Review: Bitterblue

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved it. I hope there's more to come, and from the ending, I feel that there will be. Not that there was a cliffhanger ending. I just got the feeling that there's more story to be told.

There are definite differences between this and the previous two books in the series. There is not much romance, for one thing. It just didn't fit within the scope of this part of Bitterblue's story, and it felt complete without it. This is one reason I believe there will be a sequel - I don't get the sense that Cashore is done telling Bitterblue's story.

There is also less magic. Bitterblue doesn't have a Grace, and she's not a monster. She's a queen with a kingdom to rule. So although there is still magic around her, the story focuses more on her political struggles. I also felt this was appropriate, although I did miss the heavier focus on magic, and this was not my favorite of the three for that reason.

Bitterblue is also not adventurous in the same way as Graceling or Fire in the sense that it all takes place in one city. That's to be expected since a queen is not free to go gallivanting from kingdom to kingdom. But the mystery, the danger, and the political intrigue as Bitterblue tries to find her way to being a true queen is adventuresome in its own way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.



View all my reviews

Review: Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was pretty dark, and sad. The lighter aspects of friendship and the pack relationships from book 1 were missing. I hope things turn around in book 3. There's a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end, but luckily the 3rd book is already out.

I've also decided I'm not a fan of love triangles. I guess I prefer the 'one and only undying love' types instead of the 'I can't make up my mind so I'll just keep kissing everyone' types. Somehow that just really annoys me. It annoyed me in Twilight, and it still isn't working for me in this series. Maybe it's because I'm not a teen anymore that I don't enjoy the concept of being in love with multiple people at once. That's not love. That's hormones. I just don't find it plausible or desirable in a story.



View all my reviews

Review: The Cater Street Hangman

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I struggled to get into this for the first 70 pages. The setup of the family relationships as being over-righteous, stuffy and proper took about that long. Once they finally started to be shaken by the events taking place, characters finally began to take on more depth and interest for me.

I enjoy mysteries in the Victorian setting, and this causes enough suspicion between people to shake things up, regardless of who is really the killer. There were enough surprises to make me want to read more in the series, plus I want to read more about Detective Pitt and his relationship to Charlotte.



View all my reviews

Review: Dark Road to Darjeeling

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This was an improvement on Silent on the Moor, not being so completely dark and frustrating. Julia and Brisbane still don't talk to each other nearly as much as they should, and a lot of the plot comes from their continued lack of trust. But at least they're together finally, and they do seem to be learning by the end of the book. This gives me hope for the future.

India provides a different setting, so that was interesting. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that although I should have found this change refreshing, I missed England and wished they would return to London again.

The mystery itself is ok. Still not the caliber of the beginning of the series, but I enjoyed it overall. I'm looking forward to reading The Dark Enquiry, which I believe does return to London, and hopefully more after that!



View all my reviews

Review: Silent on the Moor

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I have to admit I was disappointed in this third installment of the Lady Julia Grey series. The setting is part of the problem. Although a gothic moor lends atmosphere, it's also quite depressing when the author doesn't allow lighter moments to break up the monotony. This does not happen, and honestly, I felt let down. There were real opportunities here that went unrealized, especially for the development of Julia and Brisbane's relationship.

Julia and Brisbane are thrown together in this remote place, but rather than using the time to deepen their relationship, it only heightens the sense of isolation and despair between them. The relationship that I had hoped would be maturing at this point remains at an impasse; they spend most of the time avoiding and hurting each other for no apparent reason, and Brisbane's excuses for turning his back on their love are just not believable.

I had hoped by this point in their relationship, they'd finally be learning to trust each other and working/growing together. Instead, I feel that the author was just dragging out the heartache unnecessarily. Then there's suddenly a happy ending out of nowhere. It just doesn't jive, although I am relieved that it happened. It gives me hope enough to read the next book.

There is also no relief or lightness from secondary characters. Yes, it is a murder scene, and there are those gothic family secrets. It's going to have its dark moments. But surely something happy could have happened? Someone could have restored the gardens or something! Anything! That would have been totally in line with the gothic theme. Instead Portia - whose role should have been to help with this - suffers her own tragedy. Seriously sad and depressing.

The mystery itself is also blah. It just doesn't have the sophistication of the previous ones and generally falls flat. Maybe it's because the other aspects I've already described make the entire story one-dimensional. This whole book was a missed opportunity. It was filler. I will continue to read the series because reviews suggest a return to higher quality in later books. I hope so.



View all my reviews

Review: Silent in the Sanctuary

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It would be difficult to follow up Silent in the Grave, and I had little hope that this second installment could live up to the first. Although I don't believe it was as good, it was still very enjoyable. The gothic setting, the characters, the gypsies, the mystery... it was still fresh. I was satisfied. This is another favorite.



View all my reviews

Review: Silent in the Grave

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've discovered a new favorite genre! I love the mix of historical fiction, mystery, and little bit of love story. The characters are full, intriguing, mysterious, and witty. The setting is fully realized, the atmosphere intoxicating. The mystery is twisting, convoluted, and absolutely satisfying. Fantastic!



View all my reviews