And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie
published: Berkley Books, 1991 (first published
1939)
pages: 204

Ten people who have never met are invited to Indian Island by a mysterious host.  None of them knew that they would meet a cruel fate. Shortly after arriving, people begin to die according to the an old nursery rhyme.  As the tension and fear rises, each person tries to figure out who the murderer is before they become the next victim.

Once again, Agatha Christie threw me for a loop.  She always manages to surprise me, even to the very end.  I've said it before, I love trying to figure out the mystery before the book does, but I was stumped.  At one point, I was willing to believe that there was something supernatural at work.  I knew that wasn't the case, but I really had no idea.

I loved that so much of the story was based on a nursery rhyme, "Ten Little Indians".  It makes it creepy and at the same time exciting.  We knew how the next person was going to die, we just didn't know who it would be or when it would happen.  This kept me on my toes.

Rarely do I throw out the word brilliant, but this story itself was, well, brilliant.  All the characters were brought together because they were outside the law.  I thought this premise was incredible and some what understandable in a twisted vigilante justice way.

Each character justified themselves in different ways and went about trying to lay blame on others.  Their thought processes showed a lot of their character in a short period of time.  This book takes place over the span of two or three days, and we only know those characters for that long and yet, we know them.  These characters let their actions speak loudly.  I love that kind of characterization.

I shall be reading much more Agatha Christie in the near future.

Stars: 5/5

Praise:

"The whole thing is utterly impossible and utterly fascinating.  It is the most baffling mystery Agatha Christie has ever written."
--New York Times

"There is no cheating; the reader is just bamboozled in a straightforward way from the first to last.... The most colossal achievement of a colossal career.  The book must rank with Mrs. Christie's previous best- on the top notch of detection."
--New Statesman (UK)

"The most astonishingly impudent, ingenious and altogether successful mystery story since The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."
--Daily Herald (UK)

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern
published: Anchor Books, 2012
pages: 512

Stars: 4/5

Le Cirque des Reves appears without warning and the magic begins.  Patrons come from all over to experience this unique and mysterious circus.  Little do they know, there is so much more at work behind the scenes.  Two young magicians have been raised to compete in a battle of skill and endurance, without knowledge of their opponent or the rules of the game.  The circus is their playground and before they know it the competition becomes more involved than they ever expected.  It is up to them to figure out how to end the game and who will win the title of champion.

The prose in this book alone is beautiful enough to keep reading Morgenstern's writing for the rest of my life.  It is elegant and enchanting, describing areas of the circus that I wish I could see in person.  The writing is poetic and poignant to the point that I would have been content with no plot connected to it.

However, the plot attached was equally beautiful and mysterious as the writing. The set up and the storytelling draws you in and immerses you in the world of the circus from inside the walls and from the outside visitor perspectives.  The jumps in time add to the ambiance of the story, allowing the more important details to be revealed in a different manner than they are actually played out.  It is as if the reader shares a gift and is able to read the story of the circus in whichever order we like.

I will say that there were a couple things left unexplained or under-explained.  I wish we knew more about "the challenge" that centered the main point of the story.  We get bits and pieces of it, but it is never really explained beyond the idea that it is more than what the characters thought it. And while the time jumps are a great addition to the novel, if you're not careful you'll lose track of what happens when and what stage the characters are at in their lives.  I had to pay close attention to that.

I really enjoyed diving into the beautiful circus world of Celia and Marco.  You can bet that I will be rereading this book in the future.

Praise:

"Get ready to be won over.... Part love story, part fable, and a knockout debut.... So sparklingly alive, you'll swear the pages are breathing in your hands... The Night Circus defies both genres and expectations."
     --The Boston Globe

"[A] few [ages in...and you know you are in the presence of an extraordinary storyteller."
     --The Daily Beast

"Morgenstern's exquisitely realized world will have [you] wishing to run off and join the circus."
     --USA Today

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

by Laini Taylor
published: Little Brown and Company, 2011
pages: 418

Karou lives in a world where her fake grandmother registers her for school, she goes on strange errands for her guardian, Brimstone, and she can acquire languages from wishes.  She is confident in what she knows, but when Karou ventures to find the answer to the question she's always asked herself: Who am I?, things begin to unravel into a dangerous mess.  What she's about to find out will not only change her life but also push her head first into a world in the crux of crisis.

There are books that people talk about nonstop, that make your desire to read them intensify, that promise a great and stunning book.  These books can, and often do fall short of their praise.  But sometimes the books live up to and exceed all expectations.

Unfortunately for me, this book falls into the category of too highly anticipated.  It is sad to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, given everything wonderful that I've heard about it.  My biggest issue with this book was the pacing.  For whatever reason, I had a hard time keeping interested in the book.  There are definitely periods of time where I could not stop reading, but there were also sections of the book that I thought about skipping because it was taking so long to get through them.

This however, does not mean I didn't notice how the masterful writing was both haunting and humorous.  The banter between characters and the descriptions of every creature were magnificent.  I could plainly see everyone in with their distinct characteristics.  Characterization was insanely good in this novel and the development of each character was purposeful and powerful.

I did like the idea that Karou was an artist and the things she drew in her sketchbooks were her reality, but others thought they were part of her imagination.  I thought that was extremely clever and it also made me think about what I've just assumed was someone's imagination in the past, whether it was story lines or drawings.  The idea that someone could be drawing a truth that I don't acknowledge is really intriguing.

Also, this was kind of like Romeo and Juliet with a paranormal twist to it, and unlike many adaptations, this ended with enough gusto that it couldn't have been predicted.  (Well, I guess it could have, but I didn't predict it.)

Laini Taylor has beautiful writing that alone makes me want to continue reading Karou and Akiva's story.  I am sure I will pick up the sequel in the near future.

Stars: 3.5/5

Praise:

"A masterful mix of reality and fantasy."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A breath-catching romantic fantasy about destiny, hope and the search for one's true self."
     --The New York Times Book Reveiw

"...the author crafts a fierce heroine with bright-blue hair, tattoos, martial skills, a growing attachment to a preternaturally hunky but not entirely sane warrior and, in episodes to come, an army of killer angels to confront.  Rarely does a series kick off so deliciously."
     --Kirkus, starred review

This is an Eclectic Reader 2013 Challenge Book!

Divergent

by Veronica Roth
published: Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins
pages: 487

In Dystopian Chicago, there are five factions of people that help to make the city thrive.  When Beatrice Prior turns 16 she has to make the most important decision of her life. Will she stay with her family or choose to be herself and join a different faction?  What follows her decision is an initiation that tests not only her abilities but who she is as well.  She also carries a secret with her that, if found out, could mean her death and suffering of those she loves.

I was a bit weary going into this book, not because I wasn't excited to read it, but because I've had books in the past that were built up like crazy and they weren't as good as I anticipated.  Even so, I was looking forward to reading this for a long time.

By page 50 I was hooked.  The story is quite complex and unexpected.  I really enjoyed reading, anticipating what was going to happen next.  The pacing of this story is excellent.  The isn't a lag anywhere in this story, but to the same degree it isn't too full of movement either.  The balance between action and development seems to be perfect in this book.

The characters were interesting and the way that people in this society are divided up by personalities is strangely inviting.  They are born into one faction and are able to choose which faction they want to spend the rest of their lives.  I imagine this would be an overwhelming decision.

The setting of this story is vivid.  It takes place in Chicago, but it is contrasting to the Chicago I know and love. Veronica Roth cleverly describes places that many people reading this book would been to or at least heard of making it, at least for me, easier to picture.

5/5 Stars

Praise:

"You'll be up all night with Divergent.  A brainy thrill-ride of a novel."
     --BookPage

"A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away."
     --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer
Published: Feiwel and Friends, 2012
Pages: 390

There's a reason Cinder is great mechanic, she's also a cyborg.  When the young Prince Kai, starts to show interest in the sixteen-year-old mechanic, Cinder has no reason to believe that a prince would be remotely interested in her.  Besides, he is busy looking for a cure for the plague that inflicts hundreds of people in New Beijing and around the world, including his father.  So when Cinder suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic conflict, she has to uncover her murky past to save the planet's future.

This retelling of Cinderella is great!  I love fairy tales and Cinderella is one of my favorites.  Knowing the story of Cinderella, I knew what was going to happen, but finding out how it happened was the best part of this book. I thought Marissa Meyer very cleverly intertwined the classic story into her post World War IV sci-fi technological age.  I was intrigued by the characters, settings and the society.  It was fascinating to read!

What I loved about the characters was that they felt completely new, despite being shells of a popular fairy tale. Cinder is an awesome cyborg, who makes a living fixing machines and androids, but on top of that she has a brilliant personality.  She is independent and smart, but she still struggles with fitting in like any teenager might.  It is very easy to relate to her and the other characters too.

I am a self-professed slow reader, but I flew through this story in three days!  I cannot wait to read the second book in The Lunar Chronicles to see where Cinder goes from here.  I will be very sad to have to wait for the rest of the story, I'm sure.

Stars: 4.5/5

Praise:

"Author Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre with a sci-fi twist on Cinderella"
     --The Seattle Times

"...this series opener and debut offers a high coolness factor by rewriting Cinderella as a kickass mechanic in a plague-ridden future.
     --Kirkus

"There's a lot of moving parts in this fresh spin on "Cinderella," the first in a four book series."
     --Booklist

Book Challenges 2013

It's that time of year again! It's time to join some challenges. I've got a couple familiar ones and a couple new so let's get started.

First up:

The 2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge, hosted by Reading with Tequila.

RULES: Participants can read any books from the list of books recommended by bloggers in 2012.  You can decide to read books only from the top 25 or from the entire recommendation list.  Rereads do not count towards your total books.  (All formats acceptable: audiobooks, e-book, etc.)
recommended books

The Levels:
Level I: 5 books
Level II: 10 books
Level III: 15 books
Level IV: 20 books
Level V: 20 + books


Level I - 5 books
1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
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Second:
2013 TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Roof Beam Reader.

RULES: Read 12 books from your "to be read" pile.  Each of these books must have been on your bookshelf for at least a full year.  They must be published before 1/1/2012, anything before that is fair game. Create a list of book with two alternatives just in case one or two of your original picks end up in the "can't get through" pile.  Books must be read and reviewed to count as completed.  The 15th of every month there will be a post where you can post your reviews.


1. Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey (1968)
2. Uglies - Scott Westerfield (2005)
3. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green and David Levithan (2010)
4. Dreamland - Sarah Dessen (2004)
5. Feed - M.T. Anderson (2002)
6. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom (1997)
7. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (1868-69)
8. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (1847)
9. Island of Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell (1960)
10. Fever 1793 - Laurie Halse Anderson (2000)
11. The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie - Jacolyn Moriarty (2006)
12. How to Be Popular - Meg Cabot (2006)

Alternates:
Kissed By An Angel - Elizabeth Chandler (first published 1998, 2010)
Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
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Third:
The Eclectic Reader 2013 Challenge, hosted by Book'd Out.


RULES:
This challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2013.  Create a blog post committing to your participation.  You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advanced.  You have to read a book from each of the genres listed below.  You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just complete the challenge by December 21st 2013.  Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, make sure you identify it by adding either a direct statement or the challenge image badge to the post.

This years genres:

1. Translated fiction - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 
2. Historical mystery - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
3. Romantic suspense - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
4. Made into a movie - Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garci and Margaret Stohl
5. New Adult - Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
6. Urban Fantasy - Valiant by Holly Black 
7. Dystopian - Legend by Marie Lu
8. Memoir - Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
9. LGBT - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
10. Action Adventure - Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
11. Humour
12. Published in 2013 - The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
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Fourth:

Dystopian Reading Challenge 2013, hosted by Blog of Erised.

RULES: The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.  The books must include some form of post-apocalyptic theme and be full length.  All formats are allowed as well as rereads. Sign up for the challenge with the linky on Blog of Erised's challenge post.

The Levels:
Recruit: 1-6 books
Rebel: 7-12 books
Revolutionist: 13-18 books
Leader: 19+ books

I have chosen Recruit: 1-6 books
1. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
2. Legend by Marie Lu
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Prodigy by Marie Lu
5.
6.
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Fifth:
This is more of a personal challenge. I've been reading off a book list since 2007, but last year I stopped reading from it as much as I usually do. This year I would like to create a nice dent in the list again. There are over 450 books, so it shouldn't be a problem. It's the Teenreads Ultimate Reading List if you'd like to take a look.

My goal is 10 books off the list this year.

1. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
2. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
3. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
4. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
5. Legend by Marie Lu
6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 
7. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
8. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
9. 21 Proms edited by David Levithan and Daniel Ehrenhaft
10. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
11. Feed by M.T. Anderson
12. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
13. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
14. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
15. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
16. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson