bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

One of the original "dystopian" novels, The Handmaid's Tale is a nightmarish glimpse into an America that rapidly changed from the democratic society we know today to a scary patriarchy where women are only valued for their ability to bear children.
While I wished to know more about how and why society was able to so rapidly desintegrate, I did find Atwood's charachers, especially Offred (of Fred, her 'owner'), haunting.

A companion novel to "Graceling," this tale helps give the origin story to the evil bad buy in that book, while introducing a mystical realm not previously mentioned. Fire is a "monster" so beautiful men (and sometimes women) throw themselves at her, try to rape her, and want to possess her for her beauty, but also her mind reading and altering capabilities. Cashore deftly weaves a tale of redemption and "coming of age" for a characters that have their flaws, but are sympathetic and endearing none the less. A haunting and romantic fantasy. Can't wait to read Bitterblue.

Set in Wausau, WI, Revival puts a new twist on the over used zombie trope which keeps things interesting. Instead of merely coming back to life as shambling, mindless creatures, the dead in Central WI are 'reviving' to their old selves. Gruesome and intriguing (and set in my home state). Looking forward to more.

The 'walking dead' have invaded a cemetery in Philadelphia and threaten the expensive World Exhibition and a beloved brother is missing in this YA horror tale. Young Eleanor needs to find her brother while avoiding the hordes of the dead. To do so she finds assistance from a scruffy group of misfits who use Steampunk-esque tools to fight the dead (and spirits too). The various mysteries are a bit light, but the action and horror is fun. The main heroine is feisty, and her love interest is intriguing and intelligent but the romance feels a bit one-note. Quick, easy, fun read. Hopefully the sequel will have a bit more meat.

Eleanor, recovering from her last fight against the dead and trying to support herself and asylum bound mother is drawn back into the world of spirtis, necromancy, and death. She flees to Paris to find the Spirit Hunters but finds much more than she bargained for along the way, including a demon and her own burgeoning necromancy powers.

Enjoyable for its sense of adventure and dark subject matter, I was still a bit unconvinced with the logistics of how all this spirit world stuff works. HOwever, for those who enjoy more action and romance, this is a fun title to dabble in the 'steam punk' movement without getting in too deep.

Wren is the 'perfect' straight A student and only daughter to her overbearing parents; Charlie is a foster-kid with a dark, past but a bright future. When their lives collide after their graduation, will love be able to overcome all the odds?

Very steamy YA title. Very focused on the physical relationship between the two main characters. I understood their chemistry, but found a lot of it pretty superficial. I really enjoyed Charlie's character and struggles, whereas Wren came off more as a 'poor rich girl' with parent problems.

Highly enjoyable and readable treatise on the historic Jesus. While not earth shattering material, Aslan gives voice to a man that when taken historically is really misunderstood by his current believers. He does this task with aplomb, and does not insult belittle, or deny faith in the "messiah" Christ. My only gripe is the lack of foot/endnotes. Instead Asland prefered to write bibliographic essays at the back of the text. I still wish those little numbers were there pointing me to the exact source he was referring too.

Gaiman's beautiful narration and epic prose blend seamlessly and enchant you as you drive your car. Stardust is an adult fairy tale following young Tristram Thorne (half-fae, half human) as he searches for a fallen star to win the heart of his beloved.