The Plantagenet Prelude (Plantagenet Saga #1) by Jean Plaidy

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): When William X dies, the duchy of Aquitaine is left to his fifteen year-old daughter, Eleanor. But such a position for an unmarried woman puts the whole kingdom at risk. So on his deathbed William made a will that would ensure his daughter's protection: he promised her hand in marriage to the future King of France.

Eleanor grows into a romantic and beautiful queen, but she has inherited the will of a king, determined to rule Aquitaine using her husband's power as King of France. Her resolve knows no limit and, in the years to follow, she is to become one of history's most scandalous queens.

MY OPINION:

It has been well over a decade since I read anything by Victoria Holt/Jean Plaidy, so maybe my memory is failing me or I have become a more demanding reader, or this just isn’t one of her best works.

Or maybe Slovene translations (I used to read her works in Slovene, back then, and this is the first book of hers I read in English) are just better than the originals because I was somewhat unpleasantly surprised by the quality of writing in The Plantagenet Prelude. It is a well enough written book, but my expectations were higher. There is a lot of telling instead of showing and  misplaced punctuation (commas). However, to be fair, the writing improves the further into the book one gets (or maybe I just got used to it.)

The story is historically accurate, as per Plaidy's reputation, but I had a few issues with it.

I love reading about strong female historical figures, and Eleonore of Aquitaine definitely is one. I admire her standing for the equality of men and women and I agree with her complaints about Henry’s and general view of women’s only job and worth being childbearing. Yet, I don't particularly like Eleonore: she is self-centered, whimsical, insensitive hedonist. She is, though, devoted to her children, and she is more that a match to Henry.

Another major issue for me was, albeit again historically accurate, the amount of cheating in the book. Everyone cheated on everyone, with the exception of Eleonore not cheating on Henry, because of what it would cost her – her status and her children, possibly even her life. I hate the double standards of it: for men, of course, had no such repercussions to fear and could cheat to their hearts content, because ‘that’s how men are’, despite promising fidelity before God.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depends on how you look at it, this aspect of the book becomes less of an issue about one third in, when the plot focuses on Thomas Beckett and the relationship between him and King Henry. Until, naturally, the intrigues and envy of the court and clergy and Henry’s pride and the conflict between the State and the Church come between them and everything takes a turn for the worst.

Finally, The Plantagenet Prelude presents the beginning of the Plantagenet era in a simple, reader-friendly style, without sacrificing historical accuracy, as is Plaidy’s manner. Despite the unnerving things mentioned, I did like the book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the saga.
RECOMMENDATION: If you like historical fiction and you are interested in the early Plantagenet era, The Plantagenet Prelude is worth trying.

Bout of Books 10.0 Wrap Up

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

MY GOALS WERE:

I was still trying to not over-stress myself since this was supposed to be fun, so my goals were once again minimalistic:

• read every day (yes, I have no number-of-pages goals)

Done. Not sure how many pages I read, because I didn’t count, but I did read every day, even though on Sunday it was just fanfiction (and one which made me cry, BTW).

• write that one review I keep putting off and any other of the book(s) I finish

I did write and post a review of The Silmarillion, I didn’t write the other, old one, though, but its turn shall come.

• participate in at least one challenge

I actually participated in two challenges.

On Friday, I did Rainbow of Books challenge, hosted by Neon Yeti Reads, which entailed making a mess of my bookshelves in search for the covers I needed and then putting everything back in order. ;)

My pile of books for Rainbow of Books challenge by @neonyetireads #boutofbooks pic.twitter.com/f5KtYBIsNY

— Jo (@StrangeNewWords) May 16, 2014

And yesterday, on Sunday, I did the Retitle Your Current Read challenge, hosted by Oh Magic Hour.

#boutofbooks Retitle Your Current Read mini-challenge hosted by @OhMagicHour: The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy -> Born to Rule

— Jo (@StrangeNewWords) May 18, 2014

• participate in one twitter chat (hopefully)

I joined in Saturday’s twitter chat and had fun.

• visit a few blogs each day and comment

Well, this didn’t happen. I guess socialising on twitter was enough for me.

Books to read/finish:

• The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (to finish, reread)

Done!

• and then start another one, whichever strikes my fancy

And done! I started The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy and got about 50 pages in so far.

So, that’s it. Overall, this was both fun and successful.

And finally, I’ve taken an important life lesson from this event, for which I’m very grateful to Amanda, who banned FAILing and made us all FLAIL instead.

The pessimist I am, I needed that to be reminded to celebrate my achievements instead of complaining about things I didn’t do. Now I just have to keep that in mind, not just with regard to reading and blogging, but to all aspects of life.

How was your Bout of Books 10.0? Is there anything special you will remember it by?

The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): The Silmarillion is a gloriously realised story of rebellion, exile, war and the heroism of elves and men. But to gain an insight into the staggering complexity of Tolkien's world, however, the shorter works also included are must-reads. Dealing with the myth of creation, the nature of the Gods, the fall of Númenor and the Rings of Power, they paint a vivid picture not only of Middle Earth but also of the author's soaring imagination.

MY OPINION:

Despite having read The Silmarillion a few times before in Slovene translation, I have never reviewed it. Therefore, I decided to do so now that I have finally read it in English.

The Silmarillion is often referred to as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. However, those who expect a similar epic adventure story might be disappointed.

Edited by Christopher Tolkien and published posthumously, it contains Tolkien’s writing about the early ages of the Middle-Earth. Though it is not a thick volume (my edition has just over 360 pages, not counting the nomenclature appendix), its narrative, great and tragic, is full of names and genealogical ties, regional and ‘political’ – in a sense – divisions, which may seem boring, but to me it is fascinating.

The Silmarillion is basically a historical narrative, fictional non-fiction, a book a Gondorean of the Fourth Age would use to study the ancient history or a Tolkien fan to learn more about the numerous references made in The Lord of the Rings: from Morgoth, the first Great Enemy, and the fall of Gondolin to personages such as Lúthien and Finrod.

Finally, as the icing on the cake, this edition contains a part of Tolkien’s letter to his publisher, conveying not only Tolkien’s ideas of his own work and its development but also his general views on fiction and writing.

Thus, with everything mentioned, I can only say I absolutely love The Silmarillion, both for its fictional and meta-fictional value.

 
RECOMMENDATION: Essentially, The Silmarillion is a history book and a bible at once (after all, The Bible is also a history book in a way) and reads as such; it provides an explanation of the creation of Tolkien's world and an account of the history of the Elves and Men before the time of the Lord of The Rings, and is as such a must-read for a fan of Tolkien’s work.

Bout-of-Books 10.0 Sign Up & Goals

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I can’t believe the 10th Bout of Books readathon is almost here! It seems like it was yesterday when I accidentally stumbled upon the first one. And I’ve been participating ever since, though a few times were major reading fails.

Nevertheless, it’s always a fun way to boost your reading, help you meet new bloggers, do fun challenges and all in all have a good time, so join in!

MY GOALS:

I’m still trying to not over-stress myself since this is supposed to be fun, so my goals are once again minimalistic:

• read every day (yes, I have no number-of-pages goals)
• write that one review I keep putting off and any other of the book(s) I finish
• participate in at least one challenge
• participate in one twitter chat (hopefully)
• visit a few blogs each day and comment

Books to read/finish:

• The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien (to finish, reread)
• and then start another one, whichever strikes my fancy

Of course, I might have a bad week (wouldn’t be anything new), and fail miserably, but maybe not.

Are you in? What are your goals?

ETA: I’ll be mainly updating on Twitter (@StrangeNewWords), since that is less time-consuming than writing a blog post. Unless, of course, there is something I absolutely feel like I have to post. ;) And, of course, I will write a wrap-up post at the end.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior (Immortals After Dark #11) by Kresley Cole

Note: This review and the book reviewed reviewed contain adult themes. Please, do not read either unless you are above the age of 18.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): He Vowed He'd Come For Her...
Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.

She Awaits His Return...
When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals – unaware that he belongs to their world.

To Sate A Desire More Powerful Than Death...
Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared – even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?

MY OPINION:

I had been excited about Regin’s story since the very first book in the series and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Since the first half of the book happens in the same timeline that the previous two books, it seemed a little tedious at a few spots, because I was so eager to find out what happened next. Nevertheless, the already recounted events are presented from new perspectives, therefore they are as much novel as they are familiar.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior is probably the first book in this series where I was able to almost guess the solution to the main problem. However, there were still enough twists all around which kept me pleasantly surprised throughout the novel.

Considering his deeds in the previous book, Declan is a different type of hero, a little difficult to get to love, despite the sympathy he invokes with his brokenness, but eventually he won me over with his determination and independent will, picking up the pieces of his life and reshaping them to his need, and fighting for Regin, even against himself.

I loved Regin’s fierceness and vulnerability, her wit and her inner battle with her own recklessness and proneness to act instead of think, her newly found tendency to self-reflect, as well as her weighing her old knowledge against the new.

I loved the sarcastic and witty writing, the battle of words running alongside the actual physical battles. And, there was even a LOTR reference. It doesn’t get any better that that.

In Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Kresley Cole stays true to what I love most in this series: the broad scope of her world with so many intertwining characters’ stories, which she keeps completely consistent with one another, and yet still unpredictable and surprising. I loved the new characters she introduced as well as the reminders of some details from the previous instalments and the elements setting up the following ones.

To conclude, Dreams of a Dark Warrior is much more than just Regin’s and Declan’s story; it’s the story of their individual lives, finally merging into one against all odds, and at the same time yet again an epic setting up for the following stories, especially Lothaire, which I cannot wait to read next.

 

RECOMMENDATION: Dreams of a Dark Warrior is yet another great instalment of IAD series, about love overcoming all obstacles, adding still more flavour to the amazing world Kresley Cole has created in this series.

Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark #10) by Kresley Cole

Note: This review and the book reviewed contain adult themes. Please, do not read either unless you are above the age of 18.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A DANGEROUS DEMON SHE CAN'T RESIST...
Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he's pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A MADDENING WITCH HE ACHES TO CLAIM…
Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

TRAPPED TOGETHER IN A SAVAGE PRISON…
In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

MY OPINION:

Of all the books in IAD series, I had the least expectations of Demon from the Dark. Carrow had only shortly appeared beforehand – or had even just been mentioned as Mariketa’s friend – so I didn’t feel the need to learn her story, and Malkom hadn’t even been mentioned before, so I didn’t expect anything from him, either.

Therefore, I expected Demon from the Dark to be sort of a filler book. I should have known better. I was sucked into the Malkom’s and Carrow’s story right in the beginning and I couldn’t put the book down; I finished it in two days. I haven’t read a book so fast in more than a year and a half, so that says something.

As usually, Kresley Cole spins a captivating story with intricate background and history for both  characters, while including mentions of details from the previous instalment's, which makes this series so amazing: all the mythology and events are consistent throughout it and the new data always makes perfect sense in relation to the old information.

Malkom’s a and Carrow’s lives are, on one hand, diametrically opposite, yet similar and relatable on the other, which makes them a perfect fit once you look beyond the surface. I loved how they manage to understand each other despite their differences. While they have their share of misunderstandings, there isn’t any huge drama; they resolve them quickly and in a plausible way.

Speaking of opposites, the settings themselves represent a huge contrast: Malkom’s home dimension, Oblivion, a desolate desert plane; and Earth, in particularly an island in the middle of ocean with plenty of water, food and greenery.

We don’t often get to see child characters in paranormal romances, so I loved that Ruby, Carrow’s young protégée, plays an important role in this story not just as a background motivator, but as an actually present character, who helps the adults find their focus. I loved her interactions with the adults, especially with Malkom, and their reactions to each other, since they hugely contrast each other: a vulnerable (still) mortal child vs. a fearful vampire demon. Ruby, with her views and quirks of a child is absolutely delightful.

On top of everything, a bunch of other, already familiar characters appear (which always makes me happy): some only glimpsed at (no, I’m not saying who), and others, such as Lanthe, with a prominent role throughout the book.

Perhaps the only quibble I have about Demon from the Dark was that it ended too fast. I would love to see how Malkom adapts to living in the modern world, but I guess we will get a glimpse or two of Malkom and Carrow in the following books. 
 

RECOMMENDATION: Demon from the Dark is not only an amazing story on its own, but a crucial part of the series both for tying up some loose ends from the previous stories and setting a starting point for the following ones, and is as such certainly not to be missed.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark #9) by Kresley Cole

Note: This review and the book reviewed contain adult themes. Please, do not read either unless you are above the age of 18.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A Dangerous Beauty
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbours secrets that threaten to destroy her – and those she loves.

An Uncontrolled Need
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

That lead to a pleasure so wicked...
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness – her wanton desire for him.

MY OPINION:

Finally! I’ve been waiting for Garreth’s and Lucia’s story since the first book. And it didn’t disappoint. The only problem I now have is how to review it without spoiling it and half of the series with it. So, I am going to be terribly vague.

In contrast to some other stories in the series, Garreth’s and Lucia’s love story is more on the slow-burn side and in more tender in a way, yet still just as intense and heated. This makes it refreshing and unique, and that’s what I love about this series: even though the novels follow the same basic concept and their stories intertwine, they never feel old or too repetitive; Kresley Cole is really a magician of combining the familiar and the new.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince spans the timeline from almost the very beginning of the series and past the point of the previous instalment (Untouchable). I loved the little reminders of the past events and glimpses into the lives of other beloved couples (especially Lachlain and Emma; and now I want to reread their book), always just enough to refresh one’s memory and see how the protagonists from the previous novels fare in their future.

Garreth’s and Lucia’s adventures are as crazy and unpredictable as you can expect from Kresley Cole and the ending just as wittily resolved and satisfying.

The only downsides were that I had to not read some parts too attentively, because mega caimans and, even worse, anacondas are a major squick for me (I scream and squeal and feel sick when I see and earthworm, okay?). Additionally, the villain of the book is extra gruesome, too.

Lucia’s benefactress and saviour, goddess Skathi, is somewhat shady, and I resented her that a lot of Lucia’s pain, fear and shame and self-flagellation was her fault – although she may have meant well (and maybe actually did Lucia good with her attitude, I’m still not sure.)

Nevertheless, Pleasure of a Dark Prince is overall another amazing instalment of Immortals After Dark series and if you read the series to this point, don’t stop now.

RECOMMENDATION: Not much to say, if you loved the previous Immortals After Dark books, you will love this one too. And if are a fan of paranormal romance and you haven’t tied this series yet, you definitely should.

Spring Bloggiesta 2014 Wrap-Up

(About Bloggiesta)

I wasn’t sure whether to join in at all, since I’m sick again, but then, my blog does need some maintenance:

• write that one review I’ve been trying to for the last two days, DONE!
• backup blog and template, DONE!
• change the background (& theme details) to something more spring-like DONE!
• see the challenges if there is something I should/could do, if not now, then in the future DONE! (G+, About Me, FTC)
• do some maintenance and updating on something else, which I like to keep private and separate but it sort of belongs to the blogging area. DONE! (I made some icons, changed theme, updated archive, but still need to update/revamp the master list. I know you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I feel good about how much I’ve done.)

Extra things I’ve done:

• removed my tumblr button – I felt like there is no point in having my tumblr linked here, since I rarely post anything bookish there.
• Updated my blog footer, copyright etc.
• Updated my G+ profile, joined G+ boggiesta community
• Changed my Booklikes theme
• caught the 2nd half of the Friday twitter chat, although I was mostly lurking, but I learned a few things.
• Updated all my pages (except Cat Diary, which didn’t need an update)

Things to do/remember for the future:

• Put the FTC disclaimer on the top of my ‘for review books’ reviews (I have so far been putting it at the bottom, same font as the post with the world ‘Disclaimer’ bolded.)
• Take a creative photo of myself on a good day and put it on my About Me page

All in all, I can say this was a successful bloggiesta for me. How about for you?