The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron

   

 

Set in an animistic, fantasy world of kings, Spiritualists, thieves and swordsman, The Spirit Thief is an easy, fun read that follows Eli, the greatest thief of the age, and Miranda, the Spiritualist who is tasked with apprehending him.

    As a Spiritualist it is Miranda's sworn duty to ensure that the balance between the spirits that inhabit the world and the wizards who are capable of using them. Eli is an irreverent wizard thief doing his best to increase the bounty on his head and ruining the wizards reputation along the way.



Overall Opinion:

    Ms. Aaron, while not writing deeply, did write a book that engaged me enough to look forward to the next book in the series. I found myself interested in the outcomes of the characters and dropped just of an opening on two more characters to add to that interest.



Rating:

7
 

Jailbait Zombie by Mario Acevedo

Teen Fiction Pick

(A Note to Parents: If you're looking for a book for your young preteen/early teen you might want to consider that Mr. Acevedo's other Felix Gomez character titles include The Nymphos of Rocky Flats and X-Rated Bloodsuckers.)

   I like a vampire/zombie/supernatural thriller as much as the next person, unless the next person really liked Jailbait Zombie. Then, not so much. Some of it was that I expect vampires to be a little more impervious to pain; running on bare feet shouldn't hurt so much if you're a vampire.
   The rest of it was simply the writing. There was way, way, way too much description and not enough just getting to the point already!! Did that sound a little emphatic and frustrated? That's okay, because, "Whew!" I think I needed to get that off my chest.
   (A little more calmly said.) I didn't find the characters very personable (they were supposed to be), I found the antagonist ridiculously caricatured (he was not supposed to be) and the rest was simply flat. I would say insipid, but the use of vocabulary might actually elevate the story.
   One other thing. Felix (the main character) is in his twenties, but comes across as a teenager. I can't put my finger on why he does, it's just something about him. I would have preferred a twenty-something who seemed like a twenty-something or a teenager who seemed like a teenager. Just a thought.

  
Favorite Quotes:

"If wisdom comes from making stupid mistakes, then someday I'm going to be a genius."

"I sipped the warm brew and it comforted me like a hug from a chubby hooker."

"Her right eyelid blinked repeatedly, semaphoring her anxiety."


Overall Opinion:

Eh.


Rating:

On a scale of Take It or Leave It, I would Leave It.

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams

   Written with a charming disregard for anything approaching pithy speech, Mostly Harmless is the fifth book in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy, but the first and only book in the series that I found on the shelf. Having a teenager I have seen the "Hitchhiker" movie (several times), howsomever it has been several years leaving me with just the memory of its quirkiness.
   Mostly Harmless is definitely quirky. Mr. Adams employs the longest, most circular way to say the shortest things without managing to drone. His writing is enchanting which is funny in that his story is in no way a fairy tale. He is also able to tell a fifth story in a series without having to return to the previous four. This is a stand alone book, though I think it would be even better had I read the first four before it.
   To number four. Arthur Dent is traveling, rather lacklusterly (not sure if I can say that with an -ly, but since I just did, I guess I can) through the universe looking for something like home. Ford Prefect is battling Infinidum, the new corporate owners of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Trillian pops up to bestow Arthur with responsibility.
   I think that was it in a nutshell. The nut took much longer to write and was much more amusing to read. Try it yourself (reading the book, not writing the review) and let me know what you think (in the comments as a short review).  :)


Favorite Quotes:

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof was to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

"The last thing he wanted after a hellish night like this one was some blasted day coming along and barging about the place."


Overall Opinion:

I haven't spent a more pleasant time taking forever to get to the point of a sentence.


Rating:

If there was a rating system for increasingly wordy books with ever expanding sentences that went in everlastingly magnified circles then the rating would exponentially mount in number until the person saying it would run out of breath in a steadily decreasing gasp so that the person patiently, or impatiently as the case may be, would only hear an almost inaudible "hhhhh".

The Dream Thief by Shana Abe

   Second in Shana Abe's Drakon series is The Dream Thief. The Dream Thief follows Amalia, youngest daughter of Rue and Kit Langford, and Zane, erstwhile apprentice to Rue. Zane is sent by the Langfords to locate and return Draumr, the drakons legendary diamond. Unexpectedly and unhappily, to Zane, Amalia appears on the same trail.
   Amalia sees the future in her dreams, a secret she has kept from everyone. Another secret? She dreams of Zane, and her dreams bode naught but ill for her kith and kin.
   I liked the first and third book in the series. The first, The Smoke Thief, was new and there was just enough to keep me interested. The third, Queen of Dragons, well, the gap in between the two had me interested because I had to work to figure out what I was missing. There just wasn't enough in The Dream Thief to keep me hooked.
   Reading this book after its following title left me with more questions than I originally had reading the third before the second. I think that's one of the reasons I struggled so much with it. I was reading for answers and seemed to come up short. Odd.


Favorite Quotes:

??? (That is a direct quote; it just so happens to be mine and not the author's.)


Overall Opinion:

Definitely read the books in order. You avoid confusion and will probably enjoy it more.


Rating:

Eh.


P.S. Look for this one in the large print section. :)

Getting Lost with Boys by Hailey Abbott

I'm going to follow the classic maxim, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

For more on my opinion of Hailey Abbott's books see The Perfect Boy and The Secrets of Boys.


Favorite Quote:

None


Overall Opinion:

Yet another insipid and uninspiring story of an underage, girl who discovers herself thanks to the attentions of an over 18 year old who truly understands the real her. Disregard the liquor he gives her or the fact that she's only 16; she has her father's credit card, uninvolved parents and, as always, the unending fashion commercial.


Rating:

-10

murder suicide by Keith Ablow

   Alrighty-roo. If there is another Keith Ablow book on the shelves when I go back to the library, I won't be disappointed. murder suicide takes place earlier in Frank Clevenger's (the protagonist) chronology than The Architect. Going backwards with a serial character can sometimes be a little off putting for me because the later you find the character, the more he/she is usually developed. I still liked Frank. Granted I have only read two books that feature him, but still, I like him.
   Dr. Ablow does another fantastic job of keeping the suspense keen enough that you can't wait to solve the mystery without drawing the tension so tight that you just want to get it over with. Kudos. There are enough possible suspects that it could be anyone which eliminates conclusion jumping. It's more like conclusion hopping, you change your mind back and forth as the story progresses.
   Well developed characters (definitely rooting for Billy), no skimping on the psychological analysis (Clevenger is, after all, a forensic psychiastrist), strong visual imagery that enhances the drama and suspense.


Favorite Quotes:

"Snow's wife had never seen him undress, scarcely seen him naked. Their sex was something stolen from one another under the covers by night."

"'It's early,' Billy blurted out, then looked down self-consciously, as if he'd dropped his veneer of cool somewhere near his feet."


Overall Opinion:

Is it suicide or is it murder? I'm not telling. Read the book and find out for yourself.


Rating:

Read it!

The Architect by Keith Ablow

   Keith Ablow is a forensic psychiatrist. When I see him on the news expounding on this or that I find him to be intelligent and straightforward. As a writer I find him to be an entertaining author with an engaging protaganist. It is fitting that his main character is also a forensic psychiatrist, write what you know indeed.
   The Architect is the first of two Dr. Ablow books that I checked out in this week's haul. It was smartly written and features Dr. Frank Clevenger, a personable good guy who does his job well and seems to be doing his darndest to tread water in his personal life. I was definitely rooting for him. Ablow's book reminded me of James Patterson's (one of my favorite thriller/detective go to authors) Michael Bennett and/or Alex Cross series; also personable good guys treading water.
   This book kept me turning pages, the characters were well developed, the storyline was intriguing and the tension was good. I love me a surprise ending and was thrilled to find that this book had one. (So often the books I've read in this genre don't.) Good relaxing day read.


Favorite Quotes:

"Bright white Chiclets for teeth."

"He had visited the prisoners at Middleton many times. The three officers behind the huge plate glass window in the lobby, cashiers of humanity, knew him well."


Overall Opinion:

I'm thinking about adding Ablow to my Patterson lineup.


Rating:

Definitely a Read Worth Reading

The Secrets of Boys by Hailey Abbott

Disclaimer: I am experiencing a lower than normal threshold for suffering fools lightly.

   Written in the vein of modern TV shows and movies that portray children as adults, The Secrets of Boys continues this dubious tradition. The kids are sixteen and running around with adults who somehow don't seem to mind that their companions are underage. I suppose as long as kids dress in the right labels, have their own rides and can drink without getting the grown ups busted for giving alcohol to minors it's all okay. After all girls + high heels + professional (read: uninvolved) parents= maturity and the ability to make adult decisions.
   Ahhh, young love. Cassidy Jones is shy and artistic and wears kitten heels and shops at Bebe, Kenneth Cole and Theory. (She also wears DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein and Cynthia Rowley and eats at Nobu. I know this because Abbott feels the need to name drop at every opportunity. There is nary a mention of any wearable item, without a designer. One gets the feeling she might be paid by the mention.) Cassidy also has a devoted, needless to say, hunky boyfriend of two years. Will she lose her virginity to him? Oh no. Not Cassidy.
   Cassidy gives it up to Zach, her 19 year old TA that she's known for two minutes (she's in a summer college french class). Of course, he is wonderful and understands her and helps her to come out of her shell as no one else can. When he stops talking to her the day after he gets her to tell him she wants to have sex with her, does that end things? No(!) don't be silly!! She talks to him and convinces him that a summer romance is the perfect thing, since of course he was just trying to avoid hurting her since he would be moving back to New York after the summer.
   Aaahhh. To be so young and misunderstood. But don't fret mon chere, Ms. Abbott is here to explain to all "mature" youth everywhere that she understands that they're not just teenagers, they're young adults.



Favorite Quote:

"If they were any more anal retentive, we wouldn't need a bathroom."


Overall Opinion:

I am just so relieved that I now have the definitive book of modern advice for teens. When my daughter comes of age, apparently it's 16, but I might get ahead of the ball and start prepping her at 14, I can pull out this book and she'll have all the answers. Because she sure won't want to wait until she's married to have sex and it's almost just as Puritanical to wait for the boy who loves you. The one for her then, must surely be the adult authority in the room who is the only one who can see her for who she truly is. It will be okay, really, because as Zach tells Cassidy, "Hey, I know a worthy student when I see one."


Rating:

Please. Must I?

The Perfect Boy by Hailey Abbott

   Teen fiction section pick. If there is a perfect example of unchallenging, trite drivel for kids, then The Perfect Boy is the perfect selection. Ciara is a high school girl who has spent her time being a player (for the sake of this book, that means kissing random boys), and just realizes that the thrill she once felt has turned to ashes. Determined to change, Ciara decides that she the summer she spends with her father in Santa Barbara she will pick the perfect boyfriend and stop being a player.
   The author feels the need to name drop fashion designers everytime she describes Ciara's clothes (tiresome), spends no time developing the great friendship that two of the girls are supposed to have developed (confusing), and throws in the fact that Ciara's parents' divorce might have something to do with her behavior as a casual afterthought rather than the eye opening epiphany she tries to make it seem.
   I think The Perfect Boy is a teen attempt at the romance genre and Ms. Abbott would have been better served had her editor took a red pen to the deeper storylines rather than leaving them so obviously neglected and wilted. There is an instance of underage drinking (it does not turn to drunkenness), but if that doesn't bother you there is still no reason to read the book.

Favorite Quotes:

None


 Overall Opinion:

I am dearly hoping this is the only one of her series that my library has.


Rating:

1

Remnants Dream Storm by K.A. Applegate

   Dream Storm is the eleventh book in the Remnants series written by the author of Animorphs (which I find amusing, given my firm declaration earlier that I would not be subjecting myself to reading Animorphs). This is one of the books I pulled from the library's children section.
   Remnants takes place in the aftermath of the Earth's destruction by an asteroid, commonly called The Rock. Dream Storm follows a group of seven survivors who were apparently placed on a hibernation shuttle to escape the cataclysm. There are more survivors, but it seems they left them stranded on a now barren Earth.
   The book seems to fit 3rd/4th grade readers. They're not going to encounter amazing vocabulary or complex tale telling, but they'll get a serial adventure. It has a cliffhanger ending which probably works well to hook the kids. It also seems to have a good mix of good, bad and inbetween characters.

Favorite Quotes:

None found.

Overall Opinion:

If my kids ask, I'll tell them to give it a shot. I don't know if I'll go out of my way to recommend it though.

Rating:

Me: 2    Young Kids:  Probably higher on their scale

Queen of Dragons by Shana Abe

   This is the third in Shana Abe's Drakon series (the first was Smoke Thief, reviewed earlier). It picks up nicely and reads well even without having read the second book. Queen of Dragons follows Kimber Langford, Darkfrith's sitting Alpha and first son of Rue and Christoff of book one, and Maricara, the princess from Carpathia, as they face the threat of the sanf inimicus, or drakon killers.
   As in the first book, there is a first person tale interspersed throughout the book that embellishes the story as it's told. I like the addition.

Favorite Quote:

Huh. Just realized I didn't find one.

Overall Opinion:

Shape shifting dragons, love scenes, mysterious disappearances; an easy read for the afternoon.

Rating:

Why not? Go ahead and give it a whirl.

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

   Okay, I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Plum Lucky is one of her Between the Numbers novels. It is the first Between book that I've read. I'm not sure how much I liked it. I felt the same way about the Sookie Stackhouse short story collection A Touch of Dead; I really like the characters and the stories, but there just wasn't enough in the book. 
   Plum Lucky felt too abbreviated. The whole time I was reading I was waiting for the story to happen. I think, had this been my first introduction to Stephanie Plum, the story might have whet my appetite to get to know her better. We'll see. There are other Between the Numbers novels that I have yet to read. When I get to the "E" section in the library, we'll find out if they have them.

Favorite Quotes:

"It's usually when I'm in the shower that I think of things spiritual and mystical and wonder about the unknown. Like is there life after death? And just what, exactly, is collagen? And suppose Wonder Woman actually exists. If she was discreet, you might not know, right?"

"Fortunately, since I was born and raised in Trenton, I'm good at selecting bimbo clothes."

"For the second time, people scurried for the money like roaches on pie."

Overall Opinion:

I really like Stephanie Plum, and because of that, I'm holding my nose at what was missing here.

Rating:

Bit Disappointing for This Established Stephanie Plum Fan/Nice Introduction for New Fans

"D" is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

   *Alphabet Series - See "B" is for Burglar earlier in the blog for a complete review of my thoughts on this series.*

   Kinsey Millhone is at it again. In Deadbeat, Kinsey is looking for the client who stiffed her with a $400 check for services. The book picks up a thread that is left at the end of "C" is for Corpse.

Favorite Quotes:

"At intervals, I try to behave like a person with class, which is to say I drink wine from a bottle instead of a cardboard box."

"Altogether, I came perilously close to boring myself insensible with my own mental processes..."

"The air smelled of chocolate and made me wish I had a mother."

"Eugene, in a dark suit, steered her by the elbow, working her arm as if it were the rudder on a ship."

"I tend to place kids in a class with dogs, preferring the quiet, the smart, and the well trained."

Overall Opinion:

I liked it.

Rating:

Lazy Day/Beach Read

Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart

   Mysteries! I love mysteries!! Carolyn Hart was a discovery I made at the library over a year ago; I purely judged that book by its cover when I was choosing. (Alack, overdue fines and a lost book kept me away. Something I'll be avoiding if I am to continue my venture in future.) I picked up Death of the Party for fun. It was.
   Her characters are mystery bookstore owner Annie and her husband Max Darling, a professional mystery solver. They are a completely in love and adorable. In Death, the Darlings agree to assist Britt Barlow. Britt has hidden a murder for a year; at first to avoid unpleasantness for her ill sister, and later because what are you going to do? it's been a year.
   Carolyn Hart keeps the ball rolling, spices her writing with references to other mystery writers, some familiar to me, some not. I enjoy the other references. They intrigue me when I don't know them and allow me to feel insufferably smug when I do.
   It appears, from the two books that I have read, that there is a continuity in her stories and major and minor characters from the tourist town the Darling's live in. I always appreciate that as it makes me feel more connected to the characters. It's an easy way to find yourself invested in their outcome.

Favorite Quotes:

"She strolled away from Britt, arrogant as a peacock, but she forgot it's men as has the fancy feathers."

"Their brightness was cheerless as splotches of makeup on the cheeks of an old woman."

Overall Opinion:

I liked it.

Rating:

Beach Read

"C" is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

   The third book in Sue Grafton's alphabet series. I am thinking that, unless something radically changes in one of the books, will not be reviewed for each reading beyond the first one. I can think of a few other book series that will fall into the category of fun reading, same story.
  
For an introduction of Kinsey Millhone, P.I., see my "B" is for Burglar review.

Favorite Quotes:

"He was already slathering Miracle Whip on that brand of soft white bread that can double as a foam sponge. I kept my eyes discreetly averted as if he were engaged in pornographic practices."

"There was so much lyrical music playing overhead, I felt like the heroine in a romantic comedy."

"This was his version of small talk, I assumed. I sat down and let him ramble briefly. He seemed anxious and I couldn't imagine what had brought him in. We made mouth noises at each other, demonstrating goodwill."

"People always love it when you say their dogs are nice. Just shows you how of touch they are."

"I'm not that fast at subtraction so it's probably fortunate that I don't lie about how old I am."

"'Besides, "stupid" is after the fact. I always feel smart when I think things up.'"

Overall Opinion:

The Kinsy Millhone series; always a fun, quick read.

Rating:

Definitely needs one.

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

   Okay, this is one of my fun series. I read a couple of the other books in this series before by chance. They were titles that found their way into my hands by chance at one time or another. Sue Grafton's alphabet books feature Kinsey Millhone, a 30-something private detective.
   Kinsey is pretty no nonsense and tenaciously gets the job done. In B is for Burglar, Kinsey initially takes a routine missing person case that turns into...dun, dun, duuunnn, murder! Seriously though, Kinsey is pretty good reading. Light and funny, without losing anything in character or story development.

Favorite Quotes:

"Insecure people have a special sensitivity for anything that finally confirms their own low opinion of themselves."

"There's no place in a P.I's life for impatience, faintheartedness, or sloppiness. I understand the same qualifications apply for housekeeping."

"The television set was turned off, its blank gray face oddly compelling in a room so filled with memorabilia."

"I can say taco and gracias but I'm real short on verbs."

"Well, it's hard to seem upset on the message side of a postcard, you know. There isn't but that much room."

Overall Opinion:

When you're looking to do nothing for the day, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series is an excellent thing to spend it on. Plus, it has the added bonus of the occassional Alpha Beta, digging for 20 cents for the pay phone and office smoker references.

Rating:

Always a good borrow.