July, 2011

"Imperial Hostage, Book 1 of the Destruction Series" by Phil Cantrill         

Prince Erech is sent to Poseidia as an "Imperial Hostage" at the age of twelve.  For the next thirteen years he is to live and learn about the Empire.  On his first day, a blind seer foretells that he will be the destruction of Al-Jinn, a High Priest from the Temple of Bel.  Al-Jinn attempts to sacrifice him to Bel, but he is rescued by Kul-Kan, High Priest of the Temple of One.  Erech is taken to the relative safety of the Temple of One, where he makes life-long friends and learns about the inner-workings of the Empire.  Despite the protection of the Temple of One, he is under constant threat from Al-Jinn and his assassins and must learn how to protect and defend himself.

     Well written, I highly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author.  The characters were dynamic and engaging and the book moved at a steady pace.  Overall, I am pleased with the writing style, character development and story-line of Imperial Hostage and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy

"Memories for Sale" by Karen Fowler         

When Eleanor learns that she only has months to live, she contacts her estranged daughter in order to make amends.  She invites her daughter along with the granddaughter and son-in-law that she has never met, to her home for Christmas.  This was a sweet novella, one that speaks of the importance of family, forgiveness and second changes.  I thought it was well-written, with interesting realistic characters.

"Vestal Virgin, Suspense in Ancient Rome" by Suzanne Tyrpak         

Set during the declining period of Ancient Rome, Elissa is a Vestal Virgin.  Vestal's are sword to thirty-years of service to the sacred flame, in exchange for wealth, comfort and property rights.  Not only are they virgins, but the loss of such virginity is a cause for their death.  Emperor Nero, a strange yet fascinating character, begins to pay attention to Elissa and attempts to seduce her.  Through his twisted games he targets Elissa's sister, intent on bending her to his will.  

I couldn't put this book down.  I highly enjoyed the writing style, character development and plot line.  I think I've found a new author to add to my list of favorites!

"The Girl Who Played With Fire" by Stieg Larsson         

Blomkvist, along with his magazine and a free-lance journalist, plan to report on an investigation into Sweeden's sex trafficking business. With a chapter left to write, the free-lance journalist and his girlfriend are brutally murdered in their apartment. Simultaneously, Lisbeth's guardian is murdered with a gun containing her finger prints. Suspected of all three murders, Lisbeth finds herself the target of a massive police hunt. 

I found this book to be an interesting mix of action and mystery. It focused more on Lisbeth's life than the previous book, yet left several mysteries unresolved. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to others.

"The Dressmaker of Khair Khana" by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon         

Kamila, a hard-working dedicated woman, received a teaching degree during Afghanistan's civil war. Before she was able to use her degree, the Taliban seized control of Kabul. Forced to adhere to strict rules and regulations, Kamila and her sisters found their lives greatly changed. From their relatively free lifestyle, they were suddenly no longer able to work or speak with a non-related male. In order to make money for food, Kamila banded together with her sisters to begins a dress-making business. The business continually expanded and Kamila was ultimately able to teach and employ many of the girls in her community.

     Well written, this is an engaging biography of a country little understood in America. It shows both the oppression and hardship of woman, as well as their courage and determination to survive. Overall, this is an important book, one I would recommend to everyone.

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson         

As the third and final book in the trilogy, I found this book less exciting that its predecessors. Things seemed a bit too...easy...for Lisbeth, who spends the majority of the book in the hospital. Everything just seems to fall in place. Overall, I thought it lacked the tension and anxiety of the other books. Despite these criticisms, I found Larsson to be an extremely talented author, one who I wish published more books before his death.

"Death After Midnight" by Dean Fetzer         

I tried really hard to get into this book, after all the premise was interesting. It is about the mythical Priory of Sion who is somehow mixed up in the Templar legend. However, I quickly lost interest as the author constantly switches between characters. While this isn't always a bad technique, I just felt that he used the switching technique rather than engage in character building. As such, I could not feel any connection to the characters and soon lost interest. Another thing that I found highly annoying was that some of the characters dialogue was in French. The author would then provide a translation right beside it. This made it more difficult to get into the dialogue, since it was constantly interrupted by the need for an interpretation. Overall, I was not impressed with this book.

"In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Larson         

In 1933 Wiliam E. Dodd became America's ambassador to Germany amidst Hitler's rise to power. Dodd and Martha, his daughter, initially sympathized with the Nazi's, downplaying the violence against Jews. Martha, enthralled by the parties and German men, found herself involved in a number of affairs with the city's elite. Dodd, a frugal scholar, attempts to fit-in with a rapidly changing culture. 

Overall, I found the book incredibly dry and boring. I am typically fascinated with accounts of life during World War II however, this book failed to keep my interest.

"A Line Blurred" by Bryan Healey         

Kevin and Kylie, a married couple of fifteen years, have grown apart over the years. Kevin, unhappy with his job and uninterested in the details of domestic life has given up his dream of being a writer in order to provide for his family. Kylie, a hard-working housewife, is frustrated by Kevin's seemingly lack of caring and understanding. Reminiscent of "American Beauty," the characters find themselves leaving their routines behind as they serendipitously meet new people.          

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book. The author alternated between Kevin and Kylie, often giving dramatically different opinions of what happened. I found the give and take fascinating, as I first rooted for one, then the other character. There were a few things that did bother me throughout the story. When the characters were thinking to themselves, they often used "we" instead of I. This immediately made me feel as if the characters each had multiple personalities. Another thing, although this may have just been my e-copy of the book, was that there was no separator or division between the alternating paragraphs. At times I had to re-read several lines in order to determine when the author switched characters. Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the story and the author's writing style and rate the book a four out of five.