Tag: book review

BooksReviews

BLOG TOUR | The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

THE NINTH HOUSE
by Leigh Bardugo

Flatiron Books
October 8, 2019

From Goodreads:

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

The good people at Raincoast Books and Flatiron Books provided me with an advanced copy of The Ninth House in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of their blog tour.

It’s blog tour time!

When the good people at Raincoast Books emailed me to ask if I was interested in being part of the blog tour for Leigh Bardugo’s new book, I wrote back: “Yes! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!” Literally. Verbatim. 

It’s Leigh freakin’ Bardugo! And she’s trying her hand at adult fantasy? I’m in all the way up to my neck.

THE NINTH HOUSE is a world that’s both wondrous and familiar at the same time. It’s gritty and dark but also fascinating and surprising. It’s a story filled with characters impossible not to love, and will put you on edge and keep you guessing until the final reveal.

As I expected from a Bardugo novel, the wonderful cast of characters walks right off the page. I wanted to pull them out of the book and put them somewhere in my day-to-day life. Well, maybe. Alex might be a pain in the ass in everyday life, but you know what I mean.

These characters were flawed and punchy without being larger than life (though the second book might be a different story!) Backstories are peppered with sordid happenings and you won’t know who can trust until the end (including our main character!)

As I said, the setting is familiar with the idea of magic existing in our present world, but the magic system itself is quite unique and makes it all feel new again. Hints are dropped occasionally, while getting a glimpse of a particular house’s magic. I get the sense that if you were so inclined to Google some of these hints, you might find that the rituals and spells are based off of existing lore and beliefs from places across the world.

My only beef was the pace in the beginning of the book. It took a long time for the plot to find traction. About 200 pages. In the meanwhile there was a lot of character development, world building, and establishing info. 

On page one, we’re dropped in right in the middle of things, which is usually great. I love being dropped in and told to catch up. But there needs to be things happening in order to do so. Here, we’re dropped in, told to catch up, and nothing is really happening. You might think that would make it easier, but it’s not. It’s harder. 

Characters and running around and interacting and then they’re gone. And I’m left saying, who was that? Where is he going? Is he coming back? Should I care? Are you my mummy?

Doctor Who fans will get this. The rest of you… I’m sorry

P.S. Maybe I’m slow, or maybe I missed it earlier on (and I didn’t read the synopsis), but for those that are going to read this: Alex is Galaxy. Daniel Arlington is Darlington. That seems obvious now that I type it, but for the first while these were used interchangeably and I thought we were talking about four characters instead of two. But I can be kind of dense at times.

Despite the slow start, this was a highly satisfying read. Worth the wait, and an ending that makes me want/need/willing-to-make-deals-with-the-occult in order to get my hands on book 2!

Fun fact about this post: This book has the greatest response ever for when someone asks the rhetorical, What’s wrong with you?   “I can’t dance and I don’t floss. What’s wrong with you?”

BooksReviews

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

ONLY ASHES REAMIN
by Rebecca Schaeffer

HMH Books for Young Readers
September 3, 2019

From Goodreads:

After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.

There’s only one way to keep herself safe.

Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on Fabricio, the boy who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But killing Fabricio is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.

The good people at HMH Books for Young Readers and Raincoast Books provided me with an ARC of Only Ashes Remain in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book’s prequel, Not Even Bones, was a great and unique concept that the rest of the book just didn’t deliver on. It wasn’t bad, but not as great as I had hoped. What it did give me was a couple of characters that I felt I knew reasonably well and an optimistic view toward any sequels.

I expected Only Ashes Remain to answer some questions, pick up the pace a little, and bring some depth to these characters that I previously spent 400 pages with. Unfortunately for me, I was left unfulfilled again.

The plot, though somewhat interesting, was a little slow and lacks any real twists or turns. The characters aren’t bad, but I found them hard to relate to or care about. The one I liked best was a brand new supporting character: Adair! 

I desperately wanted to the book to take a sharp left and follow him around, because he was fascinating. Unfortunately, all I got were bits and pieces spread over a few scenes, that were all too short and too few for my liking.

My main issue with Only Ashes Remain was that it felt specious. Characters would say they wanted one thing, but their actions were the complete opposite. Other times they said things and would say the opposite before the end of that very page. It was a little bipolar. 

And when the prose talked about the setting and the world, a lot of it came off as thinly veiled opinion from the author. There’s always a bit of the author in everything, but I have always believed it should be invisible. I shouldn’t know if it was the author’s opinion or the character’s. I shouldn’t be able to pick up your political views or what your favourite movie is by reading your fiction. Just my opinion, though. Maybe some readers like that little glimpse behind the curtain. 

Overall, I feel disappointed, but I’m not completely convinced that I’ll be able to ignore the 3rd book… only time will tell. 

BooksReviews

BLOG TOUR | There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS
by Katy Rose Pool

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
September 3, 2019

From Goodreads:

The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it… or unleash it?

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.

All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer?

The good people at Raincoast Books and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers provided me with an advanced copy of There Will Come a Darkness in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of a blog tour.

It’s blog tour time!

This book kicked ass. What? Not enough of a review for you? (it should be) Fine. I’ll expound.

From start to finish, There Will Come A Darkness is a well-crafted story that keeps you asking questions. Even when it hands you an answer or two, you end up getting another truckload of questions. All of it in the best way possible. Sometimes questions can leave you feeling frustrated, but in this case it’ll leave you desperately intrigued. Combine that with characters that are easy to fall in love with and fantastic world-building that will leave you turning the pages as quickly as you can. You’ll quickly come down with a case of “Just One More Chapter” with the only cure being the book’s end.

While the plot moves a little too slowly to be called a thrill-ride, it’s far from a slow burn. Honestly, I don’t think it could move any faster while keeping all the phenomenal character development and relationships. Even at this developing speed, there are lots of twists and turns, and I’m very pleased to say that most of them really did surprise me.

My copy of the book featured a blurb on the front cover from author, Laura Sebastian, which says: “I dare you not to fall madly in love with these characters.” And it’s so true. These characters are fantastic and unpredictable. Dangerous and vulnerable. The connections are artfully done. You might think two characters have nothing to do with each other and then, BAM! They’re practically arch nemeses, or destined friends. 

How’s the writing you ask? I actually had to go back and look at it. I was so into the story on the first run that I didn’t notice whether it was good or bad. I suppose that should have been the first sign of how good it was. Upon further review, it’s silky smooth. The kind of writing that’s effortless to read.

I have a feeling that Katy Rose Pool is a massive talent that will be producing outstanding books for years to come. I for one, cannot wait until there’s a sequel for There Will Come a Darkness. If you’re a fan of Leigh Bardugo (and who isn’t?) this is one you need to check out. Immediately.

Fun fact about this post: As an aspiring author, a debut like this is really intimidating! EEK!

BooksReviews

The Warehouse by Rob Hart – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

THE WAREHOUSE
by Rob Hart

Crown Publishing
August 20, 2019

From Goodreads:

Paxton never thought he’d be working for Cloud, the giant tech company that’s eaten much of the American economy. Much less that he’d be moving into one of the company’s sprawling live-work facilities.

But compared to what’s left outside, Cloud’s bland chainstore life of gleaming entertainment halls, open-plan offices, and vast warehouses…well, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s more than anyone else is offering.

Zinnia never thought she’d be infiltrating Cloud. But now she’s undercover, inside the walls, risking it all to ferret out the company’s darkest secrets. And Paxton, with his ordinary little hopes and fears? He just might make the perfect pawn. If she can bear to sacrifice him.

As the truth about Cloud unfolds, Zinnia must gamble everything on a desperate scheme—one that risks both their lives, even as it forces Paxton to question everything about the world he’s so carefully assembled here.

Together, they’ll learn just how far the company will go…to make the world a better place.

The good people at Crown Publishing and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC of The Warehouse in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Originally, I received an email for this book a few months ago. Someone had put me on a list based on other books I liked and was telling me I’d like The Warehouse. I always give emails like this the benefit of the doubt and look into whatever book they’re talking about, but there’s always a part of me that says “Oh yeah? You think I’m going to like your book, huh? Well, we’ll see about that!!”

Well, they had me figured out, because I’m such a fan of this book!

In a word: Fantastic. Believable. Frightening. Terrifying. Disgusting. Fantastic. (Yes, twice)

It’s a story about our world just a little ways down the road. We’re not there yet, but the way we’re all going, it’s a very possible endgame.

This particular future focuses on a company similar to Amazon called Cloud. We love our convenience, even if other people or the planet have to suffer for it. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be self-righteous. I’m guilty. I have a Prime membership. I want my stuff approximately… NOW. While it’s not really ever preached about or harped on, this societal mentality is present throughout the entire narrative.

This book is much more than an interesting premise, though. There’s also a story about a man struggling over working for the very company that put him out of business, a woman who’s actually there as a corporate spy, and their subsequent meeting which turns into a relationship of convenience? Lies? Genuine feelings? Trick is, you don’t really know which ones are real and which are just BS. Even the characters we’re riding around with don’t seem to know completely.

Then there’s Gibson, the CEO of Cloud. We’re treated to a running series of blog entries from the entrepreneur as he gives us some history on himself and this massive mega-company he’s built. That probably sounds dry, but I have to be honest, they might be my favourite parts. Maybe it was satisfying the part of me that enjoys biographies, or maybe it felt like a beginners course in business and economics, but each time I turned the page to find a “blog post”, I got pretty excited.  

In a First Impression Friday post, I predicted 4.5 stars and I’m happy to report I was wrong. This is a 5-star read all the way. I can’t think of a single thing to complain about. Not even a nitpick. I enjoyed this from the first page to the last. 

Fun fact about this post: Okay, fine. I’m not crazy about the cover. There. You happy now?!
BooksReviews

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

MR. MERCEDES
by Stephen King

Scribner
June 3, 2014

From Goodreads:

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with two new, unusual allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

A few years ago, if you had asked me if I was a Stephen King fan, I would have said, “Nah. I like a few of his books, but not a fan.”

I was wrong.

Since then, with each book I read, I’m becoming a bigger and bigger fan. I think it’s the way his premise never screams out to be as something I need to read and then once I start reading it, I’m sucked right in.

The plot starts out simple. A retired cop is haunted by a case that was never closed and continues investigating it on his own. This simplicity quickly turns into Hodges navigating the maze of a killer’s sick game and provides a few of those moments where you have to put the book down because you’re shouting so much.

But where the book really shines, where most of King’s books really shine, is the characters. I can’t help but wonder if they’re real people that he trans morphs into his books using some ancient and demonic ritual. King also has this way of showing you a side of the story’s “villain” that makes you feel bad for him. You know the horrible stuff he’s done, you know what kind of person he is, and at the same time you find yourself wanting to reach out and help the poor bastard. Or maybe that’s just me and I need to do some soul-searching.

On the other end of that spectrum, the “good guys” are shown for what they’re worth and you see their dark sides. You wonder if you can really be pulling for someone who did some of the things these people have done.

In the end, I suppose they really aren’t heroes and villains at all. They’re all just people that ended up in a series of situations where they’re allowed a heroic moment, or a monstrous opportunity.

So, the book that didn’t sound especially like something I’d enjoy ended up a 5-star read with me putting the next 2 in this series high up on my TBR. Damn it, King, you did it to me again.

Fun fact about this post: I always get the feeling that King imagines himself as the main character, even if only a little.
BooksReviews

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond by John Zada – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NOBLE BEYOND:
In Search of the Sasquatch
by John Zada

Atlantic Monthly Press
July 2, 2019

From Goodreads:

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears.

According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods. For centuries people have reported encounters with the Sasquatch–a species of hairy bipedal man-apes said to inhabit the deepest recesses of this pristine wilderness. Driven by his own childhood obsession with the creatures, John Zada decides to seek out the diverse inhabitants of this rugged and far-flung coast, where nearly everyone has a story to tell, from a scientist who dedicated his life to researching the Sasquatch, to members of the area’s First Nations, to a former grizzly bear hunter-turned-nature tour guide. With each tale, Zada discovers that his search for the Sasquatch is a quest for something infinitely more complex, cutting across questions of human perception, scientific inquiry, indigenous traditions, the environment, and the power and desire of the human imagination to believe in–or reject–something largely unseen.

The good people at Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

What I expected was a bunch of stories from people who claimed to have run-ins with Big Foot, as well as the author’s take on these stories, and maybe even some of his own. A first-hand account! Essentially, a bunch of fun campfire stories.

While there was some of that, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

There was a lot of information about the areas he travelled to in his quest, and the people he met along the way. A lot about small native communities that were being impoverished by modern business practices, pollution, and inflation.

We spent some time with a man named John Willison Green, who devoted his life to trying to prove the existence of the Sasquatch. And while that might seem like a life wasted to some, I couldn’t help to admire his expertise in a field that kind of doesn’t exist. I was also deeply saddened to read about his his biggest fear of fading away with his contribution unrecognized and never actually making a mark in history.

A in-depth look at the efforts of one community that lessened bear hunting in their area by obtaining exclusive rights to lead the hunts and taking people in all the wrong areas. “Sorry folks. I guess we’re just not having any luck today…” Ha ha ha.

Many, many interesting side-notes that I didn’t expect, but still enjoyed. Some of the other tangents weren’t as interesting and seemed even less relevant to the core subject on a book like this.

Even with all the other interesting aspects, I wish there was more Big Foot talk. More about the searches. More eye-witness accounts and more in-depth into those account. A few of the stories got really creepy and just when you were getting into them, it was over. I wanted MORE!

I was also very disappointed that the author didn’t have his own encounter. I can’t fault him or the book for that. It’s not exactly within anyone’s control, but it was still a let down.

Fun fact about this post: I’ve had a story in mind for years that involves Big Foot, and if I ever get around to writing it, one of the main characters will be named in honour of John Greene.
AllBooksReviews

Mini Book Review Bonanza, Part 2!!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Since 2019 began, I’ve had lots of things popping up to create a week where little to no blogging happens. Work trips, my son’s break dancing competitions, performing in a play, and of course, Netflix and laziness.

I think the only thing that I didn’t slack on was reading. Which means I’ve read all kinds of books that I haven’t reviewed in the least. So here is the second of what might equal a few more MINI-REVIEW BONANZA posts!

Challenger Deep
by Neal Shusterman

While this isn’t a book that I would put at the top of my list, it seems like an important book that everyone should read. It’s a novel from the perspective of a boy with mental illness, and a glimpse into what it might be like.

I have no way of telling how accurate that look is, though considering it’s rooted in Shusterman’s own experience with his son, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teen, there’s some undeniable truths between the covers.

 

The End of the World Running Club
by Adrian J. Walker

In the spirit of novels like Station Eleven, this one is all about the journey. A husband and father desires nothing more than to return to his wife and children after being separated in a post-apocalyptic world.

Oddly enough, the part I found most interesting was before the world ended. That little slice that shows you the life of the characters before the main plot goes down. I know that seems weird, but I just liked it.

Our main character, Edgar Hill, isn’t a bad father, but he struggles with fatherhood. Thinks about what life would be like if he hadn’t settled down to have a family. He gets annoyed by his kids. He struggles with his temper. It was all very genuine, and something that I think most of us can relate to on the really rough days.

 

Here and Now and Then
by Mike Chen

I’m a sucker for a time travel tale (and alliteration.) And this one handles the old “guy trying in live in 2 different timelines” really well without it feeling old and tired.

Time travel is one of those things that doesn’t have a lot of rules. Who can prove whether details are true or not? This makes it very easy, and tempting, for authors to say things like, “they can change the future here, but not there because… reasons.”

This book gives logical reasons that, not knowing anything about quantum physics (or whatever leg of science could lead to time travel) makes sense.  

 

Survivor
by Chuck Palahniuk

Palahniuk is a unique author, and one that I always seem to enjoy. His characters  are real and surreal at the same time, if that’s possible. I suppose what I mean by that is you’ve probably never met people like his characters, but it’s also not hard to believe that those characters actually exist somewhere in the world.

The plot of Palahniuk’s books almost doesn’t matter because the characters are so interesting you’d watch them go to the grocery store and the dentist before turning into bed early.

 

An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir

I read this one based strictly on the series covers. Especially Reaper at the Gates. And there are a lot of fans of these books, but I found myself left wanting, just a little. 

I still enjoyed the book, and will most likely continue the series, but there were things that I thought would happen—and wanted to happen—that just didn’t come about. That usually leaves me feeling like the book made promises in the beginning that it didn’t deliver on. Maybe they will be as the series continues?

 

A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole

This one stuck with me for quite a while after I was done. The voice of Ignatius Reilly went with me everywhere.

This guy finds fault in everything that everyone does, and has no problem telling anyone how they should live their lives. Nothing much happens in the book, but to just watch this guy complain his way around New Orleans trying (and failing) at jobs that come his way is 110% entertaining. There’s nothing that doesn’t offend this guy. It’s like someone took all of the internet and stuffed it into a character, even though this book was written before the internet was a thing.

Fun fact about this post: Yup. I’ve been slacking enough to have more posts like this. At least one more.

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Mini Book Review Bonanza!!

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Since 2019 began, I’ve had lots of things popping up to create a week where little to no blogging happens. Work trips, my son’s break dancing competitions, performing in a play, and of course, Netflix and laziness.

I think the only thing that I didn’t slack on was reading. Which means I’ve read all kinds of books that I haven’t reviewed in the least. So I hope you enjoy the first of a handful of MINI-REVIEW BONANZA posts!

Good Omens
by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Good Omens was always on my list of books to read, but then when I saw it was about to be a TV show, I pushed it way up on the priority list.

This book overflows with wit and satire. Either one of these co-authors is capable of laugh-out-loud prose, but this book is what happens when you put them together. I can just imagine the back and forth between Gaiman and Pratchett, everything getting funnier with each edit.

The whole time, I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Maybe that’s just because they’re both British satire, but I really felt like it wouldn’t be a stretch to write a crossover book so we can have angels and robots and demons and aliens all in one book that keeps you laughing from the first page to the last.

A Thousand Pieces of You
by Claudia Gray

This came highly recommended by a few people. The premise and blurb made it sound like it was right up my alley, and while it wasn’t a complete miss on me, I didn’t connect with it the way I hoped I would.

We’re talking about hopping between alternate universes and hunting down a killer and fantastical science and among all that, there was just a little too much love story. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with a love story, but sometimes it’s seems too centre stage, especially in a situation where a relationship doesn’t seem like it could happen. 

To be fair, I’ve never found myself running for my life against unknown assailants and time itself. Maybe I would feel like falling in love. I somehow doubt I’ll ever know for sure.

Altered Carbon
by Richard K. Morgan

This one REALLY seemed up my alley, especially since I was finishing up the editing on a novel that had a lot of similarities. I’m not sure if that coloured my impression of the book, or not, but I liked it. Just not as much as I hoped.

The premise and world-building pulled me in, but underneath all of that, this was basically a detective novel, which I’m rarely a fan of. There’s always too much interviewing potential witnesses, victims, suspects, etc, etc. Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? Who cares?

The best parts dealt with the science of being able to inhabit another body (and the gun fights, of course!) Had there been a lot more of this and less talking I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more.

The Magicians
by Lev Grossman

A friend told me this series was Harry Potter for adults. Rest assured, that friend has been beaten to a pulp with a copy of Order of the Phoenix. 

While it had some redeeming points, I found this to be overall disappointing. Every time something great started to take shape, it would be cut off or go another direction completely and I was left wanting.

The characters could have used a little more development as well. Most of them felt two-dimensional and their decisions were to move the plot along instead of what they would actually decide to do.

I still may read on in this series, but it won’t be anytime soon. 

Salt Sugar Fat
by Michael Moss

This was great!

I love junk food, so I was concerned this was going to be 500 pages of harping about how terrible everything I put in my body is for me. (There was a little of that, but it felt more factual/informational and less ‘harpy’.)

Instead, it felt like an education in commercial business. Supply and demand, evolving with the times, market research, and advertising strategies.

It’s fascinating to read about how many times one company or another tried to make the responsible choice and develop a better, healthier option to some of the foods that was causing an obese nation only to have that product fail because WE WOULDN’T BUY IT!

This one is a must-read for any fans of non-fiction.

The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black

I remember the hype machine working on overdrive when this book came out. Unfortunately, I can’t say it lived up to the hype.

It was fine. I was entertained throughout. But it didn’t knock me off my feet. I didn’t even go down to a knee.

This is another one that I feel suffered from flat characters. Their decisions didn’t seem like their own as much as a means to the end of the book. Some interesting twists and turns in the plot itself, which may be enough to continue reading the series, but again, not a high priority.

Fun fact about this post: What the heck is a Bonanza??

BooksReviews

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

A MAN CALLED OVE
by Fredrik Backman

Atria Books
July 15, 2014

From Goodreads:

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

Books like this are what keep me coming back to reading challenges. Lots of books are on my radar, but might not make it to my bookshelf. Then a reading challenge has me looking for a book set in Scandinavia and here we are. A book I didn’t really intend on reading and it ends up being a 5-star read with potential for my favourite book of the year!

Through and through, this is a character book. The plot is almost non-existent, which you might think is a criticism, but I assure you it’s not. Not when the characters shine so brightly that you can’t see anything else anyway. And shining brighter than any other, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, is Ove.

Ove (pronounced Oova) will most likely remind you of someone in your own life. Set in his ways, opinions carved in stone, doesn’t understand anyone else’s way of thinking and doesn’t care to. Anyone who doesn’t do things his way is an idiot. He has what he likes and likes what he has. But that’s just the side of him he allows the world to see.

As you get to know Ove, you see deeper. The sadness. The kindness. And then you start wishing Ove was a real person so you could find him and give him a big hug. A hug that he would act like he very much hated.

‘Delighted’ is how I would describe my feelings through the majority of this book; a small smile plastered to my face the whole time, peppered with chuckles and full out laughs. And after the last page was read and the book at an end, I found myself speechless and happy. I can’t remember the last time a book left me feeling so completely and utterly satisfied. I couldn’t think of a single thing I didn’t like, or anything that could improve in any way. It is a genuine masterpiece.

I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect book, but this one just might be as close as I’ve ever read.

Fun fact about this post: Without the audiobook I don’t think I ever would have realized Ove is pronounced Oova 
BooksReviews

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Posted on by J.W. Martin

WE HUNT THE FLAME
by Hafsah Faizal

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
May 14, 2019

From Goodreads:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

The good people at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Raincoast Books provided me with an ARC of We Hunt the Flame in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to like this. It sounds great when reading the blurb and then you get into the book and it’s just not there. 

The pace was m, by far, the bigger issue. It took a long, long time for the story to get going. Many of the early chapters could have been axed and not only would the book not suffer for it, it would thrive. 

Beyond that, a lot of time was spent on the inconsequential, and then when something important or exciting popped up it was over before it started. The things I didn’t care about got chapters of coverage while the things I wanted were left out in the cold. 

The characters were well thought out and interesting on the surface, but as the story moved forward most of them came off as false. They did things that seemed very unlikely for their personality type or habits. Of course that happens a lot in books, but we’re normally shown reason for it. In this case, the characters seem to turn on their own nature with no rhyme or reason other than to move the story forward. 

Deus ex machina. Not in its truest sense, but characters seem to sprout new abilities at the damnedest times! This kind of thing isn’t a big deal when hinted at, or the possibility put into our heads. Imagine watching the Matrix and the possibility of Neo being “the one” isn’t addressed until that final scene in the movie. A lot of us would have been very confused, upset, or both. 

Despite some solid world-building and initial characters, this one didn’t hit for me. As excited as I was for this one, I’m kind of hoping I’m part of the minority this one. 

Fun fact about this post: