Thursday 13 December 2012

Review: ANGELOLOGY

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Book 1 of Angelology series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: hardback

About Angelology:
1943: The preserved corpse of an Angel is discovered in the Devil's Throat Gorge in the Bulgarian mountains. Only a select few are party to this discovery, including a young nun who is later taken in a state of distress to a Convent in upstate New York and never speaks about it again. Until now.

The present: When Sister Evangeline finds mysterious correspondence between Mother Innocenta of the Saint Rose Convent and legendary philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller, it confirms that Angels once walked among us - and their descendants, the cruel Nephilim, still do.

Indeed, the Nephilim are hunting for artefacts concealed by Abigail Rockefeller during the Second World War - objects that will ultimately allow them to enslave mankind - and have so far been prevented from reaching their apocalyptic goal by one clandestine organisation: the Angelology Society.

And if the Angelologists are to stand any chance of winning this new battle in the ages-old war, they must find the artefacts first. But their fate rests in the hands of innocent Sister Evangeline, who holds the key to unlocking Abigail Rockefeller's hiding places ... and whose destiny may yet find her prey to the terrifying Nephilim army, with horrifying consequences for humanity.

Angelology moves with electifying sweep from the icy mountains of Bulgaria to Nazi-occupied Paris, to twentieth century New York, as the greatest conspiracy of them all is finally brought to light.
Source: Info in the About Angelology was taken from the publishers' press release.

Review:
It took me a very long time indeed to read this book so pace-wise this book was not very fast at all. That tells us that while the story might be good, the story telling quality is not that compelling. And then when I got to the end, it was a cliffhanger. Now, cliffhangers drive me up the wall. Safe to say, I was more than a bit miffed. The thing I learned about reviewing books is that it is not good for me to review books when I am feeling miffed because I tend to be very sarcastically sharp-tongued and that is so not fair to do to this book because Danielle Trussoni obviously poured a lot of time and effort into this book which is evident in the substantial amount of researched facts that I could glean in the book. Although the idea of angels living among us in our contemporary world is not unique, Trussoni created an interesting world of Angels in this book beefed up by already established ideas of mythology, religion, geographical and historical facts that makes this urban fantasy world so very plausible. And because this world played with known facts, it made it very easy to connect with the world of Angelology. It also brought the suspension of disbelief up a notch. And, I also like the way Trussoni woved the Christian "War In Heaven" mythology into modern day living, creating a fresh new urban fantasy world. So I am kinda hoping that the next book in the series, Angelopolis (to come out in January March 2013), would improve on the pace and the ending while continuing with the beautiful premise that this series has!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 2.5
Character development = 2.5
Story itself = 2.5
Ending = 0.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = 1
Plot = 1.5

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries

Thank you to Penguin for the review copy of Angelology by Danielle Trussoni received.

FTC Disclosure:
No money payment received for this review.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

WW28: RIVERS OF LONDON

WW28 book offering: Rivers Of London by Ben Aaronovitch

What with the proliferation of gay pubs, clubs and chat rooms, it is no longer necessary for the single man about town to frequent public toilets and graveyards on freezing nights to meet the man of their immediate needs. Still, some people like to risk frostbite on their nether regions - don't ask me why.

The author has a wry humour that I like reading.

About Rivers Of London:
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
Source: Info in the About Rivers Of London was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8680417-midnight-riot on 26/11/2012.

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!
  • First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
  • Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
  • Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Review: THE QUEEN'S WITCH

The Queen's Witch by Karen Chance
A Kit Marlowe short story.
Format: ebook

About The Queen's Witch:
"The Queen's Witch" is a short story connected to the New York Times bestselling Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab series of urban fantasy novels. It features Kit Marlowe in a supernatural thriller set in Elizabethan England.

It's a companion novel to The Gauntlet.
Source: Info in the About The Queen's Witch was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7894520-the-queen-s-witch on 03/08/2011.

Review:
This book picked up where Gauntlet ended. Gauntlet is another short story and I was glad to continue reading with this one. However, this being a short story as well, it felt like just one chapter out of a big book, specially after reading another short story where it only seem to confirm in my mind that these short stories are actually chapters chopped up from a bigger book. Well, it felt like it anyway. However, even though it read like "just a chapter", the story telling is the same compelling quality so I enjoyed this book. The beautiful world building which was started in Gauntlet was reinforced in this one and made more vivid. My only complaint really is that I want to read the rest of the chapters in this bloody bigger book! Maybe I really ought to stop reading short stories!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3
Ending = 3.5
World building = 4.5
Pace = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Freebie Link:


FTC Disclosure:
I downloaded this free ebook from Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14755 on 20/06/2011. No compensation received for this review.

Friday 7 December 2012

Review: COLD DAYS

Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Book 14 of the Dresden Files series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: hardback

About Cold Days:
HARRY DRESDEN LIVES!!!

After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad. Because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard.

He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill.

Guess which Mab wants first?

Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own…

His soul.
Source: Info in the About Cold Days was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12216302-cold-days on 30/11/12.

Review:
A lot of things happen in this book including some revelations and twists in the story which I love! Obviously I am a Jim Butcher die hard fan so this review might sound like a fan-rave, so be warned!

I've been waiting for this book for the longest time! And I was ecstatic to receive it in the mail! I love the new book smell of paper! The glossy touch! The beautiful cover art! And dived straight into it! I tried to savour and read this book slowly but it still went too fast... good thing I have Steel's Edge waiting to be read next or I would be on withdrawal symptoms by now.

There are several reasons why I love reading Jim Butcher. First of which is that he never gives his readers a too stupid to live (TSTL) protagonist! Another reason is that he always delivers a satisfying ending. Well, almost always. Third, is that his stories always have a coherent and robust story structure. In which there is a clear beginning of a story, a conflict in the middle and a resolution at the end, even if the book is part of a series. And as if that is not enough, his plot is complex and comes with surprises at times. Lastly, his story telling quality is compelling! And this book is no exception. Jim Butcher obviously wrote this book with all cylinders firing! Can't wait to read the next Dresden Files book... and it doesn't come out until next YEAR!

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

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


Paperless ReadingThank you to Ken of Paperless Reading for hosting a twitter contest which made it possible for me to win a copy of Cold Days by Jim Butcher!!

Thursday 6 December 2012

Review: STAR TREK TNG: DARK MIRROR

Star Trek TNG: Dark Mirror by Diane Duane

Genre: science fiction

About Star Trek TNG: Dark Mirror:
One hundred years ago, four crewmembers of the U.S.S EnterpriseTM crossed the dimensional barrier and found a mirror image of their own universe, populated by nightmare duplicates of their shipmates. Barely able to escape with their lives, they returned, thankful that the accident which had brought them there could not be duplicated, or so they thought.
Source: Info in the About Star Trek TNG: Dark Mirror was taken from http://getglue.com/books/dark_mirror/diane_duane?=g on 06/08/2010.

My Say About This Book:
I've read this book about 20 years ago. But I could still remember scenes from it. Like Picards' painting. I also remember immensely enjoying reading this book. Unfortunately for me, I only borrowed this book from the library. So I now do not have a copy I could re-read anymore. Keeping my eyes out for a bargain copy of this book though :) I wouldn't rate the world building nor the character development since it has been done a long time before this book with the Star Trek movies, so to me it is no longer applicable. The author is playing in a known field. So the rating relies heavily on the author's story telling quality which is good.
Story telling quality = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = N/A
Character development = N/A

Cherry’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Buy Link:

Friday 30 November 2012

Review: DOUBLETAKE

Doubletake by Rob Thurman
Book 7 of the Cal Leandros series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: paperback

About Doubletake:
Half-human/half-monster Cal Leandros knows that family is a pain. But now that pain belongs to his half-brother, Niko. Niko's shady father is in town, and he needs a big favor. Even worse is the reunion being held by the devious Puck race - including the Leandros' friend, Robin - featuring a lottery that no Puck wants to win.

As Cal tries to keep both Niko and Robin from paying the ultimate price for their kin, a horrific reminder from Cal's own past arrives to remind him that blood is thicker than water - and that's why it's so much more fun to spill.
Source: Info in the About Doubletake was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11473820-doubletake on 03/10/2012.

My Thoughts:
I've waited for a long time for this book. When my pre-order did not come I tried buying it again but amazon keeps sending me this stupid excuses about changed delivery estimate dates, la di bla di bla... I emailed Rob Thurman and she said it was due to the fact that the UK publisher was releasing the book several months after the US release date and that UK retail outlets are obliged to comply with the UK publisher including amazon UK. What bullshit!! So I have to order on the internet from a US seller on exorbitant mailing charges and wait two months for it to arrive!! And then, when I finally got it.... I don't know if anybody noticed but I had this book in my "Reading" widget in the sidebar for the longest time. And it was that long that it took me to read this book. For some reason my mind wanders when I start reading this book and then I have to find the motivation to pick the book up again. That is really strange for me because I am an old Rob Thurman fan and most specially, a die-hard fan of the Cal Leandros series. And probably the same reason why I am a Supernatural TV series fan too. So I am at a loss why this book is dragging... The story is good as any Cal Leandros book is. The "family" theme that ran throughout the book was quite good. The plot is good. But for some strange reason this book dragged big time for me. However, I still enjoyed it and would give it an overall rating of 4 out of 5 (not without bias here with me being a Cal fanatic), but I wouldn't be pre-ordering Slashback (Book 8) anymore (like I did with this book).

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 2.5
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Books in the Cal Leandros series: