Book Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Book: Fire by Kristin Chashore
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published: October 2009
How I Got the Book: Library


Synopsis (from b&n.com): She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.


My Thoughts: Omg. What happened?! This book was an EPIC fail. ***SPOILERS A PLENTY***

Cashore was shaping up to be one of my new favorite authors with Graceling. I couldn't wait to read this companion novel. I loved Katsa and Po and how wonderfully refreshing the strong female character was.

I should have skipped Fire. Though it starts out really interesting. I liked the character Archer (in the beginning!!) and the background on Fire's father Cransel. It was shaping up to be a great world and book with the mystery of the archer thrown in. Fire's moster powers were intruiging...until you learn that she does nothing with it because she is too scared. And then you learn she needs a horde of guards with her at aaalll times, even though she's the one with powers. Then when she is moved to King's City...the whole book went stangnant and the author tried to superimpose traits on cardboard characters. Her whole relationship with Archer made no sense. The book was going to be thrown out the window at this point.
How about none of the relationships made no sense. Brigan abuses her the first they meet. (Oh but wait, he is justified in doing this to a woman because of her father, as if that makes any sense in this world or fantasy). Nash pretty much sexually assults her upon the first meeting. (But wait, the reader is told repeatedly that no man can even stop himself when he see's Fire. I don't like this subtext AT ALL). Other reviewers are saying she's some strong female character? WHAT? She's about as strong as Bella Swan, and violence towards women was FAR too prevalent in this book to settle with me. Leck was an incredible villian and the story picked up when he was around but I was pretty much over the book when he did show up. Fail.

Characters: The charcters were down right dislikable and wishy-washy in their actions. Fire was actually one of the worst female characters I have read as of late, which is surprising coming from someone who wrote the best I've read...Katsa. Now, I would probably not read anything else unless it has to do with Gracelings by Cashore.

Cover Art: Great colors and very nice composition (the cover is better than the actual book!)

Overall: ★

Book Review: Great Expectation by Charles Dickens

Book: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Genre: Classic Literature, Victorian
Published: 1860
How I Got the Book: required for class

Synopsis (from b&n.com): Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, a poor orphaned boy who wishes to transcend his humble upbringing. He finds himself unexpectedly given the opportunity to live a life of wealth and respectability but learns as his life advances that his money is tainted and the girl he loves cannot return his affections. He is forced by circumstance to learn to seek happiness in the very things he gave up in the pursuit of a place in city life. With its famous cast including Miss Havisham, Mrs. Joe Gargery and Jaggers, this is one of Dickens' most renowned novels.

My Thoughts: Of all the Victorian literature I read, this is the one that was hardest to read for me. It never once clicked. Dickens is know for his sense of humor...umm yeah I didn't get it. His characters were caricatures. I know for a fact he has been criticized about this before. I didn't find them funny or charming. Pip's life is thoroughly told and I enjoyed the perspective he had as an older narrator. He is justified in being a brat and learning his lesson even if it does come too late. A lot of the book I felt was bogged down by unnecessary scenes. After reading this I feel Charles Dickins is pretty overrated, the canon of literature is whacked out. I loved the move with Gwenyth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke...much better than this book. I wanted to like it but I just didn't.


Characters: Pip was a good character and I loved the crazy old Miss Havisham...but that's as far as it goes. I did wonder if Dickens ever actually MET a woman in his life...

Cover Art: Pretty ugly. It is a scene from the book but is off putting...on second thought that's a good thing.


Overall: ★

Book Review: Mill on the Floss

Book: Mill on the Floss
Genre: Classic Literature, Victorian
Published: 1860
How I Got the Book: required for class

Synopsis (from b&n.com): Based closely on the author's own life, Maggie's story explores the conflicts of love and loyalty and the friction between desire and moral responsibility. An accurate, evocative depiction of English rural life, this compelling narrative features a vivid and realistic cast, headed by one of 19th-century literature's most appealing characters.

My Thoughts: It feels like a massive task trying to recount everything that happened in this book. It is a gauntlet of a story. We meet Maggie and Tom Tulliver when they are children. Maggie steals the spotlight and jumps off the pages right away. She is smarter and is more dynamic and unfortunately because of her sex she is overlooked and stereotyped. Also a theme that is presented, like many Victorian writers, is the fall from money. This book has also got me saying "just floating down the river..." you have to read to see what I mean. This book generated lots of critical thinking and great class discussions. I found a couple of my classmates saw different scenes in this book way different that I had seen. There are so many little details and nuances, its called "hyper-realism"...that genre may be a hit or miss with you.


Characters: Maggie Tulliver was a great lead character, she was conflicted and felt real. Her brother Tom was a jerk most of the time...but justified for the most part. I really liked Philip Wakem...Team Philip!

Cover Art: Subdued painting of a mill on the floss? haha Can it be anymore straight forward? I think not! I like it.


Overall: ★★★

Book Review: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Book: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Published: August 2006
How I Got the Book: Bought

Synopsis (from b&n.com): Summer, 1954.
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels comes to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped patient, a murderess named Rachel Solando, as a hurricane bears down upon them.

But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems.

Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry; an approach that may include drug experimentation, hideous surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing ...

Or is there another, more personal reason why he has come there?


My Thoughts: Wow! I loved this book. The tone is absolutely tangible. I bought it on a whim before the movie was released. It kept me up all night reading! The first book I read all year that was 100% unputdownable. When I finally did manage to pry my eyes away I had nightmares that I was on Shutter Island! I don;t think I've dreamed about a boom since I read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. But I digress...Shutter Island is just as much a character as Teddy or Chuck. This novel kept me guessing the whole way. I have my theories that differ from the the slant of the movie. Basically the ending (no spoilers) could go one of two ways and the movie chose one way and I believe in the other way (there's proof in the pages). There are so many twists and turns, smoking guns and dead ends. I would pretty much recommend this book to anyone.

Characters: Everyone is suspicious and not who they seem. You literally cannot believe one of them which make its intriguing but also you can't really sympathise with any of them. Teddy, the lead, is the best but still as a reader I found I kept him at arm's length.

Cover Art: I don't care for this cover. The lettering bothers me I think. The picture is okay...I think I will say that the movie edition cover is better...what a rarity!

Overall: ★★★★★

Book Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Book: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: Classic Literature, Victorian
Published: 1855
How I Got the Book: required for class


Synopsis (from amazon.com): North and South is a novel that exposed Victorian inequalities. Margaret Hale a woman from the South of England moves to the industrialized North of England where she is shocked by the huge inequalities between the rich and the working class. This serves as a backdrop for a conflicted love story. Margaret finds herself falling in love with John Thornton, the owner of the local mill. But her concern for the Mill's striking workers complicates the relationship. A classic tale of class and love.

My Thoughts: I couldn't find a great summary of the plot ANYWHERE online and that leads me to say that this book is WAY over looked. If you like classic literature or Victorian Lit...read this now! It's smart, well built, perfectly written. It offers a superb look at industrialization. I feel like I have walked the countryside and cramped London streets with Margaret! And Margaret and Mr. Thornton's love is one of the best and most convincing I have ever read. I *got* that these two people were in love and were compatible despite being 'North and South' opposites. The big issues in the book are class and country versus city. The dialogue is sharp and interesting. I feel Gaskell does it better than Austen, but hey we all know who gets the glory despite what I say.




Characters: Margaret is a fantastic heroine. She was an advocate and spoke her mind. She felt real. And I heart Mr. Thornton...not perfect a good complicated character and a good match for Margaret. The Higgins family was a good representaion of the working class.


Cover Art: Once again a painting of a woman doing something. Eh, I think this book deserves better.


Overall: ★★★★

Book Review: Twelfth Night

Book: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Genre: Drama (Comedy)
Published: 1623
How I Got the Book: required read for class


Synopsis (from amazon.com): "Twelfth Night" is the story of Orsino, a nobleman in the kingdom if Illyria. Following a shipwreck Orsino employs Viola, who when abandoned by the shipwreck disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Soon Viola falls in love with Orsino, however Orsino is in love with Lady Olivia who has fallen for Viola, believing her to be a man. "Twelfth Night" is a classic Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identities.

My Thoughts: This is the first comedy of Shakespeare's I have read. It's always surprising to me how *funny* something almost 400 years old could actually be. But that is why Shakespeare is the master. Androgyny never gets old. There is also undeniable homoeroticism. I loved it. I actually wrote a paper on female homosexuality disguised as friendship through dialogue on this play. The whole concept of loving someone in disguise then unfalling in love with them because of gender but falling in love with someone who llooks like that person is so far fecthed and crazy. It was just a light read overall. (Even though Shakespeare is very hard to read, yes even to an English major...I can admit that.) How it all magically works out is ridiculous. I still very much prefer Shakespeare's tragedies any day.

Characters: Cartoony, over the top, and not complicated but it *is* a comedy what can you do?


Cover Art: I like this edition of Shakespeare's works, nice script and nicely colored background.


Overall: ★★★

Book Review: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Book: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Genre: Fiction
Published: June 2009
How I Got the Book: Library


Synopsis (from b&n.com): Connie is looking forward to starting work on her graduate thesis over the summer, when her mother asks her to sell an abandoned house once owned by her grandmother in Salem, Mass. Relunctantly, Connie moves to the small town and inhabits the crumbling, ancient house, trying to restore it to a semblance of order. Curious things start to happen when Connie finds the name "Deliverance Dane" on a yellowed scrap of paper inside an old Bible, and begins to have visions of a long ago woman condemned for practicing "physick," or herbal healing, on her neighbors in 1690s Salem. Interspersed with modern-day sections are chapters on the actual witch trials, revealing the fascinating story of Deliverance Dane and how she got caught up in the tragic events.

My Thoughts: I thought this book was great. I am fascinated by the Salem Witch trials. Howe did a great job flexing her knowledge of the time period with flashbacks. It got very deatailed and intimate with the trials and what it was like to be a fly on the wall following the accused. Very well researched; and I liked the modern storyline (though it was really predictable, some things were suppose to shock the reader...not me. But that's okay.) Some of the parts of the book got pretty spooky, it set a very cool tone. She lives in an abandoned house with mysterious events happening and some descriptions were perfect for an autumn night. I was also interested in the academia part of the book. It showed the reader a glimpse into what it takes to get a doctorate. I also liked the generations of women through the book.

Characters: I liked the main character Connie but her mother irritated me to no end. You have to read the book to understand but after awhile her lofty antics got old. Sam, the love interest, was cute. He didn't wow me too much.


Cover Art: Gorgeous! And it fits the content of the book SO well.


Overall: ★★★★