(Originally published on my blog Your Rainy Day Reading List on 1/29/2013)
(Sword of Truth #1)
It's not often that a book blows me away so hard that it immediately jumps up into my top favorites of all times, but this book succeeded.
Two or so years ago, my partner and I watched "Legend of the Seeker" on Netflix. We'd never heard of it before, it was only two seasons and not currently on TV anymore, and it seemed like a fun concept. We loved it!
Once I found out that it was based off of a book series, I knew that I just had to read them eventually. After a year of minimal reading (2012, don't ask!) and a bunch of other books, I found the Kindle version I had forgotten that I had purchased.
This story has everything you could ask for in a novel: adventure, betrayal, magic, romance, true love, friendship, empathy, wickedness, honor, terror, hope, and so much more.
I can't wait to read the rest of the series, and lucky for me, there are QUITE a few! :)
Amazon.com: Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
(Originally published on my blog Your Rainy Day Reading List on 1/18/2013)
4.5 stars
Egyptian mythology: Ra, Ra, Ra!
(Okay, you'll have to forgive the terrible pun!)
Welcome to the land of magic, the realm of gods and demons and mystical creatures, and say hello to some really powerful kids!
The Kane siblings, Carter and Sadie, are used to being less than normal. Their mom died years ago. Their mom's parents fought to make Sadie live with them, while Carter traveled the world with his professor-ish father and lived out of a suitcase. They only saw each other two times a year!
This all changes when, on a scheduled visit with Sadie, the world gets flipped upside down -- their dad rushes them to a museum, blows up the Rosetta Stone, releases five Egyptian gods, and then is locked in a golden sarcophagus and stolen away in front of them. Carter and Sadie are thrust into a new world -- where magic reigns supreme, where animals are more than they seem, and where the power of the pharaohs and the gods rushes through their veins.
Discovering that Set, Egyptian god of darkness, chaos, and all that is evil, has been released and has taken their father -- and more importantly is planning to destroy their world, Carter and Sadie embark on a world-crossing adventure through a modern day world filled with ancient Egyptian magics.
This is a fun, exciting romp through mythology (which I love, especially Egyptian and Greek/Roman!). While it's a "YA" (young adult) story, it's pretty fun for anyone who likes a little magic and fantasy and silliness in their stories.
Looking forward to reading the Percy Jackson series (about the Greek gods) and the other two books in this Egyptian/Kane trilogy.
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
4.5 stars
Egyptian mythology: Ra, Ra, Ra!
(Okay, you'll have to forgive the terrible pun!)
Welcome to the land of magic, the realm of gods and demons and mystical creatures, and say hello to some really powerful kids!
The Kane siblings, Carter and Sadie, are used to being less than normal. Their mom died years ago. Their mom's parents fought to make Sadie live with them, while Carter traveled the world with his professor-ish father and lived out of a suitcase. They only saw each other two times a year!
This all changes when, on a scheduled visit with Sadie, the world gets flipped upside down -- their dad rushes them to a museum, blows up the Rosetta Stone, releases five Egyptian gods, and then is locked in a golden sarcophagus and stolen away in front of them. Carter and Sadie are thrust into a new world -- where magic reigns supreme, where animals are more than they seem, and where the power of the pharaohs and the gods rushes through their veins.
Discovering that Set, Egyptian god of darkness, chaos, and all that is evil, has been released and has taken their father -- and more importantly is planning to destroy their world, Carter and Sadie embark on a world-crossing adventure through a modern day world filled with ancient Egyptian magics.
This is a fun, exciting romp through mythology (which I love, especially Egyptian and Greek/Roman!). While it's a "YA" (young adult) story, it's pretty fun for anyone who likes a little magic and fantasy and silliness in their stories.
Looking forward to reading the Percy Jackson series (about the Greek gods) and the other two books in this Egyptian/Kane trilogy.
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker
(Originally published on my blog Your Rainy Day Reading List on 1/16/2013)
4.75 stars
Identity
Ted Dekker is at it again -- this time in a "tv episode inspired" foray into shorter, faster-released stories that make up one book.
He's created a world for us to jump into again, in typical Dekker form, and he's done it in shorter time than ever before!
This time, he's introduced us to two orphans, Christy and Austin, and their intruiging relationship... and then thrust us into an almost-horror flick story.
I'll do everyone a favor, especially since this first book is short, and not reveal details (which Dekker also chose to protect in his description of the book, which is a short snippet from Christy's perspective).
Read it. It'll make you want to pick up the other three. :) It's also an excellent little filler between his full-length novels!
The Kindle edition is free for everyone, to get everyone started. The other three aren't. Here's an Amazon link for your convenience: Identity.
Mirrors
The second book was as good as the first, and will leave you ready for the next "episode."
Dragging you deeper into a world in which you're never quite sure where delusion ends and reality begins, Christy and Austin fight to discover on which side of that fine line that they lie.
Unseen
Book three continues the story of Christy and Austin and their struggle to understand and confirm the truth of their apparent condition -- are they delusional in a sane world, or is this "sane world" the delusion?
Seer
As the final of four parts of the book Eyes Wide Open, this review will cover the story as a whole.
Intriguing characters? Check. Wild fantastical tale? Check. Vivid setting/environment? Check.
In typical Dekker fashion, this tale was woven into a much bigger story -- and the connections you'll make by the end are thrilling, connections that tie back into the larger Dekker mythology.
Can't wait to see how the continuation of this "new" saga unfolds. :)
The Kindle edition of Identity is free for everyone, to get everyone started. The other three aren't too pricey at $2.99 each: Mirrors, Unseen, Seer. Or, of course, go for all four in one volume with Eyes Wide Open.
4.75 stars
Identity
Ted Dekker is at it again -- this time in a "tv episode inspired" foray into shorter, faster-released stories that make up one book.
He's created a world for us to jump into again, in typical Dekker form, and he's done it in shorter time than ever before!
This time, he's introduced us to two orphans, Christy and Austin, and their intruiging relationship... and then thrust us into an almost-horror flick story.
I'll do everyone a favor, especially since this first book is short, and not reveal details (which Dekker also chose to protect in his description of the book, which is a short snippet from Christy's perspective).
Read it. It'll make you want to pick up the other three. :) It's also an excellent little filler between his full-length novels!
The Kindle edition is free for everyone, to get everyone started. The other three aren't. Here's an Amazon link for your convenience: Identity.
Mirrors
The second book was as good as the first, and will leave you ready for the next "episode."
Dragging you deeper into a world in which you're never quite sure where delusion ends and reality begins, Christy and Austin fight to discover on which side of that fine line that they lie.
Unseen
Book three continues the story of Christy and Austin and their struggle to understand and confirm the truth of their apparent condition -- are they delusional in a sane world, or is this "sane world" the delusion?
Seer
As the final of four parts of the book Eyes Wide Open, this review will cover the story as a whole.
Intriguing characters? Check. Wild fantastical tale? Check. Vivid setting/environment? Check.
In typical Dekker fashion, this tale was woven into a much bigger story -- and the connections you'll make by the end are thrilling, connections that tie back into the larger Dekker mythology.
Can't wait to see how the continuation of this "new" saga unfolds. :)
The Kindle edition of Identity is free for everyone, to get everyone started. The other three aren't too pricey at $2.99 each: Mirrors, Unseen, Seer. Or, of course, go for all four in one volume with Eyes Wide Open.
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Blood Gospel by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
(Originally published on my blog Your Rainy Day Reading List on 1/14/2013)
5+ stars!
Wow! This book totally blew me away!
I've always been a James Rollins fan, since the day I discovered him (ie needed a book for a LONG cross-country drive in a moving van, randomly picked up Map of Bones paperback off the shelf at Target and BAM! LOVE!). He's got great characters, stories spanning centuries and continents, and the fate of the world in the hands of a small group of heroes.
I think my favorite part about this book is that James Rollins really stepped out of his "norm" for his adults books. It's not fantasy, like he writes under his other pen name James Clemens, and it's not historical-adventure-techno-secret agent-thriller like his Sigma series and standalones. It's so much more than that. It's like the genius of those with a whole new supernatural element mixed in.
For his first ever written collaboration, it seems like a partnership made in Heaven. Rebecca Cantrell and Rollins' writings mesh so well together, you'd never recognize that this was book was written by two authors.
The story is masterful -- a "save the world" epic, driven by prophecy, religion, and honor. The characters are likeable, believable, and relatable -- even those who are more than human. Cantrell and Rollins have created a fantastical new world of adventure and populated it with a wide array of new heroes and villains -- and it will suck you in and leave you breathless as you jump from continent to continent.
You'll not want to put this book down until you get to the last page. And when you do get to the last page, REJOICE! It's going to be a SERIES! :)
Here's a link where you can purchase The Blood Gospel on Amazon.com (just here for your convenience).
5+ stars!
Wow! This book totally blew me away!
I've always been a James Rollins fan, since the day I discovered him (ie needed a book for a LONG cross-country drive in a moving van, randomly picked up Map of Bones paperback off the shelf at Target and BAM! LOVE!). He's got great characters, stories spanning centuries and continents, and the fate of the world in the hands of a small group of heroes.
I think my favorite part about this book is that James Rollins really stepped out of his "norm" for his adults books. It's not fantasy, like he writes under his other pen name James Clemens, and it's not historical-adventure-techno-secret agent-thriller like his Sigma series and standalones. It's so much more than that. It's like the genius of those with a whole new supernatural element mixed in.
For his first ever written collaboration, it seems like a partnership made in Heaven. Rebecca Cantrell and Rollins' writings mesh so well together, you'd never recognize that this was book was written by two authors.
The story is masterful -- a "save the world" epic, driven by prophecy, religion, and honor. The characters are likeable, believable, and relatable -- even those who are more than human. Cantrell and Rollins have created a fantastical new world of adventure and populated it with a wide array of new heroes and villains -- and it will suck you in and leave you breathless as you jump from continent to continent.
You'll not want to put this book down until you get to the last page. And when you do get to the last page, REJOICE! It's going to be a SERIES! :)
Here's a link where you can purchase The Blood Gospel on Amazon.com (just here for your convenience).
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