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Jamie (131 KP) rated An Eccentric Engagement in Books
May 24, 2017
Sweet romance (1 more)
Good commentary about social justice
Does more telling than showing (1 more)
Felt more like a lecture than a love story
A sweet regency romance
So this was a bit of a non-traditional romance as it takes place after the courtship. Sorrow and Bertram are engaged to be married and the two return to Sorrow’s country home for the wedding. The two are very clearly in the early stages of excitement over a new relationship, stealing kissing and admiring each other — the “puppy love” stage. Neither of the two truly love each other but are already prepared for marriage. The actual romance was more told than shown and it unfortunately just didn’t work for me. The romantic aspect seemed to take a back seat to the other two major plot lines: Sorrow’s altruistic family and Bert’s difficult relationship with his overbearing father.
Both of these plot lines are actually really good, but I felt that they both needed more time to be developed and would have been better in a full length novel. All of the conflict was resolved in a few pages with barely any resistance and the discussion felt more like a lecture that was repeated multiple times. Not that the message was bad, I appreciated the way they approach discussing the mentally ill and the elderly, and I actually liked the Marchand’s way of life, but I think it could have been delivered better.
It also didn’t help that Sorrow kind of annoyed me. When she talks to other people to try and explain her views it again turns into a mildly pretentious lecture. Her insistence on absolute harmony and willingness to throw everything out of the window if she didn’t get her way was also extremely grating. Creating needless drama for the sake of drama is not a good way of filling up pages.
Overall its not bad, it’s a cute and clean love story that will appeal to folks with a strong sense of social justice. It was a fluffy and pleasant way to pass the time, but I didn’t feel much of anything while reading it.
Both of these plot lines are actually really good, but I felt that they both needed more time to be developed and would have been better in a full length novel. All of the conflict was resolved in a few pages with barely any resistance and the discussion felt more like a lecture that was repeated multiple times. Not that the message was bad, I appreciated the way they approach discussing the mentally ill and the elderly, and I actually liked the Marchand’s way of life, but I think it could have been delivered better.
It also didn’t help that Sorrow kind of annoyed me. When she talks to other people to try and explain her views it again turns into a mildly pretentious lecture. Her insistence on absolute harmony and willingness to throw everything out of the window if she didn’t get her way was also extremely grating. Creating needless drama for the sake of drama is not a good way of filling up pages.
Overall its not bad, it’s a cute and clean love story that will appeal to folks with a strong sense of social justice. It was a fluffy and pleasant way to pass the time, but I didn’t feel much of anything while reading it.
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Strain - Season 4 in TV
Sep 20, 2017
Fantastic finish (2 more)
Twists and turns, you never see what's coming
Bring the band back together
Heart stopping ending to an amazing show
Contains spoilers, click to show
I thought I should come back and write a review for the completion of the 4th and final season of The Strain. Overall this was a fantastic season and finale. After the 3rd season ended you just thought the vampires were just going to win the whole thing and take over the world. It left you wondering where everyone was going to end up and if they were even going to fight back.
Well fight back they did. The season did start out fairly slow, learning where everyone ended up and what they were doing to win the war. Eff was the one that just gave up until running into some resistance fighters. I guess having your son start a nuclear war will do that. The rest of the team broke off to find was to fight back and kill the master. By episode 4 you saw were everyone was and they were working their way back to New York to kill the Master.
One of the coolest thing I think I got to learn about this season was some back story on Quilan and why he was in the fight. The flashbacks was something I didn't think we were going to get this season.
There were a lot of sad parts to the final 2 episode. Losing the professor I think was the hardest part. Even though he was kranky, everyone still loved him and wanted to see him finally kill the Master, but his did the next best thing and kill his Nazi enemy.
I won't tell you who dies at the end, but if you followed the comics you already know. If you have never watched the show pick it up or stream it. This was a fantastic show and sorry to see it come to a close, but it was a great closing episode, that is so rare sometimes. Happy hunting and if you see a big old wooden coffin, don't open it.
Well fight back they did. The season did start out fairly slow, learning where everyone ended up and what they were doing to win the war. Eff was the one that just gave up until running into some resistance fighters. I guess having your son start a nuclear war will do that. The rest of the team broke off to find was to fight back and kill the master. By episode 4 you saw were everyone was and they were working their way back to New York to kill the Master.
One of the coolest thing I think I got to learn about this season was some back story on Quilan and why he was in the fight. The flashbacks was something I didn't think we were going to get this season.
There were a lot of sad parts to the final 2 episode. Losing the professor I think was the hardest part. Even though he was kranky, everyone still loved him and wanted to see him finally kill the Master, but his did the next best thing and kill his Nazi enemy.
I won't tell you who dies at the end, but if you followed the comics you already know. If you have never watched the show pick it up or stream it. This was a fantastic show and sorry to see it come to a close, but it was a great closing episode, that is so rare sometimes. Happy hunting and if you see a big old wooden coffin, don't open it.
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Rule of One in Books
Sep 23, 2018
Book review by Cari Mayhew. Rating 9/10.
With every chapter having its own climax, this YA dystopian novel is set to be a bestseller!
I had the opportunity to read this before its official release date thanks to Amazon First Reads. It’s set in the future in the USA. The country is deemed overpopulated, and the country follows the Rule of One, which is that couples can only have one child. Everyone has identity microchips implanted into their wrists, and rations of food are obtained from 3D printers.
Ava and Mira are hiding a secret. They are identical twins, who’ve been taking turns each day to live as one person. One day they are found out and they’re forced to go on the run! They had been well practised in pretending to be one person, but they were ill prepared to handle being discovered.
The plot is fraught with tension and there’s trouble at every turn. They leave with little more than a map and a name, and face plenty of obstacles along the way.
They eventually hear rumours of a resistance, and people who can help them, and they are given new identities. But, in turn, they are asked to help the cause directly. Meanwhile their father is taken into custody and tortured. At this point, the twins no longer see eye to eye.
Some scenes are a little cliché, but the fast pace more than makes up for it.
The blurb in the description says that it’s set in the near future. Technology-wise it could be, but not in terms of the USA becoming so over populated that it would need such a rule, although this was recently the case in China.
I loved this book - as I said, each chapter has its own climax, which makes it quite the page-turner! IMO, it’s exactly as a dystopian thriller should be – a tense but light read and not all dreary. I have already ordered the sequel, which is due to be released in 2019 – I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!
For more book news and reviews, check out bookblogbycari.com
With every chapter having its own climax, this YA dystopian novel is set to be a bestseller!
I had the opportunity to read this before its official release date thanks to Amazon First Reads. It’s set in the future in the USA. The country is deemed overpopulated, and the country follows the Rule of One, which is that couples can only have one child. Everyone has identity microchips implanted into their wrists, and rations of food are obtained from 3D printers.
Ava and Mira are hiding a secret. They are identical twins, who’ve been taking turns each day to live as one person. One day they are found out and they’re forced to go on the run! They had been well practised in pretending to be one person, but they were ill prepared to handle being discovered.
The plot is fraught with tension and there’s trouble at every turn. They leave with little more than a map and a name, and face plenty of obstacles along the way.
They eventually hear rumours of a resistance, and people who can help them, and they are given new identities. But, in turn, they are asked to help the cause directly. Meanwhile their father is taken into custody and tortured. At this point, the twins no longer see eye to eye.
Some scenes are a little cliché, but the fast pace more than makes up for it.
The blurb in the description says that it’s set in the near future. Technology-wise it could be, but not in terms of the USA becoming so over populated that it would need such a rule, although this was recently the case in China.
I loved this book - as I said, each chapter has its own climax, which makes it quite the page-turner! IMO, it’s exactly as a dystopian thriller should be – a tense but light read and not all dreary. I have already ordered the sequel, which is due to be released in 2019 – I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!
For more book news and reviews, check out bookblogbycari.com
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated ƒire's Viking (ƒire's Viking, #2) in Books
Nov 5, 2018
In this, the second in the Eire's Viking Trilogy, Agnarr has returned to the Emerald Isle with his heart set on finding himself a wife and making a life amongst the people he had pillaged long ago. Cared for by Charis' adoptive daughter, the relationship quickly spirals into more than that of just a patient and his healer.
This story has a great continuation from the first book, flowing smoothly and sucking you straight back in to the trilogy. That said, I would advise against reading this if you have not already read the first in the series. I was sucked instantly into the series, my attention thoroughly grabbed and it kept me wanting to read more and more. It felt like I was actually there in Ireland, the history was so splendid and totally immersed me in the tale being told. It's just enough history, but it never detracts from the story, rather it enhances it as it makes it so much more real and believable.
The romance in this story is well written, as you'd expect having already seen how Layne developed the relationship between Cowan and Charis. Agnarr and Aislinn seem well suited to each other and their initial resistance is balanced, rather than overplayed. The development of their feelings for each other, and their realisation of that fact, is written with skill.
Charis and Cowan remain wonderful characters to read, and their development, both of their relationship and their characterisation in general, is well continued from the first book. The revisiting of other characters like Tuirgeis was a great addition as, not only is it great to see them again, but it helps build a greater degree of reality to the story.
All in all, this was a very pleasant read, a story I enjoyed and one that developed the trilogy well. If I had to, i'd have a little niggle over the pace, as it did slow slightly, but, nevertheless, it was still a very good read. I am, as with the last book, very excited to see how this trilogy will end.
*This book was first reviewed on Lily Loves Indie as part of a blog tour, for which an ARC was received in return for an honest review*
This story has a great continuation from the first book, flowing smoothly and sucking you straight back in to the trilogy. That said, I would advise against reading this if you have not already read the first in the series. I was sucked instantly into the series, my attention thoroughly grabbed and it kept me wanting to read more and more. It felt like I was actually there in Ireland, the history was so splendid and totally immersed me in the tale being told. It's just enough history, but it never detracts from the story, rather it enhances it as it makes it so much more real and believable.
The romance in this story is well written, as you'd expect having already seen how Layne developed the relationship between Cowan and Charis. Agnarr and Aislinn seem well suited to each other and their initial resistance is balanced, rather than overplayed. The development of their feelings for each other, and their realisation of that fact, is written with skill.
Charis and Cowan remain wonderful characters to read, and their development, both of their relationship and their characterisation in general, is well continued from the first book. The revisiting of other characters like Tuirgeis was a great addition as, not only is it great to see them again, but it helps build a greater degree of reality to the story.
All in all, this was a very pleasant read, a story I enjoyed and one that developed the trilogy well. If I had to, i'd have a little niggle over the pace, as it did slow slightly, but, nevertheless, it was still a very good read. I am, as with the last book, very excited to see how this trilogy will end.
*This book was first reviewed on Lily Loves Indie as part of a blog tour, for which an ARC was received in return for an honest review*
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Dogfight (Special Operations, #1) in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Quite often novels concerning the Second World War are assumed to be about Great Britain, Germany or life in concentration camps. However, first in series <i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> by Craig Simpson is set in Norway in 1940 where Nazi’s have invaded.
The story is about fifteen-year-old Finn Gunnersen and his best friend Loki whose families are deeply involved with the resistance. Although they are still young boys, Finn and Loki end up playing an enormous role. Finn survives imprisonment and goes on to help a British Agent who has parachuted into Norway. As well as being a brilliant piece of historical fiction, this novel turns out to be an exciting thriller for teenagers.
Although suitable for both male and female readers, boys of ages ten and up would particularly like this book especially if they have a fascination for aircraft. There is a lot of detail about different types of planes and the author has even included a few diagrams and details at the beginning of the book.
Finn is a great hero with admirable strength and bravery. Simpson does not undermine women however and includes a couple of amazing female characters with just as much courage as the men.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a work of fiction but it was inspired by real events. It’s Norwegian setting makes it educational in that it teaches the reader about the effect of the war on innocent people in countries less spoken about in history textbooks. Despite some of the areas being made up to suit the story, Simpson has done a magnificent job at keeping it historically accurate and must have spent a great deal of time on research.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a brilliant book for young readers. For some the historical setting may be off putting but the characters feel as modern as teenagers today. The story is exciting and has a fantastic ending, including a few plot twists you do not see coming!
Quite often novels concerning the Second World War are assumed to be about Great Britain, Germany or life in concentration camps. However, first in series <i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> by Craig Simpson is set in Norway in 1940 where Nazi’s have invaded.
The story is about fifteen-year-old Finn Gunnersen and his best friend Loki whose families are deeply involved with the resistance. Although they are still young boys, Finn and Loki end up playing an enormous role. Finn survives imprisonment and goes on to help a British Agent who has parachuted into Norway. As well as being a brilliant piece of historical fiction, this novel turns out to be an exciting thriller for teenagers.
Although suitable for both male and female readers, boys of ages ten and up would particularly like this book especially if they have a fascination for aircraft. There is a lot of detail about different types of planes and the author has even included a few diagrams and details at the beginning of the book.
Finn is a great hero with admirable strength and bravery. Simpson does not undermine women however and includes a couple of amazing female characters with just as much courage as the men.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a work of fiction but it was inspired by real events. It’s Norwegian setting makes it educational in that it teaches the reader about the effect of the war on innocent people in countries less spoken about in history textbooks. Despite some of the areas being made up to suit the story, Simpson has done a magnificent job at keeping it historically accurate and must have spent a great deal of time on research.
<i>Special Operations: Dogfight</i> is a brilliant book for young readers. For some the historical setting may be off putting but the characters feel as modern as teenagers today. The story is exciting and has a fantastic ending, including a few plot twists you do not see coming!
Zach Smith (62 KP) rated Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) in Movies
Jan 17, 2020
What went wrong?
Contains spoilers, click to show
So in my review I will make very controversial statements. This movie should have been secured future funding for the series however it may have just done enough damage to bury the Terminator for good.
So they kill little fresh faced John in the first five minutes. Only to replace with the new standard of hero in our society, an empowered female. This is being overdone in Hollywood I believe causing people to become tired with the predictability of it. On top of that shit sandwich we have a President that has villainized an entire race of people (Mexicans) which has fueled hatred that has been lying dormant in Americas belly waiting to be vomited up from ques by the leader of the "free" world. Well the "new" John Conner is a female, Latino. So James Camron and friends make a movie that kills off a beloved resistance hero and replaces him with someone that the Trump Nation has been brain washed into believing is the enemy of America.
I'm all for the empowered female but they are over doing it, we now have four star wars movies where the heroic main character is an empowered female.
Onto the highlights: The new color of the Rev Terminator is great black, the idea of a liquid terminator was seen in Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines which I loved, however the new color and the energy this machine shows is pretty intense.
_ There is a zero G flight in a plane going down which is fucking fantastic!
-They drive an armored Humvee underwater, kinda lame.
-End fight sequence is at the Hoover dam which was pretty cool.
Luckily its all about time travel and if they decide to resurrect the franchise again maybe they can do a proper sequel where John lives to fight another day, however don't count on it.
I give the movie a snore factor of 0/10 because I never looked away from the screen even though it made me disappointed.
So they kill little fresh faced John in the first five minutes. Only to replace with the new standard of hero in our society, an empowered female. This is being overdone in Hollywood I believe causing people to become tired with the predictability of it. On top of that shit sandwich we have a President that has villainized an entire race of people (Mexicans) which has fueled hatred that has been lying dormant in Americas belly waiting to be vomited up from ques by the leader of the "free" world. Well the "new" John Conner is a female, Latino. So James Camron and friends make a movie that kills off a beloved resistance hero and replaces him with someone that the Trump Nation has been brain washed into believing is the enemy of America.
I'm all for the empowered female but they are over doing it, we now have four star wars movies where the heroic main character is an empowered female.
Onto the highlights: The new color of the Rev Terminator is great black, the idea of a liquid terminator was seen in Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines which I loved, however the new color and the energy this machine shows is pretty intense.
_ There is a zero G flight in a plane going down which is fucking fantastic!
-They drive an armored Humvee underwater, kinda lame.
-End fight sequence is at the Hoover dam which was pretty cool.
Luckily its all about time travel and if they decide to resurrect the franchise again maybe they can do a proper sequel where John lives to fight another day, however don't count on it.
I give the movie a snore factor of 0/10 because I never looked away from the screen even though it made me disappointed.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Terminator Salvation (2009) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020
The Visuals Keep Getting Better
In the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, human savior John Connor leads the resistance against the threat of the machines who are trying to enslave and obliterate the earth.
Acting: 10
You can do worse than throwing Christian Bale and Sam Worthington into a movie. Both pack strong performances that are enough to carry this sci-fi movie through the duration. They bring an extra passion to the role, raw emotion you don’t otherwise see in the machines they are fighting against.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Action is consistent and rips through the screen with a number of gunfights and man-to-robot combat scenes. I will admit, I was confused at times at what was actually going on and who I should be rooting against/for, but it somehow didn’t deter the high-impact sci-fi goodness that unfolded throughout. These scenes kept the otherwise sinking movie afloat.
Entertainment Value: 8
Sure the action is good, I just wished they had focused that same energy on shoring up the storyline. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films you have no shot at understanding this. Even if you have, it took me awhile to truly figure out what was what. Definitely took a bit away from the entertainment factor for me.
Memorability: 7
There are quite a few cool moments that stick out in my head, but nothing that made the movie over-the-top amazing. If nothing else, I admire the movie’s effort to stand out, but when you look at other films in the genre like Edge of Tomorrow, you think, “They have a lot of work to do.” Good? Sure. Classic? Nope!
Pace: 10
Plot: 6
Resolution: 1
Overall: 82
Terminator Salvation sees a lot of things happen…that seemingly mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie. Things are pretty confusing early which makes it hard to fully buy into the movie. But the score is the score because it’s going to satisfy most of the sci-fi action junkies out there that live for these kind of movies. it won’t make history, but it’s one of those movies where you leave saying, “This’ll do.”
Acting: 10
You can do worse than throwing Christian Bale and Sam Worthington into a movie. Both pack strong performances that are enough to carry this sci-fi movie through the duration. They bring an extra passion to the role, raw emotion you don’t otherwise see in the machines they are fighting against.
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
Action is consistent and rips through the screen with a number of gunfights and man-to-robot combat scenes. I will admit, I was confused at times at what was actually going on and who I should be rooting against/for, but it somehow didn’t deter the high-impact sci-fi goodness that unfolded throughout. These scenes kept the otherwise sinking movie afloat.
Entertainment Value: 8
Sure the action is good, I just wished they had focused that same energy on shoring up the storyline. If you haven’t seen any of the previous films you have no shot at understanding this. Even if you have, it took me awhile to truly figure out what was what. Definitely took a bit away from the entertainment factor for me.
Memorability: 7
There are quite a few cool moments that stick out in my head, but nothing that made the movie over-the-top amazing. If nothing else, I admire the movie’s effort to stand out, but when you look at other films in the genre like Edge of Tomorrow, you think, “They have a lot of work to do.” Good? Sure. Classic? Nope!
Pace: 10
Plot: 6
Resolution: 1
Overall: 82
Terminator Salvation sees a lot of things happen…that seemingly mean nothing in the grand scheme of the movie. Things are pretty confusing early which makes it hard to fully buy into the movie. But the score is the score because it’s going to satisfy most of the sci-fi action junkies out there that live for these kind of movies. it won’t make history, but it’s one of those movies where you leave saying, “This’ll do.”
Quinn Blackburn (3 KP) rated Unwind (Unwind, #1) in Books
May 14, 2018
Render Unto Cesar
Shusterman takes dystopian futures a step above the ordinary in this dark coming of age tale. In the not too distant future a war was fought in the U.S. over abortion, the 2nd Civil War. To appease all sides an unthinkable accord was reached. Instead of abortion, between the ages of 13 and 18 you can choose to send your child to a Harvest camp to be unwound, taken apart and all their body parts donated to others. We are given three characters with differing perspectives through which we see the workings of this world.
One angry young man always in fights whose parents have given up reaching him. One orphan, a Stork, left on someone's doorstep years ago who doesn't make the necessary grades to keep her off the Harvest camp bus. And Lev, who was conceived and raised by his devoutly religious parents as a Tithe, someone specifically born to be unwound in the church's name. This unlikely trio meet on their way to be unwound and all three are at a loss as to what to do when a resistance movement effort frees them from the bus.
What about Lev's glorious destiny to be unwound for God; is he still chosen, still a willing sacrifice? Where do you go when society says you no longer have the right to live? Who will help you survive in secret until you are too old to be unwound? How can you avoid the bounty hunters who live to capture escapees? What happens to the soul of an Unwound? Do they live on, a second conscience, a wisp of memories, within the body of their new host? Does anyone have the right to decide who in society has the right to live and who would be more useful unwound?
The writer immerses us completely in this bizarre yet oh so familiar society giving us plenty of perspectives from every level. He even included tv and radio commercials to help us understand how normal it has become to consider unwinding another human being. The creep factor is high and sustains itself through all three books in this set. Unwind introduces us to the world of the unwound in a well told thought provoking tale that may have you questioning everything you thought you ever knew about yourself.
One angry young man always in fights whose parents have given up reaching him. One orphan, a Stork, left on someone's doorstep years ago who doesn't make the necessary grades to keep her off the Harvest camp bus. And Lev, who was conceived and raised by his devoutly religious parents as a Tithe, someone specifically born to be unwound in the church's name. This unlikely trio meet on their way to be unwound and all three are at a loss as to what to do when a resistance movement effort frees them from the bus.
What about Lev's glorious destiny to be unwound for God; is he still chosen, still a willing sacrifice? Where do you go when society says you no longer have the right to live? Who will help you survive in secret until you are too old to be unwound? How can you avoid the bounty hunters who live to capture escapees? What happens to the soul of an Unwound? Do they live on, a second conscience, a wisp of memories, within the body of their new host? Does anyone have the right to decide who in society has the right to live and who would be more useful unwound?
The writer immerses us completely in this bizarre yet oh so familiar society giving us plenty of perspectives from every level. He even included tv and radio commercials to help us understand how normal it has become to consider unwinding another human being. The creep factor is high and sustains itself through all three books in this set. Unwind introduces us to the world of the unwound in a well told thought provoking tale that may have you questioning everything you thought you ever knew about yourself.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dear Mr. M in Books
Feb 13, 2018
"M" is a famous writer whose best days are probably, if truth be told, behind him. He's best known for his novel, Payback, which tells the story of a high school history teacher, Mr. Landzaat, who went missing one winter after having an affair with one of his female students. That student, Laura, had moved on to a relationship with a boy her own age, Herman. The two were staying at a vacation cottage and were the last ones to see their teacher. Did they have something to do with his disappearance? Now, M lives with his beautiful (much younger) wife and little daughter in an apartment. They have a neighbor who seems to have a odd fascination with the couple, but why? The novel weaves together the tales of these disparate characters.
I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.
Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.
I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
I had heard a lot about Koch's novels and was excited to win this one via a Goodreads Giveaway. It was certainly interesting and definitely different than many novels I read. I have to admit that it was a rather slow read, especially the first three quarters or so. There was actually a point where I was considering giving up for a bit, but I soldiered on. Some characters in the novels never have names (just initials), and we don't really get insight into who our varying narrators are. While I understand why (and it adds to the drama of the novel), I'll confess that it gets a little confusing at times. You really have to stay on your toes as you read.
Still, the novel is definitely more compelling toward the end, and I found myself staying up late to finish it. The twist at the end was certainly not what I expected. The varying viewpoints wind up working out well, as you really see the story unfold from everyone's perspective. Still, I found the story a bit diluted by a bit of a "meta" storyline about writers, as well as an odd insertion about M's father and his role in the resistance, as well as M's own views, which never really seemed to have a full role or point in the tale. I enjoyed the novel, but I didn't love it, and it (frankly) exhausted me a bit.
I received a copy of this novel via a Goodreads Giveaway (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I had been listening to this audiobook for about a week during my commute to and from work, and when it ended on my way home, I couldn't believe it. It couldn't end there. It just couldn't. I wasn't ready. I wanted to know, no, needed to know what happened next! While not a cliff-hanger, there are so many things left unresolved at the end of this story, so many things left to be done, that I really hope Ms. Tahir has at least another 2 or 3 books up her sleeve. (NOTE: Since writing this review I have scoured her Goodreads page and found that yes, book #2 is in the works. I can breathe a little easier now...)
An Ember in the Ashes is the story of Laia, a Scholar girl, and Elias, a soldier in training for the Empire's army. The Scholars are the lowest class citizens in the Empire, and many of Laia's people have been killed or enslaved. Her own parents and older sister were killed for being rebels. Elias is just finishing his training as a Mask, one of the Empire's elite soldiers. When Laia's remaining family is raided one night, she goes undercover as a slave at the military academy to try to gain information she can trade to the Scholar resistance, so that they will help her find and free her brother who was captured during the raid.
There was a bit of a love triangle, which I usually hate, but each individual seemed so real, each with his own flaws and redeeming qualities, that it was easy to understand Laia's feelings. And I loved Laia herself. She was no super-woman, just a frightened girl determined to do whatever she had to in order to save the only family she had left. She was scared, she second guessed herself, but she never gave up. I admired her determination, and it's been a long time since I read a book that made me care so much about what happened to its characters.
I have to mention the narrators as well. I thought both of them did a great job, and having both a male and female narrator helped distinguish the point of view for each chapter. I hope they will be available to read again when the next book in this series is ready!
An Ember in the Ashes is the story of Laia, a Scholar girl, and Elias, a soldier in training for the Empire's army. The Scholars are the lowest class citizens in the Empire, and many of Laia's people have been killed or enslaved. Her own parents and older sister were killed for being rebels. Elias is just finishing his training as a Mask, one of the Empire's elite soldiers. When Laia's remaining family is raided one night, she goes undercover as a slave at the military academy to try to gain information she can trade to the Scholar resistance, so that they will help her find and free her brother who was captured during the raid.
There was a bit of a love triangle, which I usually hate, but each individual seemed so real, each with his own flaws and redeeming qualities, that it was easy to understand Laia's feelings. And I loved Laia herself. She was no super-woman, just a frightened girl determined to do whatever she had to in order to save the only family she had left. She was scared, she second guessed herself, but she never gave up. I admired her determination, and it's been a long time since I read a book that made me care so much about what happened to its characters.
I have to mention the narrators as well. I thought both of them did a great job, and having both a male and female narrator helped distinguish the point of view for each chapter. I hope they will be available to read again when the next book in this series is ready!