Review: Graveminder

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Pages: 324, hardcover

ISBN: 9780061826870

Publisher:William Morrow & Company

Date Released: May 17th, 2011

Genre: Adult / urban fantasy / paranormal / romance / horror / zombies

Source: library

Premise:

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn’t a funeral that Maylene didn’t attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words “Sleep well, and stay where I put you.”

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place—and the man—she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D—a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Buy it From: Book Depository / Amazon

Wow, talk about a ride! This was so much better than I'd expected it to be.
I'm not too much of a fan of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, but this was different. It still had the same gothic charm, but it had something more.

The story was fairly fantastic, always giving you just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's such an original concept, and I applaud Marr for making it work so damn well.

Another stellar thing about this book was the writing. When I'd said before that there was something more to this series, I meant it. Within the writing, Marr beautifully demonstrates a constant feeling of claustrophobia and doubt. There are gothic elements, and one can't help but feel slightly on edge while reading, as if the undead might actually be real.
The world-building was the best thing about this book. The town of Claysville, with its slight utopian feel, can be something of a prison. It's hard to tell whether their utopia is real or just imagined; after all, they have the perfect lives: there is no such thing as disease in Claysville. But is it worth the price of the possible rise of the dead, of being tethered to the town for the rest of your natural born life, of not ever being able to know the truth of the town due to migraines and memory-loss? When you think about it like that, it seems less like a utopia, and more like a dystopia. Of course, I have to stress that this book is NOT dystopian, there are just elements of it.
Another part of the world building that was done magnificently was the land of the dead. It was a place that I wish we'd seen more of. The alternating histories, the splendid characters, and the twisted rules, it makes it a place I'd like to visit.

I disliked, though, the main characters, especially Rebekkah. She was an unsympathetic character, constantly changing her mind regarding Byron. Every time it shifted to her POV, I was just like MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND, WOMAN! The way she treats Byron, by just using him, and playing with his feelings like that, man, I felt sorry for the poor guy. I wanted him to get together with Amity.

I wished that there was more. It left a lot of unanswered questions. Will there be a sequel? Does anybody know? If there is, I will just die from happiness.

10 Second Review: Fantastic world-building, with crappy main characters. Brings a whole new spin to zombies. Worth the read.

Cover Art: 4
Plot: 5
Characters: 3
Writing: 4
Level of Interest: 4

Total Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Review: Earl of Darkness

Earl of Darkness by Alix Rickloff

Pages: 341, paperback ( + sample of next book in series)

ISBN: 9781439170366

Publisher: Pocket Books

Release Date: December 28th, 2010

Genre: paranormal / historical / romance

Source: library

Premise:

The magic she tries to hide . . .

Born a lady, but reduced to surviving in the slums of Dublin, Catriona O’Connell has been hired to steal a mysterious book from Aidan Douglas, Earl of Kilronan. But Cat is secretly Other, an age-old mixture of Fey and human—something Aidan recognizes immediately when he surprises the lovely young burglar in his library, about to steal a magical diary.

. . . is the magic he desperately wants.

From the moment Aidan sees her, Cat’s spirited beauty enchants him, but her uncanny abilities are what he truly needs, for Cat can understand the mystical language in the diary he inherited from his murdered father. So Aidan makes an offer: translate the book or be thrown in prison as a thief. And as Cat slowly deciphers each page, she and Aidan are drawn together by passion . . . and into the violence of the Other world that is the Kilronan legacy. Can they defeat those who seek the book, or are their lives in even greater danger than their hearts?
(Taken from Goodreads)

Buy it From: Book Depository / Amazon


The premise sounded so interesting, that I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and start reading. And it's a really good book, just as the premise promises.

Right off the bat, there's action and intrigue. In the first chapter alone, we find out so much about the characters, Cat and Aiden. This book is certainly not lacking in characterisation and building relationships. The chemistry is especially steamy. It's easy to understand why Cat and Aiden have such immediate feeling so each other, and it's even easier to want them to just jump each other already.

I don't know how I felt about the writing, on the one hand, I liked it, on the other, I disliked it.
I liked it because it was witty, hilarious. For example:

"I've found it!... And the last place I'd expected, under 'authors who died under mysterious circumstances."
... Aidan scanned the entry, his face hardening into grim lines. He looked up. "And you say this"--he flipped to the flyleaf then back to the proffered page--"Dudley Squires met a sticky end?"
Ahern nodded, his smile dimming. "Found dead in his bath."
"What's so mysterious about that?" Cat asked.
"He was fully dressed and missing his head."
 - pg 209-210

Now onto the bad part of the writing. There's just something about it that made me feel weird while reading it. Also, all these terms for magical things that are thrown about, with little to no explanation as to what they meant, it made things really confusing.
One thing that I felt restricted the pacing of the story was the sex. Now, I realise that this is paranormal/historical smut, but once they had sex for the first time, all the other times are lacking, and it feels like Rickloff just gave up trying to add any more chemistry and sexual tension between the two, and all other sexual situations felt boring.

The story is fairly fantastic, and definitely not lacking. It was filled with great world-building, and awesome, gripping plot.

10 Second Review: A satisfying blend of paranormal and historical romance, with plenty of plot, action, chemistry and wit.

Cover Art: 3
Plot: 4
Characters: 3
Writing: 2.5
Level of Interest: 4

Total Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: Lights Out in Wonderland

Lights Out In Wonderland by D.B.C. Pierre

Pages: 320, hardcover

ISBN: 9780571228904

Publisher: Faber and Faber

Release Date: September 2nd, 2010


Genre: literary / contemporary

Source: library


Premise:

Gabriel Brockwell, aesthete, poet, philosopher, disaffected twenty-something decadent, is thinking terminal. His philosophical enquiries, the abstractions he indulges, and how these relate to a life lived, all point in the same direction. His destination is Wonderland. The nature and style of the journey is all that's to be decided. Taking in London, Tokyo, Berlin and the Galapagos Islands, Lights Out In Wonderland documents Gabriel Brockwell's remarkable global odyssey. Committed to the pursuit of pleasure and in search of the Bacchanal to obliterate all previous parties, Gabriel's adventure takes in a spell in rehab, a near-death experience with fugu ovaries, a sexual encounter with an octopus, and finally an orgiastic feast in the bowels of Berlin's majestic Tempelhof Airport. Along the way we see a character disintegrate and re-shape before our eyes. Lights Out In Wonderland carries you through its many corridors of delight and horror on the back of Gabriel's voice, which is at once skeptical, idealistic, broken and optimistic. An allegorical banquet and a sly commentary on these End Times and the march towards insensate banality, DBC Pierre's third novel completes a loose trilogy of fictions, each of which stands alone as a joyful expression of the human spirit.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Buy it From: Book Depository / Amazon

This book is a DNF for me. I dropped it about 65 pages in, but even when I was a dozen pages in, I had felt the incredible urge to just put it down and never look at it again. So this review is my thoughts on the first 65 pages.

The main character, Gabriel, is, in short, a twat. He was placed in rehab by his father, and comments constantly about capitalism. You know how Chuck Palahniuk can be so deep, dark, and witty about materialism, consumerism, individuality, whatever? Pierre seems to try to imitate that, and does it poorly. For the most part, it's an anti-communist whine-fest. Every page had non-stop bitching about politics. I just thought it was a bit over-the-top. We don't need it shoved in our faces that capitalism is bad, and that capitalism ruins society and such. Subtlety is the key.


The story is basically Gabriel's adventures before he kills himself. But I find his reasons for wanting to kill himself to be a tad bit offensive and absurd. He doesn't really explain any reasons as to why he wants to end his life, except for the fact that we live in a capitalist society. Yep, he wants to kill himself because of capitalism.

The writing was so fantastic, which is a shame. Most of the time, I was drooling at how well Pierre strung his words together. Sadly, the beautiful writing wasn't enough for me to keep on reading.

I do, however, feel that I perhaps wasn't in the right mindset or some such to read this book, and will be trying it again in the future. If my opinions change, then I'll post up a review. We'll see.

10 Second Review: Beautiful writing, only to be tarnished by an anti-capitalist whine-fest. Dropped after 65 pages. Enter at your own risk.

Cover Art: 4
Plot: 1
Characters: 0
Writing: 3 (loses 2 marks for the political rants)
Level of Interest: 1

Total Rating: 2.5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (01) The Other Life

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

Publisher: Usborne

Release Date: February 1st, 2012

Premise: 

Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.

Does this not sound fantastic? I've been seeing this on the blog-sphere this past week, and I just need to showcase it, in case there's someone out there who hasn't seen it.
I love the premise, the cover, everything. I love zombie survival stories, so I'm expecting a lot from this book. And I feel that I won't be disappointed.

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish featuring a new top ten list each week. Everyone can participate- head on over to their blog and sign up.

Today's Top Ten Topic is a freebie, meaning you can choose whatever you want. I decided to make my topic be a sort of introductory post, so without further ado, I present, my top ten books EVER.

10. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - From the title, it doesn't sound like it'll be anything more than a trashy read, so I came into it with ridiculously low expectations. This book is unexpectedly deep, funny, moving, and written with some rather beautiful prose.

9. Eon / Eona by Alison Goodman - This is just a fantastic series. With rich prose, incredible, strong characters, and world-building that could be up there amongst Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This is a must read. Bonus points: It's written by an Aussie author.

8. anything by Chuck Palahniuk - Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I have a thing for weird (actually, I do). Or, maybe, Chuck Palahniuk is one damn good writer. If you can get over his usually fucked up concepts and twists, then his books are fantastic, but definitely on the mature side.

7. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor - As soon as I finished this book, I went out and bought myself a copy. Laini Taylor is a magnificent wordsmith; the words just flow like music. Coupled with her own awesome versions of different folk-lore, and you have yourself a winner.

6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman - When I first started reading this, I was like meh, but once I finished it, I literally could not get the characters out of my head. Even several months after reading it, I still can't forget the world, and the characters. It takes something really good to do that to me.

5. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - I love fairy-tale retellings, and I love dark, grim, weird things. Smush them all together, and you have The Book of Lost Things. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's eerily similar to the original fairy-tales, filled with violence.

4. Chime by Franny Billingsley - I posted my review for this book earlier today, but in case you haven't read it, I'll summarise it: a grim, morbidly weird original fairytale, with an unreliable narrator and ridiculously fantastic prose and world-building.

3. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest - I'm in love with Cherie Priest. If she ever decided to go on a lesbian rendezvous, I'll be the first in line. And all because of this book. It was the book that kindled my absolute love for steampunk. Read it now.

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - If you've read this book, then you'll understand why it's on this list. I love wonderful prose, and this book has got to have the best prose ever. My eyes began misting up during the prologue, that's how moving his words are. Added bonus: Another Aussie writer!

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Though the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - This has been my favourite book since I was a child. It's probably where I got my love for weird things from. It's influenced me more than I could say.

What are your favourite books? Any from this list? What do you think of the books I love? Feel free to comment below.

Review: Chime

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Pages: 368, hardcover

ISBN: 9780747583813

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Release Date: April 4th, 2011

Genre: YA / fantasy / romance

Source: library

Premise: 

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.
Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.
(Taken from Goodreads)

 Buy it From: Book Depository / Amazon


This story starts on a sombre and interesting note. The first two lines are:

"I've confessed to everything, and I'd like to be hanged. Now, if you please."

How could anyone not be sucked in with lines like that?

This book is weird, in both good and bad ways. I feel that this is one of those books that you either love or hate. If you're into weird, then this may be the one for you. The writing, and the eccentric characters may take some getting used to, though. I personally loved the weirdness. And it's not just weird for the sake of being weird. The weirdness actually makes sense, it's all explained in the book.

I loved Briony's character. She's an unreliable character, and I have to admit, I have a massive soft spot for unreliable characters.
She tries to convince the reader and herself that she is strong, that she doesn't need to depend on others, mentally and physically. She learns that it's alright to lean on others when times are hard. She learns to love herself and others, that she wasn't born evil. And it's this journey that's beautiful.

The writing is the most beautiful part of the book. It is so delicious, flows so well. It's a book lover's wet dream. Just like everything else in this book, the writing is weird, too. It has a very peculiar flavour that mightn't be appreciated by everyone, but is worth a try.

10 Second Review: A grim, weird, original fairytale that could be a hit or a miss.

Cover Art: 3
Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Writing:5
Level of Interest: 5

Total Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Pages: 352, paperback

ISBN: 9780857070951

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books

Date Released: March 3rd, 2011 (first published October 5th, 2010)

Genre: YA / horror / post-apocalyptic / zombies / romance

Source: library

Premise: 

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Buy it From: Book Depository / Amazon
This was a surprising read. It had so many fantastic elements to it, and I simply wasn't expecting it.

Benny Imura hates his brother, Tom, whom everyone loves and respects. Benny calls Tom a coward for running away while his mother was eaten alive by his father on First Night--the night the dead came back to life.
14 years after First Night, and civilization has rebuilt itself as best it can. They don't bother with electricity, thinking that it was because of technology that the zombies came after them.  They have old fashioned views, and some of them would rather not kill zombies because they still see them as a shell of what was once humanity--their lovers, brothers, sisters, parents, children, neighbors.

Tom Imura is a bounty hunter, who kills the zombies when their family members request it--a sort of closure thing. Benny thinks it's such a cool job, to be able to kill the zoms and be worshiped for it, but when Tom takes Benny on a hunting trip, Benny ends up wondering who the real monsters are: zoms or humans.

The relationship between Tom and Benny is obviously strained. The awkwardness, the tension between them, it's brilliant.Though I thought that Benny was being a stupid ass about things, I still loved his reasons behind why he hates Tom so vehemently.

The romance is sweet, though, there are subtle hints at a love triangle, which I'm hoping will be avoided in the next book. I like the way it panned out, without all that unnecessary drama. And, bonus points, the two actually too the time to get to know each other and help each other grow. Neither person was completely dependent on the person (for the most part, at least) and their personality didn't do a complete about-face once they professed their love.

This is the kind of zombie book that I love. In most other zombie books, the zoms are just a prop, used to create tension and angst. But here, they were integral to the characters growth, and to the plot.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Dust and Decay, which comes out later this month. Keep your eye out for a review near the release date.

10 Second Review: Think Catcher in the Rye with zombies. Love, angst, and lots of gore. Not for the faint of heart.

Cover Art: 3
Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Writing: 4
Level of Interest: 4

Total Rating: 4 stars