Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

What's the book about?

This is a fantasy book with slight hints to Sci-Fi. The whole story begins with a prologue in which we learn that humans colonized other planets, including this one, Pern and that little by little the colony was somehow abandoned and left to prosper on its own. Pern's society, at least the way I pictured it in my head, is somehow a medieval society. It so happens that every certain amount of years (Turns) the planet gets closer to a sister planet, known as the Red Star and this causes "the Threads" to fall and destroy everything organic they touch, which is why every building must be in stone and basically "inert" materials. The only way they have to fight this Threads is using...Dragons!. However, several turns have past and no Threads have fallen so the people have become comfortable and deem the Dragonriders an useless group, but are they?

What was the thing I liked the most? 

The setting was there for a very good book. I loved the connection the riders have with their dragons, I thought that was a very nice constructed relation. I also liked (and I'm trying not give away anything here) how McCaffrey respects her own rules of time and space through the book, because one thing is to take the liberty to create a new universe but another is to do so and not even respect the rules in your own universe!

What about the main character?

Lessa is a teenage girl who can talk to any dragon related animal. She lost all her family in an attack when she was 11 years old and since then has been plotting to regain what is hers, except that bigger things are coming her way. She is depicted as smart and mischievous, but a lot of times she came through to me as just simply spoiled. People doubt her responsibility? What best way to prove them wrong than to do whatever the heck she wants? Things like that. I didn't love her but I didn't dislike her either.

Final thoughts

It was an interesting book, but I had some problems with it. First of all, the way Lessa and F'lar interact, and again, I'm trying to avoid spoilers here; the different stages of their relationship had no transition to me and both seemed to me more often than not like teens acting out. Second, it felt a bit crammed with all that happened in this first book, which leaves me scratching my head considering that it was not meant to be a solo book in the first place. I'm sad to say that this book did not leave me wanting to read the second one, but I'm glad I can now say I've read Anne McCaffrey.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

What's the book about?

This is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures. Just a bit of a warning there might be a bit of spoilers from the first book here. After confronting her destiny and sort of evading it, Lena is not feeling quite herself. Although Ethan tries his hardest to keep things the same for both of them this proves very hard when Lena herself seems to be committed to pull away. The appearance of a new Caster doesn't help. In the end it will be up to Ethan to keep fighting for the both of them.

What was the thing I liked the most? 

See, I was kind of disappointed at several points of the book because I was afraid it was falling into the love triangle again, and I sort of had enough of that already. However, I liked the side story that we got from Ethan's mother. Also, I really like Ridley, she is a bad/good character and I like that I can't predict her...yet

What about the main character?

Last review I talked about Ethan, so let's talk about Lena this time. I liked her in the first book better. She is smart and vulnerable. I didn't like her martyr tone, but when you learn the weight she has on her shoulders, with the responsibility of killing half of her family depending on her "calling", it is understandable that she is not the bubbliest of the teenagers. However, in this book we don't see her as much and the moments we do she has turned into this even sadder, darker, sort of Emo girl...no, I didn't like her in this book.

Final thoughts

I was very happy to see that the authors didn't go with the token "love triangle". I liked Olivia as a new character, more than I expected at the end. It wasn't better than the first book but I still want to read the third book and this is only due to the tiny doors that were left open at the end of the second book. 

  

This is book makes part of my Sequel Challenge :)

TSS: The Perfect Reader?

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a nice  week-end. It snowed on Friday but everything is practically gone by now, the sky is blue and the house is clean :) Did You notice that the weather changed in my banner too? Is officially spring in this blog you guys!

First what I have been reading. I finish Cinder, Shopaholic and Sister and Beautiful Darkness during my vacation (not bad, hu?). As you can see the first two already have their review available. I'm advancing (slowly but surely) with The Historian, and on Thursday I received my copy of Ready Player One from the library. I started it and so far I'm enjoying it a lot. I have to make time to study for my PhD exam (a huge thing in the middle of your PhD, just in case you needed more stress) and hopefully I will be able to make all of this fit into place.

Do you guys follow Book Riot? Friday there was this article about "the perfect reader". It was a satire of course, but it got me thinking if there is such thing as a perfect way to be a reader. The obvious answer to me is that no, there isn't. When you think about it, there is possibly as much type of readers as there is books, and since in my opinion there is no such thing as the perfect book, it means there cannot be a perfect reader either.

However, I do think there is such thing as the perfect reader for a book and vice versa. By this I do not mean books that fit perfectly a target audience, since this is too broad. But I am sure once in a while you find that book that is perfect for you, that hits all the right buttons, you can't find any flaw in it...and when this happens I believe you just found the perfect book for you and you might be just the perfect reader for it too.

There is also a even better possibility, someone finds a book, and is amazing, but there is something missing there. This person cannot pinpoint what it is...and then this person shares the book with you and you find what was missing! That too would make you the perfect reader for this book because in a way you could make this book "grow". It is not actually possible, since the book was already written, but still. 

I think I've found several books that are perfect for me, but I don't dare to say that I've been the perfect reader for one of them

Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella

What's the book about?

As you probably know by now, this is a series about a girl with a tiny problem with shopping...and by tiny I mean, this girl should've had her credit cancelled a LONG time ago. Well, Miss Rebecca Bloomwood has gotten married (that was the whole last book) and know is travelling the world for her honeymoon. As any trip, this comes to an end. But going back home proves to be bittersweet for Becky: her best friend has a new friend taking over her place, her husband is no longer the carefree Luke he was while on vacation (shocker) and biggest of all...she now has a sister.

What was the thing I liked the most? 

What I like about this series is how easily readable it is. Is always a fast read, a relaxed one and that's why I had it with me during vacation.

What about the main character?

Becky...she is a very sweet person. She has the best intentions at heart...is just that she doesn't seem to think ahead, which is why very often I want to shake her and tell her what were you thinking?. There is something that is starting to bother me, and is the fact that this is the 4th book in the series and she seems to not have learnt anything about managing her money. I realize that the name of the series is "Shopaholic" BUT you would think she would learn at least a bit, no?. 

The 10% moment

Entertaining as always, Becky is now in Milan, their last stop before going home. We've already read about some questionable choices she has made, buying wise, off course. There is this moment where Luke actually took her wallet away which I found endearing of her to actually think he wouldn't take it.

Final thoughts

In this book the novelty is Jessica, the sister. She is the complete opposite of Becky in the way she handles her money. I liked the fact that she was very conscious of her money, but I would've liked it better if things weren't so black and white between them. A sister that saves yet is aware that having a splurge once in a while is actually good for you? I like my characters with some gradients of personality, not extremes. Also I would've liked it if the story with Suze's new friend would've had a bit more of development. 

This is book makes part of my Sequel Challenge :)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Before I jump into the review I want to say that this is the first Audiobook I've ever tried, and boy was I happy that I enjoyed it!

What's the book about?

This is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. It has a hint of futuristic Sci-Fi. Linh Cinder is a mechanic and a cyborg. She lost her family when she was very young and was adopted. Unfortunately, her adoptive father die right after the adoption and her adoptive mother is not precisely thrilled of having her. Unlike the original story, she has a good relationship with one of her step-sisters. At the same time, a big epidemic is threatening the Earth: Letumosis, a strange and deathly plague. To make things worse, Queen Levana, the Moon Queen is pushing for Prince Kay to be her husband and eventually become Empress of the Eastern Commonwealth. 

What was the thing I liked the most? 

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but...I loved Sailor Moon, I watched ALL of the episodes. Well, I would be lying if I didn't mention that I liked the obvious influence that Sailor Moon had in this book. But my favourite thing was the fact that unlike Cinderella and Usagi, Cinder was a strong character. Yes, sure, she had her teenager moments, of course. But she knew how to fend for herself, she didn't seemed helpless to me, and even when things got extremely hard for her, she didn't gave up.

What about the main character?

Cinder, I already mentioned the fact that for me she was a strong character. She was smart and kind. I could've done with a bit less of attitude, but considering her age, I suppose is normal. I guess her "identity" is quite predictable, particularly if like me, you know the Sailor Moon story, but since the book doesn't turn around this part of her story it was ok.

The 10% moment

Cinder has been introduced to Prince Kai, who needs her to fix her android. When she gets home we see the "lovely" interaction she has with her step-mother, or guardian (Linh Adri). We've also met Iko, an android that helps Cinder, and Linh Peony, her step-sister, a teen, very star crushed with the prince, but sweet to Cinder. Also, we've seen the first case of letumosis in the book.

 

Final thoughts

First of all...I hate cliff hangers!!! That's the problem of reading a series that is very recent! Now I want to read the second book but I will have to wait until is available in my library. It will be the physical copy, since the Auidobook is not available. 

I like the book, the characters in general, although not super deep were interesting and had enough on them to keep me guessing about them, except for Cinder off course. I liked the fact that, although SciFi, it wasn't plagued with weird terms, not everything need to sound foreign of high tech for it be SciFi, the fact that the author kept it fairly simple helped for the universe to be consistent with itself. Not everyone can build a huge universe in a first book. 

I've read some people saying that there was not Asian influence whatsoever, and I have to disagree, there is some, not a lot, but is there. Also, people seem to neglect the fact that this is not Earth as we know it now, it was after World War IV so a lot of things had changed, the political divisions have completely changed and that's normal after 2 huge wars.