The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Book Review

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson

What is it about:
In this harrowing tale of good and evil, the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll develops a potion that unleashes his secret, inner persona—the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde.

What did I think of it:
This is one of those stories that has become ingrained in our collective memory, much like Dracula, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre to name a few. It has been used, re-imagined, turned into movies, and more. So when I came across this lovely little volume containing this story and others by Stevenson I realized I couldn't remember if I had read it before, or thought I'd read it before because it is so widely known.

I decided that even if I had read it before, it was ages ago, so I picked this book up (this being a wonderful edition with gold sprayed pages, and a gorgeous cover under the already beautiful dust jacket might have had something to do with it as well).

And this is a great story.

I wonder how much more suspenseful this must have been for the people reading this without knowing what the story is about. For even knowing the outcome of this story, I was hooked. The story is told from the viewpoint of Mr Utterson, a lawyer who is friends with Dr Jekyll. As the story unfolds Utterson is totally unaware of what is going on. He only knows something is up with the Doctor and his disturbing acquaintance Mr Hyde.

I loved seeing things through Utterson's eyes. This way the suspense of what is going on is drawn out. I was eager for Utterson to uncover Hyde's secrets, and was frustrated when he backed away from his investigations in fear of ruining the name of his friend Jekyll. I caught myself looking for the clues that would reveal the truth to Utterson.

It surprised me how short this story actually is. There is so much there, and the writing is so vivid it painted a clear picture of everything that happens. Even with the many re-tellings and re-imaginings this is still a powerful piece of suspenseful writing. I will most definitely read the other stories in this book as well.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful written and suspenseful story.


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Under Different Stars - Book Review

Under Different Stars (Kricket #1)
by Amy A. Bartol

What is it about:
Kricket Hollowell is normally not one to wish upon stars; she believes they’re rarely in her favor. Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home.

Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go.

Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own.

When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?

What did I think about it:
This was an entertaining read, but not what I hoped for when I picked it up.

Kricket is abducted from earth by a couple of soldiers from another planet. Of course the soldiers totally fall for Kricket because she's so feisty, beautiful, and special. And of course Kricket falls in love with one of them, even though he abducted her, orders her around, and is an all round asshole for the first part of the book. But at least he's honest! Barf...

So yeah, I wasn't buying the whole sugary sweet getting to know her abductors part of the story. Still it was entertaining enough to keep reading to see where things were going.

Then they get to their destination and more men join the Kricket fan club, fawning over her like she's the best thing since sliced bread. Some of them do seem to have more sinister plans, but keep forgetting about them as soon as Kricket says something naive and sassy. I must say I was annoyed by the lack of other women in this book, and I'm really not going to count Kricket's personal assistant who was only there to make Kricket look even more caring and perfect.

Things get a bit more violent near the end of the book, and there are some hints for more suspense and action in the next book, but I'll not be picking it up. Entertaining as it was to read about the amazing Kricket and her trained lapdogs, I'm not really interested in finding out what's next for them.

Why should you read it:
It's an entertaining YA SF read.


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On McPig's Wishlist - Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (Bright Smoke, Cold Fire #1)
by Rosamund Hodge

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . .

Warcross - Book Review

Warcross (Warcross #1)
by Marie Lu

What is it about:
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

What did I think of it:
I will confess I was wary when I started on this book. I have tried two other books by Lu. The first I finished, but it didn't impress me, the second I DNFed. The blurb of this book did sound good though, and when it was picked as this month's read at an online book club I'm part of, I decided to give it a try.

And to my surprise I loved it!

Emika is of course a bit of a Wunderkind, good at everything she tries, but not in an annoying way. I was interested in her life from the start, and when she meets Hideko I was hooked.

The whole Warcross game was intriguing and it's clear Lu is a gamer herself, she makes Warcross and everything connected to it feel real and exciting. I actually chuckled when I encountered a reference to Leeroy Jenkins. I was as invested in Emika finding out what's going on as I was in seeing her team win the games. The scenes where they are in Warcross are creative and full of action.

I liked seeing Emika grow over the course of this book. She is closed off and stubborn at first, thinking she can handle everything on her own. It was nice to see how she warms up to others and starts trusting. Her investigation into the security problems of Warcross is dangerous and I rooted for her to stay on top of things and survive.

And then there's Hideko. If there's one thing I can say against this book it's that there's not enough Hideko. I loved him. He's a very complex character, and got more interesting and intriguing with every scene he's in.

And then there's the ending! I can tell you that the ending made me love this book even more! You bet I'll be getting my trotters on the next book, because I want more!

Why should you read it:
It's a cool futuristic YA read full of action.


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Teaser Tuesdays - My Lady Jane

Tea, he was going to offer. Because he was English and that's what the English do under stress: they drink tea.

(page 55, My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows)


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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Plagued Spy - Book Review

The Plagued Spy (The Immortal Spy, Book 2)
by K.A. Krantz

What is it about:
It’s all fun and games until someone breaks out the needles.

It was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. Go in, grab the bespelled package of evidence against some very corrupt superpowers, and get out. The mission turns sideways when a vengeful spy Bix blackballed during her time in Dark Ops crashes the job and injects Bix’s teammates with an unknown toxin. Succumbing to a horrific mutation, the dying spook whispers the Mayday protocol for a compromised covert operation involving a biological weapon.

With her friends infected and sequestered in quarantine, a mole inside the spy guild exposing its undercover agents, and the brightest minds in the Mid Worlds unable to identify the biologic, Bix picks up the mission to find the creators and the cure. She’ll square off against Fates, dragons, angels, and even the god of plagues to save her friends; yet the greatest threat might well be the darkness growing within Bix and the evil on which it feeds.

Beware the plagued spy, for wrath and ruin are sure to follow…

What did I think of it:
I loved the first book in this series and was stalking Amazon for the release of book 2 when I was offered an ARC. You bet I jumped on that chance.

And this is yet another great read!

Bix is in for a lot of trouble. Two of her friends get injected with a very nasty toxin, and she is on a race against the clock to find out what is going on and to find a cure. If that's not enough, she has to deal with her rediscovered powers, her past, and Gods who might be just a bit too interested in her.

I was totally invested and was just as eager as Bix to find out what was going on and what secrets lurk in her past. I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. There is lots of action, intrigue, and conspiracies. As Bix uncovers some secrets, more pop up and hint at things that happened and things to come.

Bix is a great heroine. She is powerful, but her amnesia makes her vulnerable. She has people she trusts and who she relies on, but at times it's unclear if her trust is justified. There are a lot of other characters in this book, still it's easy to keep track of them. I had a couple of favorites and hope to see more of them in future books.

All in all this book was everything I hoped for and you bet I'll get my trotters on a print copy of this book, and the next once it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's an awesome UF read.


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The Darkest Minds - Book Review

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)
by Alexandra Bracken

What is it about:
Ruby is sixteen. She is dangerous. And she is alive. For now.

A mysterious disease has killed most of America's children. Ruby might have survived, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse than a virus: frightening abilities they cannot control. Pressured by the government, Ruby's parents sent her to Thurmond, a brutal state 'rehabilitation camp', where she has learned to fear and suppress her new power. But what if mastering it is a whole generation's only chance for survival?

What did I think of it:
This is an entertaining read.

I had to step over the fact that apparently almost all adults just went along with putting their children in camps. It seemed highly unlikely to me, but it wasn't the weirdest set up I've encountered in Dystopian fiction.

I had hoped to learn a little bit more about the camp and Ruby's life there. As it is she gets out before I got a clear picture how bad she had it there. My guess is that it was really bad, but Ruby's priorities after she escapes made me reconsider.

Because if there's one thing that annoyed me about this book it was Ruby. She escapes and has a backpack given to her by people who might be dodgy if not dangerous. Does Ruby immediately ditch it, or at least looks inside: of course not! What she does do the first chance she got: shave her legs! Because when you're on the run from multiple parties it is the perfect time for your first shave! o_0

That I kept reading was because I liked two of the kids Ruby teams up with: Chubs and Zu. I soon found myself rooting for these two characters instead for Ruby. They were both interesting and cool imo, unlike Ruby and her bland love interest. (Yes: this story would have been so much better if Chubs had been the love interest!)

There are some entertaining scenes while they're on the run, some further developments that made me want to kick Ruby for being extremely gullible, and finally a climax that gave me the feeling this whole story was a bit pointless.

Still I enjoyed the book for the most part, so I just might pick up the next book if I see it on sale. (Maybe Ruby perfects her shaving technique in book two.)

Why should you read it:
It's an entertaining YA Dystopian read.


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