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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
Mortal Remains is the UK title for Spider Bones and is the thirteenth book in Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series. The book covers an area which is the staple work of most forensic anthropologists, identifying vitcims of conflicts. In this case, Tempe is called in to solve the case of some misidentified remains from Vietnam and travels to Hawaii to sort it all out.
Whilst it's refreshing that the subject matter is convincing, it doesn't make for a particularly gripping novel. I could have easily have put the book down and forgotten about it. No one was in imminent danger, at least not until near the end where the threads of plot connect and become somewhat convoluted.
I really didn't see much point in the whole Lily and Katy relationship. It was annoying and didn't have much relevance to the plot. I think Kathy wanted to get Ryan in the story somehow and this was her solution. I'm not sure why he couldn't just appeared by himself on holiday, that would have made more sense.
I fear Tempe and I have come to an end. The previous two books didn't impress me much and Mortal Remains hasn't improved matters.
Whilst it's refreshing that the subject matter is convincing, it doesn't make for a particularly gripping novel. I could have easily have put the book down and forgotten about it. No one was in imminent danger, at least not until near the end where the threads of plot connect and become somewhat convoluted.
I really didn't see much point in the whole Lily and Katy relationship. It was annoying and didn't have much relevance to the plot. I think Kathy wanted to get Ryan in the story somehow and this was her solution. I'm not sure why he couldn't just appeared by himself on holiday, that would have made more sense.
I fear Tempe and I have come to an end. The previous two books didn't impress me much and Mortal Remains hasn't improved matters.
Quentin had an obsolete sailing ship that had been raised from the dead. He had a psychotically effective swordsman and an enigmatic witch-queen. It wasn't the Fellowship of the Ring, but then again he wasn't trying to save the world from Sauron, he was attempting to perform a tax audit on a bunch of hick islanders. It would definitely do.
At the end of The Magicians, Quentin was ready to return to his life of magic and The Magician King picks up again in Fillory where he has been ruling as king alongside Elliot, Janet and Julia. One day whilst hunting the Seeing Hare, Quentin finds himself thrown back to earth with a jolt. Somehow he must find a way back to Fillory however things are starting to go awry in the magical lands. As with the first book, there's not a distinct central plot and it intertwines with a quest and Julia's back story that we missed out on previously. I would say, pay close attention to Julia's story and you'll eventually get a lightbulb moment where everything does pull together. However, if you found The Magicians a bit long winded, you'll feel the same way about this instalment.
One of the main reasons for writers to use lots of pop culture references in writing (or in this case, fantasy fiction references) is to allow the reader to feel a little bit superior when they are in on it. Unfortunately Grossman has a tendency to explain all his references which sort of takes the fun out of it. It even extends to other areas such as the naming of the boat which is a Deer Class and called Muntjac. Now it doesn't affect your understanding of the plot if you don't know what a muntjac is, so it annoys me a little that he goes on the say it's a deer, in a sort of "Get it? Muntjac, deer class?" kind of way.
Ember comes across much more of a parody of Aslan this time and I think I preferred him this way. There's also a lot more about Greek mythology and the existence of gods with a visit to the underworld and a search for a Persephone like goddess. You wait all your life to meet a Tarasque and then two come along at once! As you may know, I learned about this Provencal myth in The Beast of the Camargue and Julia meets up with the mythical beast. I found him quite endearing, soggy and fed up of living in the marsh. I only wish he had a bigger part to play.
If you enjoyed The Magicians, think you'll like this. As well as the fun magic side, it also deals with depression and isolation. I think Julia's story and her downward slide made me prefer The Magician King slightly.
At the end of The Magicians, Quentin was ready to return to his life of magic and The Magician King picks up again in Fillory where he has been ruling as king alongside Elliot, Janet and Julia. One day whilst hunting the Seeing Hare, Quentin finds himself thrown back to earth with a jolt. Somehow he must find a way back to Fillory however things are starting to go awry in the magical lands. As with the first book, there's not a distinct central plot and it intertwines with a quest and Julia's back story that we missed out on previously. I would say, pay close attention to Julia's story and you'll eventually get a lightbulb moment where everything does pull together. However, if you found The Magicians a bit long winded, you'll feel the same way about this instalment.
One of the main reasons for writers to use lots of pop culture references in writing (or in this case, fantasy fiction references) is to allow the reader to feel a little bit superior when they are in on it. Unfortunately Grossman has a tendency to explain all his references which sort of takes the fun out of it. It even extends to other areas such as the naming of the boat which is a Deer Class and called Muntjac. Now it doesn't affect your understanding of the plot if you don't know what a muntjac is, so it annoys me a little that he goes on the say it's a deer, in a sort of "Get it? Muntjac, deer class?" kind of way.
Ember comes across much more of a parody of Aslan this time and I think I preferred him this way. There's also a lot more about Greek mythology and the existence of gods with a visit to the underworld and a search for a Persephone like goddess. You wait all your life to meet a Tarasque and then two come along at once! As you may know, I learned about this Provencal myth in The Beast of the Camargue and Julia meets up with the mythical beast. I found him quite endearing, soggy and fed up of living in the marsh. I only wish he had a bigger part to play.
If you enjoyed The Magicians, think you'll like this. As well as the fun magic side, it also deals with depression and isolation. I think Julia's story and her downward slide made me prefer The Magician King slightly.
Set in ancient Greece circa 342 BC, The Golden Mean is the story of Aristotle's time with the young Alexander (soon to be Great). The great philosopher takes the position of the young prince's tutor as well as his disabled brother and forges an odd friendship in a time of war.
Leave your modern morality at the door to avoid being offended. Obviously lifestyles were very different back then and there's plenty of sexual references and coarse language that would be the norm for warriors of the time. Think Spartacus Blood and Sand in literary form (only Greek not Roman). As far as I can tell, the historical aspects are well researched and there's only a few occasions where the speech comes across as a bit modern.
The cover blurb would have us think that Alexander was a sadistic and unlikable child but I found some of the moments between him and Aristotle almost tender. I would have preferred more insight into the young mind of Alexander but the story revolves much more around Aristotle, although it skims over his depression. He explains he suffers from black bile which from description sounds like manic depression but I rarely felt it through the storytelling. The prose came across as a bit impersonal so I think it would appeal more to the reader with a historical interest.
It's interesting reading some of Aristotle's ideas with a modern perspective. He was eerily close on some areas of biology but others were so far off they are nearly laughable. For info, Ox Head is the translation of Becephelous, Alexander's famous horse. Considering that other names aren't translated I don't know why this was, especially as it's not flattering nor recognisable.
Leave your modern morality at the door to avoid being offended. Obviously lifestyles were very different back then and there's plenty of sexual references and coarse language that would be the norm for warriors of the time. Think Spartacus Blood and Sand in literary form (only Greek not Roman). As far as I can tell, the historical aspects are well researched and there's only a few occasions where the speech comes across as a bit modern.
The cover blurb would have us think that Alexander was a sadistic and unlikable child but I found some of the moments between him and Aristotle almost tender. I would have preferred more insight into the young mind of Alexander but the story revolves much more around Aristotle, although it skims over his depression. He explains he suffers from black bile which from description sounds like manic depression but I rarely felt it through the storytelling. The prose came across as a bit impersonal so I think it would appeal more to the reader with a historical interest.
It's interesting reading some of Aristotle's ideas with a modern perspective. He was eerily close on some areas of biology but others were so far off they are nearly laughable. For info, Ox Head is the translation of Becephelous, Alexander's famous horse. Considering that other names aren't translated I don't know why this was, especially as it's not flattering nor recognisable.
Ragnarök is the latest edition to Canongate's excellent Myths series, all standalone novels by a variety of the world's finest writers. Written by A.S. Byatt of The Children's Book fame, it tells the Nordic story of the Judgement of the Gods or the end of the world.
Told through the eyes of a girl in wartime Britain, known only as the thin child, Ragnarök is a good introduction to Nordic myths. The thin child finds a book entitled Asgard and the Gods in the house she is evacuated to and she shares those myths with the reader. With her father fighting in the war, the thin girl is going through her very own Ragnarök, knowing that the end of her world must surely be coming.
The novel is not really about the thin girl though, it is more a collection of myths that lead up to Ragnarök. From the creation story of Yggdrasil, a great tree whose ecosystem was the world, to the tale of the great serpent Jörmungandr, who encircled the world. Like the thin child, Loki has always been my favourite player in the Nordic myths and this mischevious demi-god plays a big part in most of them.
Reading this, you will get the feeling of familiarity, even if you don't know the myths themselves. It really does emphasis that myths are borrowed and adapted throughout cultures. The Nordic Hel will have shaped the Christianity's Hell of eternal torment much more then the Greek underworld would have, where the Elysian fields were the reward of heroes.
The author's thoughts on myths are also included and are well worth a read. My copy had place markers for the illustrations so I can't comment on those but am excited the see how it is illustrated. The bibliography is full of interesting titles if you wish to read more.
Told through the eyes of a girl in wartime Britain, known only as the thin child, Ragnarök is a good introduction to Nordic myths. The thin child finds a book entitled Asgard and the Gods in the house she is evacuated to and she shares those myths with the reader. With her father fighting in the war, the thin girl is going through her very own Ragnarök, knowing that the end of her world must surely be coming.
The novel is not really about the thin girl though, it is more a collection of myths that lead up to Ragnarök. From the creation story of Yggdrasil, a great tree whose ecosystem was the world, to the tale of the great serpent Jörmungandr, who encircled the world. Like the thin child, Loki has always been my favourite player in the Nordic myths and this mischevious demi-god plays a big part in most of them.
Reading this, you will get the feeling of familiarity, even if you don't know the myths themselves. It really does emphasis that myths are borrowed and adapted throughout cultures. The Nordic Hel will have shaped the Christianity's Hell of eternal torment much more then the Greek underworld would have, where the Elysian fields were the reward of heroes.
The author's thoughts on myths are also included and are well worth a read. My copy had place markers for the illustrations so I can't comment on those but am excited the see how it is illustrated. The bibliography is full of interesting titles if you wish to read more.
Spell Bound picks up from the cliff hanger ending of Waking the Witch and is the 12th and penultimate novel in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. This review may spoil your enjoyment of the earlier books if you're not up to date...and if not, why not?
Savannah has made her accidental bargain with a demon and lost her powers but she is determined that no one will find out and she'll get them back before anyone notices. In the meantime she still has to stop that witch hunter and work out her feelings towards Adam.
Waking the Witch was very much a coming of age story for Savannah but she seems to have regressed to a sulky, unforgiving teenager for much of the book. Of course this could be blamed on her loss of magic but I wasn't buying it and I didn't really enjoy her narration. The whole Savannah and Adam thing is drawn out too long and starts to get annoying.
Perhaps Spell Bound is setting up some ideas for the final novel in the series. There seemed a lot of threads to the plot but nothing substantial. There was the continuation of the story from Waking the Witch with the witch hunters and Savannah's desire to put things right, a secret organisation plotting to unveil the supernatural world and a shady group of immortality questers. Not to mention the fragile bonds of Savannah's unconventional family. The novel seems quite short and it's just too much to fit in.
I hope the series returns to form for the final instalment, I would hate it to end on a sour note. I would like to know more about what happened to Bryce and hope this will be dealt with before Kelley puts the Otherworld to rest.
Savannah has made her accidental bargain with a demon and lost her powers but she is determined that no one will find out and she'll get them back before anyone notices. In the meantime she still has to stop that witch hunter and work out her feelings towards Adam.
Waking the Witch was very much a coming of age story for Savannah but she seems to have regressed to a sulky, unforgiving teenager for much of the book. Of course this could be blamed on her loss of magic but I wasn't buying it and I didn't really enjoy her narration. The whole Savannah and Adam thing is drawn out too long and starts to get annoying.
Perhaps Spell Bound is setting up some ideas for the final novel in the series. There seemed a lot of threads to the plot but nothing substantial. There was the continuation of the story from Waking the Witch with the witch hunters and Savannah's desire to put things right, a secret organisation plotting to unveil the supernatural world and a shady group of immortality questers. Not to mention the fragile bonds of Savannah's unconventional family. The novel seems quite short and it's just too much to fit in.
I hope the series returns to form for the final instalment, I would hate it to end on a sour note. I would like to know more about what happened to Bryce and hope this will be dealt with before Kelley puts the Otherworld to rest.
A house in Athens is burned to the ground, three are dead and one women is left fighting for her life. The women, Sonia, was once a great actress and her ex-lovers, her alcoholic landlord and a policeman, are the only ones who wish to find out what really happened the night of the fire.
I liked the idea, the narrative is split between Halkidis and Piertzovanis, the two ex-lovers, interspersed with memories of Sonia. However I found that I was missing the inflections we are used to in speech to know what the character is feeling. There is a point near the start where Halkidis is questioning Piertzovanis about the crime, and it seems fairly genial until the end where it is explained that they were being quite hostile to each other. It really did not come across that way in the wording, perhaps it's been lost in translation but it happens again throughout the book. Now I know one of the characteristics of the noir sub-genre is a tough guy protagonist but I would still expect some sort of emotional response.
The women came across as much more rounded characters, the prostitute, Rina, that takes a liking to old Piertzovanis and Sonia herself, although she is mostly a memory, I found her interactions with the men charming. Sonia might be a little stereotypical but she was a breath of fresh air as I was struggling to connect to the men.
The resolution of the crime mystery aspect also seemed a bit out of place. The actual culprits didn't really feature in the story until the reveal and I didn't find it very plausible. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with Greek culture.
To be fair to the book, I was left feeling very much the same as I did when I tried to read James Patterson's Alex Cross series...which is hugely popular and Ashes may well appeal to the same audience.
I liked the idea, the narrative is split between Halkidis and Piertzovanis, the two ex-lovers, interspersed with memories of Sonia. However I found that I was missing the inflections we are used to in speech to know what the character is feeling. There is a point near the start where Halkidis is questioning Piertzovanis about the crime, and it seems fairly genial until the end where it is explained that they were being quite hostile to each other. It really did not come across that way in the wording, perhaps it's been lost in translation but it happens again throughout the book. Now I know one of the characteristics of the noir sub-genre is a tough guy protagonist but I would still expect some sort of emotional response.
The women came across as much more rounded characters, the prostitute, Rina, that takes a liking to old Piertzovanis and Sonia herself, although she is mostly a memory, I found her interactions with the men charming. Sonia might be a little stereotypical but she was a breath of fresh air as I was struggling to connect to the men.
The resolution of the crime mystery aspect also seemed a bit out of place. The actual culprits didn't really feature in the story until the reveal and I didn't find it very plausible. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with Greek culture.
To be fair to the book, I was left feeling very much the same as I did when I tried to read James Patterson's Alex Cross series...which is hugely popular and Ashes may well appeal to the same audience.
Jack has just got out of prison for a crime he didn't commit, statutory rape against a student at the posh private school he used to work at. He arrives in Salem Falls and takes a job at a diner run by Addie, who has problems of her own. As soon as the men of the town find out he's a sex offender, they set to work trying to run him out of town until the unthinkable happens and a teenage girl accuses Jack of rape and his ordeal starts all over again.
As always Jodi Picoult is not afraid of tackling controversial subjects and I found the first half of the book to be uncomfortable reading at times. A lot of different viewpoints are included in the book, from the girl who cries wolf to the genuine victims who don't think they will be believed, from the wrongly accused to the guilty.
Loosely based on The Crucible, it is very much a modern day witch hunt which is only highlighted by the fact that the girls are practising Wiccans. As a reader we instantly like Jack and want to believe his innocence, so it's difficult when the town is so hostile towards him. You really think they would have the intelligence to know the difference between statutory rape and a violent crime, whatever your views on the matter they are not in the same ballpark. As you read on, you learn that the locals are in no position to judge either.
Doubt creeps in when the trial starts and evidence mounts up. Even Jordan, who you may know from other books, is only doing his job in defending him. I admit, I seem to be reading Jordan's stories backwards as I have previously read Vanishing Acts and grown to like him as a person. Jacks' life is told backwards from the day of his release right back to his birth and the more you read, the more you think he is not the type of man to have committed these crimes. The defense's investigation and the ensuing trial are pacey and gripping making this another quick yet substantial read. I'm not sure I'll ever get through one of Jodi's novels with a dry eye!
Annoyingly, my copy had more typographical errors than the average uncorrected proof and this is from an edition published four years after its original release. I'm a bit disappointed that no-one thought to correct these.
As always Jodi Picoult is not afraid of tackling controversial subjects and I found the first half of the book to be uncomfortable reading at times. A lot of different viewpoints are included in the book, from the girl who cries wolf to the genuine victims who don't think they will be believed, from the wrongly accused to the guilty.
Loosely based on The Crucible, it is very much a modern day witch hunt which is only highlighted by the fact that the girls are practising Wiccans. As a reader we instantly like Jack and want to believe his innocence, so it's difficult when the town is so hostile towards him. You really think they would have the intelligence to know the difference between statutory rape and a violent crime, whatever your views on the matter they are not in the same ballpark. As you read on, you learn that the locals are in no position to judge either.
Doubt creeps in when the trial starts and evidence mounts up. Even Jordan, who you may know from other books, is only doing his job in defending him. I admit, I seem to be reading Jordan's stories backwards as I have previously read Vanishing Acts and grown to like him as a person. Jacks' life is told backwards from the day of his release right back to his birth and the more you read, the more you think he is not the type of man to have committed these crimes. The defense's investigation and the ensuing trial are pacey and gripping making this another quick yet substantial read. I'm not sure I'll ever get through one of Jodi's novels with a dry eye!
Annoyingly, my copy had more typographical errors than the average uncorrected proof and this is from an edition published four years after its original release. I'm a bit disappointed that no-one thought to correct these.
Lady Enid has been quietly accompanying her professor husband, Bernard, for years on cruises where he provides guest lectures. But when a passenger is convinced he knows Bernard from somewhere, Enid starts to wonder if it really is just a case of mistaken identity or does her husband have a hidden past?
On one hand, At Sea is a wonderfully funny parody of cruise ship life, just imagine being stuck on a ship for weeks on end with the same people and not being able to escape them! That's exactly what Bernard thinks of his fellow passengers but Enid is much more inclined to give people a chance.
Enid has been through life accepting her lot however during this fateful cruise she begins to learn not just more about her husband but also what she wants out of life. And maybe what she wants is to let her hair down now and then. There's some fantastic moments where Enid is learning about the internet for the first time and then goes on to try and explain things to Bernard who is having none of it. They are both examples of certain a generation who either embrace new technology and the things it can for them or shun it as nonsense.
As Enid would say, Bernard is a rather beastly character and I'm not sure you'll feel much sympathy towards him but I loved Enid and slowly began to like her little cruise ship family even if they were a little unorthodox.
It's really not the sort of book I would be drawn to and I think I am a little younger than the intended audience but overall I found it an enjoyable read. Definitely one to pack in the bags if you're heading on a cruise any time soon!
On one hand, At Sea is a wonderfully funny parody of cruise ship life, just imagine being stuck on a ship for weeks on end with the same people and not being able to escape them! That's exactly what Bernard thinks of his fellow passengers but Enid is much more inclined to give people a chance.
Enid has been through life accepting her lot however during this fateful cruise she begins to learn not just more about her husband but also what she wants out of life. And maybe what she wants is to let her hair down now and then. There's some fantastic moments where Enid is learning about the internet for the first time and then goes on to try and explain things to Bernard who is having none of it. They are both examples of certain a generation who either embrace new technology and the things it can for them or shun it as nonsense.
As Enid would say, Bernard is a rather beastly character and I'm not sure you'll feel much sympathy towards him but I loved Enid and slowly began to like her little cruise ship family even if they were a little unorthodox.
It's really not the sort of book I would be drawn to and I think I am a little younger than the intended audience but overall I found it an enjoyable read. Definitely one to pack in the bags if you're heading on a cruise any time soon!
A severed hand discovered in Chinatown leads Rizzoli to a case from nearly twenty years ago. A restaurant shooting where the blame was placed with the chef who then committed suicide. But someone out there believes the chef was innocent and it's time for the secrets of the past to be uncovered.
The Silent Girl is the 10th book in Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series. Normally I can plough through one of these books in an evening but I kept putting this one down. There seems to be a lot of redundant material in the first half of the book, some of it does tie together at the end but I didn't think the drama around Maura testifying against a cop was relevant, except to give her a bit more of a role in this book. However it did pick up in the second half and I enjoyed piecing together the clues.
The tag line for this edition is "No one could hear her scream" which has nothing to do with anything. I don't think the marketing person who thought that up actually read the book or the synopsis! The title does make sense by the end though.
There was a tendency for an "expert" to go on at length about a bit of evidence. I know this happens in a lot of crime books but it didn't sit right that the entire team would head across town to find out what animal a hair came from when they could have been informed over the phone. I think this contributed to the lack of pace in general. On the other hand, I did like the inclusion of the Monkey King myth, not long after I'd first encountered it in Kitty's Big Trouble.
I think it's worth reading for fans of Gerritsen but I wouldn't recommend starting off here as it's not her best.
The Silent Girl is the 10th book in Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series. Normally I can plough through one of these books in an evening but I kept putting this one down. There seems to be a lot of redundant material in the first half of the book, some of it does tie together at the end but I didn't think the drama around Maura testifying against a cop was relevant, except to give her a bit more of a role in this book. However it did pick up in the second half and I enjoyed piecing together the clues.
The tag line for this edition is "No one could hear her scream" which has nothing to do with anything. I don't think the marketing person who thought that up actually read the book or the synopsis! The title does make sense by the end though.
There was a tendency for an "expert" to go on at length about a bit of evidence. I know this happens in a lot of crime books but it didn't sit right that the entire team would head across town to find out what animal a hair came from when they could have been informed over the phone. I think this contributed to the lack of pace in general. On the other hand, I did like the inclusion of the Monkey King myth, not long after I'd first encountered it in Kitty's Big Trouble.
I think it's worth reading for fans of Gerritsen but I wouldn't recommend starting off here as it's not her best.