Evaluatin' Some Books!

So far this week, I've read...
The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor
The Iron Daughter - Julie Kagawa
The Lady of the Storm - Kathryne Kennedy
In the President's Secret Service - Ronald Kessler

I'll review them each (in order). That should about cover the 800 word count. (:



Up first is The Looking Glass Wars. The storyline essentially branches from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. However, in this retelling, Wonderland is real and Alyss (the actual spelling of Alice, apparently) is heir to the throne and Wonderland's only hope after her mother and father, the Queen and King, are murdered by her malicious aunt, Redd. Alyss is taken away to go into hiding by the royal bodyguard, Hatter Mattigan, but as they're fleeing Redd's trusted assassin, the Cheshire Cat, they fall through the Pool of Tears: a portal into our world.

Externally, based on cover and synopsis, the book sounded awesome. I was sure I would love it considering how much I loved the original book and Disney movie. It seemed like the retelling I'd been waiting for. However, I was disappointed. I didn't like the writing style or something because, to be honest, it felt like a chore to read it. I ended up finishing it for the page count after my enjoyment of it ceased approximately one third of the way through.

So do I recommend it? Not exactly. I've met a few who loved the series, but I didn't like it. If you can appreciate the writing style and flow, go for it. That's really one of the only things that put me off.



Up next, The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa. In an earlier post, I proclaimed the prequel to this book as "dumb." I've since taken that back because by the end of that first book, I realized that, "Hey... I actually like this." It just took a little while to get used to. In this series, Meghan Chase, a normal girl living a rural life, suddenly becomes confronted with the world of the Fey after her little brother is taken by a being known as the Iron King. Forced to confront both him, the world of Faery, and her mysterious past, she follows her friend Robbie Goodfell through a portal directly into the wilds of this strange, magical land.

I really like this series. It's magical, sweet, and suspenseful all at once, which I definitely did not expect from it upon first glance. As previously stated, it simply takes some time to get used to (at least, it did for me).

I'd definitely recommend it if you like faeries and fighting and moments of unrequited love.



To start off with The Lady of the Storm, I have to say that Kathryne Kennedy is one of my favorite authors. So I have nothing but love for this book. (: It's incredibly gushy with romance and stuff, but it comes with a good plotline, too. Cecily, a very powerful human with a substantial amount of elven blood and power and the best hope for the Rebellion against the corrupted Elven Lords, has her world turned upside-down when, after the smallest use of her magic after years and years of peace, one of the elven lords locates her and begins to send soldiers to destroy her. All the while, Giles, her half-elf protector who has watched over her since she was six and he was fifteen, fights against the threats that come their way until they finally have no choice but to leave the village they reside in.

Basically, it's a love story with a bigger plot to it. Definitely recommended.



Finally, the nonfiction book I read. I loathe nonfiction... At least the bit of it I've had to read in the past. Maybe I'll find something this year that will prove me wrong.

In the President's Secret Service basically goes through telling all the changes (or lack thereof for a while) made to the president's protection after the assassinations and threats on former presidents. It also goes through telling things involving the scandals and oddities that went on with a few specific presidents including Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan.

Quite interesting as it is, nonfiction's still not my thing, but I'm working through it!