Wordless Wednesday --- wisteria on Isola Madre, Italy

The Shepherd by Ethan Cross

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):   Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante's beautiful daughter--a woman with whom he's quickly falling in love--Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world

And here's what I thought:  The sentence blurb on the cover of this novel reads, "Silence of the Lambs meets the Bourne Identity." I think that's a pretty accurate description of this story -- it's definitely thriller meets horror.  In this story, we're given an interesting pair of men: Marcus, a former homicide detective, and Akerman, a sociopath and killer.  The pace is even and fast, right from the beginning of the story, and doesn't let up.  The author also doesn't pull punches with his language; he writes in a straightforward manner, making it clear what's happening in the story. 

I will say, that even though I have seen several great reviews of this book on GoodReads, this book didn't quite do it for me.  Maybe I'm a bit inured to some of the aspects of the story from reading too much Chelsea Cain (and in the past, Thomas Harris), but while Akerman's behavior was horrifying, I found him a bit predictable at times.   He's a nasty character, but I could usually anticipate what he was going to do in a situation.   What I did find interesting about him is that he's a made sociopath, carefully constructed by his father to become the horrific man that he is.   This was the idea I really found scary in the book; that someone could basically engineer and make another person into a psychopathic killer. 

Also, something about the writing style just didn't resonate with me.   This is purely personal, not a reflection of the author's writing.  I'm making this as clear as I can, because reading is such a completely personal thing; one person's reaction to a story might be completely different, depending on when they read something, what else is going on in their lives, etc.   At times, a certain phrase, or sentence, would strike me and I'd wince a little.  Example: "The volcano had erupted inside him, and a blanket of red had fallen over his eyes like a shroud.  The flower of his righteous rage was in full bloom."  (p. 83).  It's that last sentence that makes me pause.  And not in a good way - when I read this, I raised my eyebrows.   But, as I said, this is just me, personally.   This kind of writing really works for a thriller because it conveys the emotion that is happening with the action in the story.  Maybe I'm just not a huge reader of books that fall into the thriller genre.  Maybe it's just that when I read this, I was feeling a little burned out and tired.

Either way, this was a decent read, and it kept me entertained until the very end, which I appreciated.  The pace was smooth, and the story kept me guessing, which I also appreciated.  
First sentences:  "Jim Morgan watched as reflections of the patrol car's flashing lights danced across the front window of the remote gas station.  He strained to see beyond the strange and ominous shadows into the building's interior.  Although the call from dispatch warranted only a routine robbery report, for some reason, an irrational yet overwhelming feeling of dread crept over the edges of his consciousness."

Thoughts on the cover: Definitely conveys that this is a thriller, with the flames converging on a main street. 

Rose Madder by Stephen King

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  After 14 years of being beaten, Rose Daniels wakes up one morning and leaves her husband -- but she keeps looking over her shoulder, because Norman has the instincts of a predator. And what is the strange work of art that has Rose in a kind of spell? In this brilliant dark-hued fable of the gender wars, Stephen King has fashioned yet another suspense thriller to keep readers right at the edge.

And here's what I thought:   This book was a re-read for me for a few reasons.  First, I realized I had gotten into April and hadn't read anything for the Stephen King challenge I had signed up for.  Second, I was going to be traveling and thought this would be a good book to re-read, since I had read it before (and I could download it from my library).  Re-reading the book, I found I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time.

I happen to be a fan of Stephen King, although I admit that I don't love all of his books.  I went through a phase when I was in junior high, reading Christine, and The Shining, and Carrie .....  and then I got stuck on Firestarter and Cujo.   Now that I've been reading his books for years, it seems that I like about every other one; I've read The Stand many times, read It more than once, and The Talisman, which he wrote with Peter Straub, is one of my all-time favorite books.  With this book, however, I found a different side of Stephen King, which I find interesting.

As you can see from the summary above, our main character is Rose Daniels, a woman who has been abused by her husband for years, and who makes the abrupt decision to leave him.   But what happens is something that you may or may not expect (actually, if you read Stephen King, you might completely expect what happens).  Turns out that Rose's husband is a police detective, who has a bit of an anger management problem.  Rose has good reason to believe she can't trust the police if she reports her husband, so when she takes off, she just goes -- no plans, no idea what she's going to do.   Lucky for Rose, a good samaritan helps her find a shelter for abused women, and once she's there, it seems like her life is back on a better track.   All seems to be progressing normally until Rose discovers a painting in a pawn shop, a painting that she can't get out of her mind, and which, once she hangs it on her wall, seems to draw her in to a different world, where she discovers an inner strength she didn't know she had.  

I'm not going to say much more, but expect that because this is Stephen King, there is going to be some unpleasant business before the story ends.  However, I enjoy reading this book because not only does it have a female main character who is realistic and believable, but who is also written quite well (which I always appreciate when the author is of the opposite sex).   I also appreciate that King takes a horrifying topic, of men who abuse women, and shows the real side of it, while at the same time introducing a somewhat fantastical element (of the world in the painting).   This story is set in a nightmare, both real and imagined.   The pacing is quick and the story pulls me in every time I read it.   I don't know if it's a book for every reader, but if all you know of Stephen King are a few of his other books, you might want to give this one a try for something different.

First sentence:  Sorry, I don't have this one -- my e-book expired, and the library's copy is checked out (and of course, my own paperback is in a box in a closet....).

Thoughts on the cover:  I have used the cover art from the paperback I own.  The cover doesn't make much sense until you read the story --- then, it all comes together in a nicely menacing way.

Taking a bit of a break.......

Just a heads up that I need a break, so no blog updates for about 3 weeks.  Back soon, with book reviews, and back on my usual track.    Enjoy the rest of April!!

 

Coming Soon .... RM Pirates tour!!

Just when you think life is progressing along smoothly, pirates appear.   And then there's no telling what may happen next.

Curious?

Keep your eyes and ears open for the Random Magic Pirates Tour ---- from May 10-30, 2011, it will be a whirlwind of features, photo galleries, music, books, and goodies galore!!     You remember, Random Magic, yes?   The delightful book that's chock-full of magic and adventure?!    And what says adventure more than pirates?   Well, actually, I suppose you could think of all sorts of things that are adventurous, but in May, we're focusing on pirates.....


So stay tuned for more information as we draw closer to May.  I'm already crafting and polishing my bit (focusing on lady pirates .... and pirate lore and superstitions)    In the meantime, please enjoy this little bit from the book: 

He shimmied awkwardly up the mast and extended the spyglass. He held
it up against his eye, impatient to find the other ship. Egh. Dust. He rubbed the dust off on his sleeve, and looked through the lens again.
White. White. Where was it? He scanned the water. Aha. There. If he squinted, he could just make out the ship's flag. Black and white. A cricket bat -- no, two. No, maybe swords. Two crossed swords and a giant...apple...no. A skull. A skull and...
He dropped the spyglass.
A skull and crossbones.Pirates.
He scrambled down the rigging backwards, and ran back across the deck.
"Winnie," he yelled, shouting down to her from the top of the
stairs. 

you never know where a pirate map may lead you....

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely series, #5) by Melissa Marr

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads): 

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.   Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

And here's what I thought:  I had been eagerly anticipating this book, and when I got it in my hands, just whooshed right through it.   I fell in love with this series right from the beginning, with Wicked Lovely, and have enjoyed the series all the way through.  I will note that at times, the politics between the different courts got a bit confusing, but not enough to detract from the stories.   And so here we are, in this book, at the end.  No! No!  More books, please!!!   Ahem!... sorry about that....   I'm going to avoid spoilers, which is pretty tricky, so my thoughts here will be somewhat brief.  What I will say is: Melissa Marr is a great storyteller.  She writes compelling, sympathetic characters (and supporting characters), and weaves storylines with grace and finesse.   As you can see from the summary, everything is building towards this final conflict, and it is clear from the beginning of the story that there might not be happy endings for everyone.    Ok.  That's all I'm saying about the story.

I was completely happy with this book, although I realized that perhaps at some point, I need to start at the beginning and read through all of them again.  I find that with some series, I can't always keep track of the relationships between characters easily, just because of the time lapse between when one book is published, and the next comes out.  By the time the newest book comes out, I don't always remember what was happening in the previous book.   With this series, I definitely had to refresh myself a few times, especially because there were a lot of characters to keep track of (and their relationships with each other sometimes became a bit complex).  I appreciated that Melissa Marr kept things consistent throughout the arc of the five books (I never experienced a sophomore slump with her writing).  I will admit that I really enjoyed Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange the most (Ink Exchange especially because of the tattooing.... since I have several tattoos), but thought the entire series made for some good reading.  I'm a huge fan of this author, and have had the opportunity to go to her book signings twice --- so now, I'm just waiting to see what she does next, with Graveminder!

If you've never read this series, I'd strongly encourage you to start at the beginning, with Wicked Lovely.   When I pitch this book to people at the library, I always use the term "scary faeries" -- that way, they aren't thinking it's all "Tinkerbell-pink-and-lovely-and-nice" and more like "Grimm and dark."

First sentences: Niall walked through the ruins of the tattoo shop.  Shards of painted glass crunched under his boots.  The floor was strewn with vials of ink, unopened needles, electric apparatus he couldn't identify, and other things he'd rather not identify.  The Dark King had known rage before, known grief; he'd felt helpless, felt unprepared; but he'd never before had all of those emotions converge on him at once."

Thoughts on the cover:  Beautiful, like all of the covers.  The flower, glittering and looking as it it's lit from within, held forward, is beautiful. 

Note: I received this book as part of Book it Forward ARC Tours (and had also read our library's copy).

Wither (Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):   What if you knew exactly when you would die?  Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left

And here's what I thought:  I started this book one evening and finished it the next day -- once I started reading, I just kept going because I was so into the story (and needed to know what was going to happen next).  This book is so well-written, and the pace is so even, that even though what's going on with Rhine and the other girls is kind of horrifying, you can't stop reading (at least, I couldn't).   The whole idea is so disturbing, that young women are stolen from their homes and families, and forced into polygamous marriages just to breed before they die.   If they aren't found suitable, they're just disposed of.  Sound horrifying? To have such a short life (living to only twenty) and having all of your personal value placed on whether or not you're seen as acceptable to try and procreate with?  And to know that in some cultures, this is the reality for some girls?  Definitely disquieting.

Rhine is an interesting character, and definitely seems like someone who keeps her own counsel.   The other two sister-wives, one younger and one older, make interesting foils to Rhine, showing the reader what she's made of, through compare and contrast.  In fact, the relationship between the three sister-wives was something I found pretty compelling (maybe because I've watched two seasons of Big Love and sometimes marvel at how those three wives get along at times).  It was also interesting to see how her relationship developed with her new husband, who isn't at all what I had expected he would be like.

I did wonder a bit at the world that the author has created -- there's not much explanation about the possible reasons why humans have such a short life span, and it's a bit vague on when this is supposed to be taking place (obviously, it's some time in the future, and there is mention of a third world war, which "demolished all but North America, the continent with the most advanced technology" p. 55).   I suppose it takes a bit of imagination to accept the situation in this story, but I'm used to that suspension of belief, considering all the fantasy books I read.

If you have read and enjoyed the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, this book will most likely resonate with you.   Where Atwood took the idea of a society where women serve only one purpose, to breed, and spun it in one direction, commenting on society as a whole, DeStefano takes the idea where fertile young women are seen as the solution to a rapidly dying human race, and spins things in a different direction.   Unlike Atwood's book, this story is one in a series, and the ending is definitely left open for the story to continue.   I'm curious to see if there's a bit more about the world and society in the next story, considering where this first book ends.  

First sentences:  I wait.  They keep us in the dark for so long that we lose all sense of our eyelids.  We sleep huddled together like rats, staring out, and dream of our bodies swaying.

Thoughts on the cover:  Interesting images of a girl, looking down - juxtaposed with other images, like a bird in a cage and an hourglass.   Also interesting how the title and author are perpendicular, with lines and circles making their way around the cover.  Conveys the tone of the story, and makes you wonder what lies inside this book.