Furies of Calderon

By Jim Butcher

This book was suggested by one of my friends. His taste in books is exactly the same as mine, so I looked forward to reading it. It was sitting on my shelf for months, and I always get nervous to start a book after I've been looking forward to reading it for ages. I'm always afraid they will disappoint me in some way. Luckily, this one did not.

It is set in a world that has fantastic and fascinating creatures, intricate politics, and wonderful sights. From the beginning, Butcher immerses you in the lives of the main characters: Tavi, Bernard, Isana, Fidelias, and Amara. Throughout the book, you follow these few as they try and save Alera, their country, from the Marat, the barbarians who try to destroy the peace of Alera. The Alerans have a couple of things that the Marat don't: they have steel weapons and armor, and Furies.

Furies are physical representations of forces of nature or stuff like that. For example, there are watercrafters, firecrafters, metalcrafters, woodcrafters, windcrafters, earthcrafters, etc. Everyone in Alera has one and they are able to use them for a number of different activities. That is what makes Tavi so special. He has no fury and is looked upon as a freak for it.

In the book, Tavi has an enormous role to play in the events regarding the future of his country. He has to have a whole lot of courage and wit to do it.

The story is engaging and takes you through the world wonderfully. Though there are quite a number of characters, I didn't get confused at all by who is who. The action is exciting and it isn't at all a predictable plot. It keeps you guessing at what is going to happen next and you aren't going to be able to put it down. I couldn't.

My main problem with it (main being relative, it wasn't really a problem) is that Butcher brings you too quickly into the story. I spent the first couple of chapters floundering around, trying to orient myself in this world and attempting to figure out what exactly a fury was or what it can do. However, over time it is all explained.

I give this book a solid 4.1. It's really up there, but not quite outstanding. I would seriously recommend it though, if you like fantasy and adventure. :)

Happy reading.

Kushiel's Dart

By Jaqueline Carey

I like this book. It's really good. It has adventure, and action, and romance, and run-for-your-life type of thing. I really recommend reading, but not for really young viewers. I would recommend 14/15+. There are a lot of really inappropriate scenes in there. And language and stuff. So, NOT FOR CHILDREN.

But besides all of that, it's a good story. It's about Phedré nó Dulaney or however you spell her name, one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, shone by a scarlet mote in her eye. It tells of her training in Dulaney's household and then her adventures after. There are a lot of twists and turns and relationships made and lost, and it tells a brilliant story.

My only problem with it is that I couldn't keep all of the names straight and I was really confused for the whole book pretty much on the whole religion aspect and the names and the culture.

I still recommend that people of an appropriate age read this book. I did like it, over all. A 3.5. Off for the confusedness and inappropriateness.

Thirteen Reasons Why

By Jay Asher

All I can say, is read this book. It will change your life. Jay Asher writes this book in such a way that you have simultaneous narration going on. Both sides are equally important. Together, they tell the story about why Hannah Baker commits suicide, what events snowballed together to cause her to seek such a release. I recently reread it a year or so after I first read it. The first time, I was like, What a sad story. Well written though. I like it! The second time, I was bawling. It means so much more to me now that I'm older and more world wise.

In this book, Clay Jenson comes home and finds a brown paper package addressed to him with no return address. He was excited. But then he starts to listen to them. And he hears a voice of someone he never thought he would hear again. Hannah Baker. The girl who committed suicide. And so we are launched into the journey of Clay's life, learning how his first love, Hannah Baker, decided to end her own. It's awful, because Asher conveys perfectly every emotion Hannah is going through and Clay's reactions. By the end, your heart is breaking as you hear Hannah giving up, losing all hope. Mr. Asher writes this novel perfectly.

I think very highly of this book. It gets a 4.9. It would get a 5 save for the fact that I don't feel Clay's character is a developed as it could be. But please, read this book. It is really touching and will help you in life, understanding people and learning to help. :)

Pathfinder

By Orson Scott Card

The first thing about this book, it confused the heck out of me. Because or the simple fact that there is time travel. Time travel has always confused me, considering the paradoxes and the fact that two or however many versions of oneself could exist in the same time period. And then he has the fact that you can take stuff out of one period or put stuff in or whatever. All very confusing. And half of it went over my head because I wasn't paying close attention. But I still like the book. :)

It's about this kid named Rigg and he goes off on this whole big adventure. It starts with him and his father, and they're out traveling the woods. But then they are separated and Rigg has to take their furs (they lived as trappers) and go find his mother in the big city. Except, he finds out that he has the power to change the past, but only with the power of his friend, Umbo. Then they go off and have this crazy adventure and you are left with an ending that you go, I totally hope there is a second book. And guess what? There is! Can't wait for it. :)

A solid 4.3. Didn't get higher because I didn't get some of the technical stuff and I didn't particularly like some of the characters. But I still encourage all of those people out in the world to read it. :)

Changeling

By Philippa Gregory

I have to say, I didn't like this book that much. I read the description and I was like, "Oh cool! This sounds good." 78 pages in, I said, "Nothing has happened." All of the action in the book happened in 10 pages. Out of 256 pages. Most of the time, it's just Luca being confrontational with his own supposed best friend and interviewing people that tell us nothing in the world. There was also a stretch where it took up like, 27 pages about just traveling on horses, nothing else happening. The only way I got through it was by thinking the whole time, "After this one, I get to move onto the 24 books I have to read after this! They're sure to be better!" :|
Things I dislike:
1. The characters are boring. No development at all. The only one that might be half decent is Ishraq. But I mean, really.
2. The cover. First off, neither of the people there are that attractive (at least to me) and Luca is supposed to be really REALLY handsome and Isolde is supposed to be really pretty. HA. Bring me to the person who chose there people so I can check they aren't blind. Secondly, the way the characters are set up makes you think that Isolde is the main character and she's accompanied by Luca. But I beg to differ. Instead it follows Luca, who spends his days arguing, reminding people he is in charge and saying that he makes all the decisions. And he's terribly boring.
3. The plot lines. Yes, that's right. More than one. We have the first one, promised on the flap with the nuns. It takes about 130 or something pages to get to the climax of it which lasts 5 pages. Then they hit the road again and come across another plot line, with werewolves. They are COMPLETELY disconnected from each other. It's absolutely ridiculous. It's like Ms. Gregory took two little ideas for stories and said to herself "Ah, look here, two little stories! Let's put them into one book so that I actually have enough pages for it to be considered a novel!" Ugh.
4. Luca. At the beginning he says like, "Oh, I see the whole world in numbers. That's just how I've always thought. OH MY BIEBER. Is that a sheet with numbers on it?? I have to learn it! AH. It has the number zero! INSPIRED." Then that whole thing never comes up again. And he switches between being all "Whatever, do whatever the heck you want to." and saying "I'M THE LEADER. DO AS I SAY. I KNOW BEST. HE APPOINTED ME AS INQUIRER." Oh, and at the beginning he and Freize are introduced as best mates. But for the rest of the book, Luca yells at Freize and tells him that he's useless and to get out of his way. I mean really? Your best mate?
5. The plot was way too predictable. I mean, really. A four year old could guess all of the plot points.
6-∞. Things that are too small for me to point out and that are in the small aspects of the book.
One thing that was okay about this book? It was entertaining and will do well if it was the last book on this planet. :)
It gets on the lower side of a two. It only gets that hight because as I said above, it was mildly entertaining. And it made me feel good because I could guess the plot points (thanks to the over predictability) and that made me feel like Sherlock Holmes. : ) Even so, I might be too generous.