Hello all!
I read this book about a year ago and was completely in love with it, and found that the price has dropped to $3.99 so I had to share! It is called "The Hangman's Daughter" by Oliver Pötzsch It is a mystery set in the 1600's in a small German village (Shongau), the hangman and the doctor team up to solve the mystery of the deaths of children in the village. I will admit, I was not always a fan of historical mysteries, it is not something I would have normally read, but it is awesome!
I will post a review on it soon-- I am currently reading the sequel titled "The Dark Monk", cant put it down!
Here is a link to the book for Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hangmans-Daughter-ebook/dp/B003P9XMFI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1341022143&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hangmans+daughter
Happy Reading!
If you liked this deal, stay tuned, I will be posting at least one deal a week, you can also subscribe using your email!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Prison Nation
Book Title: Prison Nation
Author: Jenni Merritt
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
Millie 942B is about to turn 18, which will bring her a brand new life. Millie's parents are in prison for murder for life, and Millie was born and raised behind bars, 942B being her cell number and floor in the prison. Spokane, Washington has been turned into basically a prison city, much like 3 other cities in what used to be America, but is now called the Nation.
Millie encounters people in prison that she is not sure she should trust, some good, and some truly frightening, and is taught by the prison psychologist how to be "the good and the strong" for the Nation once she is released. Once released though, Millie starts to question if the Nation itself is really a prison, if anyone is really truly free. She falls in love with someone once she is released, and is constantly haunted by a terrible guard from the prison. Millie and her love interest decide to try to get to the ocean, since she has never seen the ocean and longs for true escape.
My Thoughts:
The concept is certainly an interesting one --I mean lets be honest, I am a HUGE fan of "The Hunger Games" series is most of the world, and cant seem to get enough of the terrible dystopian society we have the potential to become if left to our own devices. The idea that criminals, such as Millie's parents (who shouldn't be written off as criminals perhaps) would be moved to this prison, where they not only live in the same cells as their spouses but also are able to have children while in prison and keep them there as prisoners until they are 18 is interesting too, its not an idea I have heard before, and at first thought I might have a hard time accepting the fact that America as we know it would allow that type of thing, even a fictitious America. However, the Nation is not America, and hasn't been for years, so it becomes a world very easy to submerge yourself into.
I also enjoyed getting to know Millie, although at times her character is not what I'd expect. You get to know two Millies, the Millie 942B, and Millie Summers- the prisoner Millie vs Millie the "free". Her anxiety or "fog" as she calls it sometimes makes being in her head a little bit confusing, but for the most part she has a clearly defined voice, and is a really likable character. Millie's parents are also interesting characters, because they make you realize that maybe not everyone is who they seem to be. The story of the parents was pretty intriguing and kept my interest in the book in the slow spots.
One of the things I didn't enjoy that much about the book is that it felt very rushed. It felt as though the author published her detailed outline, which had the bones to be something really amazing. Had she given more details in some places and explained more of the plan that Millie comes up with once they are at the ocean would have made it so much more enjoyable. The ending was also a bit shaky, it seemed hastily ended (okay, maybe I am an ending snob..). This goes back to not enough elaboration on Millie's plan, it wasn't explained, was the beach wall less monitored? Is there a boat? It needed something otherwise anyone would get out, which defeats the whole purpose of the climax.
I also wont give away who or when someone dies, but it felt that she introduced characters and before you really were able to get to know them, they died or got hurt in some way, it made it so that while the death was still sad, it wasn't as heartbreaking as when a character you love dies.
This book really had the potential to become a series had the author put in a little more details, a little more meat and potatoes. Overall I would recommend this book if you liked the Hunger Games, but dont expect the same caliber of story. For a debut novel it is better than most debut's. Not a terrible book, but not something I think I will ever pick up again.
As always, here is a link to the book on Amazon.com, or you can feel free to use the search box on the right side of the screen!
http://www.amazon.com/Prison-Nation-ebook/dp/B006H4LPZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340932356&sr=8-1&keywords=prison+nation
Happy Reading!!!
Author: Jenni Merritt
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
Millie 942B is about to turn 18, which will bring her a brand new life. Millie's parents are in prison for murder for life, and Millie was born and raised behind bars, 942B being her cell number and floor in the prison. Spokane, Washington has been turned into basically a prison city, much like 3 other cities in what used to be America, but is now called the Nation.
Millie encounters people in prison that she is not sure she should trust, some good, and some truly frightening, and is taught by the prison psychologist how to be "the good and the strong" for the Nation once she is released. Once released though, Millie starts to question if the Nation itself is really a prison, if anyone is really truly free. She falls in love with someone once she is released, and is constantly haunted by a terrible guard from the prison. Millie and her love interest decide to try to get to the ocean, since she has never seen the ocean and longs for true escape.
My Thoughts:
The concept is certainly an interesting one --I mean lets be honest, I am a HUGE fan of "The Hunger Games" series is most of the world, and cant seem to get enough of the terrible dystopian society we have the potential to become if left to our own devices. The idea that criminals, such as Millie's parents (who shouldn't be written off as criminals perhaps) would be moved to this prison, where they not only live in the same cells as their spouses but also are able to have children while in prison and keep them there as prisoners until they are 18 is interesting too, its not an idea I have heard before, and at first thought I might have a hard time accepting the fact that America as we know it would allow that type of thing, even a fictitious America. However, the Nation is not America, and hasn't been for years, so it becomes a world very easy to submerge yourself into.
I also enjoyed getting to know Millie, although at times her character is not what I'd expect. You get to know two Millies, the Millie 942B, and Millie Summers- the prisoner Millie vs Millie the "free". Her anxiety or "fog" as she calls it sometimes makes being in her head a little bit confusing, but for the most part she has a clearly defined voice, and is a really likable character. Millie's parents are also interesting characters, because they make you realize that maybe not everyone is who they seem to be. The story of the parents was pretty intriguing and kept my interest in the book in the slow spots.
One of the things I didn't enjoy that much about the book is that it felt very rushed. It felt as though the author published her detailed outline, which had the bones to be something really amazing. Had she given more details in some places and explained more of the plan that Millie comes up with once they are at the ocean would have made it so much more enjoyable. The ending was also a bit shaky, it seemed hastily ended (okay, maybe I am an ending snob..). This goes back to not enough elaboration on Millie's plan, it wasn't explained, was the beach wall less monitored? Is there a boat? It needed something otherwise anyone would get out, which defeats the whole purpose of the climax.
I also wont give away who or when someone dies, but it felt that she introduced characters and before you really were able to get to know them, they died or got hurt in some way, it made it so that while the death was still sad, it wasn't as heartbreaking as when a character you love dies.
This book really had the potential to become a series had the author put in a little more details, a little more meat and potatoes. Overall I would recommend this book if you liked the Hunger Games, but dont expect the same caliber of story. For a debut novel it is better than most debut's. Not a terrible book, but not something I think I will ever pick up again.
As always, here is a link to the book on Amazon.com, or you can feel free to use the search box on the right side of the screen!
http://www.amazon.com/Prison-Nation-ebook/dp/B006H4LPZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340932356&sr=8-1&keywords=prison+nation
Happy Reading!!!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Deal of the Day
Hello all!
As you will learn, I am a fan of Jodi Picoult, but her novels are a bit on the pricey side even for digital copy. Today on Amazon however, I stumbled upon one of her books, "Plain Truth" at a deep discount, so I thought I'd share!
Enjoy!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Truth-ebook/dp/B000FC0STQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340565397&sr=8-1&keywords=plain+truth
I will be posting another review this week, so feel free to check back soon or make your life easier by subscribing using your email!
As you will learn, I am a fan of Jodi Picoult, but her novels are a bit on the pricey side even for digital copy. Today on Amazon however, I stumbled upon one of her books, "Plain Truth" at a deep discount, so I thought I'd share!
Enjoy!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Truth-ebook/dp/B000FC0STQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340565397&sr=8-1&keywords=plain+truth
I will be posting another review this week, so feel free to check back soon or make your life easier by subscribing using your email!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Chosen One
Book title: The Chosen One
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
Thirteen year old Kyra lives in a polygamist community that is very isolated from the world. Her father has three wives and she has more than twenty brothers and sisters. She is in love with a boy named Joshua, a forbidden romance as the prophet has decided that she is to marry her sixty year old uncle, a man who already has 6 wives. She wants so badly to be able to chose her own life, her own husband, but as one of the "Chosen Ones" she must obey what the prophet declares.
With so many things forbidden to her, and so many things declared a sin she still decides to visit a mobile-library-on-wheels, and starts to read, and realizes that things are not the way they should be. Soon the spark of her hatred for the prophet grows into a raging flame, threatening the lives of the ones she loves, and creating an internal battle of whether being with her family is something she can risk losing for freedom.
My Thoughts:
This book was something that I was very wary of reading at first. Everyone, at some point or another, has either seen someone in their own town, or seen pictures or even a TV special on polygamist communities, or the polygamist lifestyle (not the same type of polygamy as you will see on "Sister Wives" on TLC, this is a more fundamental, french braid wearing type of polygamy)-- but this has always been such a closed off set of people, that it is hard to imagine the daily lives of these women and men. I was worried that I would not be able to relate to these characters, and worried that it was some kind of sales pitch for the polygamist lifestyle-- I couldn't have been more wrong.
The first line of the book will get you hooked, "If I was going to kill the prophet...I'd do it in Africa." and within the first 2 pages you see that Kyra's hatred for the prophet is so deep, a thirteen year old girl describing how she would leave his body next to an African termites nest so that nothing of him would be left.
Instantly I felt a connection with Kyra. Her character is so strong for someone so young-- granted in her community she is at prime marrying age-- but she is still so naive at the same time.While reading this battle, I could feel her torment inside, the author did a really fantastic job at exposing the pain of risking never seeing your family again while still exposing the raw fear of having to be forced to marry someone who is, not only your blood relative, but someone who is more than fifty years older than you. All of this fear inside the community and she still is insecure and different outside the community, outside she is just a young girl who is stared at and alienated because of her religion. The conflicts in this book were very clear, and in turn the character development in Kyra was magnificent. Who she is on page one is not who she is on the last page, which makes her feel so real.
Another strength in this book was simply the exposure of this type of community.
***Sort- of Spoiler alert***
As I mentioned before, Kyra is a "chosen one", and she is going to marry her much older blood relative. I felt sick to my stomach when I read this. Whats worse, is that there is mention of babies with birth defects being born and killed because birth defects are a sign of an "unpure mother"- among other murders for various infractions. These children are not born with the help of doctors, get no birth certificate, and in essence can be born and killed without any written or official record of their existence. Women are not supposed to read, which is why Kyra could, and does get into, a huge amount of trouble for going to the mobile-library-on-wheels. People are beaten and subdued by these "prophets" who, by the way, are part of the law enforcement! I am literally becoming outraged just writing this and reliving the emotions I read in this book, so I will stop there and let you all experience it for yourself. My point is, that the author did an awesome job relating these emotions in the novel without sounding tattle-taley.
The only reason I didn't give this book that fraction of the last star is this: the ending! (I promise I am not an ending snob!!!) I only wish this book had followed Kyra a little longer in the end. The climax of the story is so fast paced, so edge of your seat, and then, it feels like it just, well, ends. There wasn't a lot of wind-down, or a lot of resolution time. Having said that, I will say that the ending made me relieved none-the-less.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It is not something you should read, however, if you are not a fan of reading emotionally, or if you are looking for a light book, as this will leave you feeling very heavy inside.
As always here is a link the the Kindle ebook, or you can also use the Amazon search box on the right hand side of the page. Happy Reading!!!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-One-ebook/dp/B002ASFPUA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340161442&sr=1-1&keywords=the+chosen+one
Author: Carol Lynch Williams
4.5 out of 5 Stars
Plot Background:
Thirteen year old Kyra lives in a polygamist community that is very isolated from the world. Her father has three wives and she has more than twenty brothers and sisters. She is in love with a boy named Joshua, a forbidden romance as the prophet has decided that she is to marry her sixty year old uncle, a man who already has 6 wives. She wants so badly to be able to chose her own life, her own husband, but as one of the "Chosen Ones" she must obey what the prophet declares.
With so many things forbidden to her, and so many things declared a sin she still decides to visit a mobile-library-on-wheels, and starts to read, and realizes that things are not the way they should be. Soon the spark of her hatred for the prophet grows into a raging flame, threatening the lives of the ones she loves, and creating an internal battle of whether being with her family is something she can risk losing for freedom.
My Thoughts:
This book was something that I was very wary of reading at first. Everyone, at some point or another, has either seen someone in their own town, or seen pictures or even a TV special on polygamist communities, or the polygamist lifestyle (not the same type of polygamy as you will see on "Sister Wives" on TLC, this is a more fundamental, french braid wearing type of polygamy)-- but this has always been such a closed off set of people, that it is hard to imagine the daily lives of these women and men. I was worried that I would not be able to relate to these characters, and worried that it was some kind of sales pitch for the polygamist lifestyle-- I couldn't have been more wrong.
The first line of the book will get you hooked, "If I was going to kill the prophet...I'd do it in Africa." and within the first 2 pages you see that Kyra's hatred for the prophet is so deep, a thirteen year old girl describing how she would leave his body next to an African termites nest so that nothing of him would be left.
Instantly I felt a connection with Kyra. Her character is so strong for someone so young-- granted in her community she is at prime marrying age-- but she is still so naive at the same time.While reading this battle, I could feel her torment inside, the author did a really fantastic job at exposing the pain of risking never seeing your family again while still exposing the raw fear of having to be forced to marry someone who is, not only your blood relative, but someone who is more than fifty years older than you. All of this fear inside the community and she still is insecure and different outside the community, outside she is just a young girl who is stared at and alienated because of her religion. The conflicts in this book were very clear, and in turn the character development in Kyra was magnificent. Who she is on page one is not who she is on the last page, which makes her feel so real.
Another strength in this book was simply the exposure of this type of community.
***Sort- of Spoiler alert***
As I mentioned before, Kyra is a "chosen one", and she is going to marry her much older blood relative. I felt sick to my stomach when I read this. Whats worse, is that there is mention of babies with birth defects being born and killed because birth defects are a sign of an "unpure mother"- among other murders for various infractions. These children are not born with the help of doctors, get no birth certificate, and in essence can be born and killed without any written or official record of their existence. Women are not supposed to read, which is why Kyra could, and does get into, a huge amount of trouble for going to the mobile-library-on-wheels. People are beaten and subdued by these "prophets" who, by the way, are part of the law enforcement! I am literally becoming outraged just writing this and reliving the emotions I read in this book, so I will stop there and let you all experience it for yourself. My point is, that the author did an awesome job relating these emotions in the novel without sounding tattle-taley.
The only reason I didn't give this book that fraction of the last star is this: the ending! (I promise I am not an ending snob!!!) I only wish this book had followed Kyra a little longer in the end. The climax of the story is so fast paced, so edge of your seat, and then, it feels like it just, well, ends. There wasn't a lot of wind-down, or a lot of resolution time. Having said that, I will say that the ending made me relieved none-the-less.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It is not something you should read, however, if you are not a fan of reading emotionally, or if you are looking for a light book, as this will leave you feeling very heavy inside.
As always here is a link the the Kindle ebook, or you can also use the Amazon search box on the right hand side of the page. Happy Reading!!!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Chosen-One-ebook/dp/B002ASFPUA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340161442&sr=1-1&keywords=the+chosen+one
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Wedding Gift
Hello all and thank you for tuning in to my book review blog!
Today I will be reviewing the novel "The Wedding Gift" by Marlen Suyapa Bodden (read on my Kindle prior to it being taken off of the Amazon Kindle site). Many, if not all, of the books that I will be reviewing are read and available on the Amazon Kindle, to which I will add a link at the end of each review if you would like to purchase the book (hopefully I can help spread the word about some amazing hidden gems!).
Book Title: The Wedding Gift
Author: Marlen Suyapa Bodden
4 out of 5 Stars
Book Title: The Wedding Gift
Author: Marlen Suyapa Bodden
4 out of 5 Stars
"The Wedding Gift" is a book that takes place in the American south during the time of Slavery. The book is written in two point of views-- Mrs. Theodora Allen, the wife of a wealthy plantation owner Cornelius Allen; and Sarah, one of the slaves on Mr. Allen's plantation who is also a child of Mr. Allen's. This book exposes the raw brutality of slavery and the less talked about infidelity of husbands with their (often unwilling) slave women.
Theodora has a daughter, Clarissa, who is very close in age to Sarah, and knowing that Cornelius is Sarah's father, Theodora decides to teach both girls how to read and write-- risking everything as it is illegal to teach a slave to write. The girls grow up together, and remain close, and Sarah is taught to be Clarissa's maid. Clarissa is made to marry Mr. Cromwell, a man whom is neither respectable nor charming but very very rich, and prior to the wedding it is discovered that Clarissa is pregnant. Sarah, being raised to be Clarissa's maid is sent with her as a wedding gift.
Meanwhile, Sarah's mother is made to go "lay with Mr. Allen" every night even though she loathes it, and when she finally stands up for herself Sarah's sister Belle is sold to another plantation.
I don't want to ruin the book for those of you out there wanting to read it, so I will stop the plot synopsis here. Having said that I give the book 4 out of 5 stars.
The novel is one you will have trouble putting down, the plot picks up from the first chapter with very few slow spots. It also will make you feel, even if you are from the south like me, angry at the south and at the plantation owners. I have always learned about, and felt angry that slavery ever existed in the first place, but most people dont consider the grueling day to day lives of the slaves. Being whipped in front of everyone and not allowed to leave the property was only the beginning of the suffering. Women were forced to attend to the white men's sexual needs among other things. At one point in the book someone tells Theodora that wives are for having children and the slave women are for satisfying their deviant needs-- this is something that literally made me sick when I read it.
The book also evoked such a strong emotion of pride in the character Sarah. I became so attached to her while reading this that I truly felt like I knew her. Without saying too much, she uses her mind to get out of her situation (very cryptic I know), and when she does, you feel almost smug. Sarah's mother Emmeline was also a strong character, but strong in a different way-- she was more calm and her perseverance ends up saving her-- but the author gave them enough similar traits so that you could see each one in the other. Theodora is another strong woman portrayed in the book, someone you expect the hate from page one because she too was a slave owner, but someone who is so complex and so easily liked. She respects everyone, slaves included, which makes her husband all the more... unrespectable. In a nutshell, the character development was fantastic. The bond and the depth of each character is truly a work of art.
So, having said all of these good things about this awesome book, I will reveal the reason it didn't get the coveted fifth star: the ending.
Okay SPOILER ALERT! For those who would like to read the spoiler and more in depth review on the ending click here: http://bookobsessedreader.blogspot.com/p/spoilers-page.html
My first issue with the ending was that the timing made me so sad. This is perhaps not something I should fault the author for, because lets be honest, life doesnt always have good timing.
My only other issue with the ending, is that while I understand that some books like to leave you with a jaw dropped, this one tried for the jaw dropper but just felt hasty.
Overall this is a fantastic book. I wish it was still available on Kindle for those of you who are bookies like myself and obsessed with amazon, but here is a link to the page where you can purchase a print copy. http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Gift-Marlen-Suyapa-Bodden/dp/1439255830/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339979218&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wedding+gift
Thanks for reading my first review everyone! And feel free to comment if you feel I missed anything, good or bad!
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