28. Triple Jeopardy

Triple Jeopardy. (Daniel Pitt #2) Anne Perry. 2019. 288 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: DANIEL RANG THE doorbell, then stepped back. He realized with amazement that he was suddenly nervous. Why? This was his parents’ home, the house he had grown up in. At twenty-five, he still returned quite often for dinner, for news, for comfort and pleasure in conversation. What was different this time?

Premise/plot: Triple Jeopardy has our hero, Daniel Pitt, taking the lead in his first serious court case. But the court case is anything but simple. In fact, in some ways it's convoluted. Philip Sidney, a British diplomat, has been charged with embezzling small amounts of money throughout the years. The case is silly--why spend so much time, energy, effort when the theft was so small--the alleged theft. But Pitt fears the answer: Sidney is being set up. The trial exists as an excuse to bring up larger all-circumstantial crimes that couldn't-wouldn't stick. Sidney has many enemies, it appears, and it will take some DIGGING to find out why those enemies want Sidney's reputation completely ruined and smeared.

Daniel Pitt once again teams up with Miriam Blackwood to solve the mystery.

On a lighter note, this mystery sees Daniel reuniting with his sister, Jemima.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I didn't love it--at least not love, love, love. But it was pleasant enough. The second half definitely picked up the pace. It was slow going at first. If it had taken Daniel much longer to start putting pieces together, I might have started yelling at him. But he turned his eyes in the right direction just in time.

I do love to see Daniel working side by side with Miriam.

Quotes:

If you pricked me, I’d bleed tea.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

In Dublin's Fair City

In Dublin's Fair City. (Molly Murphy #6) Rhys Bowen. 2007. 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Be careful what you wish for." That was another of my mother's favorite sayings--one of the few in her wealth of warnings that didn't predict a bad end, hell fire, and eternal damnation.

Premise/plot: In Dublin's Fair City is the sixth Molly Murphy mystery. Molly Murphy gets a couple of paying jobs in this one. First, she's hired by a playwright (Tommy Burke) to go to Ireland and search for his long-lost "baby" sister, Mary Ann Burke. This search will take her--you guessed it--to Dublin, Ireland. Her second paying job is to switch places with a famous New York actress on the voyage over. This one isn't an investigative job, but, it leads to a whole other kind of investigation.

Now you may be wanting to know if there's any movement in the Daniel Sullivan story line--there isn't. Daniel is STILL in trouble with the law and awaiting his trial. He is out on bail. But Molly is quick to leave him--and New York City--behind when she gets an opportunity to earn some money.

My thoughts: I am finding the series as a whole mainly enjoyable. Molly is still stubborn and willful. Molly is still fierce and sometimes obnoxious. BUT. To be fair, in the big fight scene with Daniel...I wanted to yell at Daniel AND I wanted to yell at Molly. They were both being a bit obnoxious.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Al Capone Throws Me A Curve

Al Capone Throws Me A Curve. (Al Capone at Alcatraz #4) Gennifer Choldenko. 2018. Random House. 240 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Even when you live on a prison island with crafty criminals plotting ways to knock you off, summer is the best time of the year.

Premise/plot: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the fourth book in Gennifer Choldenko's series. The first three are  Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework.

Moose Flanagan has worries--worries big and small. He's worried about having to "babysit" the warden's daughter, Piper. She's back for the summer, and, if you've read the series you know she is TROUBLE. Whether Piper ever means to get into trouble is up for debate. But Piper and Moose have history. (If you remember, Piper got into BIG, BIG trouble in the last book for circulating counterfeit money.) He's worried about not getting on a baseball team. Scout really wants to play with the older kids--high schoolers, I think?--and he's wanting MOOSE to help him--help them--get on the team. How?! Using his prison connections to celebrity criminals like Al Capone. Moose loves, loves, loves baseball. He does. But he really doesn't like how Scout is always pressuring him about one thing or another. Nothing ever seems enough for Scout. (If Moose didn't live on Alcatraz, would Scout want to be his friend?) Moose is still worried--at times--about his father. After all, it hasn't been all that long since an attempt was made on his life. Will his father be promoted to warden? What will it mean if he is?

But first and foremost Moose is worried about his sister, Natalie. She's turning SEVENTEEN. Their mom may have given up the pretense of her turning ten every year, but, she's far from at peace with Natalie's real age. How does Natalie fit in the real world? How does she fit into their family? How does she fit into their life on the island?

My thoughts: These books are so good. I'm so glad I decided to reread the whole series in preparation for this new one. I came into the book ATTACHED to the characters. For better or worse, reading all the books so close together makes them weightier somehow. I feel like I've been living in Moose's shoes and carrying his burdens.

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Promises and Primroses

Promises and Primroses. Josi S. Kilpack. 2018. Shadow Mountain. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Elliott Mayfield, the fifth Viscount Howardsford, looked across the desk at Peter, his eldest nephew and heir. Destiny and opportunity are not that different, he reminded himself in an effort to bolster his courage.

Premise/plot: Elliott Mayfield has decided that his nieces and nephews need a little extra help in making good matches and settling down. Emphasis on good. Their parents--his brother and sisters--made bad matches, regrettable matches leading to scandalous talk--either before or after. Peter is perhaps his favorite.

Peter is a widower with two young children--daughters. He's not looking to marry a second time. His first marriage was not a mistake: she was the love of his life. The idea of marrying to please his uncle and to set a 'good example' for his cousins is ridiculous. NO THANK YOU.

Yet it isn't long after his uncle's suggestion that he hires a new governess, Julia Hollingsworth. She wasn't his first or even second choice--she is young and beautiful. But she's a perfect fit for his household. She's great with his daughters. And she is knowledgeable about dogs too. He's newly in the breeding business and he could use her help.

But Julia's mother is ANGRY--disgruntled. When she finds out WHO hired her daughter, she takes steps to intervene. She seeks out Elliott Mayfield to enlist his help. Julia must not be allowed to remain in a Mayfield residence.

Can Peter change Amelia Hollingsworth's mind? Will he realize just what Julia is becoming to mean to him in time?

My thoughts: I loved, loved, LOVED this one. It's set in England--in the countryside--in 1822. It is written from four perspectives: Elliott, Peter, Julia, and Amelia. It was a nice touch including Elliott and Amelia's point of view. Julia has a hard time understanding or appreciating her mother. If one didn't get Amelia's point of view as well, one would leap to conclusions about her character. As it is, there are four well-developed four very-human characters for readers to get to know.

I love romance. I don't read it all that often because I prefer clean romances to smutty ones. When I find an author or in this case a publishing company that is reliably clean I get excited. I would definitely recommend this one!

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Search for Snake River (Oregon Trail #3)

The Search for Snake River. (Oregon Trail #3) Jesse Wiley. 2018. HMH. 160 pages. [Review copy]

First sentence: You are a young pioneer headed West by wagon train in the year 1850. You and your family have already braved nearly half of the perilous frontier path known as the Oregon Trail, crossing 820 miles of territory in what will later become the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

Premise/plot: The Search for Snake River is the third book in this Choose Your Own Adventure series inspired by the classic computer game Oregon Trail. There are twenty-three possible endings, but only one ending that will bring you and your family closer to your dream of reaching Oregon City.

The first decision you'll be asked to make is should you head to Fort Bridger OR should you take the Greenwood Cutoff. One choice will lead to four endings. The other closer to twenty possible endings.

Risks abound in this choose your own adventure book. Some of the risks directly relate to your decisions in a logical way. Others not so much. 

My thoughts: These books are fun and enjoyable. In spite of the many deaths you might die. Not all failures result in death which I suppose is a good thing. I imagine in the game that is not the case.

Quotes:

• It will be several months before Pa can walk again, and he's likely to limp for the rest of his life. In the meantime, he'll have to give up his dream, which has become your dream, too, of getting to Oregon.
• Your family decides to stay for a few days in the cave while Pa hunts for food. But then you'll have to figure out how to go on without your wagon or any supplies. 
• By the time the oxen are ready to go, you are ready to move on, too...only not to Oregon Territory. You die of dysentery.
• Ma and Pa are so concerned about you that they tell the wagon train to go ahead while they try to nurse you back to health. But soon they have to leave you behind. You die of dysentery.
• But as the water hisses and steams, your insides burn, and you realize that your dreams of getting to Oregon have just evaporated into thin air. 
• Hannah and Samuel cry because their legs hurt, and because they are scared to end up looking and feeling like you. They're right to be scared, because you will eventually die of scurvy.
• Without your food supply, the risks of starving on the Trail are too great to continue. In a flash, your dreams of Oregon are over. 
• You hate the fort and the idea of being there any longer, but for now it's where your dreams end. Be sure to keep an eye out for snakes!
• But what is real is the fact that you've been wandering in the hot desert for a while and no one knows where you are. Your chances of being found are extremely low. 
• "It was a rattler," you manage to whisper. Your eyes start to roll back in your head, and the last thing you see is Pa's stricken face as he cradles you in his arms. 
• Even if you make it back to solid land, you'll have to make some hard choices about what to do next. Getting to Oregon City seems impossible now. 
• Your family is stranded without any water, any animals to pull your wagon, and, soon, any hopes of survival. 
• Pa explains that he wants to start a business with the local people, offering services to other pioneers. "We can help people who have lost animals, want guides, or need food and water," Pa says. "And I'm sure people will want to trade and buy things from us, which will make us a good living!" Your family's dreams of getting to Oregon aren't gone forever, just on hold for a little while. 
• Luckily you do wake up, but you are much too weak to continue on this journey. And pretty soon, without any water, the rest of your family is feeling the same as you. You never imagined that something as simple--but as precious--as water would end up destroying your dreams of Oregon.
• You search desperately for water. But there is nothing. Your family cannot survive. As you lie down for the night, parched and weak, you wonder who will pass by your bones. 
• While you're waiting, Pa discovers a freshwater spring with clear and delicious water. As you camp there, Ma and Pa start to sell fresh pies, quilts, and other goods to thirsty travelers who stop to rest. By the time Caleb is ready to move on, your family is settled, happy, and convinced that this is a better life than the one on the Trail. You watch the rest of the wagon train roll away, as you help yourself to a big piece of pie.
• Bam! the next rocks are too big to avoid. You crash into them, and right before you are knocked out forever, you wonder if the wagon wheel will still make it to shore.
• But you're wrong. Within moments the fire catches up to all of you and you are engulfed in flames. 
• In one dream, you have taken too much medicine and ended up poisoning yourself. Or is that your fate?
• As your oxen start to die, you realize that you won't ever make it to Oregon. 
• You never wished for the veggies you used to leave on your plate more than right now. 
• You have water in your lungs and will die of pneumonia.

Some endings sound happy enough until you start to overthink them. 



© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Little Town on the Prairie

Little Town on the Prairie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1941. 374 pages. [Source: Library]

 I enjoyed rereading Little Town on the Prairie. Is it completely perfect in every way? Probably not. (The idea of Pa joining in a minstrel show performance still doesn't sit well with me. Just like I don't like the dialogue of the Native American in The Long Winter--when he warns them of the winter ahead. But other than that, I don't have any real issue with the book). In this book:

• The family moves back to their homestead for the summer and fall
• The Ingalls get a cat AFTER Pa's hair is "cut" by mice in the night!
• Laura gets a job assisting a seamstress
• Laura and Carrie and Pa go to a fourth of July celebration; lemonade is involved
• Blackbirds come and threaten numerous crops; some of the corn is saved and will be dried for winter consumption
• Mary goes away to college
• The family moves back to the town for the winter
• Laura and Carrie attend school
• Nellie Oleson is one of the 'country' girls attending school
• Nellie becomes teacher's pet; the new teacher is Eliza Jane Wilder
• Laura gets her first ride behind Almanzo's horses (she's running late for school, she had to order name cards)
• A Literary Society (of sorts) is formed in town for the winter
• The book actually covers TWO winters in town, but, we barely learn anything about the spring/summer/and fall in between the winters.
• Laura attends several revival meetings and Almanzo asks to see her home each night!
• Almanzo hints that he wants to take her sledding.
• Laura gets her teaching certificate

Plenty of lovely things happen. I love the progression of the series. This book just makes me smile as I'm reading it. I often forget just how much I like this one since I love, love, love THE LONG WINTER, and I always associate These Happy Golden Years with having THE romance. I don't give this one enough credit for being OH-SO-GOOD.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Long Winter

The Long Winter. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1940. 335 pages. [Source: Library]

Out of all the Little House books, I probably reread the Long Winter most. There is just something about it that I love. The book opens with the Ingalls family preparing reasonably for the coming winter. Their plans don't take into account an early winter, a long winter, and a hard winter. Once there was a touch of winter in October, it was there to stay. The "good" weather being merely not-currently-in-a-four-day-blizzard. Some days the Ingalls and their neighbors are blessed with two days in between blizzards.

So, to begin back at the beginning, the Ingalls family moves to town after the first blizzard in October. It becoming obvious to Ma and Pa that they likely would not survive if they stayed at their claim. They take what provisions they've got, and everyone moves to town. But the provisions that they've got, that they've carefully planned and prepared won't be enough under these conditions. No one foresaw that there would be no trains coming to town during the winter months bringing food and fuel and such. Every person in town feels the stress of it. How will they survive? Will they survive?

This is the book where Laura and Almanzo first meet.

I love the intensity of this one. It's a book you experience. The cold. The hunger. The angst. 

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Step Into The Spotlight (2015)

The Amazing Stardust Friends #1: Step Into the Spotlight! Heather Alexander. Illustrated by Diane Le Feyer. 2015. Scholastic. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Marlo's mom has just joined the circus: joined as a chef. Her and her mom will now be living on a circus train. There are several other children for Marlo to get to know: some are performers themselves, some are children of employees and/or performers. Marlo really wants to become friends with the three Stardust girls: Allie, the acrobat, Bella, the animal trainer, and Carly, the clown. She's been told she can join the Stardust Parade IF she can come up with an amazing act of her own. She has just TWO days until the next performance. She's very determined and quite ambitious. Perhaps she can learn to be an acrobat? or a clown? or work with animals? Or perhaps not. Can Allie, Carly, and Bella help Marlo find her own way of being amazing? And will Marlo become a Stardust girl too?

This is an illustrated chapter book. I liked it. I did. It's a fun book with a playful premise.


© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Shadow Throne (2014)

The Shadow Throne. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2014. Scholastic. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

The Shadow Throne was the PERFECT conclusion to a near-perfect trilogy. I fell in love with this series from the very beginning. I absolutely loved The False Prince, which introduces the orphan Sage. Our hero is brave, strong, snarky, and clever. Technically, he's also good at lying. But some of that at least is due in part to the life he's been forced to lead for so long. Dare I say it's been NECESSARY lying?! Sage is a character I loved from the start. He's one of several orphan boys kidnapped by a rogue regent with his own agenda. Tobias and Roden are the other two boys. The regent's mad plan is to put an orphan onto the throne, trying to sell the other regents with the idea that this boy is THE LOST PRINCE thought to have been killed by pirates over four years before. Connor, the mad and bad regent, knows his schemes are ambitious. But he's very arrogant, confident that he can do the impossible: train an uneducated orphan how to be a prince in just TWO WEEKS. Sage, guessing that failure equals death, decides he will be THE ONE to win the job that when all is said and done he does not want. In book two, readers see Sage, King Jaron now, on the throne. But this transition has been anything but easy. His regents who are much, much older see King Jaron as a joke. I don't know that they'd openly admit that they regret his return from obscurity. But, more and more are willing to say they regret putting him on the throne WITHOUT a steward or regent to "GUIDE" him until he comes of age. Just a few weeks have gone by, and Jaron's future is looking bleaker and bleaker. Early on, it becomes obvious to Jaron that life cannot continue on as it is. Without his country's support, without his country's knowledge, King Jaron is determined to act in the best interests of Carthya, and try his best to prevent the war from starting NOW. Even Jaron knows that war will come. But war in a few months is better than war tomorrow if your country is as ill prepared as his is. This is the book with Pirates! In the third book, the war has begun. Jaron and Tobias and Roden (not to mention Imogen, Amarinda, Mott, and Harlowe) face incredibly difficult challenges; everyone will be pushed and challenged. It's VERY, VERY intense. I loved it.

There are so many reasons I loved this series.

I loved the characters. I loved how the characters developed throughout each book. I loved how the core of each character stayed the same, in a way, yet how they continued to grow and mature. I loved the main character, Sage/Jaron. I loved the minor characters. They never felt minor to me. I loved getting to know Tobias and Roden. Especially in this final book, I really appreciated these two! I also loved Harlowe, a character first introduced in the second book. Mott is another character I adored!!!

I loved the relationships. I loved how the relationships built. How respect and trust worked out in some of these relationships. I loved the theme of grace and redemption, of forgiveness. I loved the honesty. I loved see Jaron and Mott; loved seeing Jaron and Tobias; loved seeing Jaron and Roden. The friendships in this one are so very, very strong. And this isn't even including the light touch of romance!

I loved the world-building.

I loved the plotting. The twists and turns. This series has so many surprises! The plot is well-paced and a perfect blend of intensity and humor.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Reread #15 The Runaway King

The Runaway King. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2013. Scholastic. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I have just finished rereading The False Prince and The Runaway King in anticipation of The Shadow Throne. In a perfect world, every single reader would be a rereader. In a perfect world, every one would find the time to go back and reread all the prior books in a series, in trilogies especially. I know it's not realistic. But I can dream, right?! I took the time this time. I am SO GLAD I took the time to go back and read these two books back to back. In three days, I read The False Prince, The Runaway King, and The Shadow Throne. It was WONDERFUL. It was all kinds of wonderful!!! It was so satisfying, so compelling. I really came to know and love all of the characters. I really started noticing all the stories within the BIG story. I definitely recommend this series!!!

I originally reviewed this one in March 2013. 

Original review:  

Jaron has only been on the throne a short while and already the kingdom is in great danger, Jaron's life is at risk. The regents of the kingdom want Jaron to go into hiding, "for his own good" of course. They would rather deal with a steward in the king's place than have a "boy" on the throne, a boy who isn't afraid of facing reality. Jaron looks at the facts and sees: WAR IS COMING, WAR IS COMING, WAR IS COMING. His regents seem to see a different reality: peace, peace, peace, we must have peace no matter what, peace, peace, always we must have peace. Jaron would feel absolutely alone--forsaken--if it wasn't for a few friends who knew him before, knew him as Sage...

Running away from the throne, from the kingdom, might be Jaron's best option...

The Runaway King is such an exciting book! I love, love, love the fact that we get to go with Jaron/Sage on his journey into enemy territory as his own cleverness is put to the test...

I am still loving the world-building, the characterization, the dialogue, the storytelling. It's a GREAT book.
© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (2014)

The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. Alan Bradley. 2014. Random House. 310 pages. [Source: Library]

I haven't loved each and every Flavia de Luce book equally. I definitely enjoy Flavia as a character and narrator even though I can't always relate to her all the time. In this sixth mystery, Flavia's focus is NOT on a current murder mystery. Far from it, even though a murder occurs practically in front of her (at the train station), she can't really be bothered. Why? Well, her mother is coming home...at last. For Flavia, the one de Luce child who CANNOT remember her mother at all, this is just confusing and bittersweet. Is she glad her mother's body has been found? That the body is being returned so it can be properly buried? In a way, perhaps. But. The homecoming is just as bitter as it is sweet. It upsets the family so much, brings so many emotions out in the open where they cannot be ignored. The situation is forcing Flavia outside her comfort zone. If the novel does NOT focus on the current dead body, what does it focus on?! Well, it focuses on the past; it focuses on the years leading up to World War II. It provides context for her mother's life...and death. For Flavia solving this mystery of who her mother was, who she really was, her worth and value, means EVERYTHING. There were quite a few uncomfortable scenes in this one for me. I found the scenes where Flavia is trying to scientifically bring her mother back from the dead (after ten years) to be a bit creepy--she's trying to acquire the right chemicals to resurrect the dead.

Just like the previous book, this one closes with change on the way for Flavia.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Reread #14 The False Prince

The False Prince. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2012. Scholastic. 342 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Last March, I read The False Prince and The Runaway King the first two books in Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy. It was love. Not just love, but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I considered myself lucky that I had waited until the second book in the series had been released. I didn't have to wait! I could continue reading right away! When I received a review copy of The Shadow Throne a few weeks ago, I was oh-so-tempted to read it right away. But I didn't. I thought the book would be even more satisfying, even more wonderful if I took the time to reread the first two books. It was worth the wait.

I thought it was love the first time around. I really, really did. But. If it's possible, I think I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it even more the second time. The False Prince introduces the world and the characters so very well. And its a timeless fantasy story in many, many ways. Even knowing where the twists and turns were going, I still found myself very engaged with the story, still in love with its richness.

From my original review:

I thought this one would be good, but even I didn't expect it to be THAT GOOD. This book is WONDERFUL. Everything I wanted it to be! Readers first meet an orphan named Sage. When we meet him, he's on the run having just stolen meat from the butcher. He is "rescued" from the butcher by someone in the crowd, Connor. But is the rescue genuine? Connor goes with Sage to the orphanage and explains that he's just bought Sage. Sage soon meets other orphan boys his own age that Connor has bought from various orphanages in the land. He's taking them to his castle...

Sage is suspicious fearing that Connor and the men working for him are DANGEROUS. Yes, he could be beaten, he could be imprisoned, but he knows that he could also be KILLED if he displeases Connor. Does knowing this make Sage less defiant or outspoken? Not really.

Connor has a plan--an ambitious plan. The royal family has been killed, murdered, and no one knows the truth, yet. The second son was presumed dead at sea, but, what if one of the orphan boys could assume this second son's identity and become king? Connor wants the boys in competition with one another and in training to become the future king. In a few weeks time, he'll pick the "lucky" boy.

Sage wants to be the boy, for better or worse, perhaps knowing that to fail in this means certain death. But that doesn't mean he likes Connor or trusts him. He doesn't trust Connor...at all.

I loved spending time with Sage! I loved being introduced to this fantasy world!!! I loved the setting, the characterization, the writing!!! This is a magical, oh-so-satisfying read!

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

New Lands (2013)

New Lands (Chronicles of Egg #2). Geoff Rodkey. 2013. Penguin. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I hung my head over the side of the Thrush and watched the prow carve the seawater into a hissing spray. Viewed up close, the Blue Sea wasn't all that blue, and I wondered--for the umpteenth time in the past few days--who had named it that, and why they hadn't bothered to get it right.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series. Egg and Guts are on a quest, and the journey ahead of them is dangerous and uncertain. These two somewhat unlikely friends make a great pair! I didn't have much of an opinion on Guts in the first book, but he definitely grew on me in the second. (The way he named his hook, Lucy, the way he loves to play guitar, how he loves his foreign language lessons, etc.) I also enjoyed the two female characters, Kira, a native (Okalu), and Millicent Pembroke. (I have mixed feelings on Millicent though). One of my favorite characters, however, is a minor one. I really loved seeing Burn Healy again!!!

If you enjoy adventure-fantasy with a historical feel, then this series might satisfy! I enjoy the action, the adventure, the humor. I really like the way these two are narrated! 

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Earth Afire (2013)

Earth Afire. Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. (The First Formic War) 2013. Tor. 400 pages. [Source: Library]

Earth Afire is the sequel to Earth Unaware. I described the first book as something to be experienced instead of (merely) read. The second book is similar. It almost is too much of an experience to be considered enjoyable. It is so intense and so raw.

It is told from multiple view points: Bingwen (a young, intelligent Chinese boy who BELIEVES the vids posted about the aliens are real), Mazer (who is transferred along with his team from New Zealand to China), Victor (who risked it all to reach Luna in time to warn Earth and has sadly been disbelieved for the most part) Rena (Victor's mother who is tasked with keeping the women and children of El Calvador together no matter what), and Lem Jukes (who has changed so much since book one; he's now on a mission to stop the aliens). The aliens are coming--coming quickly. A handful of people know the truth, know the danger, it is just a matter of convincing people that it IS true and that SOMETHING should be done. Sound easy? It's not. For there are so many people--politicians, business men, and military leaders--who do NOT want to face reality that they will do anything to stop the truth from being believed and acted upon.

By the halfway point, the aliens are undeniably here and hostile. What will Earth do? Will there be a fractured effort to stop the aliens? Will the governments on Earth ever learn to work together? Can the aliens even be stopped?

I definitely felt this one. I cared about the characters and the story. My favorite new character was definitely Bingwen, those sections were something. I loved getting the chance to know Mazer Rackham better.

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A Crown of Swords

A Crown of Swords. Robert Jordan. 1996. Tor. 896 pages.

I enjoyed A Crown of Swords more than Lord of Chaos. (Though Lord of Chaos had a few GREAT scenes in it.) I took my time with A Crown of Swords knowing that if I forced myself to stick to a certain pace, I wouldn't enjoy it as much. I wanted to want to keep reading this one--not out of obligation, not out of a need to get to the next book, but for the enjoyment of taking it one book at a time, one story at a time, one character at a time.

One of the reasons I didn't feel connected to Lord of Chaos were the ever changing perspectives. A Crown of Swords visits many characters, provides many points of views, follows dozens of stories. But the changes from one to the other flowed much better in my opinion. We'd spend several chapters with Rand, then spend several chapters with Mat, etc. I feel we got to spend at least a  little time with (almost) all the characters. We did get to spend more time with Mat and Min in this book. Min being friendly with Rand. Mat keeping an eye on some of the Aes Sedai (Nynaeve, Elayne, etc.) I still don't feel we get to spend enough time with all the characters. There are some favorites of mine which I'd love to follow more closely.

Several things happen in this one, though, I admit things happen very slowly except for when they don't. Some changes happen quickly, others seem to take several books to give the appearance of budging.

This book isn't as satisfying perhaps as earlier books in the series, but, I still was happy to spend time reading it. 

Read A Crown of Swords

• If you enjoy LONG fantasy series that move at their own leisurely speed
• If you love world-building in fantasy novels
• If you've enjoyed previous books in this series. This is #7.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Dragons of Winter

The Dragons of Winter. James A. Owen. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 389 pages.

I definitely enjoyed reading The Dragons of Winter by James A. Owen. In this sixth adventure, our Caretakers (well, some of them) travel to the FUTURE. They travel to the future first seen (or experienced) by H.G. Wells (Bert). Well, that's the future they THOUGHT they were heading to. In reality, they end up someplace very, very different, a what-might-be world of darkness. The time they spend in this world is very interesting to me, and they do meet an interesting Bradbury-inspired underground community. But that's just a small part of the story, all the heroes and heroines are desperately trying to save time, to restore the timeline, to fix what has gone so horribly, horribly wrong with the world. There are dozens of characters and plenty of stories including a few flashbacks. (Readers learn of when a certain someone became apprentice to a certain dragon.) There were things that definitely surprised me in this one!!! But overall, I was very satisfied.

Read The Dragons of Winter

• If you've read and enjoyed the previous books in the series
• If you enjoy fantasy/adventure novels
• If you like time travel books
• If you like historical fantasy

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Lord of Chaos

Lord of Chaos. (Wheel of Time #6) Robert Jordan. 1994. Tor. 720 pages.

I struggled my way through Lord of Chaos. I didn't find it as easy to love as some of the earlier books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Because I was so enthusiastic at the start of the series, it was disappointing to "just" like a book instead of love it.

Lord of Chaos does have almost all of the characters I've come to like, love, enjoy. (Of course, in this good vs. evil battle there are plenty of not-so-good characters.) Rand isn't having an easy time being the Dragon Reborn. Sure, some people love him or the idea of him. Some might arguably be a little too enthusiastic for the cause. But others hate him and will stop at nothing to bring him down. But rather it's love or hate, there are plenty who just don't know him at all. They see him as a symbol, an idea, not a human being. Being around Rand brings danger to his friends... But this is never just Rand's story. There are a dozen or so "main" stories in this series. And hundreds of characters--at least--to follow through the narration. Some characters seem to have chapters and chapters dedicated to them, and others just a couple. Unfortunately, the proportion this time around didn't match my interest level. That is also how I felt about much of Lord of the Rings. There were characters that I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED so very much and whose stories I found so compelling and wonderful. And then there were other sections where I just kept reading so I could get to the good parts I knew were coming.

Read Lord of Chaos

• If you're a fan of fantasy series, long fantasy series
• If you enjoy epic battles between good and evil 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Caught (MG)

Caught. (Missing #5) Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 352 pages.

  I have enjoyed Margaret Peterson Haddix's time-travel series for middle grade. Some of the books I've liked better than others, but, for the most part, I've enjoyed each one. In this fifth adventure, Jonah and Katherine face their biggest challenge so far. The book begins with the freezing of time. Jonah and Katherine are in school when time freezes. They know that something must have happened, but when and where?! They seek out others who have traveled in time--the only people unaffected so it seems by frozen time--but before they get the chance to do anything, Jonah and Katherine find themselves falling through time and landing in 1903. They have a few clues, they know Albert Einstein and his wife are somehow connected to their being there. But for the most part, these two are clueless and choosing to be invisible for as long as possible...but Albert Einstein's wife is clever and knows something is up....

Caught is a fast-paced read. I don't enjoy this series because the characters are well-developed and fascinating. I enjoy this series because of the story, the action, the history. I enjoy learning about different periods of history. I enjoy the author's notes at the end of each book. I like learning what is truth and what is fiction. I enjoy the time travel aspect of the story and the mystery behind it.

Read Caught

• If you've enjoyed the other titles in the Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• If you enjoy middle grade science fiction with a time travel element
• If you enjoy children's books with action and mystery

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Fires of Heaven

The Fires of Heaven. (Wheel of Time #5) Robert Jordan. 1993. Tor. 992 pages.

I am continuing to love the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The Fires of Heaven is the fifth book in this fantasy series. If I have one complaint about this book, it is that after spending so much time with Perrin in The Shadow Rising, readers don't get any Perrin at all in this one. I missed him terribly. It just didn't seem fair that we couldn't get his story too. I mean I loved following the characters we did follow. And new characters abounded in this one. But. No Perrin and no Loial. Readers do get a chance to follow Mat more closely, but, that isn't the same.

I really enjoyed reading The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven so closely together, but the action of the two books did blend for me after a few days.

I would say this one focuses more on Rand and his immediate group than other books in the series. But it also paid great attention to our three "main" heroines: Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene. I really enjoyed spending time with all of these women, I especially enjoyed some of the Nynaeve/Elayne sections of the novel.

The series continues to be addictive.

Read The Fires of Heaven

• If you have enjoyed the other books in the Wheel of Time series
• If you really enjoy fantasy novels and are looking for a good, long series 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Shadow Rising

The Shadow Rising. (Wheel of Time #4) Robert Jordan. 944 pages.

The Shadow Rising is the fourth in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It's a series I've come to LOVE. I'd definitely say this series is addictive! Each book leaves you wanting--needing--the next book. But not in a mean way. Not really.  So much happens in this one. Each character (almost) has a major story, and each story matters. It's not unusual for me to get annoyed with books with multiple points of view because they can be uneven. But for me, it works so well with Wheel of Time. 

One of the things I loved about The Shadow Rising was how big a role Perrin plays in this one. Readers get to spend a LOT of time with Perrin and Faile and Loial back in Two Rivers as they fight to protect their homes and land. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Perrin.

I also enjoyed revisiting Tar Valon in this book. Min has returned just in time, it seems, to be of great use to the Amyrlin Seat (Siuan Sanche), and it's a time when she finds herself out of friends and out of luck--minus an Aes Sedai named Leane.

And two of our heroines (Elayne and Nynaeve) are still in search of the Black Ajah...

But most of the action does occur directly around Rand and Egwene. Probably my new favorite character was Aviendha.

This one had plenty of world building. I loved getting to know the different cultures in this one--revisiting a few of them, getting introduced to a few new ones. I thought Aiel culture to be very interesting. I liked learning more about the Wise Ones and the Maidens of the Spear. But it also had plenty of action.

Read The Shadow Rising

• If you have enjoyed previous books in the Wheel of Time series
• If you're a fan of fantasy series
• If you're a fan of character-driven, highly-detailed fantasy series focused on the fight between good and evil

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews