The Cabin at the End of the World

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Cabin at the End of the World

by Paul Tremblay

Synopsis: Seven year old Wen is enjoying a holiday away from modern life in a secluded cabin with her dads, Eric and Andrew. While she’s out catching grasshoppers, a man approaches her and seems friendly at first, but then he says, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault.” A few more strangers appear, these ones carrying an odd assortment of weapons, and what follows is a crazy story of paranoia, love and terror.

The Good:

1) This book didn’t go in the direction I was expecting, which was a welcome change. I expected a book about a bunch of hillbillies torturing the local gays, which would have been an incredibly hard read for me, but the fact that Andrew and Eric are gay certainly isn’t the reason these people arrived.
2) The entire book is fast-paced and thrilling. The whole thing is very edge of the seat and you can’t help but whiz through the pages.
3) There’s a huge sense of is this real or isn’t it. I don’t think any of them really know the truth for certain in the beginning, but as events go on it starts to become harder and harder to dismiss.
4) The reactions and emotional responses of all the characters are heartfelt and realistic. It’s a painful book to read and you start to build a real camaraderie with the various characters. It hurts when they get hurt.

The Bad:

1) The entire book is suspenseful and exciting, except one chapter near the end in which Sabrina explains her origins. Told from her POV, it quickly becomes a boring soliloquy which doesn’t really add anything much to the story. It’s the only dull bit in the whole book.
2) I’m not sure if I liked the open-ended ending or not. In a way, it was good to let the reader hypothesize, but I also felt like it was a bit of a cop out. I still want to know what happened next.
3) The way the choice seemed to be taken out of people’s hands towards the end. Sabrina being controlled in a way that’s reminiscent of a puppet, and the same thing happening almost with Eric. It seemed to diminish the entire point of the choices made.

Conclusion: I raced through this book. It was very tense and made for some crazy reading. You have no idea how I changed from angry righteousness to an adamant, reluctant, believer by the end. It was well written and very entertaining. You can’t help but wonder what you would do in the same circumstances.

Villain Rating

This is a difficult one. I’m going to pick Leonard because he seems to be the leader of the gang comprising of him, Adriane, Redmond and Sabrina. Although, to be more fair, I suppose the real thing to blame is the entity that causes all of this to happen, whether that’s God or not, is open for argument.

These four people descend upon this peaceful cabin and family like a nightmare. They’re each toting seriously twisted handmade weapons. Leonard seems to be the calm voice of reason among them; he seems to truly care about Wen and he’s devastated that he has to do something so heinous. Once they have access to the cabin, Leonard again takes control in everything that comes afterwards, until the accident that shatters his resolve completely.

This man is dangerous because he so firmly believes he’s doing the right thing. He knows the things he’s doing are terrible, he even throws up at one point, but he still goes ahead and does them because he’s sure that in the long run, he’s doing what needs to happen.

It’s an impossible position to be in, and as the story progresses, Leonard becomes less of a crazy fanatic, as you see the possible truth behind what he’s saying. Even if he’s wrong, this is a good man trying to do his best. It’s so messed up that he’s the villain, but this is a messed up book. 9/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

The Midnight Lie

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Midnight Lie

by Marie Rutkoski

Synopsis: Nirrim lives in the enclosed section of her city reserved for the lowly half-kith. She spends her days working hard and trying not to dream of a better life, of colours, or of things for those better than she is. When she meets a mysterious stranger from a different land, she begins to let her dreams and hopes free. It’s a caste system fantasy.

The Good:

1) Sid took me a little by surprise at the beginning of the book. I didn’t read anything about the story before hand so I wasn’t spoiled for surprise. I was as shocked as Nirrim.
2) A nice heart-felt lesbian romance. There’s a few false starts, a few crossed wires, and then some seriously delicious romance. There’s also a believable amount of insurmountable odds stacked against them.
3) The mythology and world building were interesting. I’m left feeling like I’d want to know more about that.
4) The ending was exciting.

The Bad:

1) I really didn’t click with the writing style. The short sentences left me feeling like I was reading a children’s book, and I didn’t sense any emotion in the entire book.
2) I found it really hard to connect to the characters. I didn’t really like any of them, with the exception of Sid.
3) It all seemed a little cliched and obvious to me. I feel like I’ve read similar stories to this a thousand times, and while I usually enjoy the caste system trope, I didn’t find anything original to hold my interest with this one.

Conclusion: I know this author is a fan favourite, but this is my first time reading her and I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I think this is more a case of my fault that the books. I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment I knew I wouldn’t like it, but something just seemed off for the entire read. I nearly DNF’ed, if I’m honest. The story seemed fine. The writing seemed okay. I just didn’t like it. Personal opinion, I guess.

Villain Rating

I suppose the Lord Protector should be the main villain of this book, but I’m going to choose Raven instead. She just strikes me more of a truly evil person, somehow, and we didn’t get enough time with the Lord Protector to make a good analysis.

Raven is the woman who adopted Nirrim from the orphanage and raised her like a servant/daughter. Nirrim is ridiculously grateful to her and doesn’t see the controlling abuse that happens. Raven gets mad over little things and hurts the girls in her care, before apologizing and promising it won’t happen again. Typical emotional abuse.

As the story progresses and we learn more and more about Raven, we find she’s nowhere near a nice as she paints herself. She spends her time having Nirrim forge passports and then charging people their life savings for them. She never puts herself in danger, and spends lots of time gallivanting around the Middling sector where she has a lovely house.

This woman stole a baby from its mother because she wanted her to carry on working for her. It turns out she’s Nirrim’s biological aunt, but never told her anything about that, or about her past. This woman is only out for herself and what she can get from the world. A real monster. 6/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

House of Earth and Blood

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

House of Earth and Blood

by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis: A murder mystery with a difference. Bryce is a half Fae living in a city that’s populated with every kind of creature you can imagine, from shifters to witches to angels to mer. When a series of murders rock her world she’s given the opportunity to try and solve the crimes, unaware that the closer she gets to the truth, the more danger everyone she’s ever loved is in. It’s a beautiful urban fantasy with so much pure storytelling that it’s hard not to love.

The Good:

1) A plot that kept me interested from start to finish. It was enthralling and brilliantly composed. I loved every second. The whodunnit atmosphere was perfect.
2) Twists and turns galore. I never saw a lot of things coming. At one point I had to put the book down to deal with my shock. I think I needed a Hot Cocoa to get over it.
3) The characters were incredible. I really felt the heartache and pain that Bryce was in. Grief, Depression and PTSD are written perfectly into this story in a way that was sensitive but hard-hitting and difficult to read on an emotional level.
4) Steamy hot scenes. Need I say more?
5) The need to know more. In 803 pages I feel like I’m barely scratched the surface of how much I want to know about this world. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

The Bad:

1) If you’re not a fan of Sarah J. Maas’s other books, you’re not going to like this. It’s a simple case of write what you know. This is very similar to all the other book Maas has written. We have males and mates all over the place. I kind of like it, but there are plenty that don’t.
2) There was one instance I didn’t like where Bryce was incredibly negative about some sort of creature called a Hoptoad. Apparently this species are known for eating smaller creatures like sprites, but I feel like Bryce condemned the entire species on an assumption. In a city where all the creatures are imbued with unnatural intelligence, this is tantamount to racism. Okay, okay, I’m being super persnickety, but there’s really not a lot to pick apart in this glorious book.
3) I think Bryce might have forgiven Hunt too easily. Just saying…

Conclusion: Loved it, loved it, loved it. I really enjoy Sarah J. Maas’s writing style and the way her characters become people you care about. I can’t wait for the sequel to be released. I think Bryce might be one of my new favourite characters.

Villain Rating

Huge, Huge, Huge Spoiler Warnings Ahead!!! I know the picture has nothing to do with the villain here, I didn’t want to give anything away, but doesn’t it remind you of Syrinx?

We start off thinking the Kristallos demon is the baddie here, probably summoned by someone with some nefarious scheme in mind. But, it turns out this demon is just a byproduct of what’s really happening, and certainly isn’t responsible for the murders of Danika and the Pack.

Finally, we discover our villain is none other than Micah, the archangel that asked Bryce to investigate in the first place. Turns out he was looking for an incredibly powerful artifact that Danika had hidden from him and believed that Bryce would be able to find through her history with the wolf.

His plot was to open portals to Hel and let the demons come through. He wanted the power that would grant him, so he could lord over every other being in Midgard. In other words, this guy is smart, cool, cruel and bad news. He even tries to kill Syrinx! How could he? For a brief interval, I thought he might be a potential love interest if Hunt turned out to be a alphahole, but he turned out deliciously evil. 9/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

The Shadows Between Us

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Shadows Between Us

by Tricia Levenseller

Synopsis: Alessandra is not a good girl. She has a plan. Woo the Shadow King, marry him, then kill him and take the kingdom for herself. This is a book in which the main character is very much a villain in her own right. It’s full of court intrigue, romance and evil deeds. The Shadow King has the power to call shadows to his aid. This isn’t going to be an easy plan to carry out.

The Good:

1) I loved this book. The flow of the writing was perfect and the plot was fun and interesting. There was never a dull moment and I couldn’t put it down.
2) Alessandra is a fantastic character. She’s highly complicated, very independent and willing to take the kind of risks most of us only dream of. She’s not a girl trying to do the right thing, but rather, she’s a girl trying to get everything. Beautifully written.
3) The romance was slow building and steamy. It was great to see it blossom into something you’re really rooting for by the end of the book.
4) All the other stuff going on makes for some fun little story arcs. There’s a masked vigilante, a murderer within the castle, an assassin, and various other little love stories, too.
5) Demodocus. What book can’t be made better by the inclusion of a big, useless-but-loyal dog?

The Bad:

1) Page 301. This page focuses on Alessandra telling a couple of her lady friends that their body is theirs. She tells them to wait until they are ready before giving themselves to a man. It’s very empowering. But then, a few sentences later, they all start calling a man ungrateful after he refuses to sleep with one of them until they’re married. I can’t believe the double-standard. It didn’t sit right with me at all. Men have just as much right to decide what they do with their bodies as women.
2) The masked vigilante was a bit pointless. The book would have been exactly the same if the vigilante was omitted completely. This story arc just seemed like a bit of a filler.
3) I would have liked to see more interaction with Alessandra’s family. Her sister is quite a piece of work, but we don’t get to see her directly at all. I think that could have been a fun dynamic.

Conclusion: I loved this book. I’m actually disappointed it was a standalone because I would the hell out of a sequel here. I love books set at court, where people don’t say exactly what they mean and the colour of dresses is the most important decision some people make all day. These sorts of books are my guilty pleasures. But this one knocked it out of the ball park. I absolutely loved it.

Villain Rating

Huge, Huge, Huge Spoiler Warnings Ahead!!! While I had my suspicions, they weren’t confirmed until the end of the book, and I really didn’t see the major twist coming, which is always a nice surprise.

So, it turns out that our villain is none other than Leandros, one of the kings closest friends. Or rather, Xanthos, the kings brother! Dun, dun, duuuuun! Turns out that Xanthos is the eldest brother but he didn’t inherit the Shadows, this disappointed his father who had him beaten and left for dead, preferring to give the throne to Kallias.

When Xanthos was rescued, he returned to the castle in a disguise and murdered the king and queen in cold blood. Can’t really blame him really. Since then he’s been working on getting close enough to Kallias to kill him. That, and steal everything from him, including Alessandra.

He’s a great villain. He’s cheerful and fun to be around, very handsome and full to the brim with romance. It’s a real surprise to find out he could be such a bad guy. Or it he, really? I mean, sure he killed his parents, but they tried to kill him first. And isn’t the throne his by rights as the eldest? With Alessandra and Kallias both being pretty villainous themselves, it could be Xanthos that was the good guy after all. 7/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

The Beautiful

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Beautiful

by Renée Ahdieh

Synopsis: Celine is looking to make a new life for herself in 1872 New Orleans, after her life in Paris was destroyed. Staying at a convent, she feels and smothered by all the rules for a woman to follow. It doesn’t take long before a series of gruesome murders takes a sharp turn in Celine’s direction. Seeking help from a group of inhumanly beautiful people, she finds herself thrust into an underworld full of danger and age old vengeance. Vampires for the win!

The Good:

1) Honestly, the murder mystery kept me guessing all the way through. There were plenty of red herrings and subtle clues to confound everything you’re guessing. I had no idea who the villain would turn out to be.
2) Celine. I really liked her character. She’s strong without being completely separated from what it meant to be a woman in her era. She flaunts the rules, but still bends when she has to. She’s perfectly in control of her emotions, and her bravely is perfection.
3) The vampires and other underworld creatures were done very nicely. They’re not exactly sparkly, but not exactly Nosferatu either. Instead, we’re dealt a hand of gorgeous Interview with a Vampire types.

The Bad:

1) There’s a section of the book—the bit with Marin—that was more than just a nod to Interview with a Vampire, instead it was a carbon copy of the death of Claudia and Madeleine.
2) The written clues by the bodies were a little esoteric. I’ve done my research and honestly thought they were leading in a different direction, but what the hell. It’s one thing to keep a reader guessing with twists and turns, but it’s another to make the clues so difficult as to be irrelevant.
3) Slightly disappointed with the ending, but I suppose that’s because there’s a sequel coming out soon.
4) The French and Spanish that’s woven through the book doesn’t always have an explanation of the meaning. I speak neither of those languages and was sometimes drawn out of the story to look up what was going on.

Conclusion: I didn’t have much hope going into this book. Vampires can be very hit or miss in literature, plus I’d already read two of Ahdieh‘s books before and found them underwhelming, however, I’m delighted to report that I really enjoyed this one. It’s well written and fun to try and work out the killer. I’ve heard some people saying that it wouldn’t make a difference if it was set in 1872 or nowadays, but I didn’t find that at all. The period backdrop to the story really set the scene for me.

Villain Rating

Huge, Huge, Huge Spoiler Warnings Ahead!!! This book kept me guessing from start to finish. I think for a while I’ve honestly thought about every character as the villain. I even entertained the thought of Odette being the mastermind behind everything.

In reality, the villain turns out to be none other than Bastien’s sister, Émilie. She’s the reason that Bastien has such pain in his past. His mother and sister are supposedly dead, so it’s a real surprise to find her alive in the end. The reason she’s become evil is because Bastien’s uncle wouldn’t grant her immortality when she was dying, instead opting to just let her go.

Instead, it appears the werewolves have granted her eternal life and she’s pledged her loyalty to them. The book manages to throw you off the scent (werewolf humor!) by convincing you that the killer is male. This is true, it’s just that Émilie has someone working for her.

She’s an interesting character with complicated reasons to exact revenge on a species that she deems turned its back on her. It was great to get some POVs with the villain, which gave us an insight into how her mind works. I’m investing in knowing more about this mysterious woman. 7/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

The Starless Sea

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Starless Sea

by Erin Morgenstern

Synopsis: I have never read anything even remotely similar to this book before. It’s an astounding piece of writing. The book starts off with lots of little stories, and one main story that seems to link them all together, but then everything starts linking up and becomes just one big story full of magic and myth and danger and wonder. Essentially, the book is about a huge library for storing stories, but it’s so much more than that. The best way I can describe it is a series of melodic melancholy moments.

The Good:

1) This book speaks to a readers soul. I want to live on the Starless Sea so much I could cry. It feels like it should be real, and it feels like we, the readers, all belong there.
2) The small stories that slowly build into something much grander and done so well. They’re beautiful and sad and perfect.
3) The mystery of everything. This book keeps its secrets close to its chest. There’s no guessing what’s going to happen, just sitting back and letting the story take you on a ride.
4) The way magic and myth and interwoven with the very ordinary life going on in the real world. It all just seems so realistic. Almost like it could all be happening somewhere far away. I’m just waiting for my door to appear.
5) The Kitchen.

The Bad:

1) With so much going on, and a lot of that being metaphorical, it’s very easy to get confused and lost with what’s happening in the story. I’m normally pretty good with this kind of thing, but even I had to reread some sections before I got the allegory

Conclusion: This was like reading a work of art. It’s not going to be for everyone. It’s heavy in metaphor and surrealism, but it’s also absolutely stunning. I’d like to frame this whole story and stare at it for hours. It was perfect.

Villain Rating

There’s really only one villain to pick from in this book—Allegra Cavallo. This woman is how villains are supposed to be written. She’s clever, ruthless, and truly believes she’s doing the right thing, which is what makes her so good.

Allegra is a painter. She lives in the harbor of the Starless Sea. She loves the library, so she decides to follow the path that turns her into an acolyte. Usually, acolytes give up their tongue or speak in honor of their vows, but Allegra chooses to give up her sight.

The result is that one of Allegra’s eyes is able to see everything about the story, including how it will end. In an endeavor to prevent the the inevitable destruction of the harbor, she decides to seal off the library from the world and destroy all the doors leading there.

She’s willing to kidnap, threaten and maim in her pursuit to keep her secrets, but what she really wants is to preserve things exactly as they are. Her wickedness and villainy comes from her desire to protect and serve. It’s a very complication reasoning and I loved it. She’s also got style, and some great scenes. I would have preferred more of a showdown. 7/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

The Grace Year

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

The Grace Year

by Kim Liggett

Synopsis: When girls reach the age of sixteen they are banished from their town for a full year to fend for themselves. The girls are rounded up and put into a run down, half destroyed encampment. Outside the fence there are hunters. These men are tasked with hunting, killing and skinning any girls that step outside their compound. The dead girls parts are then sold, because Grace Year Girls have magic in their bodies, and magic is worth a lot of money. It’s like a cross between The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies.

The Good:

1) The world building is fantastic. Their world is reduced to the county, the area around it, and the forest where the Grace Year takes place. Anything further is the subject of speculation. But the area we do have is wonderfully described. It’s a patriarchal society of the most extreme. Women can be murdered for next to no reason at all. There’s a real sense of danger all the time. It’s very well written.
2) The slow group hysteria that begins to take hold of the girls is perfect.
3) All the girls have distinct personalities and mannerisms. With so many girls it’s easy to start forgetting who’s who, but I didn’t have that problem here. They were all individual.
4) I liked the way the book ended. There were no clear cut solutions. No happy endings. Just a seed of rebellion that could, given time, eventually flourish into something better. Or it could get snuffed out just as easily.
5) The sheer amount of time it took Tierney to recover from her injuries. I fully expected her to be back on her feet in days, like most YA novels, but after her near death encounter, she took weeks to heal and feel strong enough to move around again. Very realistic.

The Bad:

1) In a book that talks about women and their powers, their magic that makes men afraid, it’s a shame that Tierney had to rely on men so many times. Without outside help, Tierney would never have survived her Grace Year. I’m sure this is done purposefully, but to me it seemed like proving a woman can’t go it alone.
2) The love she manages to develop for her husband in the end. This is a man who has banished a child to a life of prostitution, and will undoubtedly do many more terrible things over the course of his lifetime. But we’re supposed to forgive him all that because he makes one grand gesture. Didn’t like it.

Conclusion: I 100% adored this book. It’s beautifully written and I devoured it happily. There are some powerful messages here, but there’s also a wonder story filled with danger, forgiveness, passion and hope. I had an amazing time reading it.

Villain Rating

There are quite a few villains in this book. The poachers that kill and skin the girls, making it last longer so their magic is more potent. The men from the county who condemn the girls to this challenge in the first place. But I’m going to focus on Kiersten.

This girl is as much a victim in this book as anyone, but she comes with a terrible attitude. She’s initially jealous that Tierney has managed to win the husband she was after, but after Tierney seems to undermine her at every move, the threats become dangerous and more and more personal.

Kiersten, as well as most of the other girls, is drinking well water that’s been poisoned with hemlock. She truly believes in the magical powers the men have indoctrinated her as normal. She’s really just a frightened young girl who wanted better.

She’s the ringleader of punishing the girls, and she can be cruel and unforgiving. She’s happy to maim and dismember her fellow, as well as throw the injured and dead outside the gates for the men to skin. I really liked her character. She’s so very complicated, because she’s not evil. She’s just a kid trying to follow the rules she’s always been taught, and survive. 8/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

Infinity Son

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

Infinity Son

by Adam Silvera

Synopsis: An urban fantasy with superheroes and villains who have powers drawn from the life blood of living creatures. We follow Emil and his brother, Brighton, as they pulled further and deeper into a war that’s been raging for a very long time. With a multitude of different powers, and a full cast of interesting characters, this is an action filled story about what people are willing to do in pursuit of power.

The Good:

1) Emil, as the main character, really grew throughout the story. He starts off without much ambition and with no confidence in himself. Slowly, we see him start to take on more responsibilities as he’s forced to grow up fast. It’s nice to see such good character development.
2) The worldbuilding, and lore behind it, was explained nicely, and with so many different powers, it really makes you wonder what your own would be if you were in this story.
3) I liked that every character seemed to have their own story arc. Everyone has a history that reflects in the way they act and the choices they make. Maribelle is a beautiful example of this.
4) The way the lines between good and bad are blurred is very well done. Some of those who were heroes in this story will undoubtedly become villains in the sequel, and vice versa.

The Bad:

1) I didn’t think there was much imagination put into the range of superpowers available. Flight, shapeshifting, fire, electricity, wind. These are all powers that we’ve seen before on other platforms. The most interesting powers were granted by the blood magic, but even then they weren’t exactly inspired. I would have liked to see some powers I’ve never heard of before.
2) There was a lot of info-dumping towards the beginning of the book. When Emil is giving a tour of the museum, it’s just so obvious to see that this is a place to dump backstory on us.
3) I really didn’t bond with any of the characters. It was nice to see Emil grow, but I wasn’t particularly rooting for him in any way. Everyone has annoying or terrible traits.

Conclusion: This wasn’t a bad book, but I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I should have. I’m not the biggest fan of reading about powers, but that in itself isn’t what really put me off. I think I just wasn’t able to form any attachment to the people or the cause. I didn’t really care what happened. I doubt I’ll be continuing the series.

Villain Rating

Luna is a powerful old woman who controls the Blood Casters. She has some very powerful people working for her, including someone who can poison like a basilisk, a shapechanger and a girl who’s been spliced with ghost blood (because that’s a thing apparently).

Despite all these powerful people surrounding her, Luna is a human. Her nefarious plan is to mix hydra, ghost and phoenix together and create a potion that will turn her immortal. The main problem here is that I just don’t understand why these people with power would work for her in the first place. She’s cruel, murderous and conniving. I don’t get how or why she acquired the power she seems to have.

Luna rarely does her own dirty work, but we know she killed her own parents and then raised their ghosts to slaughter again. Other than that, most of her evil deeds are done by her minions. I guess I’ll never understand their loyalty, though. 5/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

Woven in Moonlight

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

Woven in Moonlight

by Isabel Ibañez

Synopsis: Ximena has been trained to become the Condesa’s decoy. When the king of their enemy demands the Condesa marry him, Ximena takes her place to glean secrets that could put her people back on the throne. Little does she know that there are two sides to every story. The king might be evil, but his people most definitely aren’t.

The Good:

1) I really enjoyed the setting. This book is set in a luxurious Bolivian past with jungles, temples, lakes and astounding attention to detail with all of them. It really feels as though you’re transported to another place and time.
2) Ximena has a beautiful magical power. She can weave animals that come to life. I loved the unique idea of this. Who wouldn’t want a cute woolen anaconda as their very own?
3) The politics are very well written. It’s easy to see that there are two sides, both with hurt and grievances in their past. The message that both sides have a story to tell is well received.

The Bad:

1) Because this book is set in Bolivia, a lot of the writing includes Spanish. This is awesome, but there’s often no translation for what’s said. I found myself translating a lot of it, which took some time away from the story. There is a glossary at the back, but I had no idea it was there until I’d finished the book. Who skips straight to the back?
2) The story line was good, but incredibly cliched and obvious. That’s no always a bad thing, it usually means the author has put plenty of groundwork and clues in the text, but in this case I could tell who El Lobo was from the first second I saw him, and the continuing is it, or isn’t it, was eyeroll material.

Conclusion: The book wrapped up nicely on it’s own, but there’s still plenty of room for the sequel. I will probably give the next book a read too, because I’m looking forward to exploring the jungle aspect a little more thoroughly. The book is entertaining, quick to read and colourful. I enjoyed it.

Villain Rating

King Atoc is a truly villainous bad guy. He became king by using a magical artifact that allowed him to control an army of ghosts. Then he turned all the farmland into a place to grow a drug. Soon enough, nearly everyone in his kingdom is either in great poverty, or addicted to the drug.

He’s also an abusive scumbag. He’s quick to tell Ximena that his first wife, a child compared to him, died because she couldn’t bear him a son. He killed her. He then punches Ximena and smacks her around. He’s a complete tyrant and demands that nobody ever answer him back in any sense. He’s also planning on sacrificing his own sister.

Unfortunately, there’s zero charisma with this guy. He’s just bad, through and through. The best villains have something to make you love them, but this guy is hated all the way. Still, he is a good villain. 7/10

Happy Reading,

Claire

1Q84

!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, I give away some key spoilers!

1Q84

by Haruki Murakami

Synopsis: Aomame and Tengo are somehow transported to another world, where there are two moons in the sky, and Little People cause big problems. Both of them get caught up in a plot that involves a religious order and some seriously strange things start to happen.

The Good:

1) The character development is what I’m here for. I feel as though I’ve known Aomame and Tengo for years. I’ve grown so attached to them that I’m tempted to just start over and read it from the beginning again.
2) There are so many mysteries in this book. Some of them are answered, but others are left up to speculation. It’s beautiful to watch things click into place as you’re reading along, and there’s never a dull moment, there’s always something going on to make you turn another page.
3) The fantastical elements are done in such a way that they’re eerie. This world is just like ours, except when it isn’t, and those spots are so jarringly supernatural that they’re creepy. I loved the elements with the Little People.
4) The sheer detail put into this book is astounding. Sometimes it feels like everything is getting a little over-explained, but honestly, I really liked that.
5) Fuka-Eri. She was just awesome.
6) The Cat Town story.
7) Chekhov’s Gun.

The Bad:

1) There is a LOT that was left unexplained. In some instances, that was probably for the best, but in others I would have liked to know a bit more. What were the Little People doing? Why? What happened to Fuka-Eri? What happened to Sakigake?
2) I realize this book is set in another culture, and another time (1985), but there are a lot of things that fall a little below the belt when it comes to women. There are some pretty outdated ideas. There’s a lot of pretty emotionless sex in these pages, too. Sex is described a lot, but there’s never any depth to it. It’s there for its own sake and rarely to move the story along.
3) There’s some sexual abuse of minors mentioned in the story, and then the man responsible is given a sort of supernatural excuse for why he did it. I think that was terrible. Whenever there’s abuse of children, there should be no excuse. (And don’t come at me with the whole ‘They weren’t real’ argument, Tsubasa had horrific injuries that were described real enough.)
4) There’s a lot of useless information buried in with the good stuff. I enjoyed reading it immensely, but if there were several chapters missing from each book, I don’t think it would make too much of a difference.

Conclusion: It took me sixteen days to wade myself through these three books and it was worth every second. This was my first foray into Murakami’s works (I know, ambitious or what?), but I’ll definitely be reading some more of his things. I had a great time. These books are not going to be for everyone, but they’re bloody brilliant.

Villain Rating

The Little People are something of an enigma. We never actually find out what it is they’re doing, or what they hope to accomplish. Apparently, they’ve been around for a very, very long and are sometimes believed to be the voice of god.

They make these objects called an Air Chrysalis which is sort of like an incubation chamber for a doll. The doll is like an imitation of a person. They enter the world through special gateways, usually through the mouth of a dead or sleeping creature or person.

These creatures orchestrate a lot of things from behind the scenes, but they also cause unforgivable amounts of pain and hardships. Make no mistake, these things are evil. I’m just disappointed that we didn’t see more of them and unfurl the true reason for their awful deeds. 6/10

Happy Reading,

Claire