Book Review: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding

Title(s): The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (#1)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Genre: supernatural/mystery/adventure (middle grade)
Rating: 3.5/5
Page Count: 362
Publication Date: September 5th, 2017

Plot:
"I would say it's a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness."

Prosper Redding is from an acclaimed family, but he's not all that special. Redding's run the town where he lives, where he's from, and everyone seems to look down on Prosper, even his twin sister, Prue.

And then he learns that there's something inside him called a malefactor, and the story goes from there. Alastor is trying to regain power to escape Prosper's body, but that's proving harder then he expects it to be.

Review:
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd never read anything by Alexandra Bracken before - I know, I'm a little surprised, too - but this sounded like a ton of fun. New England, fall, middle grade adventure/mystery with some demons and such, sign me up.

Overall, I liked her writing. There wasn't any part I was super in love with, but nothing really put me off the story, either. I did feel like we got bogged down in the middle, even though stuff was happening I just felt like of bored with it? This might of been my jetlagged mind or something else me related, especially since it didn't last that long, but still a factor for why I didn't give it five stars.

Let me be clear, though, I really enjoyed this book. Three point five out of five is a good book. And this one was, even though I didn't completely love it. Our characters were interesting, but didn't pull me in all the way, which is probably why I felt that drag. Although, would read a whole book about Toad. I have no idea why, and I'm not going to explain Toad, but... best.

Prosper, our main character obviously, is interesting, though. Coming from a large, rich, successful family and being... not successful, having the worst luck. It was so... not pitiful, at no point is he pitiful, but he is kind of something. Sad? Melancholy? His voice is a little melancholy, we see from his POV in third person, and there's something about it that makes me think melancholy. But I really liked that about him, and about this book.

Al was also a great character, possibly my favorite, which says about me then I am comfortble with but I do love a good "villain."

Overall, I think this was just a solid book. Good writing, good characters, dragged for me but I don't mind that too much. And I'm definitely going to pick up the second book, hopefully next year? And I think it'll be drastically different in tone then this one, that's for sure, and I am super excited about that.

If you pick up this book, or have already, let me know! Especially if you've got thoughts.

Happy reading!

Goodreads
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

Book Review: Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy #1)

Title: Mr Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy #1)
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery/Thriller (detective/crime)
Rating: 3/5
Page Count: 436
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2014

Plot: (from Goodreads)
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the "perk" and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.

Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

Review:
This book was... good, but just good not great or amazing. And I think the fact that it was just a plain solid detective thriller novel kind of disappointed me, maybe because all of King's other novels, that are my favorite and I adore to pieces. First off, the main character was just plain annoying. I don't know what about him was annoying, but he was just so damn blah, so plain and typical. And some stuff just rubbed me the wrong way.

This next paragraph has some plot spoilers, but it's a well used plot device, after this paragraph, we will get back to spoiler free review. SPOILER There was one particular thing that rubbed me the wrong way - and it was the use of female characters pain and such to enflame the male, make him want to fight, all that man pain. One of the worst tropes in the world in my opinion and I should of expected it but I thought something new and fun would happen. Nope. END SPOILER WARNING

One of the more interesting parts of this book is that you get to hear from the killer, the whole book you're aware of who the kill was, which definitely kills the suspense a bit. And it was interesting at first, and then it just gets of uncomfortable and then just sad, just plain sad. I didn't even feel anything for the guy but just pity.

The one really fantastic thing about this book, though I did like the writing for the most part, was the side characters. There's two characters who end up kind of being Bill's sidekicks and they're both intelligent and sharp and different, and I really enjoyed them.

Overall - if you want this kind of book, this is a good one. If you want a King book, not so much. (Side note that is shallow as hell: the cover is gorgeous. It's so creepy and awesome looking).

Book Review: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)

Title: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)
Author: James S.A. Corey
Genre: Science Fiction (Space Opera), Adventure, Mystery, Humor
Rating: 5/5
Page Count: 561 pages (paperback)
Publication Date: 2011

Plot: (from Goodreads)
The first novel in James S.A. Corey's SF New York Times bestselling Expanse series.
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Review:
This book was everything I was kind of craving when I read it: a space opera that was character centric, and there was a crew. With things I didn't know I'd completely love - the noir feel that Miller and his narration have, also the horror elements. Overall - this book was just completely fantastic and I cannot wait to continue on with the series.

I hadn't really looked into the plot, I'd picked it up because it was a Sword and Laser pick and didn't end up getting around to reading it with the group (summers are hectic), but I still remembered it'd been something I was interesting in, and people were saying good things.

The reason it took me so long to read it, honestly, is because of the fact that I don't read a lot of SciFi, which is weird to me considering the shows or movies I'd loved, you'd think reading SciFi would of happened pretty easily. And then - I fell into a SciFi kick, which this book was a part of, and I'm so glad when I was wracking my brain for SciFi books, I remembered that I owned this one.

To get to the point of this review - I'd recommend this book, definitely. It's surprisingly realistic feeling and I loved the characters and how they interacted with each other. Everyone in this book is interesting and it feels very real, gritty real almost, the whole world and story, and that might of been my favorite part of it - it can't be easy to make a very far future world seem real, but it definitely did.

And, on the last point because I want to stress it again: the characters. This book is definitely character driven and it has two main narrators that do that - and those two narrators have very different views on some big things, and some of the same, but - it was interesting to see those two different people interact and how they thought and just everything.

So, to recap: space opera with a crew, noir, horror, fantastic characters, solid plot, which made it an all around fantastic read which I'd highly recommend if it sounds like something you'd be interested in.

Book Review: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)

Book: Disney After Dark (Kingdom Keepers #1)
Author: Ridley Pearson
Genre: adventure, mystery, fantasy (middle-grade)
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: August 25th, 2009
Date Finished: May 14th

Story Notion: Huh. I might finish this series, I do have book two...

Plot: (from Goodreads):
In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch, Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more. This gripping high-tech tale will thrill every kid who has ever dreamed of sneaking into Walt Disney World after hours and wondered what happens at night, when the park is closed.

Review:
I wasn't really sure about this book. I bought it on a whim the year before last, I think. We were at Disney after a convention and it was next to the cash register and I'd probably had less sleep that whole week then ever before, so I bought it, for something to read on the plane. Obviously, that didn't happen. What actually happened, if I remember correctly, is I passed out on the plane - unsurprisingly. (LeakyCon wears you out).

I didn't end up picking it up until, as writing this review, last year. I've just reread it recently and realized I'd never reviewed it in any sense. I definitely, now having read all the books out, think that this is definitely the weakest of them. It's setting things up, the start to a long series, but - I still really enjoyed it.

It surprised me the first time I read it, I wasn't honestly expecting much out of it, but I was immediately sold and so glad I had the next book in the series ready to go. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, without pause.

Overall it's a good start to a fantastic series. I love the characters and the plot, and all the weird things that happen that will probably make me never look at certain rides the same way again. The characters are definitely a little underdeveloped a bit at first, but not enough it bothered me.

If you're a Disney fan, or if you're not because I'm actually not a giant Disney fan, more casual, then you should give this series a chance. Or - adventure mystery fan.

Book Review: The Name of This Book is Secret

Book: The Name of This Book is Secret (Secret #1)
Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Humor (MG)
Rating: 5/5
Favorite Character: Cass. First, that's my favorite girl name ever (I also really like Anastatia. I love names that are slightly older, long, but can be shortened into cute nicknames). Also, Cass is really awesome with her survivalist stuff.

Plot: (From Goodreads)

This is the story about a secret. but it also contains a secret story.

When adventurous detectives, Cass, an ever-vigilant survivalist, and Max-Ernest, a boy driven by logic, discover the Symphony of Smells, a box filled with smelly vials of colorful ingredients, they accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a dead magician's diary and the hunt for immortality.

Filled with word games, anagrams, and featuring a mysterious narrator, this is a book that won't stay secret for long.

Review:
This book was adorable, I think it's the best word for it overall. I mean, 11 years olds going on adventures is always fun, especially where there's a lot of hilarious narration thrown in. The whole thing is, is that this is a true story and to protect the innocent, the author changes their names and everything and then makes comments about this and that (how he can be bribed with good quality dark chocolate). And it had me giggling through most of it.

And it isn't just funny, it also has an original interesting story in it. I loved the overall plot of this book and how things were revealed and everything. It was just really, very well done. And done in an hilarious manor. Also, Cass and Max-Ernest are great partners, excuse me, collaborators. And there are footnotes at random parts of the books that are just perfect.

This is a funny, silly book, but it does have some real mythology and stuff that I loved. This is something I'd recommend to someone who loves a good middle-grade adventure book, because that's what it is and it's really well done. The characters are lovable, the story is original, and the writing is very good and funny. All those things added it up for me giving it 5/5 stars and even reading some little snippets out loud to my mom that had her laughing, too. (I just really like when a book makes me laugh out loud. It's harder to make me cry, but I love laughing because of a book. I definitely enjoy it more, that is, if it's suppose to be funny).

(Also, this isn't important to the story, well, it kind of is. The chapters have illustrations and some of them are just great, just perfect. As you can tell, I really just loved this book, I really can't actually think of anything bad to say. All of the secondary characters felt real and I loved all of their little quirks and everything).