Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

Rating: 5 out of 5

I currently have a personal ban on library books while I worked on Mt TBR however when Rise of the Evening Star came in I dropped everything and disappeared into the books depths with a contented sigh. I loved the first book in the Fablehaven series, which I read before I started blogging so I do not have a review here. However if you wish to read a review from my bookshelf has a great review here and is the reason I picked up Fablehaven in the first place.

In the second book Kendra and Seth return to Fablehaven to help their Grandparents over summer break. The sanctuary which is for magical beings is under threat from the secret organisation The Evening Star.

I devoured this book in 24 hours; I just could not put it down. It just sucked me in like the first book did. There is a wonderful humour infused through the book and the action is fast past and exciting. I especially like the mythology developed in the world of Fablehaven.

"Kendra ran to the side of the pool. By the time she arrived Seth was boosting himself out of the water, hair and clothes dripping. “That was the freakiest, awesomest, moment of my life!” Seth declared. “But next time, let me take off my shoes ” "

This series is really interesting and the characters of Kendra and Seth are very well developed and believable. We get to learn more about the world of Fablehaven, and the people who protect the other sanctuaries around the world.

I don’t want to say too much and give the story away as this is a series and certain elements and plots are brought over from book one.

Definitely worth a read if you like Young Adult books that deal with magic and adventure.

Fried Eggs with Chopsticks by Polly Evans

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

Fried Eggs with Chopsticks is the tale of Polly Evans travelling around China for two months using only public/local means of transport. She braves massages in Beijing, public buses on remote dirt tracks, Donkey’s in Sichuan, Bears in southern China and being constantly lost in translation.

China is a place that both fascinates me and horrifies me. I have heard many amazing and downright scary stories from friends who have traveled in China. So I was very eager to read this when mum said she had a week left before it was due back at the library and I jumped at the opportunity.

As usual Polly manages to convey a warmth and humor about the country she is traveling in and the people she was meeting, even when Polly seemed to struggle. She really did seem to find this trip difficult after awhile and it was probably from the isolation and constant struggle to communicate in this strange land. Even ordering a meal involved her walking around a restaurant with the waitress in tow pointing to other patrons dishes to convey what she wanted to order.

It was easy to see in her writing in “On a hoof and a prayer” that she had loved every minute of the trip. Similarly Evans emotions were out for show in Fried Eggs with Chopsticks, you could clearly feel her despair and growing depression as she travelled deeper within China. I was very impressed though she never seemed to blame the Chinese for her troubles, she instead focused inwards and spoke of her turmoil and frustration over being unable to communicate more effectively.

“My fellow passengers snored and snorted creating an extraordinary symphony of rattling, roaring, moaning and groaning. The man in the bunk opposite was doing a good imitation of a slowly expiring farmyard animal”.

There were some hysterically funny moments and moments that I am amazed didn’t make her crack sooner, as I know I would have been a frazzled mess (I would have taken one look at the toilet she had gone to and canceled the rest of the trip).

A great read if you like travel stories and even better if you are planning a trip to China (I am looking at you Irish).

For a bit of fun Polly has a website http://www.pollyevans.com/ which has picture galleries of her trips. I really love this idea as you can see the places she travelled through. Her latest book looks great and is something I really want to do if I ever make it to snow!

Valiant by Holly Black

Rating 3 1/2 out of 5

Summary: When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system. But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-coloured powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet. When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honourable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honourable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

Review:This is a pretty dark tale of humans and faeries interacting. Do not expect to see any Tinkerbelle’s here. Faeries are nasty, really nasty. They get pleasure out of human’s suffering and delight in torturing, killing and in some instance eating them. Though to be fair they do the same to their own as well. Val walks smack into the middle of this world completely clueless and falls deeper and deeper into trouble.

Valiant is the sequel to Tithe. It is set some time after the events of Tithe. However you do not need to read Tithe to read Valiant. Valiant is a stand alone story.

"There is only one human who knows this place. So what did Luis tell you?" The troll took another step toward them, his voice soft and furious."Did he dare you to go inside? Did he say there was a monster?"

The story touches on drug use, teenage sex, dysfunctional families, romance, loyalty and friendship. In fact there is very little Valiant does not touch on. I found the teen issues dealt with here were darker then that addressed in Tithe. However due to the “faerie” angle for some reason they were not as confronting then if this had been a normal runaway teen story. I don’t know why but for me it was not as shocking, but it still managed to
get the message across. Though having said that there was one moment for me
that did stun me but I will not mention it here so as not to spoil the book.

Holly Black has an easy style of writing that flows well. She is a good writer and was able to get her points across without me have to scrounge around for a dictionary.

If you like your faerie tales dark and edgy then you might want to consider picking up Holly Black. I am not sure why but I was reluctant to give this 4 out of 5 stars so I settled for 3 1/2.

Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary: December 23, 1787, Portsmouth.

14 year-old John Jacob Turnstile is about to be sent to prison when an offer is put to him - a ship has been refitted and is about to set sail with an important mission. The captain's valet has been injured and a replacement must be found immediately. The deal is struck and he finds himself on board.

The ship is HMS Bounty, the captain is William Bligh, and their destination is Tahiti.

Review: When you mention Mutiny on the Bounty to most Australian’s we can all say we know exactly what you are talking about. However for a lot of Aussies press deeper for details and you would get a response along the lines of “Well there was a boat called Bounty, Its Captain was called Bligh, um the crew mutinied….Oh and there was that movie, the one with Mel Gibson”. I know that probably would have been my answer and most of my friends would have been the same. I enjoy history and learning about it and even I never really knew the details or how this tale related to Australia.

I have been unable to find any reference to a John Turnstile being on the ship so it would appear that his character was created to tell the story, which works really well here. He is brought on board as the Captain’s servant so by default knows a lot of what is going on and is best placed to tell the tale.

"When daylight came on the second day I was able to take full account of the predicament we found ourselves in."

What I really liked is that the author did not portray any of the characters in a particularly negative light. He showed that they were all just men really who each made some mistakes. I liked that I was able to form my own opinions of the characters and not be swayed by the authors writing. Turnstile’s views of the people are expressed but there was never a feeling that you were reading the authors views, jut the view of a fourteen year old boy.

From what I can tell this book is very close to the actual account of what happened during the voyage. For me having the actual events portrayed in this way made it all come alive and more real. Boyne was able to really convey the conditions on the boat and the journey. There was not a point in the book where I did not learn something new like bathing on a boat, superstitions of sailors, and that if a Captain lost his ship in the 1700’s he was put on trial.

I was particularly interested to learn that Bligh was not in fact a true Captain he was for lack of a better word only acting in the position. Also that later on in life he became the Governor of NSW. At the end of the book John Boyne mentions all the reference material he used such as the trail transcripts and diaries written by Bligh, Boyne clearly did his homework and it shines through the book.

Also Boyne cleverly wove old cockney language with modern language so that the reader was able to feel like they were really were on a ship in the 1700’s, while making it easy to follow.

This was a really enjoyable book and I will be definitely picking up another of his books. A good book for anyone wanting to learn some history in particular about the Mutiny on the Bounty.

From Baghdad With Love by Jay Kopelman

Rating 4 out of 5

From Baghdad with Love is the tale of Lava, a stray puppy found in Camp Fallujah and a Marine. While sweeping a building for insurgents the US Marine group the Lava Dogs find a bundle of energetic fur that melts their hearts on the spot. And so begins Lava’s story of being raised in secret in Fallujah and his eventual bid for freedom as Jay Kopelman fights desperately to keep Lava a secret and get him out of the country.

Kopelman's story about Lava. Snippets of the story are told from other people’s point of view more to illistrate the events and people working in other countries to help Lava. The story flows easily and is not difficult to grasp the terms being used. One thing I appreciated was that Jay Kopelman did not make the book about the rights or wrongs of war. You did not feel lectured or harassed. While he does express some of his personal views on some situations they are fleeting.

I felt Kopelman glossed over some of the nastier aspects of his stories which is understandable. The tales he did tell were not bedtime fairy tale type stories. However the war stories were not the main point of the book but merely highlighted events that were occurring during Kopelmans and Lava’s time in Iraq. It was interesting reading about what was happening during this period and about the people affected by them.

All these things though high light Lava’s story, which of course is the main theme of the book. I loved reading the effect he has on the Marines and the people around him in Iraq. One in story in particular was that of “Sam” and Iraqi who worked at a compound for news reporters in the red zone of Baghdad. When he first met Lava he wanted nothing to do with the dog, apparently Iraqi people do not like dogs and see them as being disgusting. But by the time Lava left the compound Sam was his biggest supporter and risked his on life for Lava.

While I will not say this was a light hearted book there were some light hearted moments and even funny ones. Some of the funniest moments for me were during Lava’s puppy days with the Marines in Camp Fallujah. I can only just imagine the scene of these big tough Marines and this cute bundle of fur bringing joy into each others lives at a time where there was little joy to be found.

"In reality, when he isn't asleep, he's anything but innocent. I personally saw the little monster destroy several maps, two pairs of boots, one cell phone, photographs of someone's kids, five pillows, and some grunts only pair of socks."

The content of this book is a little older then that of Dewey the Library Cat. I would not recommend this for anyone under fifteen years of age simply because some of the war stories told are quite disturbing even if they are glossed over. A must for animal lovers.

On a Hoof and a Prayer by Polly Evans

Rating 5 out of 5 stars

At age thirty four Polly Evans decides she wants to learn how to ride. So naturally you fly half way round the world to Argentina. This is the story of Polly’s adventures as she spends two months traversing the wilds of Argentina seeing the sights from Patagonia and Iguazu falls. While learning its fascinating history, and of course leaning to ride a horse or two along the way.

Evans has a relaxed way of writing that was easy to follow. She has a great sense of humor and a wonderful understanding of the history of the country which she blends together to tell her story. I have learned more about Argentina reading this book then I have ever learned in school. There were some really good laugh out loud moments and some amazing characters that Evans met during her travels.

“ ‘Ah don’t worry.’ Yvonne smiled ‘They’re good horses here. But you’ve got to ride them properly. We’ve had guests before who’ve ridden their horses into trees - but it was their own stupid fault. They were just sitting there, doing nothing. You’ve got to really ride the horse.’ ”

Another thing I really enjoyed was at no point did you feel her judging the people of the nation she visited. Also she did activities that are attainable by the average person. Those are my two pet peeves with some travel writers; they can be so condescending about the people and do activities that cost bucket loads of money.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and I will definitely be picking up her other travel books (she has written about cycling around Spain, motor biking round New Zealand and traversing China by any means possible). If you like travel books or are planning a trip to Argentina then I recommend you reading this book.

Body Count (Sophie Anderson Book 1) by PD Martin

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

“Body Count provides an insight into the life of a unique FBI profiler, Sophie Anderson. When a girl is found brutally murdered in DC, Australian FBI profiler Sophie Anderson suspects that the killing spree has just begun. With her fellow agents she delves into the mind of the killer, trying to predict his next move. When another victim turns up, Sophie knows that she’s ‘seen’ the girl before, raped and murdered – in her dreams. Struggling to separate fact from fiction, reality from nightmare, Sophie becomes more and more ensnared in the killer’s mind as the body count rises. Then the murders become personal and Sophie is caught up in a cat-and-mouse game that may cost her the man she loves – and her life”.

I found this to be a really interesting book. The only real thing I could fault it on was that I was stupid enough to read this during the work week when I had to put it down to go to work/sleep. Body Count is an easy fast paced read that was exciting and engaging. If you like your crime/mystery with lots of blood and gore or things going bang every five seconds this is not for you. While there are enough dollops of each this book is more about profiling the killers and investigation.

The psychic angle was interesting as Sophie was not yet comfortable in her skin as a psychic which most psychic Detectives are. The images for her are terrifying and hard to deal with. She is also learning how to control her ability but with little success. I like this element to the book. Another thing I really enjoyed was that I didn’t guess the killer at all!

I have seen criticism elsewhere that this was “to Australian”. I have to say I didn’t really notice any particular Australian sayings or words other then what would be in character. But perhaps as I am Australian I wouldn’t notice, it all seemed perfectly fine to me.

This is the first of what I believe are three books with a fourth on its way. I have the second book in my TBR pile which will skip to the top once i have finished my Library books pile which is slowly diminishing (then there are the TBRs that will be read first before the second book). So many books so little time.

World War Z by Max Brooks

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

What a great read this was. I came to this book by reading a friends review on Librarything and thought to myself why not give it a go, I am glad I did. I do not normally read horror type books so went into this book not expecting much. It is not a true horror book though as there are so many other genres thrown in such as war, action, and drama to name a few. As for gore there are some gory bits but there is no more gore then you would get in a Michael Crichton novel.

The story is set in an alternate time line with no real specific dates/years given. All that is mentioned is the war goes for ten years and it happened possibly after or during the 1990’s. It is told through a series of interviews of survivors that Max Brooks has traveled the world to collect. This collection of stories provides an excellent picture of the years before during and after the War. While normally this sort of fragmented story telling would annoy me here it worked. Even though it was told from different point of views the story still flowed and was able to get what it needed across.

What impressed me the most was the obvious research that went into this book. Max Brooks knows his stuff. The history of pre-zombie countries is believable (I cannot comment on the accuracy though for some) and the responses each country gives to the growing menace is also believable. There was no point in the book where I though “Oh come on”. The reactions of people, and governments felt real. Either Max Brooks had some excellent advisers that provided him with good information or he has researched all aspects of apocalyptic survival minutely. I could almost believe this was an actual account of a catastrophic event. One theme that did strike a cord was what would we do if for some reason our society as we know it could not function. It was an interesting theme that Max Brooks had running through the book. I wont say any more on it so I don’t spoil anything.

The characters despite most only getting a one shot appearance were able to convey their personalities and experiences i n the short times they had been given. There were a few stories where I would like to have known more but it didn’t ruin the book for me if I didn't. Also while the majority of stories did come from the US, nearly all continents were represented even an Australian was interviewed and the New Zealanders mentioned.

I highly recommend this book.

Finding Nino a Sea Change In Italy by Marc Llewellyn

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Marc, his wife Rohan, new born baby Louis, and their dog Tetly decide to make a sea change. They don’t just move from the city but move countries. They leave behind the rat race of Sydney Australia to live in a small village on the Island of Lipari of the Italian coast.

When they arrive it is the middle of winter. The two bedroom villa while small and stuffy with no windows but a terrace with a view that takes the breath away. However the weather turns bad, Louis refuses to settle and spends the night crying, Marc is frequently sick, he and Rohan seem to constantly fight and that is before the social blunders they inadvertently create which leave them out cold socially. Slowly they begin to realise that the idyllic life they had imagined was a lot harder than they thought.

A great book, with some hilarious moments as they bumble through local customs. I particularly loved the chocolate and garlic cake episode. It was great to see the progress of their life on the island which went from being up beat and jubilant, to miserable, rock bottom, and come out the other side. Originally I was drawn to this book mostly because Italy is somewhere I really want to travel too. It was nice reading about a slice of Italy you rarely hear about. I did think the ending was a little bit of a letdown. I am not sure why, I can not put my finger on it, but I definitely felt a sense of “Oh is that all?”.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a nice light read and enjoys different cultures.

The Zookeeper's War by Steven Contes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

"In Berlin‚ who can you trust?

A story of passion and sacrifice in a city battered by war ...

It is 1943 and each night in a bomb shelter beneath the Berlin Zoo an Australian woman‚ Vera‚ shelters with her German husband‚ Axel‚ the zoo′s director.

Together‚ they struggle to look after the animals through the air raids and food shortages. When the zoo′s staff is drafted into the army‚ forced labourers are sent in as replacements. At first‚ Vera finds the idea abhorrent‚ but gradually she realises that the new workers are the zoo′s only hope‚ and forms an unlikely bond with one of them.

This is a city where a foreign accent is a constant source of suspicion‚ where busybodies report the names of neighbours′ dinner guests to the Gestapo. As tensions mount in the closing days of the war‚ nothing‚ and no one‚ it seems‚ can be trusted.

The Zookeeper′s War is a powerful novel of a marriage‚ and of a city collapsing. It confronts not only the brutality of war but the possibility of heroism − and delivers an ending that is both shocking and deeply moving."

The zookeepers war is predominantly told from the point of view of Vera an Australian, living with her German husband in Berlin during WWII, who are Zookeepers of the Berlin Zoo.

This book was nominated for and won the Prime Ministers Award for 2008. This is a newly created Australian literary award and was not the reason I got the book but it was an unexpected bonus. However the book did not blow me away. I did not even get bleary eyed considering some of the subject matter. He did not really deal with any of the serious issues of WWII or the Zoo. This was more a story about Vera and Axel living their lives almost as if the war was not happening, if it was not for the WWII setting it could be a couple in any other period/war.

The writing style is very stylish and simple. I could easily imagine walking the streets of Berlin in 1945 or hiding in the bomb shelters as the British and Americans rained bombs over the city. The author had clearly done his homework in regards to the history aspect, which for me made the book interesting. However the issues did not really touch Axel or Vera, they happened to their friends. The Author for me failed to adequately the sense of fear, hate, distrust, terror, and sadness that other books on the subject have portrayed vividly. I picked this book up as I thought it would have a unique perspective of being told from the Zoo and an 'alien' living in Berlin during the War. I felt the author did not utilise these unique perspectives enough.

I never really got the sense of "knowing" the characters. The book was told from at least three perspectives Vera, and Axel as well as another character called Martin. I was not sure what Martin's perspective brought to the book and would have preferred Flavia's perspective to be shown. Reactions seemed skin deep and not normal for the period, Axel in particular did not react the way one would assume a man in his position would. He was a wounded veteran of WWI and had lost most of his life, and his father’s life, when the Zoo was bombed. For me he was just too calm no one in that situation would be as calm as he was. He only seemed to show real emotion right at the end of the book, without giving away any spoilers it is a little confronting what happens to Axel.

This was not a bad book it just failed to hit the mark for me on some levels. The book would be a good start for anyone who has not read WWII books previously, as it is not the emotional roller coaster that other books in the same field are. It gives the reader a good introduction to the war and how lives were affected. The ending may shock some more than others.

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Rating 2 out of 5

"Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, The Night Watch is the work of a truly brilliant and compelling storyteller. This is the story of four Londoners—three women and a young man with a past, drawn with absolute truth and intimacy. Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the streets with a restless hunger, searching … Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret … Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover … Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war. Their lives, and their secrets connect in sometimes startling ways. War leads to strange alliances"

Well I must admit I just was not taken by this book. Even though I really wanted to like this book as it is normally the sort of thing I enjoy, historical settings, strong women, unusual story, and interesting themes. Also it came quite highly recommended. However I just could not get into this book fully, I just could not work up any real interest at all.

The pace I found was almost painfully slow, it didn't really go anywhere until towards the end. I did not like the story being told back with a backwards storyline as it was annoying and not engaging. The stories told at the end were far more interesting then the stories told at the start. Personally I think if the story line was reversed it would have made the start far more impact with the sadness of how the characters had gotten where they were. If the books ending was at the start it would have been more interesting story in my mind. However others clearly loved this format and the way it was written as it has garnered a lot of great reviews and has been nominated for the Booker and Orange literary prizes

The underlying themes in the story were probably the only saving grace of this book for me and kept me reading. It deals with issues that in the 1940 were taboo such as homosexuality, women's rights, and abortion. It also dealt a little on the effects of war and how society was changing during that period.

I would recommend this book to people who like reading books nominated for prizes, lesbian fiction, or what I like to call "people" drama.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Rating 4 .5 out of 5

I needed a break after Case Histories so sat down with some good urban fantasy. For this review I thought I would try an interview style that Irish at Ticket to Anywhere recently used.

Title and author of book: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Fiction. Urban Fantasy & Teen

What led you to pick up this book? It was recommended to me by Irish at Ticket to Anywhere. We have very similar tastes when it comes to Young Adult & Fantasy type books so I was very confident I would enjoy it.

Summarize the plot, but no spoilers! Aislinn (apparently pronounced Ash-lyn which makes her nickname of Ash make a whole lot more sense) can see faeries. She lives her life by a set of rules set down to keep her safe, and pretty much they all boil down to do not let them know you can see them. This all goes out the window when Keenan the King of the Summer court of faeries decides that she is his Queen. The rules have changed and Aislinn will find herself in the fight for her life and those she loves.

What did you like most about the book? It hooked me from the start. I read this cover to cover in one day. A book you cant put down is the best kind of book. The urban fantasy element was a bonus though.

What did you think of the writing style? Melissa Marr has an easy to read style of writing. It was able to set a good reading pace. There were no dull or slow moments. Marr had the right amount of explanations and plot development. She did not get bogged down on any detail in particular. The world created in this book is fully fleshed out and easy to understand.

What did you think of the main character? Aislinn was a believable teen with more then the usual set of issues. Her reactions and decisions I could logically see a teenage making. Considering her circumstances it is amazing she has not gone right off the rails. Aislinn did not get whiney or obnoxious, she had her moments of doubt but that is understandable when your world get's turned upside down.

Any other particularly interesting characters? Donia was interesting as she was constantly divided in so many directions. She managed to have so much empathy despite her situation and was strong enough to do what needed to be done regardless of her feelings. Donia was a strong character when she could easily have been a weeping blubbering mess.

If this book has been made into a movie, and if you’ve seen the movie, compare the book to the movie.: This book has not been made into a movie that I know of.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

"Summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - Lost on the left, Found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. His days are full of people clamouring for answers and explanations. A jealous husband suspects his wife. Two spinster sisters make a shocking find. A solicitor investigates an old murder. A nurse has lost her niece; a widow, her cats. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. He is forty-five but feels much, much older. He is at that dangerous age when men suddenly notice that they're going to die eventually, inevitably, and there isn't a damn thing they can do about it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life is brought sharply into focus."

I really was not very taken with this book. The only reason I continued to read it was I had been told it gets better half way through, and to be fair it did get more tolerable towards the end.

Firstly I did not like the style that it was written in. Kate Atkinson seemed to want to use the biggest words available which is fine every now and then but not in nearly every paragraph in the first chapter. Also the language was old fashioned as well, which at first I though was maybe in keeping with the setting of the first chapter but I later realised this was how Kate Atkinson wrote (though it did loosen up towards the end) I almost put the book straight down after the first chapter.

I couldn't really like any of the characters except for Jackson and he was not in it as much as the blurb would imply. The only other interesting characters were barely in the book much to my disappointment. To be honest I disliked most of the main characters except perhaps Theo who was just a sad soul. Julia and Amelia only became interesting towards the end of the book.

The story jumped around a lot and was told from many different points of view which grew annoying especially when I did not see the relevance (or care perhaps?). In some cases the same story was told from two different points of view which did not offer anything new or insightful. There was a lot of unnecessary story thread woven in. Well for me they were unnecessary, I just did not see the relevance to the story being told. I found myself skipping quite a few paragraphs and not missing much.

I mostly kept reading to find out what the answers to the cases were, and I must confess to actually being surprised by the turn one of the cases took. Perhaps I am being harsh as I had just read the excellent Time Travelers Wife, but this book really failed to grab me at all. If it wasn't for the more interesting last chapters and the twist I probably would have scored this lower.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Rating 5 out of 5

“The story of Henry and Clare, who have known each other since Clare was 6 and Henry was 36, and were married when Clare was 20 and Henry 28. This is possible only because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he flashes to other points in time, usually moments of emotional gravity for him. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.”

This book has received many rave reviews and it is not hard to see why. The story is epic and sweeping in its grandeur and is the type of book that elicits those sorts of words. The story follows the lives of Clare and Henry told from both of their perspectives as they struggle to find a normal life together in a world that is only learning about Henry’s condition. The issues dealt with in this book are emotional and real. Niffenegger writes about the issues with realism and sensitivity. There is the science fiction element to the story however it is hardly noticeable as the drama and romance of the story is far more prominent.

The prose does tend to jump around alternating between Clare and Henry, and occasionally time periods. While normally this would annoy me as a reader in this story it is appropriate and is seamlessly blended.

My main criticism (and there is only really one which is minor) is the language occasionally used by Niffenegger. During intimate scenes Niffenegger uses what would be best described as colourful language to illustrate the moment. Which is fine don’t get me wrong, for me though it just did not fit with the rest of the book. The rest of the book is this beautifully written prose that glides along with elegance and finesse and then all of a sudden there is this hideous coarse word. After the first instance I was left with the feeling of “where did that come from?” It was as surprising to me as would be to hear Mary Poppins using the f word. Other then those few (and they were few) jarring moments there is not really much else I can fault this book on.

A beautiful book which had me laughing and crying and wishing very fervently that our lives are not determined by destiny.

I highly recommended this book.