So, for the past few days I've been dashing all over the internets on the Spooktacular Blog Hop hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm... and boy has it ever been FUN!!
Obviously, TwoReads didn't participate in this HUGE blog hop with a giveaway of our own ... we didn't have the blog last year and didn't have a clue what this was all about ... but now that I've visited nearly every one of the 450+ blogs that participated in this particular hop, *pwheeew!* and honestly, I did not realize how many spectacular book blogging site were out there ... I have really enjoyed getting to see the sights... I have found some incredible blogs ... not to mention the generosity of these people - holy cow!!!
Unfortunately, since I've been mostly flying right from one blog to the next trying to get to them all, I didn't get to casually look over each blog as much as I would've liked to. :( However, over the next couple weeks, I WILL definitely be re-visiting the blogs that stood out for me - as well as checking out everyone I have added to the blog roll list, facebook, goodreads, etc.
This has been soooo educational as well as inspirational. I've decided, the hubs and I *will* be having a giveaway here on TwoReads (hopefully before the end of the year) so stay tuned for that. I can also say that after entering so many rafflecopter entries this past weekend, I have a lot to think about as far as the different hoops to jump through and all.
Anyway ... if you're here to check out my blog because I've followed yours during this blog hop, Yay! I realize there's not a ton to look at (yet) but hope we're more actively blogging after the new year.
Thanks so much for stopping by, you've made me a very happy blogger today :)
Feel free to leave a comment, follow me or something
Kindest Regards,
~Lynne
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
80 AD by Aiki Flinthart Series Review
80 AD by Aiki Flinthart Series Review
Book 2: The Hammer of Thor
Book two continues with Phoenix, Jade and their companions traveling through Nordic lands to try and return Truda to her home, and then get hold of Thor’s hammer. Failing to do so will not only bring about the end of the computer game world but their original world as well!
As you would expect level two of the game is harder than the first. The warriors have to battle against indestructible trolls, and Jade has to use her wits to help defend them in a Norse Gods courtroom or they will become sacrifices!
Fortunately the computer avatars skills seem to have improved since the first book, this helps them with their quests but they still have to struggle to overcome great odds.
The personalities of the “real” characters are also developed, with all of them getting more fleshed out in this book. All four main characters in the party, as well as the newly acquired Truda are great to read about and are very interesting.
Phoenix and Jade are at odds in this book, often arguing or being mean to each other. In one of my favourite sections of the book, Marcus gives an excellent practical demonstration to Phoenix of how co-operating with a friend will get you more points than trying to compete with them.
Jade and Phoenix also deal with real feelings, such as fear of having to be in this world without the other one, as well as missing their families.
The computer game elements are not quite as prominent in this book. Jade and Phoenix still have a number of lives and this becomes an issue in this book as they start to get used up. They also sometimes talk or think about their lives in the ‘real’ world. They have to use some of their skills from their original lives. Although I somewhat missed seeing the computer game parts of the book, it did make it more interesting in a way as it does raise the question if the computer game world is real?
The plot is cleverly woven and several seemingly different things, turn out to have a common root that is only revealed at the end of the book.
The pacing is excellent with a great balance between fast action sequences and slower talking/thinking scenes.
There is quite a bit a humour in the book again, one of the funniest is when Phoenix gets to use a real toilet again!
Level three of the series is set in Egypt, the group of hero's are set the task of freeing a trapped Goddess before time runs out and Egypt is plunged into a never ending drought.
The story is exciting and like the previous ones, there is a good balance of action and slower talking scenes that allow for character development.
The characters face even stronger foes this time including a powerful wizard and a host of undead soldiers. The avatars are stronger so they are can battle against them.
Phoenix character is very interesting in this book, he is slowly becoming controlled by his berserker sword and his friends are at as much of risk of his anger as his foes.
The computer game elements are still in the book, mostly to do with the main characters having a number of lives. In this book they use up a number of them, they also rise the interesting question of is it right to use up one of their lives to help 'save' them.
A good addition to the series. Our heroes adventure in a game world continues, this time they are in India. The story is of the same great quality as the previous book, the characters are excellent and the group dynamics is fantastic.
The new character in this book that joins our regulars on their quest is a player from the real world. This was very interesting to see as it has massive implications for what is going on in the story. Unfortunately it raised a number of plot points that are my main reason for only rating this book three stars.
Firstly the new character states that every character in the computer game has their own unique quests, this is to stop players teaming up, and they are not allowed to discuss what their quests are with other players or they will be banned! This doesn't make sense in the real world, since it would be practically impossible to create that many unique quests for 1000's of players. Plus the fact that the whole point of on-line games IS to team up with other players in order to complete quests. And why they heck doesn't anyone tell him "HELP! We are trapped in this game and can't get out!"
Admittedly this may be explained in the final book, but it also seems odd that new players have been allowed into the game after our two heroes have become trapped in it, it has been assumed that their real bodies are still in the real world, plugged into the game.
The other problem I had with this book is that most of the main plot points are from the previous books; avoid a large army (book one), go back and help people instead of adventuring on towards your goal (book two), free a trapped God (book three). There are some new things in this book, but not enough for my liking.
Overall this was a good story with great characters and group interactions, but was let down by the fact it is too similar to the rest of the series and plot points that make no logical sense
Book 5: The Yu Dragon
The Yu Dragon is the final book in the excellent 80AD series. I was very concerned with the opening chapters of this book as it was very similar to the previous books, the male characters end up trapped in a tomb and Brynn triggers a bunch of traps and guardians after he tries to steal some treasures. Ironically even the characters point this out and blame ‘the programmers’ for being unoriginal. Fortunately once you are past those early chapters the story expands and there are plenty of new ideas.
Both of the main characters undergo big developments in this book and they have to work hard in the battles against the final boss. Seeing the final changes that have been building throughout the series was very satisfying and I felt a great sense of completion.
SPOILER: I was really annoyed with Marcus’s resurrection, I like him and was sad when he died, but it felt spoiled by being brought back as it lessened his sacrifice and it was a plot point that has been used before. It also made the rest of the book less tense as it seemed that the characters would always survive.
END OF SPOILER
The interaction between the characters is very well written and the humour in the book is highly entertaining.
The actions sequences are exciting but there is also a good amount of slower more personal scenes to balance it out.
I enjoyed the ending; it was nice that the author kept whether the world of 80AD was real or not a mystery.
I really enjoyed this series; the premise is something
fairly original with the characters trapped in a computer game world. Some plot
points do get repeated throughout the series.
The main set of characters is very good. Phoenix and Jade undergo quite a development
during the series; Marcus and Brynn are excellent characters too and bring
plenty of entertainment to the books. The many secondary characters that
typically appear for just one book are also interesting and usually bring
something new and varied.
The humour is very good especially that provided by Brynn’s
antics.
It was enjoyable seeing a different culture in each book and
it brought some nice variance to what was happening in the stories.
It has a number of good lessons, the importance of doing the
morally right thing, working well with others, helping people, not losing control,
and being self confident.
The reminders of what happened in the previous books has the
right balance, enough to remind you what happened but not too much to break up
the flow. Because of this it doesn’t matter if you have a gap in-between
reading the books.
I enjoyed the appendix at the end of the first book as it
gives some historical information that applies; it was a shame that this wasn’t
included in the rest of the series.
I would recommend this series to fans of high school/young
adult fantasy books, that are looking for something a little different, although
some knowledge of computer games and/or roleplaying games would help with
understanding of some parts. There is some fantasy violence and one use of the
word “bastards” in the first book making it suitable for an audience of 13+.
Oh and it’s currently FREE on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
Book 1: The Jewel of Asgard
The
basic premise of the story is somewhat traditional, young people thrown
into an adventure and expected to save the world. But the specifics in
the way it is told is new to me. The characters each are playing a
computer game, by some strange events they are thrown INTO the computer
game, except that the world appears to be real.
Having some knowledge and enjoyment of computer games and Role-Playing Games would help anyone reading this book, especially at the start of the book when they are creating their characters and playing it just as a computer game.
One nice effect of the computer game element is that because the book characters become their computer game characters the book doesn't have the annoying thing that happens in some books where children become very powerful heroes in a short amount of time. There are other gaming elements, such as a concept of a number of lives, recruiting NPCs, character skills and quests.
The pacing of the book is excellent with a good balance between action sequences and slowing scenes.
The characters are very well written, they have interesting personalities and you are drawn into their story. They are fairly stereotypical though, for example the boy Phoenix chose to be a fighter in the game, he enjoys battles and adventures, and wanted to play in the game world straight away. The girl wanted to be a pretty half-elf wizard and wanted to go home instead of going on adventures.
The characters have some development, Phoenix begins to feel bad about killing enemies and starts to take the world seriously instead of just being a game. It is also interesting to see how at first his real life skills and the skills of his character are sometimes in conflict with each other but he learns how to use both world abilities in unison.
Another nice thing is that the characters act in a real way. For example they need to pee and poop, and they miss their families.
The appendix is good, as it gives some information about the Romans, their armies and about Britain and its people.
There are a few spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but not enough to take away from the book.
Having some knowledge and enjoyment of computer games and Role-Playing Games would help anyone reading this book, especially at the start of the book when they are creating their characters and playing it just as a computer game.
One nice effect of the computer game element is that because the book characters become their computer game characters the book doesn't have the annoying thing that happens in some books where children become very powerful heroes in a short amount of time. There are other gaming elements, such as a concept of a number of lives, recruiting NPCs, character skills and quests.
The pacing of the book is excellent with a good balance between action sequences and slowing scenes.
The characters are very well written, they have interesting personalities and you are drawn into their story. They are fairly stereotypical though, for example the boy Phoenix chose to be a fighter in the game, he enjoys battles and adventures, and wanted to play in the game world straight away. The girl wanted to be a pretty half-elf wizard and wanted to go home instead of going on adventures.
The characters have some development, Phoenix begins to feel bad about killing enemies and starts to take the world seriously instead of just being a game. It is also interesting to see how at first his real life skills and the skills of his character are sometimes in conflict with each other but he learns how to use both world abilities in unison.
Another nice thing is that the characters act in a real way. For example they need to pee and poop, and they miss their families.
The appendix is good, as it gives some information about the Romans, their armies and about Britain and its people.
There are a few spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but not enough to take away from the book.
Book two continues with Phoenix, Jade and their companions traveling through Nordic lands to try and return Truda to her home, and then get hold of Thor’s hammer. Failing to do so will not only bring about the end of the computer game world but their original world as well!
As you would expect level two of the game is harder than the first. The warriors have to battle against indestructible trolls, and Jade has to use her wits to help defend them in a Norse Gods courtroom or they will become sacrifices!
Fortunately the computer avatars skills seem to have improved since the first book, this helps them with their quests but they still have to struggle to overcome great odds.
The personalities of the “real” characters are also developed, with all of them getting more fleshed out in this book. All four main characters in the party, as well as the newly acquired Truda are great to read about and are very interesting.
Phoenix and Jade are at odds in this book, often arguing or being mean to each other. In one of my favourite sections of the book, Marcus gives an excellent practical demonstration to Phoenix of how co-operating with a friend will get you more points than trying to compete with them.
Jade and Phoenix also deal with real feelings, such as fear of having to be in this world without the other one, as well as missing their families.
The computer game elements are not quite as prominent in this book. Jade and Phoenix still have a number of lives and this becomes an issue in this book as they start to get used up. They also sometimes talk or think about their lives in the ‘real’ world. They have to use some of their skills from their original lives. Although I somewhat missed seeing the computer game parts of the book, it did make it more interesting in a way as it does raise the question if the computer game world is real?
The plot is cleverly woven and several seemingly different things, turn out to have a common root that is only revealed at the end of the book.
The pacing is excellent with a great balance between fast action sequences and slower talking/thinking scenes.
There is quite a bit a humour in the book again, one of the funniest is when Phoenix gets to use a real toilet again!
Book Three: The Tekhen of Anuket
Level three of the series is set in Egypt, the group of hero's are set the task of freeing a trapped Goddess before time runs out and Egypt is plunged into a never ending drought.
The story is exciting and like the previous ones, there is a good balance of action and slower talking scenes that allow for character development.
The characters face even stronger foes this time including a powerful wizard and a host of undead soldiers. The avatars are stronger so they are can battle against them.
Phoenix character is very interesting in this book, he is slowly becoming controlled by his berserker sword and his friends are at as much of risk of his anger as his foes.
The computer game elements are still in the book, mostly to do with the main characters having a number of lives. In this book they use up a number of them, they also rise the interesting question of is it right to use up one of their lives to help 'save' them.
Book Four: The Sudarshana
A good addition to the series. Our heroes adventure in a game world continues, this time they are in India. The story is of the same great quality as the previous book, the characters are excellent and the group dynamics is fantastic.
The new character in this book that joins our regulars on their quest is a player from the real world. This was very interesting to see as it has massive implications for what is going on in the story. Unfortunately it raised a number of plot points that are my main reason for only rating this book three stars.
Firstly the new character states that every character in the computer game has their own unique quests, this is to stop players teaming up, and they are not allowed to discuss what their quests are with other players or they will be banned! This doesn't make sense in the real world, since it would be practically impossible to create that many unique quests for 1000's of players. Plus the fact that the whole point of on-line games IS to team up with other players in order to complete quests. And why they heck doesn't anyone tell him "HELP! We are trapped in this game and can't get out!"
Admittedly this may be explained in the final book, but it also seems odd that new players have been allowed into the game after our two heroes have become trapped in it, it has been assumed that their real bodies are still in the real world, plugged into the game.
The other problem I had with this book is that most of the main plot points are from the previous books; avoid a large army (book one), go back and help people instead of adventuring on towards your goal (book two), free a trapped God (book three). There are some new things in this book, but not enough for my liking.
Overall this was a good story with great characters and group interactions, but was let down by the fact it is too similar to the rest of the series and plot points that make no logical sense
The Yu Dragon is the final book in the excellent 80AD series. I was very concerned with the opening chapters of this book as it was very similar to the previous books, the male characters end up trapped in a tomb and Brynn triggers a bunch of traps and guardians after he tries to steal some treasures. Ironically even the characters point this out and blame ‘the programmers’ for being unoriginal. Fortunately once you are past those early chapters the story expands and there are plenty of new ideas.
Both of the main characters undergo big developments in this book and they have to work hard in the battles against the final boss. Seeing the final changes that have been building throughout the series was very satisfying and I felt a great sense of completion.
SPOILER: I was really annoyed with Marcus’s resurrection, I like him and was sad when he died, but it felt spoiled by being brought back as it lessened his sacrifice and it was a plot point that has been used before. It also made the rest of the book less tense as it seemed that the characters would always survive.
END OF SPOILER
The interaction between the characters is very well written and the humour in the book is highly entertaining.
The actions sequences are exciting but there is also a good amount of slower more personal scenes to balance it out.
I enjoyed the ending; it was nice that the author kept whether the world of 80AD was real or not a mystery.
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Storm Dragon's Heart by David Alastair Hayden
The Storm Dragon's Heart by David Alastair Hayden
Synopsis: Turesobei dreamed of adventure, a way to prove he was no longer a child.
Wizards should be careful what they wish for.
Destined to become his clan's next high wizard, studious Turesobei has constantly struggled to live up to other people's demands and expectations, but now he's had enough.
When his treasure-hunting father arrives with important news to discuss with the current high wizard, Turesobei spies on their secret meeting and accidentally foils an assassination attempt. As a reward his father invites him on an expedition to find an artifact known as the Storm Dragon's Heart.
But when disaster strikes, their quest becomes a race for survival.
Aided by a sassy ninja cat-girl and a mysterious diary that transforms into a winged familiar, Turesobei must face deadly cultists, vengeful spirits, and a mad wizard from a rival clan who's determined to use the artifact to destroy Turesobei's homeland.
The Storm Dragon's Heart will delight readers with a thrilling tale of exotic lands, mystical creatures, forbidden love, and fast-paced adventure.
Richi's Review: In full disclosure I received a free eBook edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One of the great things about this fantasy book is that it is based on an Eastern/Japanese culture. This makes it much more original then many other fantasy novels.
In the first quarter to third of the book there is not much action, but a lot of world building and character introduction. Personally I didn’t find this a problem as it was very interesting, especially considering the originality of much of it. Once you get pass that part there is plenty of action, with more balance between action and character/world development.
The main character Turesobei is a teenage wizard who is being trained by his grandfather the high-wizard. He is a good character who wants to do well and please his grandfather. Although he is somewhat reluctant in his role as the high wizard’s apprentice and is more keen on going on adventures with his treasure hunting father.
Turesobei has help from a number of allies. First is Lu Bei, a familiar that usually takes the form of a book. He is a great concept and a very interesting personality. He aids Turesobei with knowledge and helps him with his spells, but he also has information that he keeps from our hero.
Also helping Turesobei is a cat-girl called Iniru. She has ninja skills and a lot of attitude. She has a great personality and makes a great contrast to Turesobei. Her race is a lot less formal than the Turesobei’s making for a lot of interesting interactions between the two.
Onudaka’s is another companion who is a great warrior and helps Turesobei in many ways and giving him great advice.
Turesobei has an interesting family dynamic, his grandfather is his teacher who is an excellent mentor in the way he both annoys and inspires his pupil. Turesobei loves his father and wants to be with him, but his father has been off on adventures most of his life and not with his family. Turesobei loves his sister and they have a somewhat playful relationship but they clearly care for each other a lot. Turesobei doesn’t get on with his mother.
The romance part of the book is actually well written for a young adult/fantasy book. It takes time to build up and goes through a believable development.
The magic system is good, basically the wizard get worn out from casting spells and can even pass out if they use up too much of their energy. This is great as it stops the wizards becoming too powerful.
There is a good amount of humour in the book which helps with the story.
One problem I had with the eBook edition of this book was that it sometimes would skip pages. I had to use the Publishers Default settings, and sometimes had to turn them off and on again to get it to turn pages correctly.
I really hope there will be more books to this series as there are some unanswered questions. The characters in the book are excellent, the story is fantastic. The world building is very interesting and it was great to see an fantasy book based on Japanese culture rather than the traditional European.
Synopsis: Turesobei dreamed of adventure, a way to prove he was no longer a child.
Wizards should be careful what they wish for.
Destined to become his clan's next high wizard, studious Turesobei has constantly struggled to live up to other people's demands and expectations, but now he's had enough.
When his treasure-hunting father arrives with important news to discuss with the current high wizard, Turesobei spies on their secret meeting and accidentally foils an assassination attempt. As a reward his father invites him on an expedition to find an artifact known as the Storm Dragon's Heart.
But when disaster strikes, their quest becomes a race for survival.
Aided by a sassy ninja cat-girl and a mysterious diary that transforms into a winged familiar, Turesobei must face deadly cultists, vengeful spirits, and a mad wizard from a rival clan who's determined to use the artifact to destroy Turesobei's homeland.
The Storm Dragon's Heart will delight readers with a thrilling tale of exotic lands, mystical creatures, forbidden love, and fast-paced adventure.
Richi's Review: In full disclosure I received a free eBook edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One of the great things about this fantasy book is that it is based on an Eastern/Japanese culture. This makes it much more original then many other fantasy novels.
In the first quarter to third of the book there is not much action, but a lot of world building and character introduction. Personally I didn’t find this a problem as it was very interesting, especially considering the originality of much of it. Once you get pass that part there is plenty of action, with more balance between action and character/world development.
The main character Turesobei is a teenage wizard who is being trained by his grandfather the high-wizard. He is a good character who wants to do well and please his grandfather. Although he is somewhat reluctant in his role as the high wizard’s apprentice and is more keen on going on adventures with his treasure hunting father.
Turesobei has help from a number of allies. First is Lu Bei, a familiar that usually takes the form of a book. He is a great concept and a very interesting personality. He aids Turesobei with knowledge and helps him with his spells, but he also has information that he keeps from our hero.
Also helping Turesobei is a cat-girl called Iniru. She has ninja skills and a lot of attitude. She has a great personality and makes a great contrast to Turesobei. Her race is a lot less formal than the Turesobei’s making for a lot of interesting interactions between the two.
Onudaka’s is another companion who is a great warrior and helps Turesobei in many ways and giving him great advice.
Turesobei has an interesting family dynamic, his grandfather is his teacher who is an excellent mentor in the way he both annoys and inspires his pupil. Turesobei loves his father and wants to be with him, but his father has been off on adventures most of his life and not with his family. Turesobei loves his sister and they have a somewhat playful relationship but they clearly care for each other a lot. Turesobei doesn’t get on with his mother.
The romance part of the book is actually well written for a young adult/fantasy book. It takes time to build up and goes through a believable development.
The magic system is good, basically the wizard get worn out from casting spells and can even pass out if they use up too much of their energy. This is great as it stops the wizards becoming too powerful.
There is a good amount of humour in the book which helps with the story.
One problem I had with the eBook edition of this book was that it sometimes would skip pages. I had to use the Publishers Default settings, and sometimes had to turn them off and on again to get it to turn pages correctly.
I really hope there will be more books to this series as there are some unanswered questions. The characters in the book are excellent, the story is fantastic. The world building is very interesting and it was great to see an fantasy book based on Japanese culture rather than the traditional European.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Falstaff’s Big Gamble Review by Hank Quense
In full disclosure I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Falstaff’s Big Gamble brings together three of Shakespeare’s characters, Hamlet and Othello from the plays of the same and Falstaff from Henry IV and Henry V. The characters are thrown into a fantasy world. The stories of the characters in this book are different to the original plays, and you don’t have to know them to enjoy this book.
Hamlet is a dwarf and prince of a small realm called Denmarko, his father is recently deceased and the kingdom is now ruled my Hamlets uncle and mother. Hamlet is happy with this; as he would much rather work as a bee-keeper than a king. Hamlet is visited by a ghost (not his fathers because he is too busy in the after-life) and told his father was murdered and he must be avenged.
Othello, a Dark Elf has just been assigned as Minister of Homeland Security of Dun Hythe a large city. He soon discovers that the city has major problems, the city walls have fallen down, and there is only a small untrained militia that could be called upon to defend the city if needed. Piracy is rampant and threatening to disrupt merchants coming to the city and they are the chief source of income. Even worse, the internal security is a mess and crime is on the up, mainly due to dwarf warriors that have flooded into the city due to a nationwide peace. Finally the traffic police known of the Troll Patrol have a bad attitude, perform badly and only make traffic worse. Othello’s life gets harder after meeting his new wife’s grandmother who is the Godmother of the cities crime syndicate, and he is faced with the decision of helping her or facing her wrath.
Falstaff enters Dun Hythe in search of his latest money making scheme/scam. He tricks Othello into finance him in an effort to stop pirates. Falstaff uses the money to turn to piracy himself.
The characters separate stories begin to entwine and war between the two nations looks likely.
The story and characters are excellent; while they are based on Shakespeare’s plays and have that feel about them they are very different and the author has breathed new life into them. The characters are especially strong and full of life; this applies to both the three main characters and the secondary characters. Emila, who is Othello’s sarcastic troll secretary, Nark her brother and Othello’s aide, and Poulet who is Falstaff’s faithful companion are the highlights of the secondary cast. One of my few criticisms of the characters is that Othello was too weak as almost every good idea comes from one of those helping him and he doesn’t come up with anything himself.
The three themes, Shakespeare, fantasy and crime are brought together well and it doesn’t feel tacked together.
There is a good amount of humour in this book, for the most part it brought a smile or a chuckle but there was a couple of laugh out laugh moments too. I was concerned over an early line, when Hamlet says “to bee or not to bee” when referring to bee-keeping, this line was way too cheesy for and seems like something you would hear in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but fortunately humour in the rest of the book is much funnier and better thought out.
There was a lack of action sequences compared to other fantasy books, but perhaps this is appropriate given its Shakespearian background.
Overall this was a good story with larger than life characters. The fantasy, crime and Shakespearian elements are brought together well, but you don’t need to be familiar with the plays to enjoy the book. The humour is good but mostly smiles and chuckles rather than rolling around laughing. This would be great for fans of fantasy that are looking for something a little different.
Thank you to Hank Quense for sending me a copy of this book and a huge thank you for signing it as well!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
In full disclosure I won an advanced reader copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Book Synopsis: Bartholomew is a Peculiar, half human and half faerie. Children born in this way have to live a life of secretly because they are hated by both races and would likely be murdered if they were discovered. Bartholomew lives with his human mother and sister Hettie in the slums of Bath, England. In this world the original city of Bath was destroyed during a war between humans and faeries. The humans won the war and the faeriefolk became little more than slaves and a system was set up to prevent them from being able to use their magic.
Arthur Jelliby is a human politician. He isn't particularly clever or good at much and in-fact only got the position because his mother was well connected. He is not adventurous or ambitious and would rather spend time at home with his wife, rather than dabbling in politics or going on adventures.
Bartholomew's only friend other than his family is another Peculiar that he waves to from his bedroom window. One day he witnesses a strange woman take his friend away, and has a small adventure while trying to find out what happened to him. This eventually leads to him trying to contact the faeries. But soon the mysterious group targeting Peculiars abduct his sister and Bartholomew must set off to rescue her.
Through a series of unfortunate events and bad decisions Mr. Jelliby is suspected of espionage. His efforts to prove his innocence only make matters worse and he discovers a very real plot.
Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby find each other and team up in an attempt to unravel the plot and rescue Hettie. They have some adventures as they follow the clues and it all leads to a final showdown, the result of which could have more repercussions than a few missing children.
Richi's Reviews: I enjoyed this book, it is definitely targeted at children but it can be easily enjoyed by adults as well. It is well-written and easy to follow, with good descriptions, although as you would expect of a children's book it does lack in extravagant detail and the plot is fairly linear.
The story is engaging and you are with the characters as they try to find out what is happening to the children and why, and whether they rescue Hettie in time.
Mr. Jelliby is a great character, he is a good person but somewhat of a bumbling and a very reluctant hero, he is very endearing and I found myself drawn to him and wanted to see him succeed.
Bartholomew I thought was also very well written. He acts in a very convincing childish way, sometimes selfishly, sometimes a little mischievous or emotionally. None of it was bad or dislikeable, but simply realistic.
Some of the sequences were a little scary for younger readers and is probably suitable for children nine years or older.
One other thing of note is that this book ends on a big cliffhanger, so if that is something that drives you crazy you might want to wait until the rest of the series is out.
I love the cover art on this book, it is beautifully drawn and is even shiny which really brings out the mechanical bird. The rest of the book is well presented with chapters that actually have titles and black feathers floating down the side.
This is an excellent book for children but also fans of fantasy/steam punk/faerie stories of any age.
Book Synopsis: Bartholomew is a Peculiar, half human and half faerie. Children born in this way have to live a life of secretly because they are hated by both races and would likely be murdered if they were discovered. Bartholomew lives with his human mother and sister Hettie in the slums of Bath, England. In this world the original city of Bath was destroyed during a war between humans and faeries. The humans won the war and the faeriefolk became little more than slaves and a system was set up to prevent them from being able to use their magic.
Arthur Jelliby is a human politician. He isn't particularly clever or good at much and in-fact only got the position because his mother was well connected. He is not adventurous or ambitious and would rather spend time at home with his wife, rather than dabbling in politics or going on adventures.
Bartholomew's only friend other than his family is another Peculiar that he waves to from his bedroom window. One day he witnesses a strange woman take his friend away, and has a small adventure while trying to find out what happened to him. This eventually leads to him trying to contact the faeries. But soon the mysterious group targeting Peculiars abduct his sister and Bartholomew must set off to rescue her.
Through a series of unfortunate events and bad decisions Mr. Jelliby is suspected of espionage. His efforts to prove his innocence only make matters worse and he discovers a very real plot.
Bartholomew and Mr. Jelliby find each other and team up in an attempt to unravel the plot and rescue Hettie. They have some adventures as they follow the clues and it all leads to a final showdown, the result of which could have more repercussions than a few missing children.
Richi's Reviews: I enjoyed this book, it is definitely targeted at children but it can be easily enjoyed by adults as well. It is well-written and easy to follow, with good descriptions, although as you would expect of a children's book it does lack in extravagant detail and the plot is fairly linear.
The story is engaging and you are with the characters as they try to find out what is happening to the children and why, and whether they rescue Hettie in time.
Mr. Jelliby is a great character, he is a good person but somewhat of a bumbling and a very reluctant hero, he is very endearing and I found myself drawn to him and wanted to see him succeed.
Bartholomew I thought was also very well written. He acts in a very convincing childish way, sometimes selfishly, sometimes a little mischievous or emotionally. None of it was bad or dislikeable, but simply realistic.
Some of the sequences were a little scary for younger readers and is probably suitable for children nine years or older.
One other thing of note is that this book ends on a big cliffhanger, so if that is something that drives you crazy you might want to wait until the rest of the series is out.
I love the cover art on this book, it is beautifully drawn and is even shiny which really brings out the mechanical bird. The rest of the book is well presented with chapters that actually have titles and black feathers floating down the side.
This is an excellent book for children but also fans of fantasy/steam punk/faerie stories of any age.
Review: Gamers, Frags and Coders, Gamers Series 1-3 by Thomas K. Carpenter
Review: Gamers, Frags and Coders, Gamers Series 1-3 by Thomas K. Carpenter
In full disclosure I won the second book in this series (Frags) in a Goodreads giveaway.
Book One Gamers
Book Synopsis: Life is a game, no REALLY it is. The concept of this book is fascinating; everyone is constantly plugged into a computer game known as LifeGames. You can earn points by doing chores, playing computer games that have been designed to give you life skills or by doing well in tests at school. Points can be used to purchase the latest fashions or designing your home. Only the top scoring gamers get to go on to university and the best jobs, everyone else gets reassigned. It reminded me somewhat of what life would be like to be in “The Sims”. The story soon starts to unfold and a government conspiracy is discovered. The last part of the book has the characters running around inside a computer game on an adventure where they have to battle against giants, specters and a dragon and solve puzzles in order to complete their quest, now that’s a final exam I would have loved to have participated in!
Richi's Review: There is a huge amount of world building in this book especially at the start. The first part of the book there was so much world building going on that I was just getting my head around one concept when another one was introduced, it settles down after a while and gets on with the story. I did enjoy all the world building, it just seemed so crammed together at the start it could get confusing.
It was fun to see references to some classic games such as Mario, Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry.
Sometimes the story itself was confusing, mostly it was due to the world language, they have a number of words that the use that aren’t used in the real world. But some sequences were just not well written and hard to follow.
The main character is very well written, she’s your typical YA heroine. Strong willed, talented, kind to her friends but fierce to her enemies. The other characters are good as well, with their own personalities, although most of them only appeared in small parts of the book and didn’t really get much time to be developed before they left the story and a new group of characters came in.
Book Two Frags
**** ½ stars
Book Synopsis: Book two picks up a short time after the end of the first book. Gabby has fled the GSA and joined up with the Frags along with her new friend Mouse. Gabby is determined to find out what happens to those that fail LifeGame, which will allow her to rescue her best friend Zaela. Gabby, Mouse and the Frags hatch a plan to escape from the lands controlled by the GSA and into an area know as the Freelands, a place made up of many groups who live life free from LifeGame. The group soon discovers that not everyone is friendly in the Freelands and they have to deal with a terrifying religious group that controls its members minds, the dreaded Blood Farm where anyone passing through must pay a Blood Toll, and the all too familiar Game Train where winning games is the only way off. All the while they are pursued by the Coder and his troops who will not allow Gabby and the Frags to escape them. Rumours of the Southland planning on attacking the GSA begin to rise and war seems inevitable, unfortunately the answers to Gabby’s questions seem to lay in that direction.
Richi's Review: We learn a lot more about the world in this book, most of it about what happens in the Freelands and how the computer systems work throughout the world as a whole. The balance between world building, story and character development is much better in this book and isn’t as crammed as it was in book one.
The writing style is stronger in this book and it was less confusing than book one. Partly because I have become more used to the worlds language and rules, but also because the descriptions are clearer. There was an overuse of simile in the first few chapters including the bizarre “Gabby had come to despise the hovercraft with guns hanging like dogs in heat.” But the rest of the book has a much better limited use of it.
Gabby is great again and her personality is strong and enjoyable. She undergoes quite a development during this book, mostly centered around the fact she becomes a very reluctant leader of the group. The Frags characters are also expanded on during this book and we get to learn a lot more about all of them. They are all are enjoyable to read about Michael who is Gabby’s love interest, the simple-minded but powerful Drogan, Milton with his smart ass comments, the quiet but clever Mouse and the mysterious Celia. Drogan is probably my favourite of the secondary characters despite being having a childish mind his strong personality and good nature shine through.
The balance between adventure in the real world and the various virtual ones is perfect and cleverly done.
There are several twists at the end of the book; this is excellent as it is unlikely a reader will fully guess all of them.
Book Three Coders
Book Synopsis: Gabby begins the book working for the Coders, after an attack from the
Southlands, Gabby is sent there as a spy. We get to see some of the
groups that make up this land and learn that they would probably be even
worse GSA. Gabby ends up in the clutches of an evil queen. Gabby along
with some of her Frag friends Michael, Mouse, Milton (still in his
female body) and her new friend and old enemy Avony are thrown into a
evil twist of LifeGames.
Richis: Review: There is a mix of real life sequences and computer game scenes although the balance isn't as good as the previous books, as the computer game part is just in a big chuck in the middle of the book. It isn't badly written just all in one go.
The world is developed and we learn a lot about the Southlands and a little more about the GSA. One of the nice things about this book is that both groups look pretty bad and it is hard to pick a side who you want to win.
The characters are great, Gabby character develops and she gets better. One of the great things about her is that she is not your typical rebel teen trying to overthrow an evil regime, she is just a kid who wants to find her lost friend and keep her friends alive. Michael is getting sicker and weaker and you can feel Gabbys heartache to see him this way. Mouse is still smart but quiet, she seems to have developed a relationship with Michael while Gabby has been away, and Gabby is torn between renewing her relationship with Michael and letting him be happy. Milton has mellowed somewhat since getting his new body, but still has plenty of smart ass comments to make. I was sad that Drogan wasn't in this book much as he was one of my favourite characters, Celia also has a very small role.
The writing style is just as good as the second book, the descriptions are clear and it is easy to follow what is happening, although a couple of computer scenes that have crazy physics things going on were a little confusing. The balance between world building, story and character development is perfect.
There are a number of twists near the end of the book again, this is great because even if you guess some of them there are still somethings that you didn't see coming.
Overall Review: I really enjoyed this series, the story and plot is strong and the characters are excellent and undergo an interesting development. The idea is very original and presented well. A good understanding of computer games and systems probably helps understand this book but isn't esential. I would recomend getting and reading all three books at once because the storyline continues through all three heavily and the first two books end in cliff hangers.
I read the Nook versions for books one and three, and there were a couple of problems with it. Firstly the page count was messed up, whenever I turned a page the page number went up 2-4 pages, it wasn’t skipping pages, but the count was not correct. Also the index doesn’t recognize the chapters so you couldn’t find them easily or know how many pages were left in a chapter.
An excellent and original series that is suitable for fans of fantasy, science-fiction and/or dystopian novels.
In full disclosure I won the second book in this series (Frags) in a Goodreads giveaway.
Book One Gamers
Book Synopsis: Life is a game, no REALLY it is. The concept of this book is fascinating; everyone is constantly plugged into a computer game known as LifeGames. You can earn points by doing chores, playing computer games that have been designed to give you life skills or by doing well in tests at school. Points can be used to purchase the latest fashions or designing your home. Only the top scoring gamers get to go on to university and the best jobs, everyone else gets reassigned. It reminded me somewhat of what life would be like to be in “The Sims”. The story soon starts to unfold and a government conspiracy is discovered. The last part of the book has the characters running around inside a computer game on an adventure where they have to battle against giants, specters and a dragon and solve puzzles in order to complete their quest, now that’s a final exam I would have loved to have participated in!
Richi's Review: There is a huge amount of world building in this book especially at the start. The first part of the book there was so much world building going on that I was just getting my head around one concept when another one was introduced, it settles down after a while and gets on with the story. I did enjoy all the world building, it just seemed so crammed together at the start it could get confusing.
It was fun to see references to some classic games such as Mario, Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry.
Sometimes the story itself was confusing, mostly it was due to the world language, they have a number of words that the use that aren’t used in the real world. But some sequences were just not well written and hard to follow.
The main character is very well written, she’s your typical YA heroine. Strong willed, talented, kind to her friends but fierce to her enemies. The other characters are good as well, with their own personalities, although most of them only appeared in small parts of the book and didn’t really get much time to be developed before they left the story and a new group of characters came in.
Book Two Frags
**** ½ stars
Book Synopsis: Book two picks up a short time after the end of the first book. Gabby has fled the GSA and joined up with the Frags along with her new friend Mouse. Gabby is determined to find out what happens to those that fail LifeGame, which will allow her to rescue her best friend Zaela. Gabby, Mouse and the Frags hatch a plan to escape from the lands controlled by the GSA and into an area know as the Freelands, a place made up of many groups who live life free from LifeGame. The group soon discovers that not everyone is friendly in the Freelands and they have to deal with a terrifying religious group that controls its members minds, the dreaded Blood Farm where anyone passing through must pay a Blood Toll, and the all too familiar Game Train where winning games is the only way off. All the while they are pursued by the Coder and his troops who will not allow Gabby and the Frags to escape them. Rumours of the Southland planning on attacking the GSA begin to rise and war seems inevitable, unfortunately the answers to Gabby’s questions seem to lay in that direction.
Richi's Review: We learn a lot more about the world in this book, most of it about what happens in the Freelands and how the computer systems work throughout the world as a whole. The balance between world building, story and character development is much better in this book and isn’t as crammed as it was in book one.
The writing style is stronger in this book and it was less confusing than book one. Partly because I have become more used to the worlds language and rules, but also because the descriptions are clearer. There was an overuse of simile in the first few chapters including the bizarre “Gabby had come to despise the hovercraft with guns hanging like dogs in heat.” But the rest of the book has a much better limited use of it.
Gabby is great again and her personality is strong and enjoyable. She undergoes quite a development during this book, mostly centered around the fact she becomes a very reluctant leader of the group. The Frags characters are also expanded on during this book and we get to learn a lot more about all of them. They are all are enjoyable to read about Michael who is Gabby’s love interest, the simple-minded but powerful Drogan, Milton with his smart ass comments, the quiet but clever Mouse and the mysterious Celia. Drogan is probably my favourite of the secondary characters despite being having a childish mind his strong personality and good nature shine through.
The balance between adventure in the real world and the various virtual ones is perfect and cleverly done.
There are several twists at the end of the book; this is excellent as it is unlikely a reader will fully guess all of them.
Book Three Coders
Richis: Review: There is a mix of real life sequences and computer game scenes although the balance isn't as good as the previous books, as the computer game part is just in a big chuck in the middle of the book. It isn't badly written just all in one go.
The world is developed and we learn a lot about the Southlands and a little more about the GSA. One of the nice things about this book is that both groups look pretty bad and it is hard to pick a side who you want to win.
The characters are great, Gabby character develops and she gets better. One of the great things about her is that she is not your typical rebel teen trying to overthrow an evil regime, she is just a kid who wants to find her lost friend and keep her friends alive. Michael is getting sicker and weaker and you can feel Gabbys heartache to see him this way. Mouse is still smart but quiet, she seems to have developed a relationship with Michael while Gabby has been away, and Gabby is torn between renewing her relationship with Michael and letting him be happy. Milton has mellowed somewhat since getting his new body, but still has plenty of smart ass comments to make. I was sad that Drogan wasn't in this book much as he was one of my favourite characters, Celia also has a very small role.
The writing style is just as good as the second book, the descriptions are clear and it is easy to follow what is happening, although a couple of computer scenes that have crazy physics things going on were a little confusing. The balance between world building, story and character development is perfect.
There are a number of twists near the end of the book again, this is great because even if you guess some of them there are still somethings that you didn't see coming.
Overall Review: I really enjoyed this series, the story and plot is strong and the characters are excellent and undergo an interesting development. The idea is very original and presented well. A good understanding of computer games and systems probably helps understand this book but isn't esential. I would recomend getting and reading all three books at once because the storyline continues through all three heavily and the first two books end in cliff hangers.
I read the Nook versions for books one and three, and there were a couple of problems with it. Firstly the page count was messed up, whenever I turned a page the page number went up 2-4 pages, it wasn’t skipping pages, but the count was not correct. Also the index doesn’t recognize the chapters so you couldn’t find them easily or know how many pages were left in a chapter.
An excellent and original series that is suitable for fans of fantasy, science-fiction and/or dystopian novels.
My latest collection of books
Thrift Store Finds
Top Row: Legends (many fantasy short stories), New Spring by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time Prequel), Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (Completes my Wheel of Time Set)
Bottom Row: Star Wars Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Vector Prime (The New Jedi Order, #1) by R.A. Salvatore, Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Short Stories), Champions of the Force (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3, I'm still looking out for the second book in this series)
Ordered from ThriftBooks.com
Top Row: Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson (YAY I've been looking for this book forever), The Dragon and the Gnarly King and The Dragon in Lyonesse by Gordon R Dickson (Completes by Dragon Knight books)
Bottom Row: Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian Rick Riordan, Star Wars Rogue Squadron (X-Wing, #1), The Sorcerer in the North and The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice, 5 & 6)
Giveaway Wins!
Frags (Gamers #2) by Thomas K Carpenter and The Peculiar Stefan Bachmann,
Thrift Store Finds
Bottom Row: Star Wars Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Vector Prime (The New Jedi Order, #1) by R.A. Salvatore, Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Short Stories), Champions of the Force (The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3, I'm still looking out for the second book in this series)
Ordered from ThriftBooks.com
Top Row: Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson (YAY I've been looking for this book forever), The Dragon and the Gnarly King and The Dragon in Lyonesse by Gordon R Dickson (Completes by Dragon Knight books)
Bottom Row: Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian Rick Riordan, Star Wars Rogue Squadron (X-Wing, #1), The Sorcerer in the North and The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice, 5 & 6)
Giveaway Wins!
Frags (Gamers #2) by Thomas K Carpenter and The Peculiar Stefan Bachmann,
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