The Nightmare by Lars Kepler

Why I read this book?  

This is the second book starring detective Joona Lina. I really enjoyed the Hypnotist and I was looking forward the second installment of the series.  Also it makes part of my Sequel Challenge.

What's the book about?

Once again, inspector Joona Lina is confronted by a series of unusual murders. It is more of a police thriller than a noir novella though, and readers should be warned that the darkness present in the first book is almost completely gone in this one.

What about the main character?

In this matter, the story is consistent with the first book. Joona is still a very bright detective, capable of seeing the disconnected dots better than anyone. His personal live is a bit in shambles, but as he did in the first book, this will not affect his prior compromise to solving the crime.

Final thoughts

I was SO disappointed at this book. I gave a 5 to The Hypnotist, and it kept me in the border of my chair, wondering what new dark twist would be ahead. I've really enjoyed the books of Camilla Läckberg and off course Åsa and Stieg Larsson so I thought this sequel would keep the same line of a noir novella I so enjoy.

At a certain point I thought they were going to start using the nightmares as a psychological tool, now is going to get dark...it didn't.

I was also looking forward to more music related drama, since the name in Swedish makes reference to Paganini. There was some mention...but once again I was disappointed with this aspect.

The book is not bad, as a crime thriller I enjoyed it, is just that I was expecting a different type of story. If I remove my expectations, the book is good, is entertaining. I think there are some weird moments probably related to the translation, but since my Swedish is nothing more than under basic, I do not feel like I have the right to criticize this part. 

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Why I read this book?

Last year I read the first book of the series and really liked Blake's style. I waited for the paperback to be available, to add it to my collection. It also makes part of my R.I.P VIII challenge, as well as my Sequel Challenge. Also this is the first book I've ever bought from the Book Depository!!

What's the book about?

As we saw in the first book, Cas has lost Anna; she saved his life. But Cas is sure she is still around; he sees her, once in a while but in the most inconvenient moments, including when he is trying to get rid of more ghosts. When looking for an answer he will learn more about his atame and his own role in "cleaning" the Earth of lost souls.

What about the main character?

Cas didn't change much between books, and this is a good thing. He kept his bitter humor and his loyalty to friends, while remaining a bit smug about himself. I liked that in this book he seems a bit more fragile without turning weak.

Final thoughts

The thing I liked the most about this book was the back story of the order; learning how and why the Atame was made and about Cas's father role in all this was interesting. I also enjoyed seeing Thomas character grow a bit more, both as a witch and as a friend. The change of scenery was nice too, but I wish Blake would've exploited this a bit more; sometimes while reading a part that was settled in London, the lack of descriptions made me come back to the US inevitably. I am a person that enjoys full scene building.
 

I didn't particularly care for Carmel in this installment of the story, I liked her better in the first book. As for Anna, I wished she would've had a bigger role in the book just because I enjoyed her so much as a ghost before.
 

In all it was a good closing for the story, an entertaining read, not to light, not to heavy. I would certainly recommend this book for everyone who enjoyed the first one.

The Demonologist, A novel by Andrew Pyper

Million of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.

John Milton-Paradise Lost

Why I read this book?

Another audiobook this year. I've heard great things about it and in the spirit of the R.I.P challenge I went for it.

What's the book about?

David Ullman is a professor from Columbia University. Although he teaches about Milton’s Paradise Lost, he considers himself an atheist and could not care less for about the supernatural world. As everything seems to be falling apart in his personal life, his believes will be put to a test when he loses his daughter to what seem to be a Demon. 

What about the main character?

David is a very depressive person. As he calls it, melancholy has been a constant in his life. An atheist, an unbeliever ever since young age when he lost his brother. Everything in his personal life seems to be falling apart as we begin the book; his wife is leaving him for another professor, his best friend is sick and depression seems to be getting stronger, even though he fights it for his daughter. One amazing characteristic about him is that he loves Tess (the daughter) so much that he will risk his life, his psyche and anything necessary to recover her. 

Final thoughts:

When I saw that this book was compared to The Historian I was afraid since I was VERY disappointed at that book. However, I really enjoyed The Demonologist. It was a perfect read (eh, audio) for October. The audio has a very good narrator, John Bedford Lloyd, who adds to the story. He really committed to the voices, specially the demon. At certain point I was walking back home, at night…at actually got scared while listening to it.

I think the book is very entertaining and has a good pace, enough background (history, mythology) to teach you a bit, without feeling like a lecture, which is one of the problems I had with The Historian. 

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

They are the freest things on earth. Without remorse. Without pity. Without love. Nothing can touch them, hurt them.

 

Why I read this book?

This is the sequel for Cronin's The Passage. I read this one for last year's R.I.P challenge and so I waited for this year's R.I.P to read the sequel. Also it makes part of my Sequel Challenge. 

What's the book about?

If you remember from The Passage we learn a bit of how this epidemic came to be. Also one of the Twelve originals is gone. In The Twelve we have once again a bit of jumps from past and "present" seeing how the epidemic spread, how some of the families in Peter's colony came to be formed. We will see changes in several characters from the first book, both physical and psychological. 

What about the main character?

Is hard to pin point a single main character in this book but is not a bad thing. I really like the style Cronin uses; several characters telling the story while their paths cross, once, twice, several times. Of this book I was particularly hooked at Alicia's story. I loved her in the Passage, strong, confident, kick-ass. She is still all of that, but dealing with what she is now, as different as Amy but not the same type of different. On the other spectrum Guilder had a very interesting development as a character.

Final thoughts

Once again, Cronin blew me away. First, I like the premise of a bioengineered virus and I appreciate the fact that he doesn't necessarily build BS science. In several moments he says things like: something happened that gave this as a result, we don't know why, but it happened...which, BTW is something that happens a lot in science, I should know. I think if I would read the book just as a scientist I would have more points about the plausibility of the science in it, but I left my science goggles at the lab and hence this is a review not biased by my formation.

The time jumps are easy enough to follow and I like the mini cliff hangers at each characters story. You will plow through everyone's side of the story trying to know what happened to them, and then they will all merge swiftly. 

Was I expecting what comes up with Amy? Not necessarily, but I can hardly say it was a full surprise; it was however a nice twist and the reason why when I finished the book I rush to check when will the third book, The City of Mirrors, will come out. 

The Reckoning by Alma Katsu

Man's love of man's life a thing apart, 'tis woman's whole existence. -Byron

Why I read this book?

This is the second book in The Taker Trilogy. I read the first one for last year's R.I.P challenge and so I waited for this year's R.I.P to continue Lanore's story. Also it makes part of my Sequel Challenge. 

What's the book about?

If you haven't read the first book I suggest you stop reading right now. During The Taker we learned the tragic and painful (literally full of pain) story of Lanore and how she became immortal, lost the love of her life and trapped the "evil" man that did all of this to her. She left America with Luke, who left everything behind just to follow her. In this book Adair has escaped his prison and is thirsty for revenge. Lanore will now try to hide or at least find a way to escape the punishment that surely awaits.  

What about the main character?

In The Reckoning we have a lot of recurrent characters and we learn a bit more about their back stories. However, the main characters remain both Lanore and Adair. Lanore acts as determined as she did, back at the Taker, she know what has to be done and she will do it, even if it means hurting others, since she can't hurt herself (at least physically). I was surprised about the...let's call it evolution of Adair's character. As he sees himself with different eyes so do we. And not to give away anything, but OMG the end!!!!!

Final thoughts

He observed over the centuries that what made a person old was when they could no longer keep up with change. It's the beginning of the end, though few recognize it as such at the time

I have to say, I quite enjoyed the dual point of view in this book. Learning a bit more about the side characters was a big plus, for it makes a lot of actions in both books more understandable. Once again, the descriptions and hints about torture were bone chilling, but just made me want to read faster to know what was going to happen next. One thing that gave extra points in this one was Lanore's traveling. I love it when a book takes me to a different scenery. I can't wait for the final installment. in the mean time, I got the e-book for The Witch Sisters, a short story about Adair's past.