Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites

 Hi everyone

I wasn't sure I would like this series because I thought it would be too romantic but I kept seeing great reviews so I finally decided to read the first book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.
I read this on my e-reader.

"Kate Daniels is about to enter a world of gritty magic and dangerous mystery! Vampires, necromancers and mages abound on the city streets, with one kickass heroine in the middleFuture Atlanta is an interesting place to one moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters.Here skyscrapers topple under the onslaught of magic; the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst for knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds. Kate Daniels likes her sword a little too much, and she has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she's spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing, and remain safe, or to risk her life by pursuing his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy .." 

I actually liked this a lot. It's action-packed, fast, it has cutting humour and fun characters.
It is however a bit boring plotwise and writingstyle-wise. The 'cutting remarks' get predictable, you will be able to foresee who will do and say what after reading only a few chapters.

I enjoyed it, I will read the second book and we'll see about the whole series.

Happy reading!
Helena

Fonda Lee: Jade City

 Hi everyone

Jade City is the first book in The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee. 
The original book has a gorgeous, simple cover but I read it on my e-reader.

"The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.
The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion--but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.
When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself."

I had high hopes for this one. The book gets 4,08 stars on Goodreads so that's a really good score. But it just wasn't for me. I found it to be quite boring, an uninspired plot and flat characterization. What aggravated me most however is the sense that Lee couldn't decide whether she wanted the novel to be set in the modern world or in an older world. There are modern elements (television, guns, etc) but they fight with knives, the 'jade' has an old magic feel. It was jarring to read.

Happy reading.
Helena

Sarah Andersen: Adulthood Is a Myth

 Hi everyone

I saw this delightful book in the local library and I had to take it home with me.
It has a fantastic name 'Adulthood is a Myth' and it's written by Sarah Andersen.

" These casually drawn, perfectly on-point comics by the hugely popular young Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Andersen are for the rest of us. They document the wasting of entire beautiful weekends on the internet, the unbearable agony of holding hands on the street with a gorgeous guy, and dreaming all day of getting home and back into pajamas. In other words, the horrors and awkwardnesses of young modern life. Oh and they are totally not autobiographical. At all."

This wasn't as special or funny as I had hoped. Most comics are very recognizable and a lot of them made me smile. But it never made me laugh-out-loud.

Happy reading!
Helena

Sam Harris: The End of Faith

Hi everyone

I've been meaning to try something by Sam Harris and I finally got around to reading one of his books.

"In The End of Faith, Sam Harris delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. He offers a vivid, historical tour of our willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs—even when these beliefs inspire the worst human atrocities. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris draws on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to deliver a call for a truly modern foundation for ethics and spirituality that is both secular and humanistic."

This was not what I had hoped for. 

You will know by now that I'm an atheist and like Harris, I truly believe religion can and has done great harm to people, families and countries.
But Harris picks and chooses whatever suits him best, whatever works best to illustrate his arguments. The book is very focused on American politics and he really has it in for Islam in particular.
The oversimplification of his points made me mad.

Not recommended.

Happy reading!
Helena

Robin Hobb: Dragon Keeper

 Hi everyone

I felt it time to start another Robin Hobb series. The Rain Wild Chronicles is the series I'm starting now because I'm reading them chronological. So,this review is for Dragon Keeper, the first book in The Rain Wild Chronicles.
I got my copy from Bol (with a gorgeous cover as always).
You can read my other Robin Hobb reviews here.

"Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. Many have died along the way. With its acid waters and impenetrable forest, it is a hard place for any to survive.
People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise. One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study all there is to know of dragons.
But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial. Soon, they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done. The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them.
To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist…"

As you may know, I hated Robin Hobb's series The Soldier Son. That was a huge miss and complete dissapointment. Every other series was a hit. This one was mixed so we'll see where this will go.
This book had all of Hobb's elements I associate with her writing. In-depth and flawed characters, amazing worldbuilding, too slow plot and amazing writing. This book ends very slow and anti-climactic which makes me think the series had better be three books because it was a real bummer. The story for the whole book can be said in three sentences; that's how snail-paced the book was.
I hated, loathed some characters and loved some others. As is usual for me with Hobb's books. I particularly disliked the dragon's POV.
But there's always something compelling me to continue reading.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wrap Up: January 2025

 Hi everyone

January was a loooong month. Cold, dark and depressing. Perfect time for evenings filled with books and cups of tea.

Here's what I read last month:

- Benedict Jacka: An Inheritance of Magic 

- Eowyn Ivey: To the Bright Edge of the World 

- Fredrik Backman: A Man Called Ove 

- Grant Snider: I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf 

- Rebecca Thorne: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea 

- Jonathan French: The Grey Bastards 

- N. K. Jemisin: Emergency Skin 

Is there anything you'd like to recommend me? What did you read in January?

Happy reading!
Helena