Review: PRINCE OF HAZEL AND OAK

Prince Of Hazel And Oak by John Lenahan
Book 2 of the Shadowmagic series
Narrated by the author.
Format: paperback & audio format
Genre: YA / urban fantasy

About Prince Of Hazel And Oak:

The eagerly-awaited sequel to Shadowmagic. Having returned to the real world from Tir Na Nog at the end of the last book, our hero Conor finds himself arrested for the murder of his father. When he explains to the cops that his dad is safe and well and enjoying life as king of a land of elves, imps and banshees they understandably think he is a nutcase. That is until he is rescued by Celtic warriors on horseback and taken back to Tir Na Nog, accidentally bringing a policeman with him. Once safely back in The Land, Conor finds that all is not well. His father is dying, the girl he loves is betrothed to another and a rather confused American cop is wandering around causing havoc. It falls to our young hero, and his band of friends, to find a cure for the king. On their epic journey they encounter one of the most mystical and dangerous races in The Land, the shapeshifting Pooka, and find their fates linked in ways they could never have imagined. The Prince of Hazel and Oak is a stunning fantasy adventure that takes fans of Shadowmagic further in to the land and brings back many of the favourite characters from the first book.

Source: Info in the About Prince Of Hazel And Oak was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9631271-prince-of-hazel-and-oak on 09/01/2012.

Narrative Evaluation:

First and foremost, let me say that the best part about this book is the humour! This book had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. Good thing I was in the house. Or else some well-meaning strangers would have called the authorities and they would surely lock me away in a padded room. Secondly, this book, even though it is part of a series has a well-structured story with a main dilemma and a satisfying ending which fits snuggly into the main story arc of the series. I find that a lot of books in serieses fail to achieve this thus I am appreciative to discover that in this one.

I also noticed that the audiobook did not exactly match the paperback version. The audiobook is a whole lot longer than the paperback.

I still think Joshua Jackson makes a good Conor, our main protagonist.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 5
Story itself = 3.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = N/A
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to John Lenahan for this free audiobook which was downloaded in podcast form from iTunes on 09/01/2012.

Review: WICKED APPETITE

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
Book 1 of The Unmentionables series
Read by Lorelei King
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: hardback, unabridged audiobook
About Wicked Appetite:

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins. With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.

Source: Info in the About Wicked Appetite was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8205669-wicked-appetite on 28/04/2012.

Promising start to a fresh new series.

Review:

It took me the longest time to finish reading this book. I pick it up and I'll put it down, and then pick it up again after some time. I finally managed to finish it though by cheating and listened to the audiobook format. I would say that the story telling quality is not that compelling. However the story building skills is good. The book has cohesive story structure with a beginning, a middle and an end with a central dilemma which is resolved in the ending even if it also gave teasers for the next book in the series. I like that in a story. Authors like that with a "solid story structure" in their book tends to reel me in as a lifetime fan. One of the reasons I picked this book up was that I had experience reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, and I knew that this author has a solid "story building" in her books. So I was so very happy to find out that she has decided to write in my genre, urban fantasy!! The main protagonist though, is too stupid to live although it is kind of part of her character make-up. She's a cook, not a kick-ass ninja. Still it irritated me a little. However, this is book 1 in a series and in my experience, book ones are not always the most brilliant in the series. Besides, for a book 1, Wicked Appetite is a promising start for a new series. Looking forward to reading book 2!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 1.5
Character development = 3
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (Approximately 6 hrs and 13 mins listening time.)
Plot = 3
Narrator = 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Review: SHADOWMAGIC

Shadowmagic by John Lenahan
Book 1 of the Shadowmagic series

Genre: Urban Fantasy / YA
Format: ebook, paperback, audiobook

About Shadowmagic:

Shadowmagic is a rip roaring fun fantasy adventure novel by John Lenahan very loosely based on Irish mythology where every chapter ends on the edge of a cliff (or at least a high curb.) Join Conor as he grapples with typical teenage problems like, how to deal with a father's high expectations, how to survive in the world on your own and how to woo a beautiful girl - that wants you dead. Shadowmagic a podcast novel for young adults from 12 to 112.

Source: Info in the About Shadowmagic was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3061457-shadowmagic on 29/11/2011.

Review:

I confess that I bought this book just because it was dirt cheap and it got magic in its title. I didn't even read the synopsis. Only to find out that the audio format read by the author is free on iTunes! And I also wanted to try out the kobo for blackberry app in my phone. Anyway, I started reading and I was pleasantly surprised! I was enjoying it! And when I am not reading it, the story pops into my head and Conor does all sorts of alternative version of the story... and then I couldn't wait to get back to it and continue reading to see what happens next. I was hooked! And yes, I've ordered book 2 of the Shadowmagic series, Prince of Hazel And Oak.

As I was reading along, I thought that Joshua Jackson would make a good Conor... I think they have that same mischievous streak in them.

The thing I like most with this book is the humour between the pages. It had me laughing out loud and sometimes bent over. That earned a lot of kudos with me! It made the story telling quality wonderful indeed!

The main thing I didn't like about it is that it is an ebook. I am a touchy-feely reader... I like the texture and smell of the paper of a book... So I just had to buy the paperback edition of the book... which was not cheap....

For something I bought because it was dirt cheap and then turns out to be free after all, proved to be a tad costly to me.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries