Book Reviews

Katana by Cole Gibson

 in Book Reviews / Books by
katana book cover

Amazon

(A Katana Novel)

Summary

“Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn’t explain her dreams of fifteenth century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she’s going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she’s harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.
Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana–a deadly Japanese sword that’s also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she’s always been and embracing the warrior inside her.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Okay. I know for a fact now that I read this book  as when I was reading it I remembered it all. I wanted to do a quick review of it as I reviewed the second book, Senshi, here.

This book sets up the story of how Rileigh becomes this awesomely cool Samurai and the story of how she gets there. It has a small amount of romance as the story of Rileigh, and her past self, develops. Her past self, her Samauri self was with Kim’s past self (Kim, being the one who finds her and starts her down this whole road) and there is a bond which starts to form.

Since I read this book, all of the questions that I had in the second book have now been answered as it was all set up here. So yes, you really need to read this book first. THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SERIES! Remember that, because clearly I didn’t.

As I said in the last review, I love these type of ninja books because they always are so interesting to read. Not many authors write these types of books as the big thing right now is dystopian, horror, romance, and zombie type of books. There are not many good ninja books out there and I personally think that this one was really good and a nice change from everything else.

I also really love the cover. It is extremely simple but shows just a little bit about what it is about with the girl holding the katanas, and the simple cherry blossoms. It also has a very pleasing color theme with the pink-ish/red color and the black contrast.

Personally, I love this book and the series and you definitely should check it out! So go to your local library and PLEASE check this one out first.

Let me know what you think of this book. Also if any of my readers know any good ninja books, like this one, please recommend them because I can never find any good ones.

Happy Reading!

Joyland by Stephen King

 in Book Reviews / Books by

HOT OFF THE PRESS REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!

Summary

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

Review

This was a really good and moving book! Like none of Steven King’s other novels.

I have read quite a few of his novels before like Misery, Carrie, and his short story, The Mist. This was absolutely nothing like then. It did not really have many hair-raising moments like there were in The Mist, as many stomach churning moments as in Misery, and as many strange moments as in Carrie. This was completely different and stands on its own.

I will say this now that it is a book for more mature readers (as in older teens and adults) as there is sexual content, explicit language, and some violence.

This book is about this college student, Devin, who wants to have a summer job and goes to work at Joyland, a local amusement park. It starts out great, as the best summer, but later his girlfriend, his first love, breaks up with him and he becomes depressed but with the help of the people at this amusement park, he get’s over it, partially. But then there is the story of the murder which really does not come into play until later in the novel. People have supposedly seen the ghost of the murdered girl on the horror ride and toward the end of the novel you learn more about the killer and eventually find out who he is. The end of the novel read more like a CSI episode with the analyzing of the pictures and information.

To be honest, I was kind of disappointed in the book. Since Steven King is known to be more of a horror writer, I was expecting some more hair-raising moments. Moments that would not let me sleep at night, like in The Mist. Unfortunately there really were none of those moments. Do not get me wrong. This was a fabulous book and if I didn’t know anything about Steven King, I would have loved it (even thought I still do), but since I was expecting more horror, I was kind of disappointed.

The characters in the novel were really developed well though. You got to see the many sides of Devin and got to see that he was depressed after the break-up. You also got to see how his character changed throughout the course of the novel. Then there was the little boy who you really got attached too and cried over later in the novel. You also got close to the murder and many of the other characters. You got to see how they felt and how they reacted to different situations which was really nice.

I also really liked how King developed and created the scenes, places, and atmosphere. You really felt like you were in a places where events happened and like you were in an old amusement park with the classic rides and the type of people that worked there. I was a little confused sometimes with the carny language because it was so different, but it wasn’t used that much and if it was it would be used for the same ride over and over and you would get what it was talking about.

I loved the cover of the novel. It carried on the carny theme. I was and am a little unsure as to who the woman is on the cover, but non the less, the cover still gives the old carny feel to the novel. I believe that the girl is supposed one of the girls that worked at the carnival and takes the pictures, but I am not sure if she is one of the characters in the novel. It also has those vibrant colors which are not natural colors, which really add to the effect of the cover.

Also on a side note, there were quite a lot of time jumps between present and when the story was told. It was a little confusing sometimes but it was an interesting effect.

Overall it was a very good novel, but if you are looking for more of a classic Steven King, one that makes your hair stand on end, this really isn’t the one you would be looking for. I still recommend that you read it because it was still an amazing novel and I think that most people would enjoy it. It is hot off the press since it only came out on June 4th of 2013. So go and pick it up at your local library or you will probably find it on display in the front of your local bookstore.

Parker by Richard Stark

 in Book Reviews / Books by

Summary

“After a bank heist gone awry, Parker hobnobs with excessively moneyed citizens of West Palm Beach while impersonating a Texan oilman looking to buy property. The true object of his affection is a $12 million stash of jewels that he aims to steal from under the noses of a hundred socialites, a hit man, and six other thieves who have an unhealthy love of explosions. When things turn sour, Parker finds himself shot and trapped – and forced to rely on a civilian to survive.

Now a major motion picture starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, Parker is Richard Stark’s beloved antihero at his best: ruthless, violent, and performing his job with deadly panache.”

-From back flap of book

Review

This was quite an interesting book. A little different then I thought it was going to be, but enjoyable non the less.

I probably would have never picked this book up had it not been for the fact that the movie version of it has just come out and I wanted to see it.

Parker was initially called Flashfire but it was changed when the movie was created.

Richard Stark apparently did an entire Parker series which I may or may not read, but this book is like the 12 in the series or something. This series does not seem to have to be read in order to understand this book. I read it and understood it perfectly fine.

This book did have some curse words in it. The S word was used constantly and there was a few F words dropped here and there, usually by the criminals when they were mad or getting really excited (:/ )

I don’t really know anything about the movie except what I saw in the trailer and it looks like it will stay pretty close to the book. I would say reading the book first as it did come before the movie.

This book will most likely be found on Barnes & Nobels new mystery shelf as they have brought it back to life.

Check this book out and let me know what you think🙂

DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TAKE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE AND THE MURDER OF A PRESIDENT BY CANDICE MILLARD

 in Book Reviews / Books / History by
*Just found this somewhere in my drafts and did this review a while ago. Decided to get it up now🙂

Summary

“The extraordinary New York Times-bestselling account of James Garfield’s rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of The River of Doubt, Candice Millard.

For a man forced into the presidency, the legacy of James Garfield extended far beyond his lifetime, and Destiny of the Republic revisits his meteoric rise within the military and government with meticulous research and intimate focus. Garfield was a passionate advocate of freed slaves, a reformer at odds with Republican power brokers and machine politics, a devoted father, and a spellbinding speech-giver. Four months after taking office he was shot twice by an unhinged office-seeker, Charles Guiteau, and a nation already recently fractured by war shattered, leaving the wounded president at the center of a bitter, behind-the-scenes struggle for power. Examining the medical reform spurred by Garfield’s unsanitary medical treatment, and reflecting on the surprising political reform brought on by his former political enemy Senator Roscoe Conkling, Destiny of the Republic passionately brings President Garfield’s unknown-but-widely-felt legacy into focus.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

I would normally never have chosen this book as I don’t usually read nonfiction but this was a very interesting read. It is all facts but you really do learn a lot about Garfield. I personally never knew that we had a president named Garfield. I also never knew that Alexander Bell had over 600 lawsuits due to his telephone invention. There is not terribly much to say about this book due to the fact that it is a nonfiction but it does have nice imagery. I really enjoyed reading this book. I originally thought that I was going to hate it, but it really read like a novel and was quite enjoyable.

There is a lot of politics so it does get a little confusing at a few points but you can usually figure out where it is going. There is also some gruesome imagery as they talk about what happened to Garfield once he was shot. It was described in great detail what was seen so that is something to watch out for.

I definitely recommend reading this book as it was really interesting. I recommend it for people over the age of 14/15 due to the fact it is for mature readers and will be hard to follow for the younger readers. It is an adult book.

So go and get this book and I hope that you enjoy.

Oh and there are pictures😄.

Tiger’s Destiny by Colleen Houck

 in Book Reviews / Books / Series by

Summary

“With three of the goddess Durga’s quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger’s curse. But the trio’s greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga’s final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

It’s a race against time–and the evil sorcerer Lokesh–in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the bestselling Tiger’s Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tigers’ true destinies once and for all.”
– From Amazon.com
Review
alslkjdflijwlelflja! (excited jumble)
I cannot believe that I had not reviewed this yet. I mean it came out September of last year and I did get the ARC of it so I had it in like July or something. My lame excuse is that I was told not to review it until the book came out, and then the ARC did not have the last chapters (darn you Colleen Houck for the suspense) so I had to get the new copy to do a good review, then I started school and….well I will be simple and blunt…I forgot! Yup, I forget a lot of things and my mom calls me a bobble head😄.
But being home sick and not doing ANYTHING made me bring out some interesting books and series and that included the Tiger’s series. I decided to pick up the last one as I had only read it once and read through it again, and boy did it bring back some great memories of the series. Then reading a little further, it hit me that I had never done a review of it. So here it is and yes, it will be another glowing review.
Well this is the second to last book of the series, as she has said that there will be a fifth book. Reading this, I did not know about the 5th book and how it ended, it made you sad, so I am happy that there will be another one.
The story follows Kelsey, Ren and Kishan on their journey to break the curse and her battle for the two men she loves and which one she will choose. A lot of the book was about her finding her way through her heart and trying to find out which of the two men she really loves. She knows who she loves but she just cannot accept it because she is afraid after everything which has happened, and during all of the tests which she is put through during the book she finds out who she really needs. They are also sent into the past where they meet the young goddess Durga and accompany her into battle where they battle the villain, Lokesh.
This was probably one of the saddest books out of them all, as there was a character death, and it had an ending which you did not expect.
The story line was absolutely amazing though. There was such amazing creatures described as well. There were phoenixes, demon/human like creatures, qilin, and many other fantastical creatures…all of which were described in such great detail that you really had to control your imagination🙂 (what you don’t have that problem as well?)
Also another great thing about this book is the cover.
Tiger's Destiny Cover
The cover is so colorful and has so many layers and textures. I have loved all of the book covers as they all have a similar idea but the theme is different (the first one a white tiger as it was about Ren, the second with a black tiger as it was about Kishan, the third with an ice dragon as they were visiting dragons that represented the different elements, and the phoenix on this one to represent new life and truth which she had to find and courage and knowledge.)
This is definitely a curl-up-in-bed-with-your-cat-and-a-good-cup-of-tea book of a snuggle-infront-of-the-fireplace-with-a-cat-and-hot-chocolate book (yup, those are my two book reading perfect situations.)
If you have not read this series already you have to go out and give this a try. They are absolutely amazingly well done and a must read.
A movie will be coming out in 2015 and I am definitely looking forward to that and am ecstatic about the last book which I believe is coming out in the summer.
Let me know what you think of the book, if you are interested in reading it, thoughts on the cover, or any other comments you have about the book and/or series. Love to hear from you.
Happy Reading!