lexiepiper Posted September 15, 2009 Author Posted September 15, 2009 Excellent! That's good to know Lexie as somehow I've agreed to get her them! She has you wrapped around her little finger! Quote
Charm Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 She has you wrapped around her little finger! She's very good at that! Quote
lexiepiper Posted September 18, 2009 Author Posted September 18, 2009 Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie No. of pages: 438 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: Theo gives his bodyguard the slip once too often. Rachel receives a weird text from her father. So begins a highly dangerous search to unravel unanswered questions about their past. Linked by the firebombing of a research clinic, Theo and Rachel fear they are the targets of an extremist group, who will stop at nothing to silence them. Awaiting them are startling discoveries about their identities which will affect their future in dramatic and life-altering ways... Review: All Theo knows about his dad is that he died when the clinic he was working at was bombed. That is until his mum lets slip that his dad is still alive and in hiding. Theo is determined to find him, and his search leads him to Rachel, together they try to solve the mystery surrounding their births and the clinic their parents worked at, but what they find completely blows their lives apart... This was surprisingly good, much better than I imagined it would be. The plot is enjoyable, with lots of action and little twists to the story, which you never expect. As it's written for teens the writing is simple, but that doesn't detract from the story at all. Theo and Rachel are likeable, well written characters, that you connect with very easily. Overall it's a great young adult thriller, and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. Quote
Mac Posted September 19, 2009 Posted September 19, 2009 My namesake author (no, I'm not called Sophie!), but I'm not sure if I'll get this one, Kelly. It sounds intriguing, but as I've mentioned, I tend to struggle with books where the target audience is young adults... ...although, saying that, His Dark Materials was one of the best things I've ever read, ever! So, who knows? What do you think? Quote
lexiepiper Posted September 20, 2009 Author Posted September 20, 2009 I thought it had a great plot line, but probably not for you if you don't really get on with teen books as there was quite a lot about 'fit boys & girls' which I find pretty easy to just overlook, but if you don't like that kinda stuff it'll just annoy you Quote
lexiepiper Posted October 3, 2009 Author Posted October 3, 2009 Dracula: The-Undead by Dacre Stoker No. of pages: 389 Rating: 4/5 Series: Dracula (Book 2) Synopsis: The official sequel to Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula, written by his direct descendent and endorsed by the Stoker family. The story begins in 1912, twenty-five years after the events described in the original novel. Dr. Jack Seward, now a disgraced morphine addict, hunts vampires across Europe with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Meanwhile, Quincey Harker, the grown son of Jonathan and Mina, leaves law school to pursue a career in stage at London's famous Lyceum Theatre. The production of Dracula at the Lyceum, directed and produced by Bram Stoker, has recently lost its star. Luckily, Quincey knows how to contact the famed Hungarian actor Basarab, who agrees to take the lead role. Quincey soon discovers that the play features his parents and their former friends as characters, and seems to reveal much about the terrible secrets he's always suspected them of harbouring. Review: When Quincey defies his parents and becomes an actor, he comes across a play about his parents and Dracula, and finds out all about the secrets his parents have been hiding from him. Then when people start getting attacked by what looks like animal bites to the neck, it appears it's not over and Quincey has to step up and relive his parents past. I love vampire stories, and this one was everything that I expected. I haven't actually read the original Dracula story, but I've seen the film and know lots about the tale, but that doesn't matter, Dacre did a great job of recapping the previous book without making it boring and repetative, and I never felt like I was missing any plot lines as it was always explained. I adored the inclusion of Jack the Ripper, who is another subject I find fascinating, and I thought Dacre's take on it was really interesting, and it fit in well with the story he was telling. My only dislike about this book was that it took me forever to read, and it sometimes felt disheartening that I didn't seem to be making progress very fast. Recommended to any vampire or Dracula fans, or to anyone who likes old gothic horror tales. Quote
lexiepiper Posted October 3, 2009 Author Posted October 3, 2009 Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger No. of pages: 386 Rating: 3/5 Synopsis: Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers - normal, at least, for identical 'mirror' twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cozy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn't know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin ...but have no idea that they've been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt's mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins' mother - and who can't even seem to quite leave her flat. With Highgate Cemetery itself a character and echoes of Henry James and Charles Dickens, "Her Fearful Symmetry" is a delicious and deadly twenty-first-century ghost story about Niffenegger's familiar themes of love, loss and identity. Review: When Elspeth dies, she leaves all her belongings to her identical twin nieces, who she saw only once when they were 4 months old. The twins don't even know that their mother is an identical twin herself, so it comes as a big surprise when they get the letter to tell them they now own a flat in London. When they move into the flat, they meet Martin, the middle aged guy who lives upstairs who's crippled with severe OCD and can't leave his flat. They also meet Robert, the guy who lives below them, who was their aunts lover. As they settle into life in their flat, they realise Elspeth isn't as gone as they thought... I really was expecting a lot from this book, maybe too much and that's why I felt so disappointed when I had finished. But I think more than that, there was just that something that made The Time Traveler's Wife so great, that was missing from Her Fearful Symmetry. The story itself was okay, there were some great characters, but I sometimes felt there was no explanation for some of the characters actions, when it didn't seem to fit with what we knew of their personalities. I guessed one of the big plot surprises about 40 pages in, it seemed incredibly obvious and I'm curious to see if it's as obvious for other people too. I absolutely hated the last quarter of the book, it just got more and more ridiculous and I felt it ruined the whole tone of the story with such a poor ending. On the plus side though, the writing is incredibly easy to read, and so it feels like the story is progressing very quickly rather than being long and drawn out. Quote
BookJumper Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Aww I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the new Niffenegger book, I know you were looking forward to it . But, yay for Dracula The Undead being so good, can't wait to read it ! Quote
Charm Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Two more great reviews Lexie!! 'Dracula The Un-Dead' is going straight to my wishlist! Shame about 'Her Fearful Symmetry' though, so sorry you didn't enjoy it as much Quote
DanC_84 Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Shame to hear about 'Her Fearful Symmetry'. I was looking forward to that one as well after how awesome TTTW was. Quote
Weave Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Great reviews Lexie, I am sorry about 'Her Fearful Symmetry' Quote
lexiepiper Posted October 8, 2009 Author Posted October 8, 2009 Falling Leaves Return To Their Roots by Adeline Yen Mah No. of pages: 274 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: Adeline Yen Mah's childhood in China during the civil war was a time of fear, isolation and humiliation. The cause of this was not political upheaval but systematic emotional and physical abuse by her step-mother and siblings, and rejection by her father. Falling Leaves is the story of a 'Fifth Younger Daughter' and her determination to survive the pain of a lonely childhood. Review: Adeline is the fifth child born into a rich chinese family, but when her mother dies a few days after her birth, she's considered bad luck. When her father remarries things go from bad to horrendous for Adeline. Her step-mother relishes in driving wedges between the siblings and telling Adeline that she is worth nothing. This is Adeline's story of how she tries to please her family, even though she's abused everyday, and how she overcomes her past to make a new life for herself. This is such a sad book, you can feel Adeline's yearning for love and acceptance the whole way through, even though her family treat her so poorly. You almost cannot believe that her step-mother could be so cruel to a child, as the tales she recounts are terrible. The fact her father just sat there and let it all happen is even worse. But as much as you end up feeling sorry for Adeline, you can't help but admire her for overcoming it all and becoming successful in her own right. I enjoyed reading about China through young Adeline's eyes, and what it was like during the many years of upheaval and war. It's a really easy book to read, and I loved the chinese proverbs peppered throughout the story. Quote
Weave Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 I am really glad you enjoyed this book too, I liked the chinese proverbs too Adeline's step~mother, Jeanne, was such a mean person, the way she treated Adeline was appalling. I felt better knowing that at least Adeline's YeYe and Baba were there for there, it was so sad though that Baba and Adeline were separated for 35 years due to the changes in China and Jeanne. I enjoyed the way that Adeline talked about her culture, especially YeYe, he was the eldest member of the family and instead of being respected, he was moved to the side by Jeanne and his own son, plus the fact that the way YeYe lost his money due to his son's manilipative behaviour was horrible. I think the worst part for me was Adeline's sister, Lydia and her actions, I could not understand what she was expecting Adeline to 'admit to', and neither did Adeline!, I thought it was quite callous how in the end Jeanne managed to still cause a divide within the family, especially between Adeline and her brother, James, who Adeline had always trusted. I liked that the book ended in a positive note, that despite everything, Adeline resolved a lot within herself, she spend time with her Aunt Baba and of course, finally saw her father's will, which proved in some small way that her Dad had cared. As Lexie said, a easy read, a powerful read. Quote
Nightwish Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 Good review, this book has just been added to my Christmas books list Quote
lexiepiper Posted October 15, 2009 Author Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) The Confessions Of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer No. of pages: 267 Rating: 4/5 Synopsis: Out of the womb in 1871, Max Tivoli looked to all the world like a tiny 70-year-old man. But inside the aged body was an infant. Victim of a rare disease, Max grows physically younger as his mind matures. In Andrew Sean Greer's finely crafted novel, The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Max narrates his life story from the vantage point of his late fifties, though his body is that of a 12-year-old boy. He has known since a young age that he is destined to die at 70, and he wears a golden "1941" as a constant reminder of the year he will finally perish in an infant form. His mother, a Carolina belle concerned over her son's troubling appearance, curses Max with "The Rule": "Be what they think you are". Max fails to keep this Rule only a handful of times in his life, but it is the burden of living by it that wounds him and slowly alienates him from the people he loves. Review: Max is born with the body of a 70 year old, and ages backwards over his life, so when he's 17, he actually looks in his 50's and this is very tough for Max. But his Mother told him to live by only one rule, and that's to be what they expect him to be. So when he looks 50, he has to act 50, even though he's only a young man inside. This makes simple things such as friendship and love very tough for Max, and so he writes the memoir of his backwards life. This is very like the film of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, which I saw a few weeks ago and really enjoyed, but I wasn't expecting them to be so alike in storyline. However, if you enjoyed that film, or even that short story, you are sure to be a fan of Max. I really found the book enjoyable, and thought the characters were really well written and easy to empathise with. The ending came as a bit of a surprise, not in a bad way, it just was just unexpected and I never would have guessed it. I would say this a good book for fans of books set around 1900, as it really is full of life from that time, which is great to read about. Edited October 15, 2009 by lexiepiper Quote
frankie Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 Thanks for the review lexiepiper, this just made it's way to my TBR Quote
DanC_84 Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 I loved 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' film so I will be sure to throw that on my wishlist. Cheers for the review. Quote
Janet Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 As I started reading your post I was thinking how much this sounds like Benjamin Button! I'd like to read that at some stage but I'm not sure whether I want to read two very similar stories. Hmmm. Quote
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