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Showing posts with label legend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legend. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Short Stories I

I've been on kind of a short story kick for a while.  I avoided them for some time, but most of the time I like being able to devour these shorts in such a, well, short time.  Here are the ones I've read recently (and I'm being pretty loose in my use of the word recently, as some of these are from last year...).  Also, is anyone else so stingy that the thought of paying $3.00 or really anything for short stories is painful?  Let's just say, I prefer the free ones.  And those that aren't?  Thank you, library, for having them available.


Double Crossed by Ally Carter
Absolutely loved this.  I adore Ally Carter's series and seeing the two collide was so fun.  This was the perfect kind of story, too.  A short story should pretty much have an arc all its own and this one was wonderful.  It was perfect for devouring in one sitting and feeling satisfied.  Can't wait for more from this author!



Among the Nameless Stars by Diana Peterfreund

I enjoyed this short as well, though I think it left me a bit confused.  I liked seeing where Kai was when he left, but it didn't feel quite like a full story.  There was a lot of new stuff and not a lot of page time to explain it.  Still, I loved the book it went with enough to love this as well.



The New World by Patrick Ness

It has been ages since I finished the Chaos Walking trilogy, but this one has been sitting in my reader and I wanted to give it a try.  I felt like I was able to fall right back into Ness' world without any kind of refresher.  I loved seeing how Violet got there and what it must have been like.  Makes me want to do a reread.



The Spring Before I Met You AND The Summer Before I Met You by Sarah Rees Brennan

I'm lumping these two together, since they are from the same series.  I liked them a lot, mostly because of Brennan's fabulous writing, though I also thought the idea of seeing our two main characters from the POV of an outsider was interesting.  Fun stories, though not necessarily in the content (both were a bit heavy). 


Neverfall by Brodi Ashton
I thought this was rather an essential story to read for the whole trilogy to make sense.  I read it right before the last book and I think it made Cole a lot easier to understand.  His motivations and a bit of his history.  A nice addition to the series.


Life Before Legend by Marie Lu
I think I would have liked this more if I'd read it closer to when I read the second book.  Or maybe even the first.  I have to admit I had forgotten a lot of the story.  Even now, trying to remember the last book in the series, I'm drawing a blank.  I know I liked it, but I seem to have forgotten why...


Roar and Liv AND Brooke by Veronica Rossi
These two were both wonderful looks at some of my favorite side characters (well, Brooke wasn't a favorite, but her story was still interesting).  I loved seeing more of Roar and Liv and what it must have been like for Roar to lose her.  They were both rather painful reads and I think they make sense when both of them are read close together.  We see a lot about Brooke and possibly some motivation for her actions.  Loved them!


UnStrung by Neal Shusterman
This one was definitely important for me to read before I got to the third book.  I think it makes that one seem less like it's out of the blue.  I'm still not sure how I feel about short stories that are kind of required to enjoy the series.  Still, this one was a full story and it was beautiful and heart-breaking.  Definitely vital for more understanding of UnSouled



Isolation by Dan Wells
This was an interesting short story about Heron and I found it both intriguing and a little bit hard to follow.  It jumps back and forth in time and I didn't like that sometimes.  But I thought the story definitely made Heron make a LOT more sense in learning more about her history.  Good to read before Ruins.


Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson
First, I felt this was just the right length for a short story.  Most of these have been, though some felt a little too short :)  I loved seeing more of our "heroes" and just what it must have been like in the aftermath of the first book.  I don't know if it's essential for the next one, but I sure liked getting more story in the meantime.

Any favorite short stories you have found?  What's your favorite kind of short story?

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Book Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Prodigy by Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication date: January 2013
Pages: 384
Source: ARC won in Lenore's Dystopian August
For: Fun
Series: Legend, Book 2

*Spoilers are inevitable for the first book, Legend*
June and Day have barely escaped LA and when they finally make it to Las Vegas, they must join with the patriots in order to survive. But the patriots have their own plans for them, plans that unfold when the electorate dies and his son, Anden, takes over. They must assassinate Anden in order to escape from the Republic and to get Day's brother back. But June isn't sure she can follow through with the plan after all.

Things I Liked:
This one had just as much cinematic action to keep me glued to the pages as Legend.  I loved watching Day and June try to figure out what is best for them and also for other people.  When I finished, pretty much the phrase that sums up how I felt was "I didn't see THAT coming!" and it was true throughout most of the book.  I really never figured anything out before it happened (though, there were obvious clues) and I was surprised each time something new was revealed.  Lu is a master of weaving the tale and keeping her secrets.  The ending was painful in the extreme and I was a tiny bit annoyed at the card she played, but I'm invested enough to see what happens in the next installment.


Things I Didn't Like:
As I mentioned, what happens at the very end almost seemed contrived to me, to keep the tension going into the next book.  But it didn't ruin the book for me.  Also, with so much going on sometimes I didn't feel connected to the characters.  But, I enjoyed watching June and Day try to figure out just what it was they felt for each other and why.  Interesting and entertaining from beginning to end.


Read-alikes:
Start with Legend by Marie Lu

The set up reminds me of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Starters by Lissa Price
Divergent series by Veronica Roth

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
a few here and there

mrg-factor: X
a bit steamy

v-factor: ->->->
plenty of action and fighting

Overall rating: ****

What future world from a book do you find the most realistic?  The most terrifying?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publication date: November 2011
Pages: 336
Source: Library
For: Fun (and the Dystopian Challenge)
Series: Legend, Book 1


Day is the city's most wanted criminal, sneaking around causing havoc for the Republic.  Little do they know he's a teenage boy.  June is a genius student preparing to be a top military leader.  When she's commissioned to find and capture Day, she takes it very personally - after all, he killed her brother.  When their two paths cross, they little expect the deadly secrets they are about to discover about the Republic and each other.

Things I Liked:
This book boasts a truly fantastic story.  It's very cinematic, with sweeping scenes and action-packed story lines.  I loved June and Day and the things they deal with and overcome that seem at once so different - rich vs poor, wrong sides of the law - but in the end are the same.  June was so interesting to me and one thing I loved was that she didn't have an immediate understanding of just what her society was doing.  Sometimes characters have completely unbelievable revelations and instantly know their society is evil.  In this, at least, she took the time to think it through.  Complex, layered, and yet still very readable and filled with action.  A fabulous dystopian debut that left me already wanting the sequel!
 
Things I Didn't Like:
I was so swept away with the awesome that is this future look at society that I honestly can't think of things I didn't like.  It was so believable that I can completely see our future looking like this.  A great read.

Read-alikes:
Definitely a Hunger Games readalike
Reminded me just a little of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Divergent by Veronica Roth

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 

a little here and there


mrg-factor: none 
just kissing really

v-factor: -> 
some fighting and action violence

Overall rating: ***** 


Do you think we will forever be comparing all dystopian books to Hunger Games? 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
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