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.