Category Archives: Book Review

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (BR00171)

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The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy, #3)PLOT OR PREMISE:

After falling in love (book 1), and hiding in the past (book 2), Diana and Matthew return to the present to start a family and figure out what is in the Book of Life.

WHAT I LIKED

This third book recaptures some of the mystery from the first book and tackles head-on the issue of the lineage of demons, vampires and witches. Gone are the long, loving descriptions of places, and instead, there are multiple action scenes, broad moving parts across multiple continents, confrontations with the Congregation, and a reckoning for some wayward players. More importantly, you get to see Matthew and Diana weave all of it into a family. It even rectifies one of the glaring gaps from book 2 regarding a young boy named Jack.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The true villain of the trilogy is revealed as is a hidden hero. But while the villain is vanquished, the hidden hero who is around for most of book 2 and is revealed in book 3 ends up disappearing near the end.  » Read the rest

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (BR00170)

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Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2)PLOT OR PREMISE:

A witch and a vampire hide out in 1590 Europe while she learns to control her powers.

WHAT I LIKED

After timewalking from present day, Diana has to learn to live in Elizabethan England, adapt to the customs of the day, and attempt to blend in. Lots of historical figures pop in and out, friends of Matthew in the “School of Night”, and she feasts on the living history. But it is only when she is at Sept-Tours that the book really brings the same sense of place that the first book did. She learns about the nature of her witch powers from a coven, and her family grows in size, including a nephew named Gallowglass.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The sense of place that was so common in each of the locales in the first book is not as vivid, except in Sept-Tours with Philippe (Matthew’s father).  » Read the rest

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (BR00169)

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A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)PLOT OR PREMISE:

A witch who has ignored her powers feels them re-awaken in Oxford as she does research on alchemy and encounters a vampire interested in the same book.

WHAT I LIKED

The story is far removed from the world of young magicians or young love. Instead, we see a budding partnership, collaboration and even romance blossom between Dr. Diana Bishop, hidden witch, and Matthew de Clermont, vampire. But it is the richness of every place and event that overwhelms the senses…Oxford comes alive, his castle in France is a presence all on its own, the changing relationship between Diana the witch and Ysabeau the mother-in-law vampire, and even the life in America with Diana’s aunts. Each segment is visual, sensual, tangible to the reader. Yet at the same time, it combines all the magical elements with DNA tests and the use of science.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The sheer magnitude of the story is hard to keep straight with all the characters and the various histories that intertwine.  » Read the rest

Blue Moon by Lee Child (BR00168)

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Blue Moon (Jack Reacher, #24)PLOT OR PREMISE:

Reacher wanders into a town and accidentally flames the fires of a turf war between the Albanian and Ukainian mobs.

WHAT I LIKED

The progression from what Reacher sees at the start to the war with the 2 mobs is awesome, and the almost slapstick element the way the mob interprets what’s happening reminded me of the Remo Williams series. Good escalation throughout.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The secondary characters were a bit, well, odd. Too ready to jump in and kill bad guys, and the waitress can suddenly figure out battle plans. Plus, Reacher is too violent even for him, regardless of the repeated justification of the shoe being on the other foot. 

MY RATING

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Legend: 1/5 Finished 2/5 Not bad 3/5 Good 4/5 Enjoyable 5/5 Excellent

THE BOTTOM LINE

Still classic Reacher, albeit more violent than usual

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The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton (BR00167)

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The Perfect GirlfriendPLOT OR PREMISE:

A woman dumped by a guy tries to create the perfect life that will bring them back together, whether he wants it or not.

WHAT I LIKED

There is a revelation about 60% of the way through that explains some of her behaviour, a pseudo-rationale to her logic, but even it is really far-fetched. The initial incidents are just plausible enough to be believable, and the light touch that makes it feel almost like a Bridget Jones’ Diary type storyline makes the story seem all the more creepy.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

She got dumped, and she creates these elaborate plans that all seem to go off without a “WTF?” moment, as they take place entirely from her perspective. But the light touch the author uses to make it seem like a chic-lit romance is so inappropriate. If the protagonist was a man, everyone would see this book for what it is — some sort of stalker / revenge fantasy hybrid.  » Read the rest