Book Review: Falcondance by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2015 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Falcondance The Kiesha’ra volume 3
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published: September 13th 2005
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating:

Synopsis:
Nicias has never felt completely at home among the avians and serpiente in Wyvern’s Court, despite his loyalty to Oliza Shardae Cobriana, the heir to both thrones. He is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Anhmik- and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams. But when Nicias’s visions become more like reality, his parents have no choice but to send him back to the homeland- and a royal falcon- they’ve tried their best to forget.

If Araceli won’t bind Nicias’s new found magic, it could destroy him. In a place where everyone is a pawn, only one other woman has the potential to save Nicias. But she holds the keys to a dangerous power struggle that will force Nicias to choose between his duty- and his destiny.

To be completely honest I’m still on the fence with this series, as Snakecharm left a bad taste in my mouth. Falcondance introduces a slew of new characters, the second generation of the books if you will, and it’s a little difficult to sympathize with any of them straight off the bat. As readers we’re thrown directly into the story without any sort of buildup or back story at all. Nicias is an interesting character, and I have a feeling he’ll play an important part in the next book.

Falcondance is a bit of an information dump after the first chapter, revealing more about the Falcons, their history, their magic and their part in the war between the avians and the serpiente. This book is far more political than the other two, focusing on an older, stricter culture than the others. It was interesting to see the differences between the three, especially through Nicias’ eyes as he’s someone who doesn’t quite fit in anywhere, until later in the story. It is a short book at just under two-hundred pages, but at times drags. The action, when it does happen is far more brutal and intense than the other two books in the series, further progressing the story and introducing some darkness to it.

Overall: Falcondance hasn’t redeemed the series for me, but I am more likely to pick up the next one rather than dropping it.

30Aug2014

Book Review: Kamen Volume 1 by Gunya Mihara

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Graphic Novel, Genre: Manga, Netgalley, Rating: Five Umbrellas by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Kamen Volume 1
Author/Artist: Gunya Mihara
Published: September 16, 2014
Publisher: Gen Manga

Rating:

Synopsis:
In a world of fantasy and might, a lone warrior emerges. Kamen, a mysterious masked man appears among prisoners of war in ancient Japan and becomes a legendary warrior and defender of the innocent while his enemies rush to uncover his secrets.

Courtesy of

I loved this, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on volume 2. Set in Feudal Japan, Kamen puts everything upside down and upended, in a wild romp. The art is beautiful and vibrant, the characters well written and fully developed. There’s mystery and a lot of chances for plot development and even more character development arcs.

Kamen is a great shonen manga, which on the surface seems similar to other titles out there, but there’s enough complexity that keeps it from falling into the usual boring trap. It’s got great pacing and great action. I need another volume of this, and I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for it.

Overall:

29Aug2014

Book Review: Wasted Lands by Dave Dorman

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Graphic Novel, Netgalley, Rating: Two Umbrella by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Wasted Lands
Author/Artist: Dave Dorman
Published: September 16, 2014
Publisher: Magnetic Press.

Rating:

Synopsis:
‘Wasted Lands’ is inspired by the high-adventure serials of the ’40s and ’50s and the Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s, but infused with a contemporary sci-fi, diesel-punk aesthetic.

Courtesy of:

I wanted to love this, I really did. I like science fiction, steampunk is becoming something that I’m really drawn to, and diesel-punk is a great offshoot of steampunk. However, that’s not the case here. The art is the only thing that I enjoyed. It varied from story to story, but there’s a commonality that didn’t cause any disconnect or confusion.

The stories themselves were the aspect that I couldn’t connect to. The art, frankly is the only reason I read this, making the omnibus a disappointment. I now know that I’m not fond of the spaghetti western genre. I’m not even certain that I’m going to seek out other titles by this author.

Overall: Not my style of storytelling, though the art is beautiful and unique.

29Aug2014

Book Review: Bleach Volume 60 by Tite Kubo

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Manga, Rating: Five Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Bleach Vol. 60 Everything but the Rain.
Author/Artist: Tite Kubo
Published: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Viz

Rating:

Synopsis:
Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts—he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow—a malevolent lost soul—Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Find out why Tite Kubo’s Bleach has become an international manga smash-hit!

With the training not going as planned, Ichigo returns to the World of the Living to reevaluate himself. But when he runs into his father, Isshin, he discovers he has a lot to learn about his mother—and the way she died!

Oh Bleach. I love you so very much. I’m so sorry that I spent so much time away from you (distracted by teenage basketball prodigies and other series). I recently went on a massive Bleach binge read–I was at volume 27 of 59 at the time. I got massive stacks of volumes from the library and settled in to get caught up (I rarely read scans, because I hate waiting for them), and instantly I was back in love with this series.

Kubo has entered into the final arc of his massive series, which has claimed the coveted title of one of the big three manga. With this arc, I’m drawn back to what initially got me into the series. A slick story line, great action, and great characters. In this volume the history between Isshin (Ichigo’s father), Ryuuken (Uryuu’s father) and Masaki (Ichigo’s mother) that was hinted at long before the reveal. My suspicions about Isshin were confirmed and the story between Isshin, Ryuuken and Masaki is heartbreaking and gives insight to the man that Ryuuken became. Other loose ends are tied up, and we are presented with a massive plot twist about something very important to Ichigo’s fighting style.

Not to mention the reader is also set up with the fight that’s been hinted at since the introduction of the character of Uryuu. And I know the conclusion of this manga is going to break my heart. It’s going to be a long drawn out heartbreak, but I can just see it coming.

Overall: Bleach is one of my favorite series, and this volume didn’t disappoint. I cannot wait for the next.

28Aug2014

Book Review: Zaya by Jean-David Morvan

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Graphic Novel, Netgalley, Rating: Five Umbrellas by Raindrops and Pages

Title Zaya
Author/Artist: Jean-David Morvan, Huang-Jia Wei, Mike Kennedy
Published: August 26, 2014
Publisher Magnetic Press

Rating

Synopsis:
Zaya tells the story of secret agent in the distant future who left her post to seek a normal life as an artist and mother. When a bio-mechanical threat destroys an orbiting colony station and former fellow agents start dying, she is called back into the field to find and stop the danger. Her investigation leads to many questions about her own past, filled with explosive revelations.

Courtesy of

I really fell in love with the world that Morvan has created. Zaya is a retired covert agent called back into service when other agents, here called spirals are dying. The artist mother of a young pair of twins re-enters the world of spies and cloak and dagger assassinations.

The art is whispy and sketchy, with light lines. It’s an odd blend of Eastern and Western graphic novel art styles, but here in this case it works. The Bio-Mechanical aspect is something new to me, and I found myself really enjoying it. The story line is complex and weaves science fiction with steampunk and carefully constructed violence. It was original and well layered, keeping me guessing until the end.

Overall:Engaging and complex, I recommend this to those that are looking for something a little different.

25Aug2014

Book Review: Black Science Volume 1 by Rick Remender

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Graphic Novel, Netgalley, Rating: Three Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Black Science Volume 1
Author/Artist: Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera and Dean White
Published: November 13, 2013
Publisher: Image Comics.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: He has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lies beyond the veil is not epiphany, but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again?

Courtesy of

To be completely up front and blunt, I enjoyed this. I like that straight off there’s a ton of action and story development. There’s a great underlying plot and it’s smart. The writing and dialogue are very smart and fast paced. There’s enough explanation and exposition that it’s not an info dump alongside great illustrations. It does remind me a bit of the television show Sliders (seriously, look it up it was amazing.)–but the differences are strong enough that I’m not feeling like it’s fan fiction.

The characters are well written and unique with their own voices. The aliens that they encounter aren’t the most creative, but I think with the way this story is going and conflict we as readers are thrust into when the story opens, it’s easily ignored. The art though—I keep coming back to it. The lines are great and the colors are brilliant and saturated with an interesting quality to them. I will be reading this series as it progresses, and I’m interested to see where it’s going from the ending point. I’ve been on a manga kick for so long that it was a little different to pick up a traditional graphic novel/comic book and read it, but I found Black Science to be a good trap door back into that genre.

Overall beautiful art with a clean, slick, well written story line makes up an interesting comic book. Worth checking out and reading.

22Aug2014

Book Review– 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: New Adult, Rating: Four Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: 3:59
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Published: September 17, 2013
Publisher:Balzer + Bray

Rating:

Synopsis:
Josie Byrne’s life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she’s betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can’t get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo’s life is everything Josie wants: she’s popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they’re just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgangers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo’s perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day. But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo’s boyfriend, he hates her. Jo’s mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh. By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

This is a quick read chock full of twists and turns, believable science fiction and a dark splash of fantasy and horror. Where it falls short however, is the entire plot is given away in the synopsis and the ending is a little too neat–a little too packaged.

I’m going to start with the things I did like. It’s got a very Alice In Wonderland, mirror flip-turned-upside down vibe going on. From the first page the author leaves the reader unsettled. Something’s coming, and it’s really hard to pin point just what is going on. I think what makes this really effective is that it’s not just one thing, but a group of things, stacking on top of each other. When Josie and Jo switch places, I think the story really starts to shine. The glaring contrast between the two girls really gives light to the ‘good twin v bad twin’ battle. Though in this case they’re doppelgangers. I figured out one of the twists early on, after Josie alters her appearance to look more like Jo.

The story doesn’t really pick up until after the switch, when Josie learns that there’s more to Jo’s world than the girl had initially let on. Josie for a few chapters flounders, trying to get her footing and deal with the people who look just like those she left in her own universe, but act so very different. The characters are different enough that they stand out and separate from their alternates. One of the very obvious differences in Jo’s world is the introduction of the Nox. I really would have loved to see more about them, rather than the flash bang description and then a rather disturbing scene further along in the book.

One of the things that I did really enjoy is nothing was exactly what it seemed. Everyone had their own agendas and secrets. I did see the major twist coming from a mile away, but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book. I did feel as though everything was packaged up neatly with a bow–even the heart-wrenching moment, there was closure there. I would have preferred a little rawness to this, but I can see why the author kept it neat.

Overall: Quick read that plays with science and fantasy on a real world scope. A little too neat of a finish, and predictable but still enjoyable.

9Jul2014

Book Review: Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Rating: Two Umbrella, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: Snakecharm
Author: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published: June 13, 2006
Publisher: Laurel Leaf.

Rating:

Synopsis:
Zane Cobriana, cobra shapeshifter, thanks the gods every day for Danica, his hawk pair bond, and the peace their union has brought to the avian and serpiente. Soon, Danica will have a child to carry on their royal line. But what should be a happy time is riddled with doubt.

Syfka, an ancient falcon, has arrived from Ahnmik claiming that one of her people is hidden in their midst. The falcons are more powerful than the avian and serpiente combined, and Syfka shows nothing but contempt for Zane and Danica’s alliance. To Zane’s horror, his own people seem just as appalled as Syfka is by the thought of a mixed-blood child becoming heir to the throne.

Is Syfka’s lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them? The truth lies somewhere in their tangled pasts and the search will redefine Zane and Danica’s fragile future.

After reading Hawksong and falling in love with it, I immediately went to reserve Snakecharm from the library. It took a few weeks for them to get it in, so I was chomping at the bit to read it when I finally got my hands on it. I still like the world, and the characters–though in Snakecharm there’s a narration shift from Danica to Zane. About halfway through the book we find out that Danica is pregnant with their first child, and along with that comes the problems of raising a mixed breed child, and which throne the child will inherit. I found that Danica changed a bit in this book. She’s not as strong/self sufficient in this book, relying heavily on others.

Zane is a believable narrator though a bit passive. I felt that it dragged a bit, and lacked some of the excitement and drama from the first book. I did also notice that there wasn’t as much world building–it was as though I was supposed to take things at face value. The story felt a bit rushed, a little stitched together to further the main plot along. I did like the side story with the two falcons that are hidden among Danica’s people. It was a nice twist that I didn’t see coming.

Overall: Snakecharm suffers from second book syndrome–adding in details to pad the story and push along a larger plot that will be revealed in later books. Feels like filler.

1Apr2014

Book Review: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Posted in Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Fantasy, Rating: Five Umbrellas, Review 2014 by Raindrops and Pages

Title: The Winner’s Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

Rating:

The Summary:
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

I’m going to be completely up front and honest. I’m enamored with this book. I want to go out and purchase it (I got my copy through the library), and put it on my shelf with my favorite books and pull it down occasionally just to pet the pretty cover. This story is on a whole different level. The world building is reason enough to pick this story up. I can’t get over the world building. It’s beautiful and lush and so visceral that I got lost in it.

I loved Kestrel. She’s a character that grows to stand on her own, and not in the shadow of her father or her friends. She is smart and strong, almost sneaky at times. She’s a great character who wormed her way into my heart. I love her interactions with Arin and the shift in their relationship as the story progresses. Speaking of Arin–I’m still on the fence about him. I figured out what his ‘secret’ was pretty early on in the story, but even that didn’t detract from anything.

“A kestrel is a hunting hawk.”
“Yes. The perfect name for a warrior girl.”
“Well.” His smile was slight, but it was there. “I suppose neither of us is the person we were believed we would become.”

The prose in this story is simply amazing. It’s so beautiful and sets up for an epic story. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. It ends rather abruptly, and I might have thrown a temper tantrum realizing that I won’t get the next book for a while. Somehow I’ll manage. There is romance in this story, but it’s a slow build, and while there is another man who hopes for Kestrel’s attention, it’s obvious who holds her heart. While it slowly builds, the intensity between Arin and Kestrel is tangible. It burns off the pages and takes over everything. It shouldn’t happen, and it does, and the results– are complicated. They save each other from the world, but sometimes that’s not the best thing for them to do.

Overall: The first half of this book was good, but it’s the second half of the book and the political plot that comes to fruition that really sold me. It’s brilliant, and unexpected and just mind blowing.

8Mar2014

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Posted in Classics Club, Genre: Alternate Worlds, Genre: Dystopian Universe, Rating: Four Umbrellas by Raindrops and Pages

Title Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury

Rating:

Synopsis:
The terrifyingly prophetic novel of a post-literate future.

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.

My favorite dystopian novel will forever be Brave New World however, I can see how the three (Brave New World, 1984 and Fahrenheit 451) all work together. And they really do the three novels paint a picture of a horrible society. I enjoyed reading Fahrenheit 451– it’s one that I’ve always meant to read, but I hadn’t. I’ve checked it out from the library a few times, and it’s just gone back without me opening it up. Something just clicked this last time, and I read it in two days. I started it and got about halfway through, wondering if I was even going to finish. I just felt like I wasn’t getting it. That the premise was going over my head and I was reverting back to class when everyone else was seeing symbolism behind great literary works and I was just plodding along reading the words.

The second day everything clicked. I understood. The words flew off the pages, and I was caught up in this terrible world where reading is outlawed and the only acceptable form of conversation and human interaction is the television. It’s terribly depressing if you think about it, and in a way I was seeing parallels to today’s world. We’re all so obsessed with the internet, social media and the direct feed of entertainment, and the plethora of it at our fingertips that often times we forget that we’re social beings–not just names on a social media site.

Okay, didn’t mean to go off on a tangent there. But that’s what made this book click for me. It’s a haunting read, and not my favorite out of the BIG THREE dystopian classics, I can understand why it has such an underground following. Which again I think is neat because it parallels the world Bradbury set up in his book.

Overall It’s a good book with social commentary that extends even to this time and age. Terrifying due to the realism and the fact that it could happen one day. Plus, who wants to live in a world without books? I know I don’t.