The Resurrectionist

The Resurrectionist

E.B. Hudspeth

ISBN: 978-1-59474-616-1

4 Stars

*I received this book via LibraryThing giveaway*

Dr. Spencer Black, a controversial surgeon, is considered a prodigy until he begins studying the unconventional. Operating on those born with deformities he comes to the conclusion that creatures of mythology are actually the ancestors of humans. He spends the rest of life experimenting in unthinkable ways to prove his theory to the world.

My complaint would have to be that there is very little text and I feel like I am missing something. The plot is incredibly fascinating to me, which could explain why the lack of text bothers me.  Carnivals have always held my interest and I think the lifestyle has an occult like appeal to people.  It’s definitely a quick read and flows very well.

The artwork is amazing. I do wish there would have been more to the story, but the pictures make up for that fact somewhat. It’s nice to be able to see what you are reading every once in awhile. I realize this will not work for everyone but I do recommend it.  The story is dark but the artwork adds a little bit of whimsy for the imagination.

The Raven's Gift

The Raven’s Gift

Don Rearden

ISBN: 978-0-14-328749-3

July 2013

*This is from an ARC copy I got through Librarything*

5 Stars

John and Anna Morgan are looking for adventure and to make a difference when they take jobs teaching in a Yup’ik Eskimo village in the Alaskan tundra. Not long after arriving however, a fatal epidemic spreads and without any help near chaos soon erupts. Fearing the other survivors’ hunger John fleas in the hopes of finding somewhere safe. Along his journey he finds companionship with a young blind Eskimo girl and an elderly woman who will help him in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

In the beginning the formatting was annoying and I was sure it would be problematic throughout. Four stars was a pretty firm rating until I realized I didn’t notice the format anymore and it turns out that it was exactly how the story needed to be told. The depth of the relationships and meaning of the story line would have been lacking if it would have been told in another way. That is this reader’s opinion anyhow. Speaking of which, the characters are amazing.  These are characters I would want to walk across the tundra with. The plot is as great as the characters. A story that teaches me something new or makes me want to learn something new is always the best kind.  Those are the type of books that stay with me forever.

Of course I will recommend this one and pass it on.

Awaken

 

Awaken (Abandon #3)

Meg Cabot

ISBN: 978-0-545-28412-7

July 2013

This is the third book in a trilogy.  If you haven’t read the first two books this may contain some spoilers.

*This review is from an uncorrected galley I received from NetGalley*

5 Stars

Pierce Oliviera has accepted the fact that she must reside in the Underworld to be with the one she loves but “happily ever after” seems impossible. The threat of the furies she’s already faced becomes even more dangerous since John breaks an important rule by reviving the soul of someone she cares about.  His action causes the imbalance of life and death that brings both of her worlds into chaos and someone will have to die to fix it.

The end of a series is always bittersweet and this is definitely my favorite of the series. If you take away all the supernatural elements of Pierce and John’s story there is a very realistic feel to it all. Their relationship is dysfunctional and tortured like so many real life relationships. The lesson is that relationships take work and compromise. At least that’s what I get out of it anyway.  The family unit is also relatable in its imperfections. The pacing is perfect and there’s quite a bit of action to keep everything flowing smoothly.

Obviously I have no complaints and recommend the whole trilogy.

 

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X)

 

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)

Richelle Mead

ISBN: 978-0-525-95368-5

*This is a review of an uncorrected galley I received from NetGalley*

3.5 Stars

Praetorian soldier Mae Koskinen is given an unlikely assignment, which she can only view as punishment, to bring back an exile to the Republic of North America (RUNA). Justin March, who was exiled due to a job performance failure, accepts his second chance. His new assignment is to track down the cultists’ involved in some unsolved murders. Her job is to keep him safe.  Besides the tension between them, other dangers threaten to gain control of their futuristic world where humans will be merely players on a gameboard.

I really wanted to like this one a lot more. The pacing felt agonizingly slow and the action seemed sparse considering the plot.  That could have been overlooked more if there would have been more of a connection with the characters.  I was not invested in Mae and Justin until almost the end but mainly I was indifferent to Justin throughout the whole novel. There were minor characters I was more interested in. This ended up being all about the plot for me. It’s original (at least in my reading experience) and intriguing. The need to know pushed me to the end and I made me grateful that I stuck it out. I will read the future installments to see where they lead.