Review of Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
Author: Lauren Oliver
Narrator: Sarah Drew
Published by: Random House/Listening Library
Length: 9 sound discs (ca. 72 min. each)
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

Stunned, shocked, and hopeful are just a few emotions you will experience as you journey through Lena's new life.  Delirium left readers emotional drained and curious to see what would happen next.  Does Pandemonium deliver?  In my opinion...yes.  Lauren Oliver has so much talent not only in the premise behind the novel, but also in her writing.  It is quite beautiful and captivating. 

As for the characters, Lena finds her strength in this novel.  She leaves everything she knows behind and has to forge her own path.  I admire her determination and will to survive.  She is a fighter and will do what it takes to help the Resistance.  You will meet some new characters who add dimension and mystery to the story.  They will burrow into your heart and leave a lasting impression.   

Sarah Drew did a fantastic job narrating Pandemonium and bringing the character of Lena to life.  However, I got confused as the book jumped between now (Lena as she takes part in the Resistance movement in New York) and then (right after Lena escaped the fence).  It took me a while after each change to get used to the setting difference.  I think the alternating times worked for this novel as it kept people wondering about multiple things at once.  There was never a dull moment and it kept the readers wanting to read more. 

Just like Delirium, Pandemonium ends with a bang.  I, personally, am not sure how I feel about the ending, but all I can say is the next book will sure be interesting. 

Review of Dead Ringer by Allen Wyler

Title: Dead RingerAuthor: Allen Wyler
Published by: Astor + Blue Editions
Pages: 286
Source: Publicist/Author
Format ARC ebook
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads: While speaking at a Hong Kong medical conference, neurosurgeon Dr. Lucas McCrae slips the cloth off a cadaver’s head during a routine medical demonstration, and is overwhelmed with the shock by what’s staring back at him: His best friend, Andy Baer.

Stunned, McCrae races back to Seattle to discover that Andy is in fact missing and may have been murdered by a gang of body snatchers who operate a legit funeral business and make a fortune by selling recovered body parts to medical researchers.

McCrae teams up with an unlikely pair—a beautiful but hardnosed female cop and a gang member whose family was victimized by the body parts ring—to try and expose a macabre web of corruption that involves law enforcement, politicians, funeral home curators and murdered prostitutes.

Dead Ringer was gripping, entertaining and a welcome addition to the medical thrillers family.

Lucas McCrae is one neurosurgeon you don't want to mess with.  Not only is he brilliant, but he's also fiercely loyal to his friends.  After the shock of seeing his best friend's head on the demonstration table he's determined to find out not only why his friend is dead, buy also how he died.  Lucas  is the type of character that you admire.  He is down to earth, caring and compassionate.  He's your everyday good guy and someone you'd want on your side if things went downhill.   

The premises of this novel was intriguing.  The unusualness and slightly morbid idea of killing prostitutes to sell their body parts was like watching a wreck....you can't look away no matter how horrible it is.  I enjoyed this fresh take on a medical thriller, especially the partnership between Lucas, the investigating officer, Wendy Elliot, and Luis, a gang member looking for revenge for his sister's death.  It's unexpected, tension filled, and at times a bit saucy, but still fun and exciting. 

While I did really enjoy this novel, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and it left me unsatisfied.  Don't get me wrong, it was actioned packed and thrilling, but there was something missing from it.  I would have liked to seen a more detailed and thought out plan.  There were some loose ends that didn't seem to get tied up and left me wondering. 

Despite the ending I liked Dead Ringer and I'll be looking forward to more novels from Allen Wyler.

Leaving on a jet plane

Hey all,
I just wanted to let everyone know that it's going to be quiet this week around here.  I have a conference at Penn State and I'm not sure how Internet access will be.  Have a great week!

Thursday's Name Game

When I first started by blog I did this feature called Thursday's Name Game and as I was going through my posts I realized that I had a lot of fun putting the posts together so I thought I'd try it out again.

Essentially I just take whatever book I'm reading, pick a character and research a little about their name.  So here it goes...


Name:  Seth
Gender: Male
Character From:  Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

Origin of Seth:
Seth is of Hebrew origin and means appointed. 


Places name Seth:

The Seth Peterson Cottage in Mirror Lake Wisconsin, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

Characters named Seth?

• Seth Cohan from the TV show "The OC".
• Seth Clearwater from Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series.
• Seth Morgan from Melissa Marr Wicked Lovely Series.

Have you heard of these guys?  

• Seth Rogan, a popular actor featured in films such as Knocked Up, Funny People and The Green Hornet.
• Seth Green, an actor featured in films  and TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Italian Job, and Without a Paddle.
• Seth MacFarlane, best known for creating/developing Family Guy and American Dad!
• Seth Meyers, comedian from Saturday Night Live.
• Seth Godin, an author and entrepreneur.

Do you know of anyone named Seth or any famous Seths I am missing?

 

*adapted from http://www.babynamewizard.com

Review of Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles #2)
Author: Kevin Hearne
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Published by: Brilliance Audio
Length: 9 hours
Source: Library
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Atticus and friends are back in another action packed, sword yielding, enemy killing, installment of the Iron Druid Chronicles. 

Atticus's life never slows down, especially now that he's killed Aenghus Og.  He's got friends calling in favors, fallen Angels to kill and a new coven of witches trying to kill him.  To me Atticus seemed a bit younger in this book than in Hounded.  In Hounded, Atticus really thought carefully about every situation and showed the wisdom and restraint of his 21 centuries old self.  However, in Hexed he was a bit more rash and compulsive.  Shouldn't he have grown out of that stage by now.  I felt he should have been a bit more patient.  The book talks about how he was in hiding for so long, and that it took him centuries to connect his charm necklace to his aura and so on, that I think he could have taken a couple of minutes to step back and assess some of the situations.  Especially when it came to those new witches.

The new characters introduced in Hexed are out for blood and a piece of the old druid himself.  Atticus is constantly in battle almost to the point it seems routine.  This is something that didn't sit well with me.  I felt that Atticus went from one death-defying battle to the next without much in between.  I would have liked to see more of a connection between Atticus and his friends, especially Oberon.  Though of the battle scenes they were brutal to all parties involved.  Good thing Atticus can heal himself with the power of the earth or he would have been hospital bound a long time ago.

Luke Daniels did an amazing job reading each of the character in Hexed.   I especially love his voice for Oberon and it is exactly like I imaged a dog's voice would be.  I enjoy that he uses distinct tones for each character as it is easier to keep track of everyone.  He's easy to follow and keeps the story interesting. 

I  enjoyed the audio version of the Hexed and I can't wait to listen to Hammered.   

Top Ten Tuesday

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Most Vivid Book Worlds/Settings

1. Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.  Nothing gets better than a magical castle full of witches, wizards and other magical beings.

From http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/hogwarts-is-my-home

2. The Area from The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins.  Yikes.  Susanne Collins creates a horrific setting when the characters get thrown into the arena.  This is not somewhere I'd like to be, but it sure sticks in my mind.

From http://www.hungergamesmovieseries.com

3. The Dells from Fire by Kristin Cashore.  The gorgeous rolling hills and colorful monsters make an impression of a beautiful but scary place. 

From http://kristincashore.blogspot.com

4. Mississippi (1962) from The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  It's not so much the place but the attitudes of the people who lived there and the world they created.

From http://www.boston.com

5. Siberia from Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  Lina and her family were always cold and hungry in this desolute work camp they were sent to as they waited out the WWII.


From http://vilnews.com/?p=13181

6.  Elizabethan London from Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness.  I loved as hearing about Old time London and Matthew and Diana's adventures there. 

From http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-era-sitemap.htm

7. Gatlin from Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  The setting is definitely southern with some magical elements thrown in.

From http://www.earlymorningcameraclub.com/beautiful-creatures/

8. Paris (past and present) from Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.  I love the contrast of the present Paris to the past Paris as Andi journeys through the catacombs. 

From http://www.afn.org/~alplatt/paris.html

9.  Fourteenth-century Italy from Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren.  As Belle would say "far of places and daring sword fights."


From http://www.mediafocus.com

10. Paris 1942/Paris 2002 from Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  I can't really describe this one but it is definitely a must read. 



From http://saintsulpice.unblog.fr

Review of Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Title: Something Strange and Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Published by: Harper Teen
Pages: 248
Source: Thanks to HarperTeen/Edelweiss
Format: ebook arc
Available: July 24, 2012
Rating: 4 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.
Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor… from her brother.

Susan Dennard delivers a debut novel filled with adventure, strange events and of course, the dead. 

Eleanor Fitt is going through a rough time.  Downcast by the death of her father, and the family's financial demise it gets worse when her brother Elijah goes missing.  Not to mention her mother trying to bid her out to the first wealthy suitor to save both their bank accounts and their reputation.  But the truth of the matter is that Eleanor has never really fit in with this society and their beliefs. 

Eleanor is the type of character that you may be unsure of at first.  She comes across as uptight and nosey, but soon her tenaciousness grows on you.  Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters are what really made this book wonderful.  They are lively and attention graping.  They don't follow the customs and each have a bit of a rebellious streak in them that makes them interesting and unforgettable.  Their back stories are rich in detail and emotion making you understand their personalities and builds a connection between you.

I have to admit I'm not much of a Zombie person, and though they were central to the storyline they didn't overtake the story.  Susand Dennard brings a new type of story into the mix.  It's fraught with scandal, death and even a touch of romance.  She brings passion and emotion to the story and her writing seems to flow softly and smoothly.  And my favorite thing is she knows how to write a spectacular ending.  She wraps up the story, but leaves just enough loose ends to have you wanting more.

Something Strange and Deadly is a wonderful debut and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.