whatsheread's reviews
2221 reviews

Over the past five years, Olivie Blake grew into one of my favorite new authors. I love how each of her stories has a different vibe; you never know what you will get when you open her books, and that unknown is exciting. I love her stories so much that she is on my "auto-read" list without ever having to look at a synopsis, which happened with her most recently published novel GIFTED & TALENTED. As I suspected, it did not disappoint me. 

Ms. Blake, in her author's note, cites Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums as a major influence for her version of a family drama, and that is extremely apparent with hindsight. While some of the themes are the same, Ms. Blake's GIFTED & TALENTED is unique. The Wren siblings may be just as unlikeable as the Tenenbaum siblings, but unlike the Tenenbaums, they instill a level of sympathy in the reader. We don't get to meet Thayer Wren, only able to catch glimpses of him in his children's reflections on their relationships with him. This lack of a clear picture of the central figure in their lives and the novel is vital for creating that modicum of sympathy. Plus, without knowing who he is means that he forever remains unspoiled, in that we will never know if he is the asshole his children think he is or even if he truly loved his kids. We can and do remain hopeful that he wasn't that bad and that their fractured relationships with him are as much their faults as his. It is an important distinction, one that allows the reader to finish the book with an air of hope instead of doom. 

From the opening sentence, where the narrator introduces Meredith as "a f*cking a$$hole", GIFTED & TALENTED feels nothing like a serious drama but rather a satire of one. Every sentence has an almost gleeful sardonic tone to it, where the narrator is not just telling the story and providing insight but also mocking all of the characters at the same time, all while thoroughly enjoying themself. Nothing is safe or sacred with the narrator either. They have as much wry scorn for capitalism, billionaires, and politicians as they do for the environmentally pious, crunchy granola types.  

Because the tone of GIFTED & TALENTED is so full of humor, it would be easy to think of it as just another sarcastic skewering of family dynamics, a modern-day version of Jane Austen making her point through pointed dialogue or sharp observations about social mores and human behavior. And one can certainly read it at that level and enjoy it. Yet, there is a deeper layer to Ms. Blake's story that is just as powerful, albeit a lot darker in feel. For any reader who was labeled as gifted and talented as a child and has had to deal with that label as they age, the Wren children and their problems will strike a chord. They may not be the most likable characters you will meet, but the burden of that label on their lives is very real and relatable.

No matter how you choose to approach GIFTED & TALENTED, the Wren family is compelling. All this wealth and privilege, and their lives are just as messed up as everyone else's, and it is human nature to enjoy watching other people suffer. As you learn more about them and their suffering, your opinion of them changes. At the same time, the Wrens do not stay stagnant. They flesh out and evolve beyond the flat characters they first appear to be. 

The drama, the relationships, the ever-changing view of the characters, the story's tone and themes - all of it makes for a novel that is challenging but rewarding, fun but serious, engaging and yet repellent. GIFTED & TALENTED is the type of novel that begs to be discussed among a group of readers, not just because of the story and its larger-than-life characters, but also because it is the type of novel where your background and life experiences will have the most impact on your opinion of it and the Wrens. It is exactly what I have come to expect from Ms. Blake and yet is unlike anything she has written to date, which is also what I expect from her. 

 Four hours. I opened the package from Stephanie, knew enough to wait until the kids went to bed and dived right in. It took me four hours from start to finish. If that is not enough of a glowing endorsement, I don't know what is![return][return]Still, I found myself having to wait a bit before I could write my review. There is SO much to like about this book, and yet, I found myself slightly disappointed. Katniss, in my opinion, does not appear to be as strong, as decisive as she is in the first book. She waffles and appears weak, which I did not like. In other words, she appears like a normal sixteen-year-old girl, and that (after much reflection), I think is the point. What happened to her in The Hunger Games was extraordinary, but Katniss is still a girl. Ms. Collins does well to remind us of this fact throughout the book. Not only does this help make Katniss more sympathetic, but it also frames the action of the novel and the consequences of her actions in the Games.[return][return]Speaking of consequences, they are definitely unexpected. Waiting to see the Capitol's reactions to Peeta and Katniss was like peering through your fingers during a horror film. You want to know what happens but know you aren't going to like it once you do. What happens to Katniss and Peeta is no different. Completely unpredicted, gut-wrenching, and heart-pounding, Catching Fire is another page turner.[return][return]As with the first book, this one ends in a cliffhanger. Frustrating to the reader but at the same rate, I enjoy these books so much that I'm not certain I want them to end quickly. As with Katniss' behavior throughout this book, Ms. Collins gives the audience enough food for thought about government and society that we need to take the time to think through her commentary and form opinions about what she is trying to tell us. If we rushed to the end of the story, we would never do that.[return][return]This is a definitely must-read! (I also think that in the right hands, this could become a fabulous movie as well.) I feel so privileged to have been able to temporarily get my hands on a copy of this. I will assuredly be picking up my own copy in September and will be reading it again to savor more of Katniss' dilemmas.[return][return]A HUGE shout-out to Stephanie at Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-A-Holic for sending me a traveling copy of this ARC. Love ya, girl!! 

Book five in Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series, THE SECRET PLACE, veers away from stories focusing almost solely on the head detective of the ongoing murder. Instead, we spend as much time in the past in the months building up to the murder as we do with the detective narrator. It is an interesting choice given the four previous books in the series, and one that is not entirely welcome.

It doesn't help that the four narrators of the past all sound the same, and none of them invite camaraderie. They are, in essence, the mean girls. While not the head clique of the boarding school, they hold a close second and pride themselves on avoiding the clichéd behavior of their fellow queen bees. Their rivalry with that head clique is not a surprise, yet it makes for uncomfortable reading. Plus, maybe it is the boarding school environment, but their discussions and arguments make it difficult to remember that they are only fifteen and sixteen during the novel. Instead, one minute it sounds like they are ten again, and another minute they sound like young adults in college. It's a weird combination that never sat well with me. 

Then, one of the four bosom friends does something in the name of saving another that made me so angry and so disgusted that I was in a bad mood for the rest of the day. While I understand the point Ms. French is trying to make here about teenage friendships, the betrayal is so underhanded and the character so self-righteous in her determination to do what she does that you realize they are not friends at all. It is an important point to make regarding what later occurs, but there are less cruel ways to make the same point. 

As for Detective Moran, here again Ms. French changes her approach. Instead of getting inside the head of the main detective on the case, we get inside the head of someone who desperately wants a place in the murder squad. This means we don't get to know Detective Moran as a person with a past. Instead, the focus is almost entirely on his machinations to make a good impression and prove himself worthy of a spot in that coveted department. 

These changes mean that THE SECRET PLACE is not about the biases and burdens brought to a case by the main detectives but rather about the murder itself, before and after. It is a change I didn't enjoy as much because much of the psychological nuance of these stories is missing. Instead, we are forced inside the head of four rather spoiled and smug teenage girls, along with a man who spends all his time worrying about the impression he makes on witnesses, suspects, and the main detective who is his best chance at getting assigned to the murder department. 

I lived through teenagerhood once already, and I don't want to remember the backstabbing, the tenuousness of relationships at that age, the confusion, or the constant drama. I certainly don't want to have to sit through it with four other girls, none of whom I particularly like or sympathize with. Detective Moran seems like a decent guy, very conscious of his presence in an all-girls school and going to great lengths to avoid any hint of misconduct among the girls. At the same time, there is a coldness to him in how he adjusts his manner to every girl he questions, using his sexuality at times to draw a girl out of her reticence. He calculates his every move to ensure he succeeds in whatever task is at hand so that it continues to earn him points with the main murder detective on the case. This is far different from what we have seen before in previous books because we don't have his backstory to help us understand his motivations, and that goes a long way to moving Moran away from being a sympathetic character to one with an agenda and the ruthlessness to get what he wants. 

Out of the five novels of the series, THE SECRET PLACE is the most disappointing novel so far. Those shifts in narrator and approach to the murder investigation make a big difference in how the story reads. Unlike in previous novels, where the victims are a major plot point and their murders are essential to understanding the narrator, the victim this time is almost an afterthought. He never moves beyond a caricature of a teenage boy, and you are left with unresolved questions about the victim as a result. THE SECRET PLACE is most definitely the weakest novel of the five Dublin Murder Squad books I've read so far, and I can only hope that the sixth one has Ms. French reverting to her previous approach to these stories. 

In Death number 59, PASSIONS IN DEATH, contains what has to be one of the most senseless murders we've seen so far. One thing I've learned throughout the In Death series is that there is always a sense of entitlement within a murderer, something that allows them to think they have the right to end someone else's life for whatever reason they feel justifies their actions. And yet, the killer in book 59 is beyond the pale in that regard. 

One thing I like to do for each J. D. Robb novel is to see how far Eve has come in her gradual transformation from prickly loner to happy wife and friend. In PASSIONS IN DEATH, I feel it is the first time Eve recognizes the benefits of marriage, beyond the sex and the money Roarke brings to the relationship. She sees the benefits of companionship, of having someone always have your back, the intimacy that comes with living side by side with another. Even better, she actively recognizes when the case threatens to take over her world and steps back from it, realizing that time with Roarke is more important than ignoring him to continue to work the case. It's a nice bit of growth for Eve, the type I've come to appreciate because it's a reminder that so many of us in relationships need to remember as well. 

All murders are sad, but the one in PASSIONS IN DEATH got to me. Everything we learn about the victim shows how happy she would have been, how passionate and fun she was, so that hits hard. As does the timing of the murder. However, it's the motive that upset me the most because it is so unjustified and entitled. At least Eve gains a greater appreciation for the institution of marriage and of her marriage specifically.

One's enjoyment of BROKEN HARBOR by Tana French hinges completely on how much you can stand its main character, Mick Kennedy. You first meet Mick in the previous Dublin Murder Squad mystery, and, if you are like me, he doesn't impress you very much after that first introduction. The impression stands after only a few chapters into BROKEN HARBOR, book five of the Dublin Murder Squad series. 

Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy is a pompous ass, and it skews everything he does in his investigation of what could be a robbery gone wrong, a murder-suicide, or something else entirely. Unlike other detectives we have met so far in this series, he doesn't leave his biases at the door. Instead, he brings them directly into the investigation and lets them skew his view of the evidence. We are front and center to the rather nasty things he thinks about certain witnesses and the callousness he feels towards the victims. We even get to witness the superior attitude he lords over his rookie partner. 

Thankfully, we know from the first chapter that Mick's investigation somehow goes wrong and causes him long-term career issues because Mick mentions certain regrets in that first chapter. The promise of something bad happening to him was enough to keep me going through the rougher parts because he really is a pompous ass with a major chip on his shoulder. 

There is another aspect of BROKEN HARBOR that may come as a shock or prove to be a trigger warning for some readers, and that is the topic of mental health. Mental health plays a significant role in the mystery and within Mick's past, but Ms. French does not use the same careful terminology or enlightened approach to mental health as we do today. Instead, she has her characters talk about mental health as we did back in the early 00s, the story's setting. We didn't see mental health as a disease to be treated. Instead, we looked at it with derision, as something you could avoid, and anyone who exhibited signs of mental health issues was mocked and considered weak-minded. To the modern reader, Mick's opinions and various discussions of mental health will be upsetting and may be a cause to DNF the book, even though Ms. French is doing nothing but using historically accurate language and opinions. 

At the same time, BROKEN HARBOR is the type of novel that you could not write and set into today's timeline. The setting of the story is just as important as the details of the mystery Ms. French includes. Today's characters would recognize mental health issues in each other and would urge loved ones to get help. There are more safeguards in place for school-age children to monitor behaviors and get help. The mental health parts of the story just wouldn't work today, making BROKEN HARBOR as much historical fiction as it is a mystery.

No matter how you feel about Mick or Ms. French's approach to mental health, BROKEN HARBOR provides some excellent thought points on the meaning of justice and whether it is or should be as black and white as the law spells out. It also focuses the reader on the long-lived dangers of unattended trauma. While I will admit to feeling just a bit of Schadenfreude at Mick's unraveling, I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and its talking points even more.

THE SHADOW BRIDE by Shelby Mahurin ends The Scarlet Veil duology and is a satisfying conclusion to Célie's story. Picking up a few weeks after the cliffhanger ending of THE SCARLET VEIL, we are unable to witness Célie's transformation. Instead, we see her several weeks into adjusting to her new lifestyle, setting the stage for various conflicts that unfold later in the story. 

THE SHADOW BRIDE is, at heart, a fairy tale, and Célie is the princess around whom the entire tale revolves. While she may be a vampire now, I never felt that she, or her chosen family, were in any danger. Michal does a lot less brooding and avoids being a scary vampire, leaving the bad guy stuff to the actual Bad Guy in the story. This changes the dynamic of the story and lessens the impact of Célie's transformation, but that is my opinion. Again, it's a fairy tale, and not a Grimm-esque one. The story will only get so dark.

While Célie is not my favorite character within the story -- no one is that sweet and good and beautiful and and and -- she does a fair amount of growing up in THE SHADOW BRIDE. I still don't know if her successes are due to her wit and determination or despite them, but it doesn't matter much in the end. The story is sweet, romantic, and hopeful. Ms. Mahurin keeps the spice level at a simmer for much of the story, and she does it well. Her characters are fun, mixing the practical with the sarcastic, the earnest with the sly. It's a combination that works well in her books, as does the romance level. THE SHADOW BRIDE is a lovely distraction and sweet reminder that there is nothing wrong with hoping for a happily ever after ending of your own. 

In the author's note, Emilia Hart admits she struggled to write THE SIRENS, her second novel. She mentions the time it took and how often she deleted large swaths of the story to start over again. It makes you wonder what her original ideas were because while THE SIRENS is a perfectly decent novel, it does not have the same special something that made her first novel successful. 

First and foremost, THE SIRENS struggles with finding its identity. Is it a novel about revenge or historical fiction with a bit of magical realism thrown in for good measure? Is it a fantasy novel? Is it a coming-of-age story? One could make a good case for any one of those genres, but there lies one of its weaknesses. It might be a blended genre novel, but Ms. Hart struggles to blend the genres into a seamless story. Instead, you get historical fiction sections in the dream sequences, fantasy in the past and present, while watching Lucy come of age in the present. While Ms. Hart tries to meld the dream sequences into the present, the transitions are still jarring and abrupt, taking you out of the story each time she shifts. They don't flow together as well as they should, and this jerkiness impacts the reading experience.

The other major weakness of THE SIRENS is its predictability. There is not one thing that surprises you, not one twist or event. You can see the end coming well in advance. And I don't mean savvy readers will have no problems predicting the plot events. Every reader won't have any issues making accurate predictions because THE SIRENS is a generic story. I won't say Ms. Hart follows her chosen tropes closely because she does make some effort to make them unique to her story. Sadly, she doesn't do so very well, and you are left with a story that feels very basic and therefore not just easy to follow but easy to predict. 

The best parts of THE SIRENS are when you follow Mary and Eliza and their journey from Ireland to Australia. You don't see many novels about the convict transports that populated Australia with white people, and stories about the female convict transports are even more rare. So, the chance to see that bit of history is new. And Ms. Hart puts more effort into those scenes so they are more vivid and leave a more lasting impression.

I wanted to love THE SIRENS as much as I did WEYWARD. The elements are all there for that to have happened, but THE SIRENS did not click for me as much as I hoped. Sure, the sections on the transport ship are interesting, but they are one part of a more complicated story. The other sections are less interesting and a touch too predictable for my taste. (I also have an issue with what I think is one of the novel's messages related to revenge/justice, but a deeper dive into my concerns would involve too many spoilers.) In the end, THE SIRENS does not have that special something that WEYWARD did, and I hope that Ms. Hart has more success, both in writing and upon publication, with her next novel. 

 I first picked up this book because Stephenie Meyer posted a rare update to her website stating that while she doesn't do this often, she was recommended to all her fans that we read it. So, since Stephenie and I would be best friends if she lived a bit closer due to our similar taste in books, music (hello Muse!) and family life, I took her advice. Five hours - that's how long it took me to finish this book the first time. I purchased it after work one day last summer and only stopped long enough to eat. I finished it before midnight that same night. Four hours from start to finish - that's how long it took me to re-read it two nights ago. And I would read it again in a heartbeat.

This book is amazing. From the very first page, the reader is catapulted into a post-apocalyptic world that is both extremely realistic and incredibly scary. Katniss has lived through more in her sixteen years than most people do in a lifetime. She understands the word "sacrifice" because she's had to sacrifice her childhood to support her sister and mother. Stepping up in place of her sister for The Hunger Games is just another one of those sacrifices she has to make, even if it is her last.

The Hunger Games themselves - there are no words to describe this horrible rite established by the ruling Capitol. To think that the people are supposed to be grateful and celebrate the Games indicates that all is not as it seems in Panem. The undercurrent of political tension and fear permeates every line in this book, but that is what helps make this such a page turner. As it is a fight to the death, the battle scenes are not quite as harsh and bloody as they could be. While they aren't for the squeamish, I do think they could have been much worse.

Katniss truly shines as a heroine. Equal parts smart, brave, courageous, and caring, she continues to underestimate her ability to excel and succeed in the Games, even though those who know her (and the reader) really have no doubts. She is a wonderful role model for girls because of her ability to fend for herself and others without sacrificing her beliefs.

The book is filled with a truly amazing cast of supporting characters - Peeta, Gale, Prim, Haymitch and Cinna, plus all the other Tributes. One has to wonder what Katniss' fate would have been had they not been there to help and drive her onward. Indeed, I still find the fact that it was Cinna's debut as a Tribute stylist to be highly suspicious, as if his presence there was something other than chance. Both Haymitch and he are more politically astute than they initially appear to be. Again, I can't help but wonder if they are using Katniss for their own political gain. Politics, even unspoken, is everything.

While the book is classified as Young Adult, I've been trying to consider when I would allow my son to read it. I know he's mature enough for some of the issues and scenes, but Panem itself might be too much for him. At age nine, he tends to worry about the end of the world as it is, and is extremely concerned about global warming and our environment. The fact that Panem was brought about initially by natural disasters would, I fear, increase his worrying at this point. However, I do plan to let him read it one day. The messages about not giving up, fighting those battles worth fighting, using your talents and skills to get ahead, and what it means to survive are important lessons to pass along, even if they do occur in a fictional setting.

The fact that the undercurrent of dread that hit me on the first page continues to stick with me as I think back on the book and try to formulate sentences that can do justice to this book puts me in high hopes for the sequel. Actually, I did not know it was a series until I read the last page that first time. The abrupt ending left me absolutely stunned but thrilled that there was going to be more Katniss adventures. She is a heroine I want to root for, that I want to see succeed so that she can finally be happy and feel safe. Unfortunately, I suspect that Ms. Collins has quite a bit more in store for our heroine before (and if) that would happen. The Hunger Games has it all - drama, suspense, action, friendship, love. It captures your imagination and leaves you breathless for more. This definitely ranks right up there with some of my all-time favorite books. 

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn is my first experience reading a novel by Mark Lawrence, and it will not be my last. I mean, it is the first in a series, about which I am very excited. His newest book is a gorgeous amalgam of science fiction and fantasy with a glorious homage to the power of the written word. How could I not want to read more by an author who writes that?

I will not bother describing the plot of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn because I know I could never do it justice. In my notes, I describe it as a time travel/world travel novel because the worlds in which Evar and Livira live are as different as the two places can be. Even The Library, one of the constants between both time periods, differs according to the narrator. To say any more would ruin the surprises Mr. Lawrence leaves for the reader. Suffice it to say that when one of the main characters is a mysterious and mystical library, you know the story will be good!

Stephen Graham Jones' latest novel, THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, may have vampires and sensationalize certain elements. Make no mistake, however. THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER is a revenge story. It is the fictionalized revenge of Native Americans against white men, particularly buffalo hunters and anyone responsible for the end of their way of life. It is also the revenge of one man against another for reasons you uncover as the book progresses. The story is unpleasant, gory, brutal in violence and hatred, and not for the faint of heart. And it is a novel that will haunt me for years to come. 

After reading several of Mr. Jones' novels, I have come to realize how skilled he is at building imagery and immersing you into the worlds of his stories. The line between fiction and real life blurs when you read his words. In the case of THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, this is especially true simply because, other than the vampire part of the story, there is nothing imaginary about it. Good Stab may be fictional, but he represents the entirety of his people as they struggle to adjust to the many changes wrought by white men. The places exist, and the massacre happened. And Mr. Jones puts you right next to Good Stab for all the action. In doing so, Mr. Jones forces you to watch the decimation of the Pikuni and the other tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy. You can only sit by and watch white people behave abominably towards any Native American, enraged at their actions and embarrassed by what white people collectively did.

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER is a challenge to read. This is not only because of what you see unfold, the hows, and the whys. It is also because of the language Mr. Jones deliberately uses in telling Good Stab's story. Good Stab doesn't pretend to be anything he is not, and so he uses English as someone who is struggling to learn it.. His use of literal English translations for his native tongue makes it difficult to understand what he is talking about. He never attempts to explain his descriptions but assumes that you know what he means when he talks about a Dirty Face or Long Legs. 

In THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER, Mr. Jones forces you to look through the eyes of a Native American, see what they saw, experience what they experienced. He also makes you understand the language barrier that existed between Native Americans and the colonizers, feel the frustration and confusion of the Native speaker, and experience the ramifications of the miscommunication issues. It is as intimate and immersive an experience as you will get while reading. 

Mr. Jones' THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER is unpleasant in so many ways, the least of which is that you experience the evils of colonization from the Native American perspective. It is damn uncomfortable to sit there and know that while your ancestors may not have directly been involved in the decimation of Native American tribes, your skin color makes you inherently culpable. 

That is the genius of the novel, though. The same things that make THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER a difficult reading experience - the gore, the point of view, the immersive nature of the prose - make it a brilliant one as well. Rarely has a novel affected me so much or forced me to rethink my biases. The fact that the story contains forms of magic and supernatural beings matters not as they prove to be Mr. Jones' means to the end. Simply, THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER is a tour de force, and you should read it immediately.