Tag: book reviews

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Uncategorized

Bookit Review: The Truth About Leo

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Truth about Leo
Author: Katie MacAlister
Publication Date:  August 2014 (Kindle Edition)
Grade: C

There are times I come across books and I feel like either the Author was told they needed to write the book, or they rushed it.  This is one of those times.  The main characters seem interesting, but we learn hardly anything about them.  The minor characters for the most part are characters from the other books, which is nice.  I found it readable, but perhaps not one I would feel like I missed out on something by not reading it.

The main characters of this novel, the fourth in the Noble series, are Leo Mortimer and Dagmar Sophie.  She’s an impoverished princess whose cousin is the Prince regent of Denmark.  Prince Frederick (actual person in history) is tired of taking care of his cousin (and Dagmar is, from the accounts of her mother, a thorn in Frederick’s side) and tells her to find her way to family, or she will be sent to a French Convent. Instead she marries a wounded soldier, Leo Mortimer, and gets transportation to England where she plans to go into business as a shop owner.

Most of the book deals with the two in almost a honeymoon like phase.  They get over their respective issues with what happened rather quickly.  Some of the books conversations are a little hard to follow because there are so many people in them, and some are even multiple conversations occurring at the same.

It does have its moments, though.  MacAlister has a knack for funny dialogue and banter.  I just find this novel to not be one of her best.

Also the B plot mystery about Dalton’s nephew is missing quite a few pieces.  I feel like there is two stories, trying to fit into one book and failing to do so.

 

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: The Trouble with Harry

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Trouble with Harry
Author: Katie MacAlister
Publication Date: May 2004/ July 2014 (Kindle Edition)
Grade:  B

This book is the third in the series that started with Noble Intentions, but they seemed to have dropped the ‘Noble’ title theme and gone with something a little different.  This takes place about 15ish years after the first novel.  Harry has long since married the woman he was engaged to in that book, and they have had five kids.  Sadly his wife died shortly after the birth of their youngest son, McTavish.  Five years after her death, he feels its time to find a wife, someone who can be both companion to him and help reign in his unruly children.

Answering his ad is Plum, a gentlewoman who ended up thrown out by her family because she was tricked into marrying a man who was already married.  She’s been living in the country, raising her niece Thom and writing books on ‘connubial calisthenics.’  She doesn’t tell Harry this, and Harry doesn’t tell her about the five kids till they are already married.

Like the previous books, the first third of the book is getting to the wedding, but the second 2 thirds is their life afterwards as they figure out each other, as well as handle the ‘mystery’ that they have to solve.  In this case, someone has been after Harry’s children, in an attempt to hurt Harry.

I found this book to be enjoyable, but not one I will probably find myself eager to read again.  I probably will one day, when I’m passing by it in my library and think”Oh, why not.”  It just doesn’t hold like some of MacAlister’s other books.  Also like the other ones I enjoyed the secondary characters even more so then the main two.  Harry is still one of my favorites, although I wish more could have been focused on what he did as a spy for England.

The Britons show up in this one in the form of Noble and Nick.  Nick and Thom’s interactions are almost more interesting than the main character, and I wish she had used them for the fourth book.  (Which I shall move onto now.)

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Noble Destiny

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Noble Destiny (Book 2 of 4)
Author: Katie MacAlister
Publication Date: May 2003/June 2014 (Kindle Version)
Grade: C-

This novel continues in the same universe as Noble Intentions, and focuses on Charlotte, Gillian’s wacky cousin, and Alasdair MacGregor, the Scottish earl seen as a thorn in Noble’s side during the first book.  Its been several years, and Noble and Gillian are on the verge of taking a trip to their AMerican plantation when Charlotte shows up, ready to be a part of English society again now that she’s left her late husband’s family and returned home.  Only she expected Gillian to help her.  With Gillian on vacation, she turns to her best friend Caroline who helps reluctantly hoping this doesn’t all blow up in their faces.

The first third of the book is Charlotte trying to trick Dare, whom she had thought about marrying several years ago before her marriage to an Italian count, into marrying her now.  She succeeds, but then trouble finds them as Dare’s cousin long thought lost returns, and potentially ruins everything Charlotte’s been working for.

This novel was not as good as the first one, and I must I found Charlotte’s behavior more annoying than anything else.  She seems like a better natured Lydia Bennet in a way.  She gets better towards the end, when Dare is almost killed in an explosion while designing a marine engine.  She’s forced to reevaluate her decisions on things.  She’s still got a level of annoying though.  Dare is also not the character I thought he was from reading the first book.

The minor characters still shine in this book, although not many reappear from the first book.  Instead we have Dare’s butler who knows how to use sarcasm and overdramatizing (and has his moments of hilarity), and Caroline who wonders half the time why she’s still friends with Caroline.

I did however not find anything particularly horrible about the book, just was disappointed in the characters.  That being said, I read it in a day so it wasn’t too bad a read.  The mystery was a bit of a non-starter, finished before you realised there was really a mystery (and it turns out not to be the one you thought of.

Had this not been in a series though, I might not have enjoyed it as much.

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Noble Intentions

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Noble Intentions (Book 1 of 4)
Author: Katie MacAlister
Publication Date: Feburary 2002/ May 2014 (KIndle Version)
Grade:  B-

I have read Katie MacAlister before, when I was younger and my sister and I first got into her Dragon series.  My sister to this day reads every book of hers she can get her hands on, and she told me to read it.  So I did (eventually, as I have a pile of TO READ books and still do).

It’s a regency Era romance novel, set amongst the noble elite of London (as many regency novels are).  In this case, it tells the story of Gillian Leigh, a half-American lady who is escorting her cousin through her season.  She gains the attentions of Noble Britton, an Earl, a man in search of a wife.  They quickly marry, but most of the story takes place after the marriage.  Hijinks ensue as they try to solve the mystery of who’s after Noble now, and how it relates to the murder of Noble’s first wife Elizabeth.

This novel was enjoyable, although sometimes the dialogue seemed more modern than Regency.  Sometimes the minor characters get confusing, especially as there are three identical triplet brothers who work for Noble named Tremayne.  My favorite character was actually a secondary character named Harry Rosse, who is Noble’s best friend and confidante.

The story seems to go slowly at first, and changes directions a lot, but it all seems to tie in well when you get to the second half which has a great deal of actions.  My only issue is that some of the revel at the end sounds sudden, and a lot of information is given that could have been hinted at earlier.  There are also some elements that are not explained.  But this is a romance novel, not a mystery novel, so the focus wasn’t totally on the mystery.

My next bookit-review is going to be the second book in the series, Noble Destiny,  which features Alasdair MacGregor (Noble’s rival in this book) and Lady Charlotte (Gillian’s cousin).

Posted in book reviews, bookit, history

Bookit Review: The Wedding Shroud

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Wedding Shroud (1 of 3)
Author: Elizabeth Storrs
Publication Date:  September 2010  (Kindle Unlimited Edition)
My Grade: C

This story takes place in ancient Rome, which was a bit of a change for me as most of my novels lately seem to either in the future or in Tudor(ish) England.  It follows the story of Caecilia, a young roman women who is married to a Etruscan Lord to keep a treaty in place.  She goes to this world completely different from her own despite only being across the river.  So close, that the modern-day spot is actually within Rome’s Metropolitan area.

It was hard getting into it at first.  A good deal of the first part of the book is Caecilia watching what went on around her and hating it, finding it to be undignified or lacking honor in comparison to her more sedate Roman ways.  I have to admit that its hard to catch the character of her husband, Vel Mastarna, as it seems half the time he’s gone away for some reason or another. SOme of the other characters seem half flushed out but restricted due to the single person point of view.  However, the story does eventually grab you.  There is a lot happening in the last half.  It also includes a real life person in the form of Camillus, a Roman general.

I did find the fact the character’s point of view is mostly set on how troublesome she finds this new world.  We don’t see her take charge as matriarch, or do the duties that she actually finds she likes.  Instead its barely mentioned before go back to the weird subplot with her brother-in-law who keeps her drugged and calls it piety.
This is the first book in a trilogy, although I’ve decided to forgo the second two books.  For one, a quick google search has told me where it must end, (Veii and Rome are historical places after all), but also because I promised my sister I would read a few books she chose for me.  But I feel I can recommend this book in general as a pleasant read, if not a great one.  I have to admit though that it did have its moments when it made me uncomfortable as Caecilia is, particularly when it got into detail about ancient cultures religious rites.

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Star Wars

Bookit-Review: Vision of the Future

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Vision of the Future
Author: Timothy Zahn
Publication Date:  September 1, 1999  (Paperback) Book 2 of the Hand of Thrawn Duology
My Grade:  B

So this is the final book in the five Thrawn books made by Timothy Zahn.  The first three being his Thrawn Trilogy, and the second two being the Hand of Thrawn Duology which began with Specter of the Past.

Zahn is really good at building us a universe to play in.  It’s interesting to see in the Duology how his main characters have changed in the decade between then and now.  Mara has become more comfortable with herself, and with the idea of the Jedi.  Luke also has changed, become more mature and is in the process of evaluating how he uses the force in his day-to-day life.  Leia and Han just want a peaceful vacation with their three kids where no one tries to kidnap, kill or anything else to them.  However, when push comes to shove they are going to help out.

Han in this book is a little less the rascal we all love in the movies.  It is after all almost 20 years post the Battle of Yavin, so I suppose that all that time spent with the Rebellion, The New Republic and of course being a father to three Jedi children might chill you out a bit.  There is plenty of Lando as well, as he teams up with Han to find the Caamas Document.

Leia meanwhile is teaming up with various subcharacters in the political world trying to find peace for the New Republic, both internally and externally.

I think one of my favorite things is the delving into the background of Talon Karrde, as well as seeing what Pelleaon is up to now as the Supreme Commander of the Empire’s naval forces.  He’s trying to save the Empire but is not having an easy time of it because of the reappearance of “Thrawn.”

If you like books that deal with political intrigue, character backgrounds and action you will enjoy this book.  It has a good mix of the three.  It deals with the theme of how things can appear one way but turn out not to be that way at all, it depends on your point of view (as Obi-wan once told us) and who got to write the history down.

It also sets up the next stage of the Star Wars Legends books, which is interesting but I won’t be delving into myself.  At least not right now.

I really liked the fact that Luke and Mara had basically a road-trip like plot arc (well, it was more like a hike, but the same concept).  They ended up forced to face some issues between them that had developed over the last ten years, and eventually realise they love each other.  It’s a bit sappy in its almost instantious realization, and I feel it might have been better if he had started to develop them going down that road in the first book, but there is plenty going on that needed developed.

My only problem is wondering why after the kids are sent away to hang out with Chewie and his family, no one really mentions them.  That being said, it is a good book and I would definitely put it on my recommended books list.

I do however suggest, should you try this book out to start with the Thrawn Trilogy.  While it’s not completely necessary (as there is a ten-year gap with many events happening), it does give some background on the relationships between the main characters and an interesting place to compare how they have changed in 10 years.

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Summer Reading

Posted on by sokorra

Summer seems to be starting to arrive, though we have awhile till it officially starts. Late Spring/Early Summer is one of my favorite times of the year.  Its warm enough but hasn’t reached that overbearing heat of the late summer.  And its a great reading time.

I like to read all the year round, but I know some who really only get a chance to read during vacations or summer trips.  So I’ve decided to put together a list of a few books for some Summer Reading.  Many are series starters, so if you enjoy the first book, there is plenty to read after that!

The Rowan – Anne McCaffrey

The Rowan is the first book…of sorts…in my favorite series.  The novel is a futuristic story where humans have tapped into the potential of telepathic abilities.  They have explored and settled on several planets at this point.  On one of those planets, a disaster takes place that revels a child who may be the most powerful telepath yet known.  They call her The Rowan, as that was the name of the settlement she was located at.

She is trained to be part of the FT&T system of telepaths and telekinetics who help speed about interstellar commerce and traffic.  She has both abilities, in such high qualities she has earned the spot as a Prime, a rarest level in the system.  One day she meets an equally powerful and unknown telepath and together they fight an alien menace.

Its better than my summary I swear.  My favorite book in the series is the fourth book, Lyon’s Pride which deals with the Rowan’s grandchildren.  The Talents series has five books, but it’s also connects to another series by McCafferey called the Pegasus series, which takes place from Current day and brings us up to the world of the Rowan.

On Goodreads

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is pretty well-known, and while the movies were great, I always prefer the book.  There is so much more in the books.  The only downside to the book is its done completely in Katness’ pov.  It’s a great book, although I do suggest it for older readers.  Some of the subject material -ie violence – is not appropriate for young children.  This, as the movies suggests, is part of a trilogy.

On Goodreads

Catherine, Called Birdy – Karen Cushman

This is a book that may be good for younger readers and older readers alike.  Done in diary format, it explores the life of a girl in the 1100s named Catherine, who would just like to play with her friends and forget all this mending and marriage business. She’s promised her older brother to keep a diary to help her with her writing skills, and because she loves him she keeps at it. It is hilarious and some of the phrases from the books my family still use to this day.

It won several awards for young adult novels in 1995

On Goodreads

The Memory of US – Camille Di Maio

This is a book I reviewed on this blog having read it on Kindle Unlimited I believe.  It’s a wonderful romance novel that’s more about a woman trying to adjust in Post-War Britain than actual romance although the Romance is the backbone of the piece.  The story follows Julianne Westcott as she discovers a secret brother her parents have been hiding from her due to his disabilities.  Deciding to ignore their avoidance of the issue, she meets with her brother, and meets Kyle, the son of the gardener.  The two of them slowly fall in love, and eventually get married against the wishes of her parents and his attempt to become a priest.  However, a war begins, and it changes their lives drastically.

It really is a great story and I look forward to more from this author.

On GoodReads

Bookit Review

The 100 – Kass Morgan

Like The Hunger Games, this is a dystopian young adult novel.  The concept was bought and developed into a TV show while the writer was working on the first book, so while many characters remain the same (and some characters appear with different names) the book series and the TV series have gone down separate paths.

I really enjoyed the book series, though I need to catch up on the last one released.  This book is done in rotating POV format, focused on 4 main characters: Clarke, Bellamy, Wells and Glass.    The characters are younger than their TV counterparts, and the stories each take over the course of a couple of days.  The first book has quite a bit of flashback just to warn.

On Goodreads

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Star Wars

Bookit Review: Specter of the Past

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Specter of the Past (Part 1 in a duology)  (Kindle version)

AUthor: Timothy Zahn

Published:  June 28th 2011

My Grade: B-

This duology is a sequel to the Thrawn trilogy, and takes place a decade later.  My favorites from the Thrawn series return, Palleaon is now a Admiral and head of the Imperial Navy.  He doesn’t see a happy ending for the Empire if they don’t make peace with the New Republic.  However not everyone agrees with him and he must search out some treachery on the side of the Empire.

On the New Republic side, Leia is dealing with mulitple issues as an old tragedy is brought forward when documents implicating the Bothans in the genocide of a species. Everyone ends up in the mix as tempers rise and accusations are thrown.  Han is implicated as shooting into a protest, Karrde is accused of being behind the reapperance of Thrawn, and Lando is accused of going along with it.

Meanwhile Luke is trying to figure out a few things, including his new equilibrium with the force and his connection to Mara Jade, whose investigating the Thrawn situation herself.

This book was good, but a bit of a disappointment as well.  It sets up the second book for the most part.  It is essieintally a 400 word lead-in.  It explains the political situation, updates us on the characters lives at the moment, and prepares us for whatever is going to happen in Vision of the Future which I”m currently reading right now.

It does reference things that have happened in books published between the trilogy and the duology.  Including Luke’s brush with being on the dark side. However I think, its brief enough that you can still read and enjoy without having read those books.

I bought this on Kindle, and that edition has a timeline of the Legends Universe.  My paperback copy of Visions of the Future that I bought many years ago but never fully read has a timeline too (although its called the expanded universe, because they hadn’t shifted the canon yet).

Posted in book reviews, bookit, Star Wars

Bookit Review: The Last Command

Posted on by sokorra

Title: The Last Command (book 3 of 3 of the Thrawn Trilogy
Author: Timothy Zahn
Publication Date: May 1993 (Paperback edition)

My Grade:  A

I really enjoyed the third book in the trilogy, and the Trilogy in general.  It was interesting to read at this point due to the fact that this came out before the prequels and therefore has some Ret-conned elements.  However many of the things stand up even despite that.  In this book, Leia has her twins, which (as far as we know) doesn’t occur in movie cannon), but you could replace Jaina and Jacen relatively easily with Ben.  They talk about the Clone Wars, and it brings up some interesting ideas about the clone wars that makes me wonder how much this book influenced the animated series.  (Enough to make me think about watching it).

I have also grown to love some of the minor characters that I hope to catch often as I read more of the Expanded (now called Legends) universe.  Talon Karrde, General Bel Ibis, and Captain Pellaeon in particular.  Each of them seemed to be interesting characters with stories of their own to explore.  Mara Jade is still one of my favorite non-film canon characters and I hope they have some version of her in the film series.  I consider her one of the main characters of the EU.  To sum it up, this book as a variety of minor characters (and major ones) with good characterization.

It also has a good plot, tying together some of the various plot lines that have been going through the trilogy.  It also deals with Mara’s past, Leia’s use of the force, The Noghri’s situation, and gives alot of information about the Clone Wars that is vague enough that it actually might pass the flims/tv series canon.

I was actually expecting Luke and Mara to have a bigger force connection, because of the way things end up for them in other books, but instead I found the book deals alot with Mara and Leia’s connection.  And also the way Leia views the New Republic and Mara.  Honestly, this trilogy is a lot about Leia dealing with becoming a mother, being a Jedi, and dealing with being part of the New Republic.  She also deals with the legacy that is being Darth Vader’s daughter.

If you enjoy Star Wars, I definitely recommend this book, and the trilogy its a part of.  It brings back alot of the favorite minor characters from the films, and deepens the universe in which we get to play.  I’m actually moving to read the second Thrawn series (this one a duology) called Spectre of the Past  and Vision of the Future.   I actually own the second book, but never read the first one so I got lost on a few things.

(As of posting, I’ve actually read Spectre of the Past. It should be posted shortly)

Posted in book reviews, bookit

Bookit Review: Dark Force Rising

Posted on by sokorra

Title:  Dark Force Rising (Book 2 of 3 in the Thrawn Trilogy)

Author: Timothy Zahn

Publication Date: June 1992 (and this paperback is old enough that it doesn’t have Legends slapped on it).

My Rating:  A-

Although it took me awhile to get through this book thanks to life getting in the way, I enjoyed it.  It really fleshed out the universe of Star Wars.  Mara’s background is included, as well as information about the Clone Wars, the Jedi and many other things.  Granted, alot has been retconned by the prequel movies, but it is still interesting.

In this book, the three main characters take different paths and all three are interesting.  Luke takes after a lead on an Old Jedi Master, and Mara finds herself in need of his help which doesn’t actually appeal to her but she does it anyway.  So Luke, Mara and Karrde’s storyline goes together in this novel.  Han and Lando meanwhile have a different path to take, which leads them to an Senator from Corellia and a bit of backstory for Han.

I think Leia’s storyline is the most interesting.  In this triology, the empire makes use of a species known as the Noghri, who are loyal to Vader and through him Thrawn due to being saved.  Leia tries to figure out if she can find a way to win them to the New Republic’s side, and learns alot about herself, Vader and Clone wars.    One of the reasons I find this storyline interesting is because it develops a world and species in a very interesting way.  They are serving the empire because they see the Empire as their hero.  And it ties in with some of the universe’s history.

I really enjoyed this one, and I’m looking forward to the final book in the series.  I wish there was more I could say without causing spoilers.  If you are a Star Wars fan, I definately recommend reading this series.