Review: Terciel and Elinor

Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Terciel is the Abhorsen-in-Waiting and is working closely with his great-aunt Tizanael, the current Abhorsen.  He is currently learning about necromancy to help the Dead rest.  When he becomes Abhorsen, his number one job will be to make sure the Dead do not come back to Life.  Elinor has always led a life apart from others.  She does have friends, but they work for the family and are much older than her.  With her mother’s death, she learns many secrets, including the truth that she is touched by magic.  Now she sets out to learn enough magic to cross the wall and enter the Old Kingdom.

 

Terciel and Elinor is the sixth book in The Old Kingdom series.  Although it is a prequel to the other books, this novel should be read after the others have been completed.  Readers will delight in discovering the backstory of Sabriel’s parents and the magic that brought them together.  Nix took a beloved world and crafted a wonderful story for fans.  This was a great escape read and I was delighted with the ending.

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Review: Gilded

Gilded by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Serilda loves to tell stories.  This has become such a natural part of who she is, sometimes she can’t help herself.  She has been warned that it will get her in trouble someday and that day has arrived.  To help some girls in need, Serilda tells a tale to the Erlking and his hunting party.  She thinks she is lucky, until the next full moon when she is captured and taken to the Erlking’s castle.  He commands her to spin straw into gold … or lose her life.  Serilda thinks her life has reached its end until a boy appears and offers to help her … if she can pay.  Serilda makes it out alive, but is her time in the castle over?  What will she learn about herself and her ability to tell tales?

 

Gilded is the first book in a new fantasy series.  This is a fairytale retelling, so there is some predictability in the story, yet Meyer has taken a well-known and beloved classic and made it relatable to a teenage audience.  This book is listed as part of a series (on Goodreads), yet the series title is still listed as “Untitled.”  When I got to the end of the book I could see why the story could be continued, but it may also be setting up for companion stories too.  I am excited and look forward to more books in this newest fantasy world.

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Review: Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight

Game On: Tempting Twenty-Eight by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie hears a strange person moving around her apartment in the middle of the night.  Once again, she wishes she had her gun nearby.  Stephanie discovers it is Diesel lurking around, but that doesn’t make her feel any better.   Now Stephanie and Diesel are trying to catch the same fugitive, Oswald Wednesday.  Diesel has mad apprehension skills on his side, but Stephanie has luck and a whole cohort of friends with their own odd skillset.  Will either person be able to catch Oswald?  What crazy and dangerous situations will Stephanie get herself into this time?

 

Game On is the twenty-eighth Stephanie Plum novel.  I am surprised every time I read a new book in this series.  Stephanie is not the only loveable character.  I’m laughing throughout the entire story as various people do crazy things.  Evanovich expanded on “the Burg” world and gave readers a whole new experience.  Game On is not a deep read, but that isn’t what devout fans want.  We want an escape from our ho-hum life and that is what this book gives us.

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Review: Better off Dead

Better off Dead by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reacher is always traveling.  Sometimes by bus and sometimes he is walking.  Today, he is traveling west on foot when he sees a single car crashed into a lonely tree.  The woman in the car looks injured, but she isn’t.  Michaela is an army veteran who became an FBI agent.  She believes her twin brother is involved with dangerous people and she is trying to find him or answers.  Reacher knows he is good at locating people, so he volunteers to assist her.  It seems that Dendoncker has everyone in his organization scared.  They are willing to die instead of risking his wrath.  Will Reacher be able to find the answers Michaela is looking for?

 

Better off Dead is the twenty-sixth Jack Reacher book and it is jammed pack with twists and turns to keep the reader going.  This story goes forward without giving any new tidbits about Reacher’s past, but that is OK because that means there were more words devoted to this new storyline.  Child always has big shoes to fill as he continues a saga that has spanned so many novels …how to keep Reacher fans happy without repeating stories?  Admirers of Jack Reader will enjoy this newest escape into the Reacherverse.  

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Review: Bad Girls Never Say Die

Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everyone considers Evie a bad girl.  Evie and her friends wear a lot of makeup and spend too much time with boys.  Even if they are bad, they take care of each other.  Evie’s world gets turned upside down when she is attacked and her rescuer is a good girl.  Is there really such a thing as a good girl and a bad girl?  What are the definitions of loyalty and friendship?

 

Bad Girls Never Say Die is a stand-alone realistic story with a historical fiction feel.  The story does take place in 1964, but I don’t believe it is historical fiction.  Mathieu has taken the storyline of The Outsiders and flipped it into the female perspective.  With that said, readers may want to read (or re-read) The Outsiders after this book just to enjoy the parallels … I know I am planning to do that next.  The storyline flows smoothly and the book ended way too soon.  I recommend this book as a thoughtful escape read whether you know anything about The Outsiders or not.

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Review: Any Sign of Life

Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Paige has just woken up and found herself attached to an IV.  She remembers getting sick and quickly learns that she has been unconcise for six days and that everyone is dead.  Paige was a strong athlete and uses her willpower to leave her home and find food and better shelter.  She discovers that she is not the only survivor, yet the world is not the same.  What caused this illness that had a nearly 100% death rate?  Will this small group of survivors be able to continue in this changed world?

 

Any Sign of Life is a stand-alone post-apocalyptic science fiction novel.  I have to start by writing that the first half of the book did drag.  I know that Carson had to give background and build-up to the reality she was presenting, but after reaching the crux of the story, I wished she hadn’t used so many pages.  The second half of the book kept me hooked and once I made it to the end … I was completely satisfied.  I recommend this book to hard-core post-apocalyptic fans, but if this is your first foray into this genre, please start with a different book.

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