Book Reviews
May. 22nd, 2011 07:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkI love being able to read again! :D
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
I was initially wary of this book, since Riordan uses third person instead of his normal snarky, hilarious first person. It turned out to be just as funny and entertaining as his other books, which was nice. Leo was my favorite character and the one with the quirkiest personality, though I also liked Piper, the heroine. Jason, the third narrator, was somewhat colorless, but then again, he did spend most of the book wrestling with amnesia. I know some Greek mythology, though I'm not an expert, but I'm quite intrigued by the new conflict that's arisen in this series. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
I was initially wary of this book, since Riordan uses third person instead of his normal snarky, hilarious first person. It turned out to be just as funny and entertaining as his other books, which was nice. Leo was my favorite character and the one with the quirkiest personality, though I also liked Piper, the heroine. Jason, the third narrator, was somewhat colorless, but then again, he did spend most of the book wrestling with amnesia. I know some Greek mythology, though I'm not an expert, but I'm quite intrigued by the new conflict that's arisen in this series. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
** WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE SPIRIT LENS BY CAROL BERG!!! ALSO SPOILERS FOR THE SOUL MIRROR!!! **
The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
I quite liked The Spirit Lens, the first novel in the Collegia Magica series. The Soul Mirror, to its credit, kept me spellbound by the plot--I devoured the book, wanting to know how the mystery resolved itself. The writing was exquisite, Berg's Sabria (which calls to mind Enlightenment-era France) is lush and vibrantly depicted, and the court intrigue was done very well. That said, I finished the book with a feeling of puzzlement. The Soul Mirror basically invalidates almost everything that was discovered in The Spirit Lens, which made me wonder, why bother setting up an answer if it turns out to be a dead end?
I thought Anne, the narrator, was a decent heroine, though by the end of the story she seemed a little Mary Sue-ish. Of course (SPOILER WARNING) by the end, she finds out she actually is the heir to an ancient, powerful sorcerer family and has unimaginable magical powers. Of course, she's somewhat in love with Dante, whom I suspect more and more is Berg's favorite character. Speaking of Dante, I have no idea what to think of him anymore. He seems to be a walking Crazy Awesome Wild Card who is violent but Just Misunderstood. Portier, the hero of the first book, is a total moron during the climax, and I really wanted Philippe de Savin-Journia and Michel de Vernasse to have more dialogue and action. I was also really curious about Anne's brother, Ambrose.
Something I noticed is that this book has quite a lot of torture going on--not necessarily explicit, but the characters sure do have to suffer through a lot of hell. The first book had some as well, but I felt like there was more in the sequel. (SPOILER) By the end, Ambrose has probably been mentally scarred for life, Michel will be an invalid for the rest of his life, Portier is crippled for the rest of his life (well, not too seriously), and Dante has been seriously screwed over. Whoohoo.
The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
I quite liked The Spirit Lens, the first novel in the Collegia Magica series. The Soul Mirror, to its credit, kept me spellbound by the plot--I devoured the book, wanting to know how the mystery resolved itself. The writing was exquisite, Berg's Sabria (which calls to mind Enlightenment-era France) is lush and vibrantly depicted, and the court intrigue was done very well. That said, I finished the book with a feeling of puzzlement. The Soul Mirror basically invalidates almost everything that was discovered in The Spirit Lens, which made me wonder, why bother setting up an answer if it turns out to be a dead end?
I thought Anne, the narrator, was a decent heroine, though by the end of the story she seemed a little Mary Sue-ish. Of course (SPOILER WARNING) by the end, she finds out she actually is the heir to an ancient, powerful sorcerer family and has unimaginable magical powers. Of course, she's somewhat in love with Dante, whom I suspect more and more is Berg's favorite character. Speaking of Dante, I have no idea what to think of him anymore. He seems to be a walking Crazy Awesome Wild Card who is violent but Just Misunderstood. Portier, the hero of the first book, is a total moron during the climax, and I really wanted Philippe de Savin-Journia and Michel de Vernasse to have more dialogue and action. I was also really curious about Anne's brother, Ambrose.
Something I noticed is that this book has quite a lot of torture going on--not necessarily explicit, but the characters sure do have to suffer through a lot of hell. The first book had some as well, but I felt like there was more in the sequel. (SPOILER) By the end, Ambrose has probably been mentally scarred for life, Michel will be an invalid for the rest of his life, Portier is crippled for the rest of his life (well, not too seriously), and Dante has been seriously screwed over. Whoohoo.
