Review: The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan

It is rare that I come across a book that a good portion of my friends list on Goodreads has read or wants to read, but this book fit both categories. It has been on my to-read pile for quite a while, and over the holidays I finally got to it – and I’m glad I did. The base story isn’t anything unique but sometimes when I’m reading that’s not a quality I absolutely must have in my book.

It follows the story of a young woman who is born with the powers of an untrained magician. She lives in the slums and one day while she is out with a gang trying to avoid the purge she accidentally releases those powers and the city magicians take notice. From there the book goes into great detail about the guild trying to catch her so they can properly train her powers, and the steps she takes to avoid them. Her friends rally to her side, and the thieves guild eventually agrees to help hide her (of course they want something in return).

It was simple, quirky, and interesting, which is exactly what I was in the mood for. The story was compelling enough that I picked up the other books to the series, and I’m interested in seeing how it unfolds. While the first half of the book is filled with her adventures in avoiding the magician’s guild, the second half is trying to get her on their side (and of course she meets up with some shady characters along the way). I think I enjoyed the first half better, mainly because I fell in love with the thieves guild and their leader. I would have loved to have read more about that particular group of characters and their stories. The second half was interesting too but it was also more structured and dare I say it, boring?

If you’re looking for an easy going fantasy book I would certainly recommend checking this one out. It’s one of those small hidden treasures that I’m glad my friends suggested.

3.5 / 5 stars

Review: The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

From time to time I really enjoy reading a good historical romance, and The Duke of Shadows offered me just that. You first meet up with Emmaline Martin as her world is torn apart while she travels from Britain to India. She is to meet her betrothed but along the way deals with incredible heartache that leaves her falling for Julian instead. The book takes place in the 1800s and if you’re tired of meek mellow women as main characters – then this is the book for you.

I had a hard time putting it down, I’m pretty sure I read all of it in two days or so. The characters are richly detailed and the story is so incredible that you can’t help but continue along trying to find out what happens next. Writing about the British rule in India is certainly not an easy topic and the story was actually believable, while being both entertaining and horrifying at the same time. The author doesn’t dance around the acts of violence that took place, but at the same time there is a harmonious balance between those acts and everything else going on. Of course there are also some pretty detailed sex scenes, it is, after all, a romance book. If you enjoy historical romance at all I highly recommend giving this book a read.

4.5 / 5 stars

Lets Play Reading Bingo

Randomhouse.ca is hosting their yearly Reading Bingo challenge and while I found out about it too late last year to participate, I decided that 2014 I would be sure to get involved. They have also added a Young Adult bingo card to the game this year, perfect for teenagers. Of course it’s all just for fun, but it’s a great way to branch out into books that you might not normally give a chance.

Of course reading any book at all is fantastic, but I tend to get a bit bored reading the same genre each month. Some times I’m not exactly feeling creative and this bingo card gives you some great motivation to go out and find something new.

Each time I complete one of the squares on the card I’ll be sure to post about it here. Right now I have started with the bottom left corner – a book your friend loves. That happens to be Moby Dick which I have never read before but have heard many good things about it from one of my friends. Will I enjoy it as much as him? We’ll just have to see!

Review: To Tuscany with Love by Gail Mencini

I received this book as an ARC for an honest and open review from NetGalley

“Two Turban-clad men with dark complexions looked at the four students with obvious disdain.”

I read as far as that paragraph, and then stopped, knowing full well that if I continued to read I would just get frustrated and upset (turns out I was right, after I browsed through the remainder of the chapter). What was supposed to be an “adult coming of age” novel instead was a book filled with every sort of stereotype known to man, exemplified, along with racism.

It starts off with a group of American students traveling abroad. Each student has a very defined stereotypical personality. There’s the fat nerd (who actually has a boyfriend), the blond twins, the rebel, jock, etc. There is nothing unique to any of their personalities, and the entire story follows one stereotype after another. When the novel isn’t busy slamming people in this manner I felt it made no sense, having little at all to do with the actual story. It felt incredibly disjointed.

I also found it rude when the students started on the train to Paris and then the book launched into how these “Middle Eastern turban wearing men” were probably carrying bombs in their luggage and so the students had every right to search through their bags. It felt unrealistic and incredibly racist.

This book was certainly not what I was expecting or hoping for.

1/5 stars

Review: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

For some reason a lot of the classics that my friends had read back in high school were not books that I was ever introduced to, so I have spent a lot of time over the last few years catching up on some classics. Not only because they’re books that everyone should read at least once, but because I honestly enjoy the writing style of these books and the stories are usually entertaining. I’m not sure if it is because I just like to read about worlds that are so different from the one that I currently live in, but they’re enjoyable none the less.

Despite what most would think, I have never seen a movie version of this book before, and I had no idea what it was really about. I mean, obviously it was about a guy who went around the world in 80 days but anyone could guess that from the title. For some reason I thought that the adventure took place in an air balloon – which is not the case at all.

The book is about Phileas Fogg and his French servant Passepartout. Phileas is challenged to travel around the world in 80 days by a group of rich men he hangs out with. It just happens that there is a pretty large size robbery just as he leaves, and police are convinced that his leaving the country and this robbery are linked. While he is busy trying to win the wager of being able to make the trip, the police are chasing him down and interacting with both himself and Passepartout. It makes the whole adventure even more endearing and while the book is incredibly outdated to the point of being almost rude (there are many stereotypes) I still found it a really good read and not at all what I expected.

4/5 stars