NaNoWriMo

Hey guys, I realize that things have been pretty quiet around here for a while. It's because I've been really busy with National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo. If you don't know what that is, it's where you write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. That's about 1,667 words every day.

So yeah. I haven't had much time to read recently, which really sucks. I'll try to get at least one review up this month, but things will be back to normal come December!

Thanks for understanding.

Book Review: Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

This book did many things right and only a few things wrong.

Natalie, the narrator of this book, is mute. That's right. The main character of this story cannot communicate with others without writing everything down unless they know sign language. This in itself caught my attention from the very beginning - how many fantasy romance novels are being written nowadays with a mute character?

The male love interest, Lord Denbury, is not your typical man. He's been trapped in a panting by a demon, and only Natalie has the power to travel between the real world and the world of his painting. When the demon that trapped Lord Denbury there begins to commit nightly murders, it's up to Natalie, Denbury, and a few friends to stop it.

The plot itself is quite original, unlike anything I've ever read before, which was a lovely change. The characters were all different, nicely 'painted' into this book. From the wise old Mrs. Northe to the chatty Maggie, all of the characters drew my attention.

Unfortunately, there were a few big questions that I still had after finishing the book - namely, why Denbury? A rather short explanation was given, but I was not at all satisfied with that. It seems to me that if you're going to shove someone into a painting and then use their possessed body to murder people, you should have a stronger reason for it than what is given in this book.

I would still recommend it though, to anyone who enjoys a quick and interesting read.

Book Review: The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

In its most basic form, this was a Christian retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast'.

Annabel's family used to be wealthy, but when her father died they lost everything. After shirking word duties for three years, her family is forced to either let their house be taken away or to give up one of the children to be an indentured servant to the new Lord in town. Lord Ranulf is 'beastly', scarred both physically and emotionally. Though this alone would not be ideal, the situation is worse because as a lowly indentured servant, Annabel is even more prone to the unwanted advanced of Tom the bailiff. Though Annabel strongly believes that her place is in a nunnery, throughout this novel both Annabel and Ranulf fight with themselves in order to discover what plans God truly has for them.

I think that my favorite parts of this book were the details given about the daily life in these times (1352), as well as the fact that the main girl character was not throwing herself at the man - in fact, she was terrified to be with ANY man. It was a refreshing look on relationships.

Unfortunately, though it was overall an enjoyable read, it was lacking in several areas.

First of all, many of the characters were rather flat and unfinished. Annabel's family (though I strongly hated them all) were rather weak. They were all selfish, with one of her brothers trying to force her into marrying Tom, and the other always making up illnesses to prove he was too weak to work. Though I understand the characterizations, it was hard to believe that anyone could be THAT nasty and selfish.

Second, there was a love triangle in this book that really didn't need to be there. Gilbert really confused me from the get-go - he decides Annabel should be an appropriate wife for him just because his son says so (after only five minutes with her, even)? I feel as though Gilbert's entire character could have been taken out of this novel without the reader missing anything (though I have to admit, his son was adorable).

All of this said, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who isn't religious. There are no religious 'undertones' - everything is an overtone. Just a warning. 

Book Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Mmkay. I'll try to say something about the good parts of this book.

Most of the characters were well-written and well-rounded. It seemed as though every one of the named characters had a distinct personality, and that was really well done. I easily hated some of them and loved the others. If Bram wasn't a dead and decaying zombie, I'd fall in love with him too.

And honestly, that's about all I liked about this book.

The worldbuilding: This could have been amazing. The problem is, I just couldn't believe it enough. It's not enough just to set Victorian society in the future and throw in some fancy gizmos. It's really not. Plus, it's hard for me to see society regressing so much that women completely decide to lose many of their rights and the only thing they live for is marrying up and going higher within the class ranking system.

The zombies: I've never read a zombie book before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I think it started off well enough - creepy zombies, main girl character is completely freaked out, etcetc. But by the end of the novel (actually, in about a day or two) she had gone to being made-over by a zombie girl and being protected by a zombie boy.

The romance: Okay. I'm a sucker for a cute romance story. But I cannot get over the fact that Nora is falling in love with what the book calls a 'dashing zombie'. One: There were scenes in this reminiscent of Twilight, with Bram (the zombie) declaring how dangerous it would be for them to get together. He isn't human! He's a zombie, with a five year life span. But no. It's a book, and Nora is trying to find true love. I just can't, okay? >>

The POV: I think this book is written from a total of five POVs, only two which were completely necessary. It was absolutely ridiculous how confused I'd get at times because I hadn't been paying close enough attention to who was saying what. Pamela was an interesting character, but she wasn't really needed. The villain got about two chapters it seemed, and they were completely unnecessary and the information gained from them would have been a lot better done some other way.

The phrase "naughty amusement" coupled with something about "demerits" made me cringe. I'm sorry, but that's not flirting. It's like a line from...well, yeah. >_<

All in all, I think this book could have been written better, but at the same time I don't think zombies will ever be my cup of tea.

Book Review: The White Zone by Carolyn Marsden

Carolyn Marsden's "The White Zone" does something that most children's books refuse to do. That is, it addresses heavy political and religious topics. Not just one or two, but several that children (and adults) have trouble understanding.


That being said, while I applaud the book for trying to actively address this topic (while still having that necessary moral about how people aren't that different on the inside), there are a few things that are wrong with it. First of all, I know my Sunni/Shiite knowledge is limited, and younger children will have even less knowledge unless they are part of that culture. It would be nice to have a small section detailing why there is so much fighting among the Sunni and the Shiites in order to allow the children to understand.


In fact, that's my biggest qualm about most of the book - a little more detail, a little more background, in order for younger children to really understand what is going on. Taking that into consideration, as well as brushing up some of the writing, I really think this book has the potential to be wonderful, and something that children will gain a lot out of by reading it.

Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

John Smith has probably lived in more places than you ever will in your life. Never staying longer than nine months in any one area, he and his Cêpan (think Keeper/Guardian) Henri have traveled all over the United States in search of small towns to live in- and for good reason. John is one of the six Loriens left on Earth… and the next in line to be killed.

I Am Number Four, written under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore, is just what it seems–the biography of Number Four, currently known as John Smith. John is one of the nine Loric children that were sent from Lorien to Earth with their Cêpans as the Mogadorians were destroying their planet. John does not know where the other nine children are or what they look like–all he knows is when one of the others have been murdered by the Mogadorians that have traveled to Earth to hunt these last few down. However, the children of Lorien do have an advantage over the Mogadorians–they can only be killed in order. If a Mogadorian tries to kill one of the children out of order (for example, killing Number Six before Number Five), they will end up dying instead. Yet this only works as long as the Loric children stay apart from one another. The minute they meet, the ‘charm’ is broken. The children know when the ones before them have died because of a circular scar that appears around their right ankle at the moment of death.

The third scar has appeared. Number Three has just been killed.

John is Number Four.

And this is where the story begins.

He and Henri quickly pack up and move out of their sunny town in Florida to Paradise, Ohio. Like always, John’s main goal is to remain invisible. Unfortunately for him, that doesn’t happen. From getting in a fight to falling for a girl, his first day at his new school leaves him about as conspicuous as you can get. The next few days are no better, with John developing his first Legacy*. Henri argues that they should move on, but this time John is firm–they’re staying in Paradise. With the Mogadorians actively searching for him, there’s only so much attention he can attract before these evil aliens start to close in…

From the get-go, I Am Number Four is an action-packed science fiction adventure that can be enjoyed by both genders, as well as a wide variety of ages- from about middle school on. It’s a nice easy read that can be finished in a day or two, and I’d recommend it for anyone who is willing to suspend disbelief for a little bit to be taken on a thrilling adventure.

That being said, there were a few things about this book that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I was wary from the beginning, because the prologue was written in present tense, a choice I tend not to agree with. Nevertheless, the use of present tense did add a sense of tension and suspense, two qualities that were evident throughout the whole story.

There were also several problems I had with the actual characters and the plot itself. For being the next person to die, John doesn’t seem too worried about not blending in. I understand that what he wants is a normal life, but there’s only so much you can do before the Mogadorians are going to find you.

Not only this, but he’s rather dense at times, especially when it comes to Bernie Kosar (a dog that he and Henri ‘adopt’ in Ohio). I just don’t comprehend how much John seemed to not notice, even though this entire time he was supposedly trying to stay alert and awake for any signs of something unusual.

The sequel, The Power of Six, was just released on August 23, 2011. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m excited to find out what’s going to happen to Number Four and the rest of the Loriens.

*Legacy – A special power; e.g. invisibility, telekinesis, etc.