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    Punjab Kesari

    Punjab Kesari

    News and Entertainment

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    Hind Samachar Ltd. & Punjab Kesari Group, a prominent Punjabi/ Hindi Print Media primarily based in...

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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Janna of Castle Ambrose in Books

Sep 10, 2019  
Janna of Castle Ambrose
Janna of Castle Ambrose
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Inappropriate mix of Young Adult and sexual content (0 more)
Janna of Castle Ambrose is the first book in The Serpent Riders series by the versatile Jordan Elizabeth. Set in the fictional land of Hamlin, Janna, who lives in Castle Ambrose, loses her father, brother and sister when an usurper invades the kingdom and slaughters hundreds of people. From then on, Janna has vows that the new king will be destroyed, however, it is not until she is 18 and discovers two of her friends are alive and imprisoned in the capital city that Janna finds the will-power to escape her tattered home and put the world to rights.

With the aid of a secret ability to freeze people and being the only person in the country to know of the existence of sea serpents, Janna sets off to the capital where she worms her way into the castle by becoming the apothecary's apprentice. To save her friends and defeat the usurper, Janna must round up rebels across Hamlin. Yet, as she adjusts to her life in the city, Janna realises there are two sides to every story and she may not be on the right side after all. With the rebels rallying troops from across the sea, she may be too late to prevent another civil war.

The story ends with one side becoming the victors and Janna's sea serpents earning their right to come out of hiding and being accepted by human society. The narrative is fast-paced with days, weeks and months speeding past within each chapter. There is an eclectic mix of characters whose personalities pull the story in different directions.

Janna of Castle Ambrose contains some adult scenes that may be unsuitable for younger readers. Although no sex scenes occur per se, they are eluded to in heavy detail. This is a new aspect to Jordan Elizabeth's writing, however, the young adult writing style clashes with the adult material.

Being the first book in a series, it is clear the story is going to continue, however, as the main issue has been resolved, the plot of the next book is unguessable. We shall just have to wait and see.
  
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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in Books

Jan 15, 2018  
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Jonathan Safran Foer | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have never been a big fan of history. There have been events in history which have captured my attention...the Holocaust, JFK's assassination, the Civil Rights movement, the Beatles. I think my issue with history is just that, its history. I had no connection to it. All of that changed on September 11, 2001, my generation's version of the day that will live in infamy. Like most everyone who was old enough to remember, I remember that day like it were yesterday...where I was when I heard, what it was like to watch those massive building collapse, the fear, the uncertainty, the need to have those I loved close to me, how I knew it was real but just not being able to comprehend that I was watching the news & not some movie. I didn't have a personal connection with losing someone that day thank God.
Jonathan Safran Foer's book gave me that personal connection. While I know it is fiction, it felt SO incredibly real. His writing was very heartfelt...funny, depressing, hopeful, and heartbreaking all at once. It tells the story of Oskar Schell who lost his father on that horrible day. It tells the tale of the aftermath for those left behind, those who still today stuggle to get a handle on wrapping their minds around their loved one being gone, even though there is nothing to put closure to their loss.
Oskar spends months a searching for an explanation to a key he found at the bottom of a vase in his father's closet after he died. He embarks on the search hoping to feel close to his dad, if only for a little while longer. That search leads him all through New York and into the homes of a very eclectic group of people who are all dealing with some kind of tragedy. In the end, what he finds surprises Oskar, but also manages to pull him back to his mother and deal with his anger at the same time.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this book was a pleasant surprise. I laughed & cried, often times all from just one page of text. The story is accompanied by photos that just add to the personal nature of the story. I don't do this often if ever really, but I think this is a book I will read more than once.