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bjornwilde Lovely things what I love...
The Tapestry series by Henry Neff. I've finally got my hands on the third book in the series, The Fiend and the Forge and I don't know if it's the author getting his legs or if I'm finally used to the world or if the thrill ride from the last book is over so I can pay attention to the characters but they are finally jumping off the page for me. I'm only three chapters in but I would say this could be the best of the series. I am tempted to reread the first two once I finish to see if my original criticism of lack of character depth is a true one. The younger ladies haven't really been on page yet so I still stand by my earlier opinion about the lack of peer female presence to the main characters.
The Larklight series by Phillip Reeve. I've started book two, Starcross, and it is just as much fun as the first. The narrator of the audiobook is the same and he does a excellent job with the different voices and accents of the characters. Unlike the first book, there has been nothing scary thus far; no giant space spiders seemingly eating the main characters father nor space moths trying to turn them into food. About the only creepy thing were attack Punch-and-Judy puppet booth automatons.
The 39 Clues series by various young adult authors. My daughter got me into this series. The basic premise is that throughout history every great person has been a member of one family, the Cahills. There are four branches to the family and all of them fight amongst themselves due to some event in the past. The Matriarch of the family has recently died and as part of her will she's sent members of each branch of the family on a quest to find the 39 clues which will lead to the ultimate prize and power to influence humanity's future, exactly what this is hasn't been revealed yet. There are 11 books in the first series and I have read the first three. Each book is a novella and is written by a different author, the first being Rick Riordan. Very good reads and while there are a few life threatening situations my daughter of 8 had no problem with them.
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby. I picked this up last night at a book fair at my daughter's school. I've read the first few pages and am looking forward to reading the rest. Steampunk Dickens is my first impression and I haven't read anything to disuade my judgement.
And finally, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. I just got through with book two, Blood Cross, and here we have yet another urban fantasy which you do not want to misjudge the book by its cover nor the first few pages. I remember reading the first few pages of the first book and nearly rolling my eyes as the main character came right off the page as being the most bad ass, do not mess with her, 2-d character you can imagine, a female terminator. I could practically hear the song Bad to the Bone as I read and nearly put down the book. The character, Jane Yellowrock, continued to be "bad to the bone" but so were her enemies. And further in she proved to have her own problems and flaws which made her very interesting. She struggles despite being so bad ass and her struggles continue in the second book as she learns more of her past (she's an amnesiac). The world is very interesting as well. At this point the main super-nats are witches and vampires with Jane being an unknown (she's a Skin-walker which is revealed pretty early in the book so I'm not spoiling here) to all but her best friend. In the second book werewolves, or the Cursed of Artemis, are hinted at by the vamps but none have been on page yet.
And that's the sum of my reading at this point. I tried reading A Game of Thrones and it struck me a a good Shakespearean epic but the audiobook could not keep my attention and I keep needing to rewind which isn't good when driving. Maybe I'll try the book once I'm through my current stack.
The Tapestry series by Henry Neff. I've finally got my hands on the third book in the series, The Fiend and the Forge and I don't know if it's the author getting his legs or if I'm finally used to the world or if the thrill ride from the last book is over so I can pay attention to the characters but they are finally jumping off the page for me. I'm only three chapters in but I would say this could be the best of the series. I am tempted to reread the first two once I finish to see if my original criticism of lack of character depth is a true one. The younger ladies haven't really been on page yet so I still stand by my earlier opinion about the lack of peer female presence to the main characters.
The Larklight series by Phillip Reeve. I've started book two, Starcross, and it is just as much fun as the first. The narrator of the audiobook is the same and he does a excellent job with the different voices and accents of the characters. Unlike the first book, there has been nothing scary thus far; no giant space spiders seemingly eating the main characters father nor space moths trying to turn them into food. About the only creepy thing were attack Punch-and-Judy puppet booth automatons.
The 39 Clues series by various young adult authors. My daughter got me into this series. The basic premise is that throughout history every great person has been a member of one family, the Cahills. There are four branches to the family and all of them fight amongst themselves due to some event in the past. The Matriarch of the family has recently died and as part of her will she's sent members of each branch of the family on a quest to find the 39 clues which will lead to the ultimate prize and power to influence humanity's future, exactly what this is hasn't been revealed yet. There are 11 books in the first series and I have read the first three. Each book is a novella and is written by a different author, the first being Rick Riordan. Very good reads and while there are a few life threatening situations my daughter of 8 had no problem with them.
The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby. I picked this up last night at a book fair at my daughter's school. I've read the first few pages and am looking forward to reading the rest. Steampunk Dickens is my first impression and I haven't read anything to disuade my judgement.
And finally, the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. I just got through with book two, Blood Cross, and here we have yet another urban fantasy which you do not want to misjudge the book by its cover nor the first few pages. I remember reading the first few pages of the first book and nearly rolling my eyes as the main character came right off the page as being the most bad ass, do not mess with her, 2-d character you can imagine, a female terminator. I could practically hear the song Bad to the Bone as I read and nearly put down the book. The character, Jane Yellowrock, continued to be "bad to the bone" but so were her enemies. And further in she proved to have her own problems and flaws which made her very interesting. She struggles despite being so bad ass and her struggles continue in the second book as she learns more of her past (she's an amnesiac). The world is very interesting as well. At this point the main super-nats are witches and vampires with Jane being an unknown (she's a Skin-walker which is revealed pretty early in the book so I'm not spoiling here) to all but her best friend. In the second book werewolves, or the Cursed of Artemis, are hinted at by the vamps but none have been on page yet.
And that's the sum of my reading at this point. I tried reading A Game of Thrones and it struck me a a good Shakespearean epic but the audiobook could not keep my attention and I keep needing to rewind which isn't good when driving. Maybe I'll try the book once I'm through my current stack.
