Waterfall by Lisa T Bergren

Publisher: David C Cook

Source: Purchased

Publication Date: 01 February 2011

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN: 1434764338

Format: paperback

Pages: 369

Websites:

Lisa T Bergren - Official Site

Lisa T Bergren- Blog

Lisa T Bergren - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Siena, Italy // Tuscany, Italy (1342, Present Day)

Rating: 5 out of 5 star 

River of Time Series Order

Book 1: Waterfall

Book 2: Cascade

Book 3: Torrent

Book 3.5: Bourne (~February 2012)

Book 4: Tribitary (~2012)

First Line: We paused on our hike, panting and wiping our upper lips as our guide-the old Italian farmer who owned this land-chopped down a small spaling, clearing the overgrown trail.

I first heard about Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren from Deborah over at Books, Movies and Chinese Food who never failed to mention it when I was looking for book recommendations. Eventually she wore me down with her glowing recommendation of this series that I just had to buy it...and I was glad that I did. Because once I started I became lost in this story and found myself buying the second and third books before I was even half way done. 

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren contains within some of my favorite things in a book there is a little mystery, a little romance, dual time periods (although this one is mostly set in the 14th century), and its set in the middle ages. I adore the middle ages. I'm not sure what it is about that time period but I just have an odd fascination with it and so loved the history and pageantry found in this book. I also really liked the main characters of Gabby, Marcello and Luca. Though there were times when each would annoy me....mostly Gabby but they were minor quirks and ones easily overlooked. 

I loved how all the characters interacted and how Bergren was able to weave in the intricate histories of the books setting without coming across as dry and boring. The added in bits of history did nothing to distract from the story and only added to the richness of it. The only thing that really bugged me was how easy it was for Gabby and her sister to talk in 14th century Italian and to learn the various social morays of the time. It just seemed too quick and unrealistic for two modern day girls who didn't share there parents passion for history.  


Minor annoyances aside I really enjoyed this novel. I loved meeting all the various characters and seeing how they interacted. There were some relationships that developed that were predicable but again that didn't deflect from the story. Its not always about how a book will end but the journey the characters take in getting there. And Waterfall was filled with a wonderful journey and I am sorry that it took me so long to get to it. Waterfall is a beautiful story and I can't wait until I am able to get to reading the other books in this series to see what happens next. If you are looking for a fun book to take you out of reality for a couple of hours then look no further and give Waterfall a try. I think that it might surprise you.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima (Audio)

Publisher:  Recorded Books (Audio);  Hyperion Books for Children (Print)

Source: Purchased

Publication Date: 08 March 2010 (Audio);  19 Nov 2009 (Print)
Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:  B003BGEGWI (Audio), 1423118235 (Hardcover)

Format: Audio

Audio Length:  ? discs (~15 hrs)

Narrator: Carol Monda

Websites:

Cinda Williams Chima - Official Site

Cinda Williams Chima - Blog 

Cinda Williams Chima - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Queendom of the Fells // Marisa Pines // Fellsmarch

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Seven Realms Series Order

Book 1: The Demon King

Book 2: The Exiled Queen

Book 3: The Grey Wolf Throne

Book 4: The Crimson Crown (2012)

First Line: Han Alister squatted next to the steaming mud spring, praying that the thermal crust would hold his weight.

A few years back I attended my first Book Expo America and while there I picked up a book with a beautiful cover and intriguing title and when I saw that it was Fantasy I kinda fell in love. Then when I entered it into Goodreads I learned that it was Book 2 in a new series from Cinda Williams Chima. I then let out a little sigh and put it on my shelf and eventually remembered to buy the first book so that I could finally get to it. Since I've recently been on a bit of a fantasy kick I decided to revisit this series with the pretty covers and intriguing titles but couldn't find my copy of The Demon King anywhere....so I did what anyone would do...I went to the internet and downloaded the audio from my precious audible.com account. Because having a duplicate copy of a book in a different format is way different than having a duplicate in the same format...right? Or am I just a crazy book addict? Well, that's a discussion for another day...this is about a wonderful new world that I wish I'd discovered earlier.

In many ways, The Demon King is like most other fantasy books out there. Fantasy, like most genres, does have a particular formula about it. There is that special boy that no one really considers to be special until something extraordinary happens to catapult him into the spotlight. Then there is the dastardly villain and somewhere in the mix there is the token girl - sometimes she's a strong alpha character and others she's the princess in a tower waiting for rescue. In other ways, The Demon King breaks the mold in that the hero and heroine of the story don't really interact all that much. They aren't childhood friends and they aren't traveling companions....in fact they don't really like each other much when they first meet.


For the most part, I really enjoyed the world that Chima created with the Fells. I liked her villains and am curious to see where events will go after the set up in this first book. I am curious to see how the paths of all the characters we've come to know if this book will cross in the next one. And yes, the romantic in me is curious to see which boy Reisa will set her sights on because she has several options and she's not scared to explore them all to find that right person for her. Oh I have an inkling as to who she'll ultimately choose but I just love all the possibilities that Chima has set up.

What bugged me in this story was that there was a solid dual-POV perspective of story telling set up. There where scenes/chapters loosely divide up between Han and Reisa and while they weren't regularly divided it worked for the pacing of the story. Then about 1/2 way through the book we're tossed randomly into the head of a third character for no reason other than it made moving the plot along just a little easier and to me it came across as a bit of a cop out. Rather than try to find a way to use the two characters we'd come to know to get over a difficult patch we get this whole new person and it jolted me out of the story. I like the character of Eamon as a secondary character and seeing inside his head wasn't a horrible thing...but I just wish that this POV had been established from the start to keep the flow and consistency going from the start of the book all the way until the final chapter.

I fell in love with this world. I think listening to this one helped to really bring the world of Fellsmarch to life as the words in an audio seem to be infused with new meanings and power.  When someone reads a story to you, you are forced to slow down and really listen to the words. When you read a physical book you can speed over the words in that mad rush to find out what happens. But in an audio you are at the mercy of the narrator and while it can be frustrating sometimes to not be able to rush through. There is also a joy to be had in being forced to slow down and really become immersed in the world. The world in The Demon King is very rich and vivid and its one that I would highly recommend to be experienced in its audio form.

Whatever the form you prefer though this is a great book for anyone out there who loves a good fantasy. Yes, it does follow the formula but rather than be a stale retelling of some other story it takes the foundations set up and builds a strong story that is independent of its roots. The characters are all wonderful in their roles and I look forward to meeting them all again in The Exiled Queen. They are strong and weak and flawed and just so very human and relatable. The world is vividly constructed and while you are in the story you believe that it is real. And really, as a reader, isn't that what you long for in a book?

About the narrator
Carol Monda is a new narrator for me but she is one that enjoyed listening to. She was good with all the various voices, most of the time, and it was never hard to tell who was speaking when. Although there were times in  which the same voice was used for different people but fortunately it was never in the same scene so confusion was avoided. I enjoyed her narration so much that I am considering ignoring the print copy that I have of The Exiled Queen just to download and listen to her rendition of that book as well. To see how she brings that book to life....the only thing that is currently stopping me is how quickly my audio TBR pile is growing! I really need to take a really long road trip with someone who also like audios so that I can make a bigger dent in my pile!

The Book Without Words by Avi

Publisher: Hyperion

Source: Library

Publication Date: 01 Sept 2006

Series or Standalone: Standalone

ISBN: 0786816597

Format: ebook

Pages: 240

Websites:

Avi - Official Site

Avi - Blog

Avi - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Fulworth, England // Northumbria (1046)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First Line: It was in the year 1046, on a cold winter's night, when a fog, thick as wool and dank as a dead man's hand, crept up from the River Scrogg into the ancient town of Fulworth.

While browsing my libary's online catalog I was drawn to the cover and title of this book. I wasn't sure what to expect from it but what I got was a mediocre story. It was a short, quick read but other than that there wasn't all that much substance to the book. The story and the characters just all fell flat for me.

 Because there just wasn't much too this book writing a review of it is kind of difficult. None of the characters or the plot were very memorable and I think I only managed to finish it because it was so very short. I've read other books by Avi in the past and I had enjoyed them but this one, not so much.

I don't know. I think I'll just keep this one short and say it was just meh for me and not something that I can really recommend. Your time can be better spent on something else.

The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Source: Library

Publication Date: 04 May 2006

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:   0670060089

Format: ebook

Pages: 288

Websites:

Alane Ferguson - Official Site

Alane Ferguson - Blog

Alane Ferguson - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Silverton, Colorado // Durango, Colorado

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Forensics Mystery Series Order

Book 1: The Christopher Killer

Book 2: The Angel of Death
Book 3:  The Circle of Blood

Book 4: The Dying Breath

First Line: "Yes, I can be there in half an hour. Any idea of when he died?" Cameryn's father murmured into the telephone.

If you spend any amount of time with me then you soon learn that I love a good mystery. If its in a book, movie or the latest crime drama on tv then you can be sure that I'll be interested in it. So when looking through my libraries online catalog, The Christopher Killer's description really caught my eye.

The story started out good enough but then somewhere around the middle it sort of fizzled out. There were spelling errors in the text that just kept distracting me from the story. If this was an ARC I could overlook them, but this was a finished book so they are harder to ignore. The language of the story was also very old fashioned and came across as much older than a teen voice. It was also very repetitive sometimes saying the same thing in two consecutive sentences. Take this sentence as an example "Yes. I work with my father as his assistant. I'm assistant to the coroner." This was at the end of the book and it seemed that every time the main character met anyone she mentioned that she was the assistant to the coroner. 

The phrasings throughout the novel were just always so stiff and awkward and often characters would know things that weren't disclosed to them. Which also distracted from the story. I also found it hard to believe that a seventeen year old seemed to be the only one who was able to make the necessary connections that broke the case. I also didn't like that often once a character was introduced they were rarely seen again in the book. This was most notably seen with Cammie's dad and her best friend Lyric. The only character that was consistently seen throughout the book was Cammie's love interest, Dectective Justin Crowley. 

I initially really liked the tension between Cammie and Justin but as with the rest of the story things just sort of fizzled out in the middle and his whole purpose in the book changed. It became this left filed sort of plot point that often lead to me rolling my eyes. There big mystery reveal as well as the family mystery also had me rolling my eyes as well. 

The Christopher Killer started out with such promise and then it turned mediocre. I really wished that the build up in the beginning was able to last throughout the novel. That Cammie and Justin could have had the chemistry similar to Meg and John After in Jennifer Echol's Going Too Far. But maybe that chemistry will build over the course of this series. I was disappointed in this book and I am not entirely sure that I will continue on with this series. I think it will all depend on whether or not my library has them available or not.

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Publisher: Flux

Source: BEA

Publication Date: 08 Sept 2011

Series or Standalone: Series

ISBN:  0738725951

Format: Paperback (ARC)

Pages: 332

Websites:

Scott Tracey - Official Site

Scott Tracey - Blog

Scott Tracey - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Montana // Belle Dam, Washington

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Unearthly Series Order

Book 1: Witch Eyes

Book 2: Demon Eyes (Fall 2012)
Book 3:  Phantom Eyes (Fall 2013)

First Line: Binding circles were bad news, my uncle said.

From the first moment I heard about Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey I knew it was a book I had to read. It was one of my favorite genres, fantasy, contained a mystery and then had a GBLT character as the main protagonist. Witch Eyes was filled with many ups and downs and a few twists and turns and ended in a satisfying story that left me wanting more. And, I must admit, it also left me a bit made at Tracey for how certain events played out. Along with the dread that there are still two more books remaining in the series so plenty of words remain for him to torture both his characters and his readers alike.

The mystery in the book wasn't anything super complex or difficult to figure out for an anyone experienced with reading mysteries but it wasn't so obvious that you knew all there was to know right from the start. I also really enjoyed all the characters and how they interacted with each other. There was humor and there was heart ache and I look forward to seeing how they all deepen and grow over the course of the series. I enjoyed the world and mythology that Tracey set up for his town of Belle Dam. There were lots of seeds planted in this first book and I am curious to see how they will grow.

There is just so much to love in this book and I hated for it to end. I just wanted to stay in this world longer. Because then maybe there wouldn't have been as much heartbreak...ok who am I kidding...there probably would have been more if the story was longer. Because for some unknown reason authors just love to torture their readers. There should be a law against that. But then again, its that torture that keeps us coming back for more. That desire and hope that maybe in this next book events will be different and everything will be all sunshine and roses. And yes I know that I am living in a dream world with that one but isn't that part of what makes up hope? 

If you like a good fantasy novel....one filled with magic and mystery...along with a little snark mixed in...then you really need to pick up Witch Eyes. Scott Tracey has built a wonderful world and I think that I will be a long time fan of his writing. The characters are all so very real. They are flawed and make mistakes and its in those flaws and mistakes that you can find pieces of yourself that make it easy to relate to them. Witch Eyes also contains involved family members...which is so rare in YA books these days. For me this is a must read and bound to be on my favorites list for a long time to come. So if you haven't read it yet then you are really missing out and should bump it up your to be read list. I don't think you'll be disappointed.