Midnight Sun (Twilight #5) by Stephenie Meyer

Midnight Sun is a retelling of Twilight from Edward’s POV – and a retelling of only Twilight, which with roughly 700 pages makes up for a rather long book.

I found Edward’s POV highly interesting and up to halfway mark I was going to give it stars. However, around the time of their first date, Edward’s inner reflections become repetitive and between 50-70% the story is rather tedious.

Fortunately, after around 70% the pace picks up and the story brings up fresh elements from the time when Edward and Bella are separated.

And so, after about four months, I was able to finally finish it! And now I’m back to wishing what I wished in the beginning: to see Edward’s POV of the rest of the series, especially the beginning of New Moon, when he is yet again away from Bella. Although I can also guess how his agonising could once again turn boring.

On the other hand, I also want Stephenie Meyer to continue The Host. In any case, whatever she decides to write next, I will definitely give it a shot, because Midnight Sun did reaffirm my impression that her books are, while not literary masterpieces, not half as bad as certain online/book community circles believe them to be.

The Cold King by Amber Jaeger

Note: This review contains SPOILERS.

At first, this was so bad that it was sort of entertaining.

We have a Cinderella-meets-the-Beauty-and the-Beast-with-a-hint-of-the-Phantom-of-the-Opera-like story that reads like terrible BDSM, just without sex (which actually makes it worse), but with a generous dash of brainwashing.

The male protagonist (aka the villain, I am certainly not calling him a hero) is a sadistic and manipulative asshole, who throws the female protagonist in a dungeon to make the transition from her old life to the new one ‘easier’ – for him, of course. After all, it is much easier to brainwash someone to accept common human decency and having one’s basic needs met as luxury if one has only ever been shown cruelty – though, as they say, the absence of cruelty is not the same as kindness – than win them over by treating them right from the beginning.  

The cold king is a typical abuser, targeting the weak and isolated and tearing them down before building them back up to his own desires by making them completely dependent on him, all of which he justifies as improving their lives and showering them in luxury they could never experience otherwise.

Even Calia recognises that as shitty but falls for it hook, line, and sinker, as does everyone else – who, by the way, does nothing to help her at least with good advice. But, after all, that is neither Calia’s nor the others’ fault, since they are all victims and Calia with her reasoning the most typical of them all.

The cold king is supposed to be a tortured hero, but even if his pain is understandable, it doesn’t excuse his behaviour. I couldn’t feel even remotely sorry for him or his predicament for being cursed (with the curse of his own doing.) He also has a giant ego, and naturally, as people of his kind do, knows better what is best for Calia and others then they do themselves.

Calia herself is an ‘extreme Cinderella’, ignored and disliked by everyone, including her horrible, abusive, and neglectful mother. Her poor fortune and suffering (in comparison to everything else, all her crying was the least of a bother) is exaggerated to the maximum in order to garner sympathy. Needless to say, it didn’t work for me.

She is also quite a bit of a Mary Sue, suddenly becoming pretty (no, hair growth does not work like that!), graceful, and smart (she learns to read very fast, knows things she had nowhere to learn (such as doing cuff-links), passes sound judgements, etc.), except, of course, for her own situation.

All of the above perpetuates the terrible message that if a woman suffers quietly through abuse, accepts her lot in life, and moulds herself completely to the abuser’s wishers, she will get her fairy-tale ending.

Because, of course, in the end the male protagonist falls in love with her (which also undoes the curse, duh!) and learns the error of his ways and changes for the better and treats her like a queen (literally) – which doesn’t happen in real life.

Calia only develops a bit of a spine towards the end, but only because she is hurting by her love not being requited, and not, you know, because of all other terrible things the cold king has done to her.

The book only gets worse after the half-way mark when we suddenly get multiple, jumping POVs, including the omniscient POV (either that or Calia becomes telephathic), and every ridiculous romance (but not romantic) cliché in existence is used and abused for the contrived quasi-love story.

With putting Calia in the role of a personal servant – who basically does what a valet would – and other characters’ occupations, Jaeger tried to subvert gender roles, which would be commendable, but fell flat due to the characterization which was unflattering in Calia’s case and virtually non-existent in other characters who were mostly bland and one-dimensional.

Add to this an attempt of ‘progressiveness’ by having the cold king be accepting of a same-sex couple, except that it was poorly executed, since kindly ‘overlooking’ their ‘friendship’ is not exactly the same as not being homophobic.

I won’t even go into all the inconsistencies within the story. For example, the setting is undecided on whether to be steampunk-ish with some ‘high’ tech, such as a likeness of modern plumbing and the use of diamonds for industry and craft, or one of a pre-industrial impoverished agricultural society.

Perhaps indecisiveness is at the core of this book’s problems. The blurb says that “… Not every Beast is a prince charming at heart and not every Beauty is a maiden just waiting for love…” and perhaps the author wanted to be edgy and actually re-tell The Beauty and the Beast as a story about abuse, but failed at it, because the end result is something that goes back and forth between trying to be just that (mostly) and a classic HEA fairy-tale but ending up as a horrible mess instead.

Overall, by the end of the book, I wasn’t entertained by the bad-ness of it anymore, only disgusted. 

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

This was a refresher reread for me due to the TV show Black Sails, which was created as sort-of a prequel for Treasure Island and you should totally watch it if you haven’t already.

I first read Treasure Island in 5^th or 6^th grade (I remember taking it from the 5/6^th grade literature section in our school library, so it must have been around then). That was about a quarter of a century ago, and I only recalled a handful of names (namely, Flint, Silver, and, curiously, Ben Gunn) from it. Hence, now that the show ended, it seemed a good time for a reread.

Of course, Treasure Island is a YA (before there was YA, I guess) adventure story, while the show itself is much more serious, complex, and, of course, intended for adult audience. It is also more than superior to the novel (I know, blasphemy!) and I choose to actively ignore some elements of the book in favour of the show.

That said, I actually found Treasure Island fairly interesting this time around – and I suppose also the first time, because it is the kind of read that would have appealed to me at that age. I can see why I didn’t remember it well, though.

The story is a fast-paced adventure, which tells more than shows and is scarce with details and, thus, isn’t very memorable. The main character being a boy (and also kind-of the author’s self-insert, I think) might have contributed to it being easily forgettable, as well.

Nevertheless, I didn’t hate the book and I found certain elements entertaining in the light of Black Sails. Therefore, the reread was overall worth my time. 

Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles #1) by Kresley Cole

Review:

When Evie's visions of the apocalypse become true, she has to team up with the resident 'bad' boy to find the way across the continent to her grandmother, who may or may not be alive, in order to learn the truth about herself.

However, it is the journey itself that helps Evie discover her strengths and weaknesses, while struggling not just with the new reality of the world in which the voices in her head are all too real, but also her conflicting feelings for Jackson.

Poison Princess was my second birthday gift from my friend who shares my love for Kresley Cole's IAD series and knew I wanted to try this one as well.

I read the first half of the book in one sitting, but then life got messy and I only managed to squeeze a chapter in now and then, so I am not entirely clear about how I feel about Poison Princess. I think I will reread it at some point, if for nothing else to get a better grasp on the newly introduced mythology, and my thoughts may change on a reread, but for now I can say I really liked it.

Due to fractured reading, I can't really write an in-depth review, but I would like to point out a few things I loved that stayed with me:

• A fantastic mythology that Cole is a master of,
• Evie struggling with her powers and the world of magic and supernatural she has discovered: in most YA books the protagonist accepts the new reality with ease, finding little difficulty in embracing their abilities and manipulating them, which I find ridiculous. I love that Kresley Cole made Evie struggle with it all, both emotionally and physically.
• And, related to the previous point, I loved that Evie does overcome her doubts and insecurities and embraces her new self in a new world and that she, ultimately, does it on her own.
• All too many YA books have the classic 'boy helps the girl make it though', but in Poison Princess, while Jackson does help Evie with some things, she is a hero for herself and she doesn't need him to 'save' her after all. 

Of course, there is a necessary love-triangle (or at least hints of it), typical of YA literature, which is perhaps the only down-side of the book, if I can even call it a down-side, since I went in knowing about it and I also think Cole handles it very well.

Although I was sometimes annoyed with Evie's romantic struggles, I found them only as annoying as they are supposed to be, since this is a teenager discovering romance and love for the first (or the second time), and, hence, it wasn't really a bother for me.

All in all, Poison Princess is one of the better YA novels I read, and so far I am highly intrigued by the premise of this new series and am planning to continue reading it (unless I change my mind after rereading Poison Princess.)

Originally posted on Bookslikes.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

MY OPINION:

I read The Book Thief soon after when it was first published, but I decided to reread it this year as there is a movie coming out in spring. As all my reading recently, it went slowly, but I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this jewel among WW II stories.

What makes The Book Thief stand out from other books in the genre is its greatest strength – or vice, depends on whom you ask – that is, its narrator and writing style. The Book Thief is narrated by Death, which results in a unique writing style with little lists, narrator’s notes and digressions from the main story. Whereas I can easily understand this can make it hard for some people to get into the story, I loved this style in this particular book.

The language is beautiful, and there are so many truths said about history, life and human race in general, put in such an elaborate manner that it is hard to pick just a few favourite quotes from it.

Zusak captured Death in a way that I believe could fit her perfectly. Yes, I wrote her, because in Slovene tradition Death is a female, an old lady with a scythe, and Death’s personality as depicted in the book fits my preconception of Death as such so well that I subconsciously went along with it, despite being aware of Death being a man in Germanic culture, and I was from time to time surprised by the reminders that Death is actually supposed to be male.

As for the main protagonist, Liesel, her story is full of tragedy, but also hope, happiness, and, of course, mischief. It is a story of growing up in a difficult era, and is as such both beautiful and sad, suspenseful and funny. I could say a lot about how it touched me and which parts I especially enjoyed or found important, but I don’t wont to spoil the book for you, so I won’t.

Other characters are portrayed just as vividly and diversely as Liesel, which adds to the richness of The Book Thief's world. There are numerous characters worthy of mention, from Rudy to various townspeople, though the ones that had the most impact one her life were her foster parents, who, with their opposing personalities, provided Liesel with exactly what she needed and gave her a family. Rosa, with her yelling and raw exterior and a heart of gold inside reminded me very much of my grandmother, which always makes me like a character.

Even though The Book Thief is by some standards a YA book, I would be cautious when categorising it as such due to its themes and the way they are conveyed, for Zusak doesn’t spare the reader with both physical and emotional suffering and the allusions, sometimes quite direct, even graphic, to the atrocities of the era and the mechanics of the war itself.

All in all, however, The Book Thief, is an exceptional novel, which could be enjoyed by people of different ages (perhaps, apart from young teens), depending on the individual, naturally.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like historical fiction, especially WW II novels, and you are open to a somewhat unusual approach, The Book Thief might be a great book for you.

Wood Angel by Erin Bow

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver’s daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden talismans are so fine that some even call her “witch-blade”: a dangerous nickname in a country where witches are hunted and burned in the square. A mysterious fog ruins crops and spreads hunger and sickness. The townspeople blame Kate.

The stranger Linay will exchange her shadow for escape and her heart’s wish. It’s a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes she can’t live shadowless forever — and that Linay’s anger and grief (like the bereaved author) can "level a city".

MY OPINION:

What I liked:

• Kate. She is a wonderful character. Definitely flawed, and with heaps of misfortune, but she is persistent to survive, to learn to better herself and her life. I loved her passion for carving, which is not a simple occupation for her, but a vocation, a gift she uses to serve and help other people.
• The way magic is explained and treated: a mix of traditional and unique concepts, especially the notion of magic being an exchange of gifts.
• The way the rusalka legend is presented.
• Taggle. I don't know how to describe him without spoiling anything. He is one of the best cats I have ever read about. Fierce, clever, loyal little thing. I loved him.

What I didn't like:

• Stereotypical portrayal (especially of the Roma people) in spots.
• Indecisiveness whether to make it a YA or adult (meaning as for older readers) novel:
  Let me explain. The main character is a 14-year-old girl and on the first impression this quite a short novel tells a story of adventure, magic and fantasy, but on the other hand the novel deals with topics that may be too mature for many a young adult, such as cruelty and neglect to both animals and people/children; poverty; discrimination against women, the poor, and the Roma people; witch-hunting; and moral aspects of using (black) magic. At times Bow uses some clichés in regard to these topics, although I generally liked the way they were dealt with.

Wood Angel managed to keep my attention and I read it quite fast, considering my recent reading manner, so this is a big compliment to the book. It made me frown and laugh a few times, and cry in the end, all of which is also a compliment. Generally, I enjoyed Wood Angel. It is a dark story, but a suspenseful and intriguing one..

RECOMMENDATION: I would recommend Wood Angel to mature teens and older due to the topics it deals with. If you like a darker fantasy and adventure, I think you might enjoy Wood Angel.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be kill in one final, spectacular hunt.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

MY OPINION:

Forever is a great ending to the trilogy. I liked how Cole takes charge of the matters. Isabel is a bit silly sometimes, but she delivers majorly when it counts.

Sam and Grace, well, they are Sam and Grace, what else it there to say? I love their relationship, their loyalty, how they support each other and always find strength in the other person.

The story is suspenseful from front to cover, keeping the reader in the edge about the wolves' fate. Forever is somewhat open ended, yet promising a good future, which I found prefect. It  not a fairy-tale HEA, and I was sorry for the casualties, but I think the end it is fitting,

RECOMMENDATION: Maggie Stiefvater has become one of my favourite authors, although I don't read a lot of YA. The Wolves of Mercy Falls is a beautiful YA paranormal romance trilogy, perfectly concluded with Forever.

How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):  Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens. Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair.

Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.

MY OPINION:

Children and teenagers are capable of both most noble and most cruel things. This is a novel which shows their internal conflicts when they have to decide between doing one or the other.

For Nina, the whole world is her enemy. The adults, especially men, are evil. The constant fight for survival and continuous disappointment with people she encounters drain her to the extent she welcomes the inevitable death. She loses all faith in people, so it takes a lot for her to start trusting people again and believing she is not beyond help. Basically throughout the book I just wanted to hug her, because she is a character you absolutely have to love and sympathise with.

Gustav is a heroic younger brother. His young age allows him to be less cynical than Nina, so he keeps believing in a good outcome. This attitude enables him to help them both make it through the worst.

Julien is an amazing, multi-dimensional character. He is uprooted from his home in Paris, he misses his friends and the city, and longs to be accepted by the popular kids in school. Between wanting to be popular and doing the right thing, he makes a few mistakes, not out of malice but more of an accidental teenage recklessness.

However, when Julien realises how serious things are, and learns the truth about the war, the Nazis, and the Jews, he does everything he can to not only do the right thing himself but also to convince others to do the same. I loved his approach to faith and God as resources of strength. I could relate to the simplicity of Julien's 'conversations' with God. Julien has a great advisor in his grandfather, and their relationship, as well as the kind of advice Julien gets from him, remained me very much of my late grandmother and her views, which was a great personal connection to this book for me.

There are a number of other characters, children as well as and adults, from Julien's schoolmates to his parents, worth mentioning. They each contribute an important nuance to making How Huge the Night an incredible read. Let me just mention one, the seeming antagonist, Henri. Though we view him mostly through Julien's eyes, it was fascinating to watch his development through the course of the novel.

In addition to the exceptional characters, How Huge the Night captures the atmosphere of the time very well. It depicts the lives and thoughts of ordinary people amidst the confusion, fear, and hunger. The propaganda and general lack of information made it easy to turn the blind eye and simply trust the officials. In such circumstances the selfless actions of the people helping those in need are truly noble and awe-inspiring.

Finally, another thing that I liked is the parallel the Munns draw between the persecution of the Huguenots and the Jewish people. It is a lesson on how to learn from history – Julien and others find help in making their judgement and decisions by drawing on their past as the persecuted minority, and find the compassion for those who are in the same situation at the moment.

All in all, How Huge the Night offers an amazing depiction of a small part of Wold War II in France trough its characters and plot as well as its message. As Christian fiction this novel manages to avoid being preachy or corny and still convey its message: it is important to keep faith in people because no matter how harsh the situation, people can surprise you and one can find friends in unlikely places. 

RECOMMENDATION: Fans of historical YA books will like How Huge the Night. It has sad and happy moments, and plenty of suspense to keep you on the edge. And generally, this story is a balm for heart and soul. This book is a stand-alone, but in its case I would not mind a sequel at all.

A Trick of the Dark by B. R. Collins

SUMMARY (the blurb, find the book on Goodreads): Zach and his sister Annis have been uprooted from their home in London to live in a half-built barn in France. It is a desperate attempt by their parents to salvage not only their marriage, but a family as well.

When Zach chooses to defy his parents' wishes and visit a nearby ruined building, things really take a turn for the worse. A terrible accident leaves him crushed and broken beneath a collapsed wall. Annis can't believe that he could still be alive – but then Zach moves.

How on earth could Zach have survived such a terrible accident? And who is the sinister boy who appears out of nowhere? The boy who starts shadowing Zach, drawing ever nearer, ever closer…

MY OPINION:

When Zach survives an accident that should have killed him, strange, sinister things start happening around him. As it is common for YA novels, the only person he can count on is his younger sister Annis, as their parents are clueless, too absorbed in their marital problems, and unwilling to actually listen to Zach and Annis.

So far so good. The main issue of the book, namely what happened/is happening to Zach, revolves around an unique and intriguing idea concerning avoiding death and the price that comes with it. However, I think it would be better explored through the eyes of more mature characters. It seemed to me as if Collins could not decide whether to focus on Zach's and Annis' teenage angst or on the mortality issue.

Zach and Annis are typical teenagers: they defy their parents, they behave stupidly and sometimes selfishly, and they quarrel for silly reasons. Of course, they love and help each other and cover for one another. I do not want to say too much about them lest I spoil the book for you. Let me just say, they have their problems, Annis' poor self-esteem being one of the most important ones. Additionally, there are some things about them I would like to know which Collins does not provide. Due to the holes in characters' presentation, I did not really care about what happens to Zach and Annis.

The thing that annoyed me very much was the discrepancy between their behaviour and age. Only one third into the book we learn Zach and Annis are 17 and 15, respectively. But, they talk and think like children aged perhaps 12 – 15, and they parents boss them around like that, too. However, in contrast to this, they allow them to drink coffee and wine (!), and expect them to be responsible like adults. This combination of behaviour/treatment is very confusing, and it ruins the exploration of an otherwise interesting topic.

Overall, A Trick of the Dark is based upon a fascinating idea. Unfortunately, it is not thoroughly explored.

RECOMMENDATION: A Trick of the Dark has some intriguing elements. It could be an interesting read if you like YA characters and if you don't mind the fact that both the topic and the characters are dealt with somewhat superficially.

Tiger's Curse (The Tiger Saga #1) by Colleen Houck

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):  The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she'd be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.

But that's exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

MY OPINION:

Tiger's Curse has an intriguing premise, but the execution is mostly not to my liking.

What I liked:

• the premise of breaking the tiger's curse
• the adventure
• the exotic setting: the jungle, India – well described
• Ren: upstanding, gentle, loyal
• Kelsey, in the beginning, when she seems brave and smart

What I disliked:

• telling instead of showing, especially because of feelings, too, are mostly told not shown
• everything playing out so quickly and easily: Kelsey's and Ren's adventures require a lot of effort and involve plenty of danger, yet everything works out smoothly, there is always a convenient solution to a problem at hand, they seem to  overcome any danger or hardship effortlessly
• in relation to the previous two points: the discrepancy between what Houck shows and tells us: for example she tells us Kelsey feels scared and tired, or that she is hurt and beside herself, and yet she doesn't act like it – she just keeps going as if everything was a piece of cake
• the ease with which Kelsey accepts everything she learns – I think an average person would have much more trouble believing and dealing with all the strange, irrational things she finds out and experiences
• Kelsey: I liked her in the beginning, but then she became really annoying as she started showing or rather telling how low self esteem she has (do all these YA heroines have to have be self-deprecating?)
• consequently, the teenage thinking/drama: Kelsey's reasoning is rather immature for an 18-year-old at several spots, and her creating imaginary obstacles between herself and Ren made me want to scream at her
• the amount of thinking Kelsey does during a kiss: pages, literally. How can she think so much while kissing?

Overall, what kept me reading Tiger's Curse was wanting to know what happens to Ren and the curse. I am interested in finding out the final outcome (although I can probably predict it), but I am not particularly eager to read the sequel. I might if I happen to come across it.

RECOMMENDATION: If you like YA adventure set in exotic places, and don't mind teenage romance angst, you might enjoy Tiger's Curse.

Have you read Tiger's Curse? How did you feel about it? Perhaps I'm just too old for YA and silly angst to really enjoy this book.

Torment (Fallen #2) by Lauren Kate

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Hell on earth. That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything. He's hiding something - something dangerous.

What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? 

MY OPINION:

I absolutely loved Fallen. I read it last year, so it took me awhile to get into Torment because I had trouble remembering some details from Fallen. However, after the first fifty pages or so, the book pulled me in, and I could not put it down because I needed to know what happened next.

Although Torment is an absorbing book, I did not enjoy it as much as Fallen. I had expected to learn some things hinted at in Fallen, but Torment opens more questions than it answers. Kate remains very vague about both Luce's and Daniel's story on a minor scale and the fight between various fractions of angels on the major scale.

I was annoyed by all the non-communication and teenage angst, especially when Luce is concerned. I loved her character in Fallen, but this time Luce really got on my nerves because of various reasons. Firstly, she acts stupidly and irresponsibly and does not do what other people tell her to do. I am all for breaking the rules, but not in the way Luce does. Considering she now knows a little bit about the dangerous world out there, she should think things over, learn, and try to obtain information about the things she hears about. Instead she acts like a reckless, stubborn child.

Another thing that bothers me with Luce is that she is still set to seeing the world in black and white. She shows a kind of narrow-mindedness there, not allowing for the possibility of grey areas, and again not educating herself about things, but just sticking to her simply defined views of good and evil.

Speaking of good and evil, Torment does not clarify the issues opened in Fallen. The history of fallen angels and their disputes, as well as their future prospects, are again only mentioned, but not examined further. Hence, I felt let down by Torment.

Despite the fact that Torment falls short in comparison to Fallen, I will definitely continue reading the series. I hope the following books do shed some light both on Luce's and Daniel's story and on things concerning the fallen angels.

RECOMMENDATION: Although Torment was a bit disappointing for me, I still recommend it to those who loved Fallen and want to know more about what happens next.

Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noël

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school – but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste...

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking – and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head.  She doesn’t know who he really is – or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

MY OPINION:

Evermore has a good premise, but it does not develop it to its full potential. 

There are a number of things that bother me:

• Names: Ever (really, Ever?), Damen (no, it is not similar to Damon at all, nope), Drina (a little research shows it has nothing to do with Italian poverina, instead it is a version of Adriana, and Drina is also a river in Bosnia).
• Just like his name, Damen’s Latin appearance, behaviour, and wearing black do not ring a bell for any other character. Or do they? Oh, wait. The author may want Damen to resemble Damon but is light-years away from him.
• Ever taking forever to figure out Damen is not mortal and to reveal why she feels responsible for her family’s accident. (This is not a spoiler, it is pretty much clear both from the blurb and from the first page onwards).
• Teenage boyfriend drama. No explanation needed here.

I think this book would be so much better if it was not YA, if Ever’s character was older, perhaps in her twenties, if she was someone who could think more clearly and reflect on the important issues the book opens but does not fully develop, the most important being mythology.

Evermore is a fast read. The ending is conclusive, so the book can be read as a stand-alone. I do not think I will continue reading this series since I am not invested enough in the characters to really want to know what happens to them. Although, I might pick up another book in the series when I just want to read something fast and light.

RECOMMENDATION: This is an undemanding YA read with quite a few shortcomings, perhaps best read when you want to kill some time and give your brain a vacation.

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): In Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past...and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves...and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

MY OPINION:

Linger is a fitting title for this book. It starts on a hopeful note for the main protagonists, but they soon come across new problems and questions that need to be answered, making their future once more uncertain. Sam, Grace, Cole, and Isabel have to find out not only what they want to do but what they have to do, and they can rely only on each other. The four characters narrate the story in strategically well-placed turns, each of them having a distinctive voice.

Sam and Cole are at first presented as each other’s opposites. Sam only wants to live a normal life, meanwhile Cole is longing for an escape from his life. As they both discover the other one’s motives, they also find out their own future.

Isabel’s character is developed a bit quickly, making her shifting to the good side rather abrupt. In Linger, she becomes the unlikely voice of reason and helps others deal with their problems. Therefore, she grew on me, and I would like to get to know her better.

Grace faces a very personal crisis, which I did not quite see coming. Her dealing with it, from shock through denial to acceptance, is truly well presented, both on physical and psychological level.

I did not think I could dislike Grace’s parents more than I already had in Shiver, but I could. Grace’s parents are actually a cliché type of parents which appears a lot in YA. They let Grace to take care of herself as an adult, which she does, and then they suddenly start treating her as a child, neither of which is good for Grace.

Overall, Linger felt somewhat rushed. I would like to get a deeper knowledge of some of the characters, especially Cole and Isabel. However, I enjoyed the plot and the final twist left me wanting to read Forever right away.

RECOMMENDATION: Linger raises the stakes in the lives of The Wolves of Mercy Falls to the next level from Shiver. It is a suspenseful and delightful YA read.

Moonsong (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters #2) by L. J. Smith*

 *this book was written by an anonymous ghost-writer

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Life is better than ever, Elena and her friends can’t wait to attend Dalcrest College. But when students start to disappear from campus, suddenly every new acquaintance is a potential enemy. Then Elena uncovers a long-hidden secret, one that shocks her to the core, she realises that darkness has followed her from Fell’s Church. But will it be Stefan or Damon who catches her when she falls?

MY OPINION:

Note: This review contains mild SPOILERS through Phantom (The Vampire Diaries series, books 1-8)

This series is just like a family. It drives me crazy, it annoys me, I see all its faults, and I still LOVE it. I could write either a mean review of Moonsong, or go all fangirlish. Or I can do both.

Firstly, let me get the mean part over with:

·       The love triangle is starting to irritate me. Why can’t they just do one of the following: either 1) Elena picks one of the brothers and sticks to her choice, or 2) dumps both of them, or 3) they all realise that she can love them both and go the Katherine way – I might slightly prefer the last option, lol.

·       Elena keeps saying Stefan is her true love. It bothers me that it is told, not shown. Therefore, I see it more as an infatuation than love. After all, it started because Elena decided on a whim (back in The Awakening) she had to have Stefan even if it killed her just because Caroline wanted him, too. 

·       Cell phones. It seems the author occasionally (when it is convenient) forgets this is supposed to be happening in the early 1990s. I don’t think college students used to have cell phones two decades ago. I have only noticed this time period discrepancy now, but it might have occurred already in The Return trilogy. I would have to reread to be sure, though.

·       Dumbness: I get it – they all want to have a normal life, without the supernatural interferences. But this is no excuse for stupidly burying their heads in the sand when there is something suspicious going on.

Nevertheless, the good side prevails. These are the things I loved: 

·       Matt and Bonnie getting to spread their wings each on their own and having more independent story-lines.

·       Damon. He is still the Damon we know, except that he does not hide his good side anymore while still retaining his edge.

·       Stefan showing some cracks in his goodness. We see he is quick in judgement, and he tends to overreact, but he basically stays good. Which brings me to:

·       Brotherhood. Stefan and Damon finally working on their relationship and taking care of each other. It is a though road, full of ups and downs, but it is an amazing and essential part of the story.

·       The plot kept me on my toes throughout the book. It is fast-paced, full of suspense, and it makes sense. All the pieces logically fit together within Moonsong as well as within the entire series. This does not mean it is predictable. On the contrary. The last twist is a complete shocker.

·       That said, Moonsong sets an exciting premise for the next book, Destiny Rising. And no, I’m not going to say anything more as to avoid spoiling you.

·       Finally, concerning the brotherhood and the Destiny Rising premise, Moonsong indicates the books are becoming similar to the TV show, which is great, but I wonder: do the books influence the show, or is it the other way around? I think the latter, and I don’t mind it at all.

Moonsong is a typical middle book of a trilogy, continuing where Phantom left off and laying an intriguing basis for Destiny Rising. Even though this series seems to be getting long, it still interests me. As long as there is Damon in it – and he is relatively happy while staying true to his character – I’m going to keep reading it.

RECOMMENDATION: I think those who liked The Return trilogy and Phantom will enjoy Moonsong. Also, if you are a fan of paranormal, and you have not yet read the series, what are you waiting for? Go, try it!

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

MY OPINION:

Stiefvater’s books read smoothly and quickly, yet they are relaxing and captivating at the same time. Shiver is no exception to this. The first person POV narrative going back and forth between Sam and Grace is easy to follow without repeating itself, and it gives the reader a great insight into both characters.

Although there is still some room for further character building, Stiefvater manages to present Sam and Grace in a way that made me easily connect with them, especially with Grace. Her attitude to her parents and the way she copes with life is not only realistic, but quite admirable. She is a great example of a teenager who takes the life such as it is and tries to make the best of it.

The one problem I noticed was the lack of the parents’ reaction after a major turn before the end of the book. It shows the parents in a very bad light, because only horrible parents would not do or say anything when seeing their child suffer. Even though Grace’s parents are not the best at parenting in any case, this lack of their reaction seems a little unrealistic to me.

The plot is fast-paced, increasing in its intensity throughout the book. There are several twists and turns which culminate just before the end. Fortunately for my peace of mind, the book does not exactly end in a cliff-hanger, so it left me satisfied. At the same time, there are some things I certainly want to find out more about, so am looking forward to reading Linger.

RECOMMENDATION: Shiver is an absorbing page-turner with likable characters and quite unpredictable plotline. I think readers of YA and/or paranormal will enjoy it. 

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

MY OPINION:

Note: This review contains mild SPOILERS, including for The Twilight Saga through Eclipse.

As a huge fan of The Twilight Saga, I had to pick up this Eclipse novella eventually. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner tells the story of the vampire newborns who attack the Cullens in Eclipse.

The life of Bree and the vampires like her is very different from that of the Cullens. Bree lives in a constant fear among perpetually fighting vampires, always thirsty for blood. However, Bree is an intelligent girl, and she uses every bit of that intelligence to survive.

Thus, she eventually forms two doomed friendships: with Diego, an intelligent vampire, capable of self-restraint just as herself, and with Fred, a strange loner with an unusual talent.

The events in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner are wholly synchronised with those in Eclipse. Through Bree’s observations, Meyer complements the parts of Eclipse concerning Victoria, Riley, and the Volturi. Seeing everything, especially the Cullens, through Bree’s eyes is fascinating. 

My only complaint about this novella is that I wanted it to be longer. Although I knew better, I grew to love Bree, and I was sad to say goodbye to her. I would love to read more about her. Well, maybe Meyer writes Fred’s story some day, I would definitely read that. 

RECOMMENDATION: Twilight fans will love this. Even if you are sceptic about picking it up because you know how it ends, it is well-worth reading it.

Flight of the Falcon by Susan Geason

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Set in eleventh-century Normandy, this adventure novel is an intriguing glimpse of the life of a young noblewoman in the early Middle Ages. Sybilla St-Valery, the daughter of a nobleman and soldier, has been staying with relatives in the Duke of Normandy’s castle. When news of an imminent English attack reaches them, Sybilla must undertake a dangerous journey home to her mother and the family estate. But these are treacherous times to be on the road. En route, she is kidnapped by her father’s enemies, who demand that Sybilla’s mother hand over the deeds to the St-Valery estate in exchange for her daughter’s safe return. With only her faithful hound, Hannibal, and falcon, Merlin, to help her, can Sybilla escape her captors and reach St-Valery before her home is lost?

MY OPINION:

This is the kind of book I would read when I was ten or eleven. All right, obviously I would read it now too (since I did), but you know what I mean.

Flight of the Falcon is a short historical adventure novel, which I read in an hour. It is a gripping read with some unforeseeable twists. I liked the heroine, Sybilla. She is a smart girl on the verge of womanhood. She is a little rebellious, but good-natured, and self-reliant.

Moreover, this book is also educational, especially for children and teenagers who come across it as the first representative of the genre. It provides some historical facts about France and England in the eleventh century as well as an insight into the life of people and of what was expected of aristocrat girls at the time.

I think children and teenagers would find this book a suspenseful and rich read both for the plot and the characters. Since I have read lots of historical fiction, this book seemed very simplified to me, but I still enjoyed it as a relaxation read.

RECOMMENDATION: Flight of the Falcon is an entreating book for readers of all ages who like reading about history and adventure.

The Recruit (Cherub #1) by Robert Muchamore

SUMMARY: James is an eleven-year-old boy whose mother unexpectedly dies. He is separated from his sister, the only person he loves, and put into a juvenile facility until social services could find him a foster family. However, after getting into a lot of trouble in school and with the police, a mysterious organisation called Cherub approaches him with the offer to join them and become a secret agent. Thus, James sets in an unpredictable journey of adventure and growing-up.

MY OPINION:

This was an unusual but entertaining read for me. The Recruit is an action-packed book I could not put down, and I read it in one day.

The characters quickly grew on me, especially James. James is a smart, but troubled boy who always finds himself a trouble. Though he does not lack any material goods, he suffers from being emotionally neglected, which results in aggressive outbursts. Eventually, he realises this will not bring him any good. He recognises his last chance for making something from himself, and he takes it. Doing so, he starts his way towards maturity.

James, as well as other children, act older then they are, due to their life situations. On the positive side, they are street-wise, know how to survive, and they look after each other. However, on the negative side, there is a lot of violence and bad behaviour, such as smoking, drinking, and using moderately strong language.

The Recruit is a suspenseful page-turner. It is a fantasy work which deals with family relationships, friendship, growing-up, and taking responsibility for one’s actions through an adventure story.

RECOMMENDATION: This is the kind of book I imagine teenage boys would enjoy – I am thinking from the age of 14 or so on – and everyone else who loves this kind of a book. 

Phantom (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters #1) by L. J. Smith*

*this book was written by an anonymous ghost-writer

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Since meeting vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert has been to hell and back. Now that she and her friends have saved their hometown from a demonic sprit, everything can finally go back to normal. But Elena should know better than anyone that Fell’s Church will never be normal. In Phantom, a dangerous new other-worldly threat sets its sights on Elena. And this time she can only count on one Salvatore brother to protect her.

MY OPINION:

I was a little afraid of being disappointed by this book as I heard plenty of speculations regarding how it would differ from the rest of the series, but fortunately all my hopes for it have been realised and my fear was unfounded. The ghost-writer does a good job, keeping the familiar elements and improving the shortcoming(s) of the previous books.

Truly, Phantom has a somewhat different feel that the rest of the series so far, mainly due to writing which is considerably improved. Apart from two typos and a few awkward formulations the writing is generally good. The transitions between the scenes are smooth and coherent, taking away the messiness and confusion of the previous books. 

Consequently, Phantom may seem less intense than the previous books as the plot does not jump from one event to another. While allowing the reader to savour the story, the plot remains dynamic and unpredictable, offering plenty of surprises. Nevertheless, Phantom is less frantic (which is a good thing) than other books in the series, because it gives an equal focus to the plot and the characters.

The characters are the same familiar faces I love, but naturally, they change and develop, as they should. Throughout the series, the character that changes the most is Damon, and in Phantom the traits of his personality already explored and developed in The Return trilogy are shown in their full potential.

The characters’ personalities, emotions, and relationships among them are the basis of Phantom. The set of events forces the characters to bring out their most hidden parts, their most secret emotions. The new supernatural evil in Phantom has everything to do with feelings; hence we get to see the worst of the individual characters as their negative emotions gets amplified and twisted. I loved the portrayal of this new supernatural creature – it fits perfectly to the concept it represents (I can not say which as to avoid spoilers).

Finally, I have to say I love how the titles of this series always correspond to the story, yet I can never guess from the title how it is connected to the story and finding it out always pleasantly surprises me. The same goes for Phantom. I had had my speculations and expectations, but I still did not guess right. This, in addition to everything else I mentioned, makes this book an enticing read.

RECOMMENDATION: If one can keep an open mind and not hate the book just because it was written by a ghost-writer and give it a real chance, Phantom is a great read, preserving the already familiar features of the series and at the same time taking it to a new level. 

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): She is pretty and talented – sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.

MY OPINION:

Incest is something usually regarded as abominable. However, I could not find one thing that would be even remotely disgusting in the relationship between Lochan and Maya. Not one. On the contrary, I felt deep sympathy for these two characters throughout the book.

The relationship between Maya and Lochan is well-developped and perfectly paced, their feelings pristine; they are extremely likable characters from the start on. Their love is pure and strong, and seems so right. Despite knowing they had virtually no chance for a happy ending, I really hoped they somehow make it through. 

In spite of being centred on Lochan and Maya, Forbidden is also a book about kids who are being let down by their parents as well as by the society in general. The latter is not surprising – institutions are rigid and unfeeling towards particular circumstances of an individual. Naturally, I wish it could be different. Even more disturbing to me is the attitude of the parents in this book.

I know a little bit of how it feels to have to grow up too early, to take care of yourself and your parent instead of your parent taking care of you, though, thankfully, my experience was not as bad as described in this book. This is the reason why I can understand the difficulty of the situation for these kids. I can relate to their covering up for their mother and their fear of being separated. In the end, nothing is more important than family staying together, all the more so if the siblings are the only real family left.

I cannot say how I detest the mother in this book. She is a self-centred, selfish excuse for a mother, a woman who should not have had children, acting towards them the way she is.

Forbidden is not only a well-written, but also a beautifully written book. Suzuma’s writing brings the characters to life, her clearly substantiated language enabling the reader to understand the characters feelings and actions.

Although I expected Forbidden to end badly, I did not anticipate it to end in such a way. I cried myself though the last two chapters. The saddest thing of all to me was how everything fell apart because of one silly unfortunate event. 

This is a very valuable lesson from this book: it takes only one little thing to ruin everything. It is the eternal “what if” question – what if somebody did something differently. Hence, one of the most important lessons one can learn from Forbidden is to be sensitive to how what we do affects other people.

SPOILER (highlight if you want to see it): The possibility of how differently could the story end if Kit's teacher had not humiliated him – although probably unintentionally – in front of the entire class makes it all the more sad. It is a good reminder, not only for me as a teacher, but for everyone, that even our tiniest, presumably innocent actions can have a devastating effect on other people.  END OF SPOILER.

RECOMMENDATION: All I can say is: read this book. Even if you think it is not exactly your kind of read. Even if you think you will be disturbed by some things. It is meant to be this way. Forbidden gives you a lot to feel, to think about, and to learn.