Posted on September 15, 2012 in Books
This is one of the most popular Heyer books. I debated between 3 to 4 stars on GoodReads because while I think it is one of the most well written of her works, I found myself not particularly engrossed in parts.
My biggest issue was that there wasn’t enough of the main characters, particularly of the male lead Damerel. The relationship between the two protagonists begin very well. It develops into a lovely friendship and completely believable how they fall in love with another one. Then the lovebirds time gets cut short as obstacles get in there way.
The other issue was that there were many annoying, interfering characters. This aspect and the introspective nature of Venetia made the whole book very Austen-like in both the good and bad way.
There was something about the pacing of this book that was slower than the rest of Heyer’s books. I think it’s a lot like Lady of Quality which was one of Heyer’s books. Like that novel, the female protagonist is very well developed, clever, and independent. Also, like that novel, you only see the man in the denouement.
It is well written from a character stand point. It even hit a bit close to home. I really relate to those Heyer heroines in their mid twenties like Venetia. Like them, I think I have a romantic nature, but at the same time, there is a lot of sense shared between these characters and I. I don’t aspire too much in romance, and there is always and independent sort of zeal from many of her ‘spinister’ leads that I also share.
This novel has an additional twist that I didn’t really see coming. It was melodramatic (on the soap operatic end) which isn’t the usual for Heyer, but it worked. It was more of a minor plot device to move things forward. Still rather a nice little surprise.
All in all, I would say this one of the most well written of Heyer books, but it is not necessarily one of my favourites or the one I would reread first. Recommended if you like her stuff because this is a favourite for many of Heyer’s fans.
Read on my Kindle September 10-14th, 2012.
Posted on April 8, 2012 in Books
Timeless is Parasol Protectorate No. 5 and the last of this series. I have been reading this series since late 2010 I think. I like it because it has comedy, supernatural elements, steam punk and urban fantasy, but it isn’t as dark as some of the latter two elements usually. It’s fun ‘fluff’, but it also has some wit and great diction. The series is found in the young adult section of the library, but all the characters are adult and there is sexuality in it.
What I really adored from this series are the characters. That’s usually how it goes for me. While I like Alexia and Maconall, I have a fondness for the supporting characters and relationships: Professor Lyall (who reminded me of Harry Potter’s Lupin), Lord Akeldama, and Biffy. I was pleased that Biffy had even more prominence and perspective in the last book.
I recommend this series for those who like light supernatural series and Victorian times. It’s light and suitable for adults.
The next series The Parasol Proectorate Abroad will come out Fall 2013 and is suppose to be set twenty years in the future from the end of Timeless. I hope most of my favourite characters will become prominent in the next series and I look forward to seeing how Prudence grows into her powers.
Finished reading on the Kindle on April 7th, 2012.
Visit the author’s website at Gail Carriger.com.
Posted on March 8, 2012 in Books
There are moments in every book by Sophie Kinsella where I become annoyed by the female protagonist. Then I wonder momentarily why I keep reading her books since I’ve read almost all of them. I find the Shopaholic series’s protagonist the most annoying, and yet, I still continue to read those books. I don’t read a lot of chick lit, but there are a couple of chick lit authors who I tend to read. Kinsella is one of them because as annoying and unrelatable as her protagonists tend to be, I always feel satisfied by the end of her books. In this novel, Poppy, the protagonist, steals a phone and is ridiculously nosy and intrusive. There’s always silliness in Kinsella’s plots. In this one, she even employs footnotes which I ignored a lot of the time because I was reading it on Kindle which meant I had to stop and move my rudimentary cursor to click on the hyperlink. The protagonist goes head long into situations, makes a mess of things, and in the end, everything turns out ok. Somehow every time, Kinsella manages to charm me with some of the dialogue and the ending. I think there are genuinely cute and humorous lines in her books especially when it is used in dialogue for the bantering between the female and male leads. I always get swept up in and slightly irked by the mess the character makes, but feel good when everything turns out alright for her (after she learns some things about herself of course) and she gets the guy. The books are nice and easy reads. They are short and in my case, somewhat addictive. Even though Kinsella’s books are based in reality (except Twenties Girl), I often feel they are taking place in a parallel universe. The female protagonists are such a disarray at the beginning, but in a short amount of time, they gain a lot of self-growth and a very good looking, successful (and usually wealthy) partner to boot. If only life were like that! That’s what escapist female literature is for I guess. I’ll still read Kinsella’s books; I liked this one as much as the others. They are reliable in their ability to make me feel a bit better.
Read on Kindle February 25th, 2012.
Posted on February 28, 2012 in Books
In 2008, I listened to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon on audiobook and liked it. The audiobooks are excellent; they are narrated by Davina Porter. She does such a great job that sometimes when I am reading the books, I hear her voice for the character’s. Back in November 2011, I decided to finish what I started with this series. I read Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, and Drums of Autumn, books 2-4 of the Outlander series, and listened to some of it on audiobook too in a very short amount of time. I also read The Exile – an Outlander graphic novel in December.
I was up to chapter 22 of The Fiery Cross (Book 5) but didn’t pick it up again until this month. It was in my Kindle which never helps since I get distracted by books from the library, by movies/tv, or life.
Since I have The Scottish Prisoner from the library, I decided I should at least finish TFC before starting another Outlander universe book.
I try not to be too spoilery in my book reviews, but with a book series, it’s even harder. I have put my thoughts on the three books under the cut, but the spoilers are very mild.
As a general review of the series, the books usually start off slowly and build up momentum so they can be hard to put down. This series’ time travel aspects appeals to me greatly, and I tend to like books about characters transplanted from one era to another in fiction. It makes for fascinating drama.
I also think there was a lot of good character and historical developments at this period of the books. The characters were in Scotland, France, the Caribbean and colonial America. I find this series to be one of the better ones I have read in the last few years. They are detail-oriented, well researched, and long. Also, I really enjoy the characters; I’ve grown quite attached to almost all of them.
There are a lot of characters in this series, but they are all mostly well written. Gabaldon also has a way of balancing her five or so main characters. Giving them each perspective. I also like how flawed each of them are, but weirdly relatable even though all of them are from a different time than I have experienced.
Unlike some books in other series, Gabaldon’s endings aren’t edge of the seat cliffhangers, but they do make you intrigued about what will happen next. The endings usually prove satisfying and also set up for future things.
Onto my mini reviews of books 5 to 7.