Category Archives: Kindle

2 Treasure Boxes, Kindle, Goodreads, Science Fiction

The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden

1 Comment

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Twilight Times Books (April 14, 2011), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 533 KB, ASIN: B004WOY0W4
What would happen if people stopped aging? How long until the world becomes overrun? Aging has stopped for four hundred years and the world is so over-populated it is difficult to move around. Grace Harper has been contacted to find the scientist who invented the anti-aging gene, with hopes that this gene can be removed from humanity and people can start aging again.  The only problem is, many people in The Establishment don’t want that to happen.

The Immortality Virus is the second book that Christine Amsden has written.  It is science fiction, taking place on earth towards the end of the 21st century.  The story is told in the third person narrative primarily from Grace Harper’s point of view. As the main character, she is a caring, independent private investigator who has been black-listed by The Establishment.

There are several interesting concepts examined in this story. As the world becomes overpopulated it becomes a dying society with all focus on feeding the people and none on technology resulting in astonomically high unemployment. The society that develops creates a huge disparity between the haves and the have-nots, with the weathly Establishment doing anything to keep what they have in the dwindling resources by oppressing everyone else.

This is an interesting portrayal of a world where people haven’t aged for 400 years. I found the story interesting and it grabbed my attention from the first page. As the tale unfolded I was never sure where we were going and there were a few twist and turns along the way as well.  At times I could tell that Ms. Amsden is still developing her writing style and technique, but overall I liked how the story was told. The story was not really resolved in any way, so I found the ending to be a bit disappointing.

This is a stand alone book. If you enjoy reading an original and thought provoking science fiction, then you should give The Immortality Virus a try.

 

My favourite quotes from the book: “Most of the time, too much trust will kill someone in my line of work. This time, though, I think I have no chance without trust, and precious little chance with it.”

and

“She dreamed at a million miles a second, as if she’d never properly dreamed before and needed to make up for it.”

 

Question to ponder:

Would you want to live indefinitely, if you could
stop aging after hitting 25?

Kindle, Goodreads, Fantasy, 1 Treasure Box

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Leave a comment
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series The Sevenwaters Trilogy

Book Review: 1 Treasure Box
The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 1, 2010), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 805 KB, Print Length: 560 pages, Language: English, ASIN: B004VMWAZQ

 


This is a book of magic, deception and redemption. Sorcha is the young daughter of the widowed Irish Lord of Sevenwaters. She is kind, caring and has her own magic. Her and her six brothers are put under a spell by their wicked new stepmother. It is up to Sorcha to save her brothers and this is the tale of her journey and her growth.

The Daughter of the Forest is the first book in The Sevenwaters Trilogy, but there are five books in total in this series. It falls into the historical fantasy genre, although I did not really feel it was very historical but rather more fanciful. It could also be considered a romance. It is told in a first person narrative from Sorcha’s point of view, she is also known as the daughter of the forest.

I did not think the story was very original and since it is based on the fairy tale of The Six Swans I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different.  At times I thought it really dragged on, especially in the middle when Sorcha is first on her own trying to survive while toiling on the shirts. The story was transparent and did not leave much for the reader to anticipate. I did enjoy the romance part of the book and once Sorcha went to live with the Britons, things started to pick up a bit.  The characters were pretty much one sided, either all good or all bad. The story did not really explain why the wicked stepmother did what she did, but I think she wanted to have the seventh son of a seventh son. This is someone who can become very powerful with the use of magic.

The Daughter of the Forest is a complete story and it has a nice ending. I thought this book was okay, but I am not intrigued enough to read the next book in the series. If you enjoy reading a book that takes place in ancient Ireland and has a romance story in it, then you may enjoy this book.

To Purchase: “Daughter of the Forest” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

3 Treasure Boxes, Contemporary Fantasy, Kindle, Goodreads

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Leave a comment
This entry is part 5 of 11 in the series The Southern Vampire Mysteries Series

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
A Sooke Stackhouse Novel (The Southern Vampire Mysteries), Book 7
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Ace (March 25, 2008), File Size: 414 KB, Print Length: 352 pages, Language: English, ASIN: B003RWT7U2

Sooke Stackhouse is a cute, sweet, down–to-earth barmaid who just happens to be telepathic and she has become involved in the world of Vampires, Werewolves and other supernatural beings. Sooke is getting dragged further and further into the world of vampires.  In this book, she is attending the Vampire Summit as a paid employee of the Queen of Louisiana. While performing this duty she faces numerous challenges.

All Together Dead is the seventh book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries series (also known as A Sooke Stackhouse Novel ), there are currently a total of eleven books. All the books are contemporary fantasy but  are also known as urban fantasy. They also fall into the romance genre. The story is told in the first person narrative with Sooke’s voice and thoughts as we follow her around.

This book did not have as much action as the previous books, although it was still exciting to read.  There was really only one plot line in this book, where as in the previous books there were usually several things going on. Still, I found the story to be interesting and I always enjoy reading about Sooke and what she is up to. It was neat how she interacted and worked with Barry, her fellow telepath and I enjoyed the addition of her new roommate. I was fascinated with how Ms. Harris referred to the affects of Hurricane Katrina and its affects on the vampire population within Sooke’s world. There was not as much sex in this book as in previous books, but there was still good interaction between Sooke and the men in her life. The story had a good build up and an exciting finish.

This is a stand alone book, but it should be read as part of the series and in proper the order. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary, urban fantasy books that focus on life with vampires and werewolves.  I think it is one of the better series in the genre.  So if you enjoy reading about vampires with some romance then you will enjoy this book.

To Purchase “All Together Dead” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Book Review, Fantasy, 2 Treasure Boxes, Kindle, Goodreads

Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold

Leave a comment
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series The Sharing Knife

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
The Sharing Knife Series, Volume Four
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books; 1 edition (February 10, 2009), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 438 KB, Print Length: 464 pages, Language: English, ASIN: B001NLL8UG

This is a story about battles.  A fight against evil creatures, predjudice and old concepts. Dag, the magic wielding Lakewalker and his young bride the Farmer-girl Fawn continue their story with plenty of adventures. They have found a new Lakewalker camp where Dag can learn to use his developing maker abilities, but it isn’t long until Farmer versus Lakewalker troubles start to appear. Add into this story a new kind of Malice and you have an interesting tale.  This book takes place immediately following Passage.

Lois McMaster Bujold has written numerous Science Fiction and Fantasy books and series including The Vorkosigan Saga, The Chalion Universe Series and the The Sharing Knife Series. Horizon is the last book in The Sharing Knife Series which has a total of four books. These books fall into the Fantasy genre but can also be considered a Romance since it revolves around a love story. There is magic in this universe that is welded by the Lakewakers and it takes place in a society that is equivalent to ours in the early 19th century. It occurs after the fall of a greater society that was destroyed by the creation of evil creatures known as Malices. In this world the Lakewalkers serve by destroying these creatures as they continue to randomly pop up. The story is told in a third person narrative by the two main protagonists Dag, the Lakewalker and Fawn, the Farmer girl.

I liked the first two books in this series better than the last two books, but I am still glad I read them all as it is a satisfying tale. This book once again addresses the problems associated with predujice and shows the harm it can cause.  Dag’s journey and inner struggle are well written and believable.  He is looking to the future and continually coming up with great solutions.  All the characters are pretty well rounded and show good depth.  We are introduced to some new characters and we learn more about Lakerwalker magic and makings. The story had a great build up to an exciting and frightening climax. The book shows that through co-operation and understanding people can overcome their dfifferences and learn to combine their strengths to the benefit of all.

I recommend this book, it is a good conclusion to an interesting and different fantasy series.  If you enjoy reading a good, original fantasy story that revolves around a romance then you will enjoy this book.  This is a stand alone book, but you will enjoy it more if you read the books in order as the story builds from book to book.

1 Treasure Box, Kindle, Goodreads, Book Review

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

Leave a comment

Book Review: 1 Treasure Box
The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (February 25, 2010), Sold by: Hachette Book Group, Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 544 KB, Print Length: 432 pages, Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0316043915, Language: English, ASIN: B002ZDJZO2

What if Gods were used as weapons and could be controlled by humans? This is a story of a world where there were once three omnipotent Gods, but now there is only one.  One is dead and the other and their semi-godlike siblings are held as slaves to be controlled by the ruling class of citizens known as Arameri. Yeine Darr is a half-blood Arameri who has been brought back home and pulled into the politics of who will be the next head of the Amareri.  The most powerful and influential person on earth.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is N. K. Jemisin’s debut novel. This is the first of three books in The Inheritance Trilogy. The second book The Broken Kingdoms was released in 2010 and the third book The Kingdom of Gods is expected September 1, 2011. These books fall into the fantasy genre. The story is told from a first person narrative by the protagonist Yeine Darr, a mixed-blood princess.

I didn’t think that the story was flushed out or explained very well.  I know that Itempas, the God of Light murdered his sister, Enefa, the Goddess of Dawn and Dusk.  But I am not sure exactly why he wanted her dead. I feel that books where gods have unlimited power yet also human tendencies like selfishness and human emotions that include hate and jealousy are not believable. I prefer a deity that has grown into their power and has proven they have what it takes to wield such power. This book shows how absolute power corrupts absolutely.  I had a problem with the logic of the story and felt that there were several big plot holes.  Right up until the end I was not sure where the story was going so it kept me interested. I liked the visual discriptions used in the book.

This is a stand alone story which I appreciated and it has a satisfying ending so I could put the book down and not be too concerned about what will happen next.  I know there is another book in the series and I am not sure where the story will go with the next book and I am not sure that I will ever be compelled to pick it up to find out.

Fantasy, 1 Treasure Box, Kindle, Goodreads

Traitor to the Blood by Barb and J.C. Hendee

Leave a comment
This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Saga of the Noble Dead

Book Review: 1 Treasure Box
Noble Dead, Series 1, Book 4 (S1B4)
Publisher: Roc (January 2, 2007), Sold by: Penguin Publishing, Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 591 KB, Print Length: 416 pages, Language: English, ASIN: B000S1LE6K

The story has a great beginning with our unlikely heroes protecting the peasants that are being slaughtered by the tyrants forces. We get more insight into Leesil’s history, he has come back home to the town where his family was held captive and forced to become assassins. Leesil is searching his past in hopes of finding his partents.  He ran away from them to escape his horrific existance, but at a potential cost of his parent’s lives. This book looks closely at tyranny and what it does to the people that have to live under it, how it decimates hope and destroys community.

Barb and J. C. Hendee have written two series in the Saga of the Noble Dead.  Traitor to the Blood is the fourth book in the first series. This series has Margiere, a dhampir; Leesil, a half-elf; Wynn, a young scholar and Chap, a fay-creature in the form of an intelligent dog as the protagonists. There are six books in Series One. Series Two has Wynn, the scholar from series one; Chane, an undead vampire; and Chap’s offspring as the protagonist.  Currently there are 3 books in series two. There is also a third series expected at some point in the future.

The story line did not really progress much with this book.  There was very little action in this book and not very much happened. Although I did enjoy the action scene in the beginning as well as the escape scene at the end. I was a bit frustrated with the plot idea that it is better to keep an evil tyrant alive than allow the country to fall into mayhem and civil war if he was to die.  I thought this was rather stupid.  Why would this happen? If the tyrant can keep things together, why then can not someone else?  But we need to accept this premise for the story to continue. We do get to learn a bit more about Leesil and his past.  It was also rather surprising to learn that Chane did not die. During this book we come to realize that the Evil Enemy is being sought my many different groups.

The story did have a conclusion to the plot-line of searching out Leesil’s parents, but it did not resolve anything about the Evil Enemy.  I haven’t been overwhelmed with this series, I am not sure if I am going to read any more books.  There are so many other, better series out there.  Maybe one day I will try again as I am curious see how it all ends.

To Purchase: “Traitor to the Blood” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Kindle, Goodreads, Book Review, Contemporary Fantasy

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Leave a comment
This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series Fever Series

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Fever Series, Book 5
Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 18, 2011), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 1264 KB, Print Length: 512 pages, Language: English, Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, ISBN: 0385341679, ASIN: B003EY7IRC

What happens to our world if we become overrun with evil creatures and half the world population is annihilated? This is a story about humanities capability to fight and survive, even when the odds seem impossible.  It is the story about a courageous, cute and quirky young woman who will do whatever it takes to fight back. Mac (MacKayla Lane) is a Sidhe-seer and she has unique powers which help fight this battle.

Shadowfever is the fifth and final book in the Fever Series. It is a contemporary fantasy book and can also be referred to as an Urban Fantasy.  The story is told in a first person narrative with MacKayla Lane’s voice and thoughts as we follow her around. Some of the story is also told from a young Sidhe-seer’s view point as she writes her reports.

This is a wonderful series and Shadowfever culminates the story into a surprising but great ending.  I loved the interaction between Mac and Barrons.  The story had a good resolution to a number of story-lines, yet it also left a few to the imagination.  We got to explore more of Barrons, who and what he is. What drives him and who really is the man behind the beast. It was interesting to see the political dynamics between the various groups trying to capture the evil book. They all hated and mistrusted each other, yet they needed to work together to achieve a common goal.  We also learn who and what Mac really is and why she has such incredible powers. Everything is satisfactory explained. I loved the romance between Mac and Barrons and the sex was really hot.

The story comes to a full and satisfying conclusion with the end of this fifth and final volumne in the series. I  recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contempory fantasy with a female protagonist who is cute and quirky.  This series is great because it deals with Seelie and Unseelie faeries rather that Vampires and Werewolves. There are also plenty of hot scenes between Mac and Barrons, so if you enjoy books that includes lots of sex, then you will enjoy this book. However, if you are looking for a stand alone story, then start at the beginning with Darkfever and work your way through all the books, as this is really only one story told in five installments.

Book Review, 3 Treasure Boxes, Kindle, Goodreads, Horror

The Butcher’s Boy by Michael Robb

Leave a comment

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Published December 8th 2010 by Michael Robb Mathias Jr., ebook, 325 pages, ISBN: 139781452413655


How would you deal with sadistic ghosts possessing your house and those you love? Michael is an eleven year old boy who has this problem and he’s compelled to discover why they are in his house.   He does research and learns that a gruesome murder was committed in his new home.  Michael is aided by his faithful dog, the fierce Rottweiler Lucy, his kind baby-sitter and a recovering handyman. They decide to hold a séance to communicate with the ghosts and find out why they are there and how to get rid of them. Bit by bit the story unfolds.

The Butcher’s Boy was written by M. R. Mathias under the pen name of Michael Robb. M.R. Mathias has written a total of six books, five fantasy and one horror. This book falls into the horror genre, and it contains many paranormal themes. It is told as a third person narrative from many different characters point of view, but primarily from that of the central protagonist, Micheal.

The Butcher’s Boy catches your attention from the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat for a wild and scary ride. A variety of things happen in this book including possession, murder, kidnapping and redemption. I really liked all the characters, especially Michael. They were well developed and I thought their actions and reactions were realistic. The ending was exciting but brutal and I thought maybe a bit cheesey.

This is a standalone book with a well thought out plot that builds to a crescendo. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading scary, gruesome books.
To purchase: “The Butcher’s Boy” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

 

2 Treasure Boxes, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Kindle, Goodreads

The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch and Lee Chadeayne

Leave a comment

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: AmazonCrossing (December 7, 2010), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 646 KB, Print Length: 448 pages, Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Language: English, ASIN: B003P9XMFI

This an amazing story that takes place in the mid-1600s in the Bavarian town of Schongau and centres on the executioner Jakob Kuisl.  During this story children are being murdered and the town council wants to execute the midwife as a witch for committing these crimes.  However, Jakob knows she is innocent and sets out to find out who the true culprits are, despite the obstacles that he must face.

The Hangman’s Daughter was written by a descendant of the Kuisl family and the book is a historical fiction.  It is also falls into the suspense genre since we know that a crime was committed, but not by whom until the end of the book.  It is told in the third person narrative from the various characters within the story.  The main protagonists are Jakob Kuisl, the hangman, his gorgeous daughter Magdelena Kuisl and Simon, the physician’s son.

Jakob, with the help of his daughter and the young handsome doctor, tries to uncover the mystery of who is murdering the children. However, he is on a time crunch and must do this before the government official arrives in town for the trial.  He has great pressure put on him by the town’s council to force a conviction from the midwife through the use of torture. The executioner and his family are shunned by the townsfolk which makes the task even more difficult.

The story is exciting and there is a fair bit of action in it.  There are numerous interesting characters including the “devil”, an evil man with a bone hand. The historical references to the witch hunting done in the previous years were gruesome and unsettling, yet also thought-provoking. The story progressed with good pacing and the climax at the end was full of surprises. The author did a good of first putting out many different tenticles and then weaving them all together for a satisfying story.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction, the depiction of  Germany in the mid 1600s is fascinating. Also, if you enjoy reading a good suspense, you will enjoy this book.

Kindle, Goodreads, 1 Treasure Box, Contemporary Fantasy

The Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Leave a comment
This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series The Night Watch

Book Review: 1 Treasure Box
Fourth Book in the Night Watch Series
Publisher: Anchor Canada (June 12, 2009), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 519 KB, Print Length: 400 pages, Language: English, ASIN: B0031TZB56

This is a highly entertaining modern fantasy novel that is written in an unique manner.  The main protagonist is Anton Gorodetsky, a light magician, who is a member of the Night Watch and as such it is his job to solve problems that occur in the supernatural community.  In this book, an innocent young man was murdered in Scotland and it appears that he was killed by a vampire.  But as Anton investigates this murder he finds out that something else much more dire is occurring.

This is the fourth book written in the Night Watch Series or Watch Series.  Sergei Lukyanenko has written numerous short stories, book series and novels. All his books were originally written in Russian and several including this series have been translated to English as well as several other languages. This book is in the contemporary fantasy genre since it takes place in modern times but still involves supernatural beings known as Others.  These “Others” include Witches, Magicians, Enchantress/Sorceress, Vampires, Werewolves, etc.   The book is told in three different stories each one seemingly stand alone, yet tied to each other and in combination completing a larger story.  These stories are told using the third person narrative, mostly from Anton’s point of view but also from the view of other characters in the book.

The stories all comprise the missing, hidden artifact of the great and famous Merlin, known as the Crown of All Things.  Someone is searching for this artifact and will do almost anything to find it including murder. It is up to Anton, using his magical skills as well as his detective reasoning to discover what the artifact is, who is looking for it and why they want it.  We also learn more about the world that Anton lives in, including all the levels of the Twilight and how they are accessed. By the end of the third story all is revealed, however I was still unclear as to exactly what happened. Perhaps it was too subtle for me,  or perhaps something was lost in the translation.

If you have read the other books in the series, then you will probably want to read this book since it is the next installment and a continuation of Anton’s antics. However, I did not enjoy this book as much as the other books in the series. I enjoyed the first two stories in the book, but I found the third story to be a bit unclear.  I would be interested to hear what you thought of the third story.