rings – a happy ending. Yes, I know Eragon was cursed to leave Alagaesia, but I’d rather Paolini did it differently. The way Eragon and Arya wind up didn’t play me well either; I wanted the hero to get the golden girl! Normally, this isn’t me. Normally, I like the realism of not quite everything falling into place, but I really wanted that here. Why? I’m not sure really. Maybe because Eragon has been such a dunce around Arya, and getting them together more so than Paolini did would really be a score for wearing a gal’ down!

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Wow, that section was longer than I imagined it would be. Perhaps it’ll balance, as I doubt I’ll have too much to say here. The characters are the same guys that we know from the previous books. Galbatorix is still the menace we have never met, Eragon the troubled hero and Arya the trinket lady. Personally, I think that Paolini’s characters are pretty good! I really like the way Eragon and Murtagh have developed together. I think it was inevitable, considering their pasts and the envy of Murtagh, that they could have worked together, although it does all turn out for the best in my opinion. The relationship between Eragon and Arya really reminds me of Aragorn and Arwen. In fact, Paolini is the closest modern writer to Tolkien that I can think of right now. The man and the elf. He wants to be with her, but she cannot (or in Inheritance cycle) will not be with him until he fills a certain criterion. A nice touch, whether purposeful or not. I really like the fact that even at the end of the book, Eragon is still open to temptation (especially with his new powers). The difference being that he has the wisdom to know how to use them. The moment that summarises this for me is when Eragon asks Saphira (I think) at Brom’s tomb whether Brom could be brought back to life (because he was entombed very soon after death and is unchanged) and healed with the power that Eragon now has. Obviously, Eragon resolves, with help from Saphira, that it is bes to leave things as they are.
I could write a lot on Eragon and Arya, and whether the way that things are left with them is in or out of character, but I’ll save that for another post, I think.

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Despite being unhappy with the ending of the book, I really did enjoy Inheritance. It is definitely the best book in the series. This is definitely a worthy book, and series to read at your pleasure, for pleasure it most definitely should be. Don’t take my opinion as stone, you may love the way the book ended, as some people do. Just.. be ready. It may not be what you expect.

Inheritance is a 9/10 from me. Brilliant, but I must deduct a point because I was not wholly fond of the ending.

The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) Book Review – EPIC REVIEW

Hello all. You all know how much I love Tolkien and his works, and I’ve been gearing for this for a while. This is going to be a mega review of my favourite book(s) of all time, The Lord of the Rings. I say book because to me, LotR is simply one book told in three parts. The result of this review may be obvious, but maybe it’ll be of interest to somebody. In part, this review aims to inspire people to re-read the books, or pick them up for a first time. If you haven’t read then, consider your life incomplete (in the kindest of ways, of course).