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Review: Feversong by Karen Marie Moning

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01-a The most critical, defining battles we wage in life, we wage alone.

It has taken me almost a week to collect my thoughts on this book. I’m still reeling. Let me start out by saying that this isn’t the final book in the Fever series, but the final one in the Mac/Barrons story line. So savor it and read it slowly. Trust me.

When we left Feverborn, we left screaming. Mac opened herself up to the Sinsar Dubh and we weren’t sure how, or if, she would be able to get out. In Feversong, Mac must take back control and destroy the book, find the Song of Making to also destroy these black holes that seem to be slowly eating up our world, and do all this without getting lost inside herself again. It is an ongoing battle that only she can do. She must forget about her past actions and focus on the future with a clear head.

In the midst of Mac’s issues we have Dani and her quest to find a balance between Jada and Dani. She is there to help destroy the book, of course, but the five year she spent alone in the silvers has changed her, and not for the better. On the outside Dani is hard and uncaring, but if you chip away her layers, you see that she is soft and just wants love. She will fight to the death for it. Watching her grow into herself was beautiful, devastatingly so. I can’t remember watching a character go through so much and come out stronger for it. I am looking forward to see what happens to her. She has had enough heartache to choke on and I know she deserves a happily ever after.

“I love you more eternal than pi.”

As I said this is the final book about Mac and Barrons. Their story comes full circle and it’s crazy when I look back at when they first met. She was so sad and naive, but by the end she knew who she was and was stronger for it. They had their battles but, through it all, their love was the stuff faerie tales. Truly.

“Fire to his ice.
Frost to my flame.
Forever.”

I spent the final 25% of this book with tears in my eyes. Some scenes had them flowing nonstop, while others had me chocking to hold them in. This book was an epic edition to this series. A full range of emotions. You won’t leave untouched. She makes us work for this ending. Grab a comfy blanket, perhaps a box of tissues and leave the world behind as you escape into the world of the fae. You can thank me later.

~Melpomene

Buy Feversong HERE

Review: Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1) by Anne Rice

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2924362First, I can’t believe this book was written almost 40 years ago!

Second, I can’t believe I haven’t bothered to read it up until now.

Third, it is worth all the hype.

Finally, a message to my dear Louis –

Louis, Louis, Louis…you are not a tortured soul…you’re just a big fat whiner…..get over yourself man…..

Bwhahahahahahahahaha

Brilliant book. Amazing really….

Until next time…
Urania xx

Buy it now Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice

Review: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

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4200Parts of this I really loved…I loved how “English” it was….however, overall I couldn’t wait for it to end…and at the end I was reminded why I don’t really enjoy contact with people very much….I much prefer the company of my tarantulas and solitude….this book and the characters in are exactly why…

People just annoy me. If I spend too much time with them, I get, not only annoyed, but highly agitated. I just want them to leave.

That’s how this book was. By the end of it, I was just glad I no longer had to spend any more time with these people.

As funny as it is, this was still my favourite quote in the book…I can’t help it….

The whole plan’s so high on the cheese factor it’s practically Stilton.

bwhahahahaha….now that was brilliant….

Until next time…
Urania xx

Buy it now White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Review: Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

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I’ve heard it said that the entire young adult genre is one big cliche.  Story after story of young people depressed, suicidal, on drugs, bullied or bullying, and so on.  Admittedly, I’ve even thought the same thing myself a time or two.  But books such as this one remind us that there’s a reason these stories continue to be written.

Charlie is a cutter.  Not just your run-of-the-mill-make-a-few-scratches cutter.  She cuts so deeply and so often that little of her skin remains pristine.  And the last time sent her to an inpatient facility for treatment.  Now she’s being released.  Not because she’s been cured, but because there’s no money left to pay for treatment.  If only she could depend on her mom for help, but no.  So she finds herself back out on the streets.  And she’d likely find herself in the same dangerous situation as before if not for the help of one friend who gives her the promise of a fresh start in a fresh place.

If only things were that simple.  Her new life is filled with obstacles she has no idea how to handle.  She doesn’t know how to live on her own, unless it’s on the streets.  She’s never been very good at making and keeping new friends.   And her coping mechanisms leave something to be desired.  When she thinks she finds love, it’s not a good thing.  Because two damaged souls together are destined for trouble.

This book was oh so very good for so very many reasons.  It doesn’t feel preachy or condescending, but instead reads like a true to life tale.  The story alternates in traditional verse and an almost poetic style of writing.  Charlie is so sad and has lived such a hard life. You want her to succeed.  If only you could climb into the pages of the book and hold her hand. One of the best stories I’ve read in a very long time!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Girl in Pieces

Review: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

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28587957You won’t find any spoilers here…if you’re looking for that you can just move on by…ha!

Honestly, you won’t find much at all here…there simply aren’t words enough that I can say to make you understand how much I loved this novel.

What’s more, there are no words for just how much this book resonated with me. The truths that lie within, that we all know, but refuse to accept as truths…just because we know they are wrong…or we choose to believe that they have nothing to do with us and are in no way, shape, or form our fault.

I don’t want to say Picoult was brave in the writing of this novel. However, that’s just not true…it’s not how we should look at the writing of this novel. This was the right thing to do. The elephant in the room needs to be acknowledged….I hope that this novel is the start of things to come….

Equity…

Read this book…Recommend this book…Buy a copy of this book and give it to a stranger…But most of all….Discuss this book with as many people as you can…

Until next time…
Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy your copy nowSmall Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Review: End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

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13414676This is a really nice book. I can’t fault the writer at all. However, I have to say it was gut wrenching for me. Schwalbe and his mother had a very special bond. Hell, from what I grasp, she had a special bond with everyone she knew. She seemed like she was a truly amazing person.

The part that was really hard for me was the dedication Schwalbe had for his mum. No, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was an amazing thing. When my father died, I can’t lie, I was, perhaps more devastated by my lack of involvement in his final days. That is so very hard to write. To admit to. Sure, I can blame circumstances. Being in a different country, blah blah blah, but that doesn’t ease the guilt one feels. Then to read a book where Schwalbe went to such great lengths….well it was very hard. Yes, he was lucky. His mum was lucky. We can all say, well, he had a job that allowed him to be by his mother’s side so often. That’s all. He could afford to spend 5 hours a day with her when she was having treatments. He could call her a dozen times a day. Reality is more simple than that though. He made it happen. Amazing sacrifices he made to make sure his mother was surrounded by love in her final years…

I’m jealous of his dedication. Of his courage. His sacrifice. Of those hours, days, weeks, months, and years he had with his mum at the end. Reading this book made my gut clinch with my own guilt…I miss my dad…I wish I had been the kind of daughter to him that was like the son Schwalbe was to his mum…I wish I had that opportunity…

There’s nothing else to say really…

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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6493208I really found this book interesting. It also brings up some questions. I mean I can see both sides. I can understand why the family was somewhat confused. At times angry with what was done with their mother’s cells. At the end of the day, I guess what happened wasn’t done intentionally.

I found the epilogue at the end the most interesting of all. That’s where all the real ethical questions come into play. If you read this book and decide it’s not for you part way though, well, I encourage you to just skip to that part and read it.

Here’s my thoughts…of course, it would only be in a perfect world that my thoughts could come to life…so there is that….

There’s no doubt that things like this should continue on. The things that have been accomplished because of Henrietta Lacks cells are just mind-blowing. I mean, honestly, it’s just amazing. Things like this have always went on, but the public just isn’t aware of it.

The scientists that used her cells did so with no intention of making a profit. At some point was profit made? Sure, you bet your arse it was. That’s where it needs to stop. It’s also noted that a few different researchers with different cells are not limiting any research and refusing to allow others to do their research. This is wrong. If a patient can’t control the rights or make profits off of their cells, why should a company or pharmaceutical company do so? I’m afraid that as time goes on, more pharmaceutical companies will control more of these things. They will not give samples, that cost them nothing, to further research. Instead they will control it and only let them out to the highest bidder…or not at all…simply to protect their own interests…and this is where the world will suffer.

If we expect the people who give these samples to receive no recognition or profit, then by damned, companies shouldn’t either. Companies should not be withholding samples to scientists for further research…..Once you allow them to control these samples you are allowing them to delay vital information that could provide cures for many diseases. Of course, cures means less profit for these companies, so it’s really in their best interest to regulate what is released. This, IMHO, is a recipe for disaster.

Bottom line, I really encourage you to read this book. Yes, the book is slanted towards Henrietta Lacks’ family. However, that doesn’t change the fact that many people have no idea of what happens when they give a sample of blood. Of that tumor cell that was removed from them during surgery. Of placentas that are delivered with their children. It’s just mind-boggling.

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Review: The Expats by Chris Pavone

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expat***Spoilers without spoilers***

Another tough one for me. I love this book for the most part…put the ending really knocked it down for me from a book I could have loved to just “meh”.

The stuff going on between Kate and her husband, Dexter was more than enough to carry the entire book. Once we found out what Kate’s previous job was there were dozens of ways this book could have went…All of them good. When you add the secrets that she kept from her husband and how they continued to grow after time to such an extent that she felt she could never share them. Once you’ve went years not telling the truth, the truth becomes even harder to share, simply because you didn’t do so long ago. Something simple and harmless (Although her previous job was far from that!) grows more menacing as the time goes by…The party kept in the dark will always wonder why didn’t you share SOONER? What else have they hiding all that time.

Then you have Dexter…who might not be so innocent as Kate once believed. Maybe he doesn’t truly have such a passive personality after all. If she has her secrets, why shouldn’t she realise that he might have his very own. Perhaps even bigger than hers!

See! Paranoia just feeds upon itself with just that….it just builds and builds. Considering Kate’s previous job title, paranoia is understandable…or is it? See! There it goes again! That is why this book could have been fantastic….

Alas, the author decided that it wasn’t enough….he had to throw in some extra characters and at the ending make the entire storyline not about Kate and Dexter, but about this mass cover up/conspiracy/manipulation. The entire novel could have…nay, should have left the other couple as bit players and nothing more. I wish authors remembered that you don’t have to fabricate drama in every sentence. If it’s there it’s there! No need to try to insert more. It just seems forced and unbelievable for me. I understand the need for some authors to provide *surprising and shocking* endings in novels. I suppose the public does demand them. However, the best ones are the believable ones aren’t just Johnny on the spot and seemingly there to cause drama. They are the ones that were there all along…

Another major let down for me, but just as the book was too predictable, I suppose my let down is just as predictable….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Expats by Chris Pavone

Review: The Murderer’s Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman

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Way back when, I read several of Kellerman’s Alex Delaware stories. And I loved them. Still, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this one. I was not disappointed.

Grace Blades had about as hard of a childhood as one can have and live to tell the tale. Unwanted from the beginning, and pretty much unloved all along, she was left to fend for herself while her mom and dad partied away. Then the unthinkable happens when her mom and dad die. But in a way, this is her salvation. This is her opportunity to escape the life she’s had and maybe have a shot at a better one.

As she weaves her way through the foster care system, she encounters a different kind of nightmare. She survives, though, and comes out stronger than anyone could ever have predicted. A loner by choice, she’s a highly successful psychologist treating people who’ve experienced traumatic events.

She also harbors a naughty little secret side that nobody would ever guess exists. And it’s this naughty side that brings her in contact with someone from her childhood that she’d rather forget. And then he’s murdered. Being the strong person she is, of course she can’t just sit by and wait for the police to solve the crime.

This is a great thriller. There’s a nice little shoutout to Alex Delaware in the plot that will please fans of his series. Grace is a great leading character, even though she’s far from perfect. My only complaint is that the ending of the story was a bit too wordy and drawn-out. Not enough to to keep me from recommending it, though!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Murderer’s Daughter

Review: Girl Missing by Tess Gerritsen

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Tess Gerritsen doesn’t write a bad story. From her Rizzoli & Isles series to her countless stand alones, she’s a master at her craft. This older thriller is no exception.

When bodies start showing up in Boston, it doesn’t cause too much of a ripple. Boston is a large city, after all. And some of the dead did lead questionable lifestyles. Medical examiner Kat Novak thinks there’s more to it than just random murders, however. She fears that a serial killer is at large. Convincing the higher authorities is difficult. The mayor isn’t interested in hearing her theories, especially ones that cast a bad light on the city.

While this doesn’t rank as one of her best for me, it’s nonetheless very good. The author is able to create characters who take control of the story, pulling you along with it. Her stories all fall into the “just one more chapter I can’t put it down” category, and this one is no exception.

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Girl Missing