Once again Niffenegger has done what she did so well in The Time Traveler's Wife. She's created a completely realistic story using supernatural elements that are unexpected and somehow completely believable (from the standpoint of enjoying a novel at least). The story in Her Fearful Symmetry is completely different, but the theme of eternal and undying love (the benefits and detriments of it, to be specific) is strong. Another wonderful feature of this novel is the way it's told. It's told with a 3rd person narrator, but instead of the narrator simply being omniscient, the thoughts of the characters are added in the first person. I'm not sure that I've read a novel that used this device -- or at least not consistently throughout -- and I loved it. Robert is at the bedside of ...
Category Archives: Sci Fi/Fantasy
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
You may be one of the throng who are waiting for 8/24/10 when Mockingjay is released and concludes The Hunger Games trilogy (linked to Dawn's review if you aren't sure what all the hubbub is about). But The Hunger Games isn't the only dystopian YA lit out there. While you are waiting for your copy to arrive, or for your number to come up on the library's waitlist (my YA librarian said that she has 8 copies on order, and there are already almost 60 names on the request list), here's another book with a strong female lead that you might want to consider: I listened to the audiobook of The Adoration of Jenna Fox a while ago -- a long while, and I've been remiss in posting a review, even ...
Broken
I was invited by Amy of My Friend Amy to participate in a Faith-n-Fiction Roundtable discussing Travis Thrasher's novel Broken. Our discussion occured via email and the following is a portion of our conversation. Be sure to check the other participating blogs to read the rest of what we had to say about this supernatural thriller! Amy: I've read Travis Thrasher's two earlier thrillers and really enjoyed them, but I have to admit that I had a harder time following the plot with this one. What did you think of the way we were thrust into the story? In some ways, I found it quite masterful that we were immediately sucked into the broken, fearful heart of Laila with no sense of history to guide us. We just knew immediately how much she had come to dread her life and the ...
The Iron King
I've just spent an enjoyable few days with Julie Kagawa's The Iron King. Her inventive fey (faery) world pulled me right in. It's one of those imagined worlds that has you amazed at the detail and the thought that went in behind it. This book seems to be marketed to girls (from the cover and the fact that it's published by Harlequin Teen), but I think that this book would appeal to young men or women who are interested in fantasy. In fact, there's a good bit of battle, which was one of the factors that reminded me a lot of The Lord of the Rings. While we are on the subject of the publisher, don't let the "Harlequin" label fool you. Just as you probably did if you haven't read ...
Burn
When I mentioned on my personal blog that I was reading Ted Dekker and Erin Healy’s novel Burn, I received a surprised email from a friend and fellow blogger. Seems my friend knows something of Dekker’s novels which are by any accounts unusual to say the least, and she was curious about my like or dislike of his work. I have to say, some of his novels I have loved, The Circle Trilogy to name three. Some of his novels, well, weren’t exactly my favorites. Burn, however, is a book I both enjoyed and recommend to you. From the publisher’s description: The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes. Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save ...
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
Y’all know of my deep and abiding love for all things Austen so when granted opportunity to read and review Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, well, I was both eager and a little unsure. I mean, sea monsters? Really? Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters follows up on the (strange? unexpected?) popularity of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, also published by Quirk Classics. Both novels expand the story of the original plot and characters; in Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters sisters Ellinor and Marianne are not only thwarted in love they must also face the dangers of giant lobsters, vicious octopi and other sea monsters. From Marianne’s admiration of Willoughby’s fine form in his diving suit to Elinor’s stirring the shark cartilege soup for breakfast, author Ben Winters pervades all parts of the story with some sea related aspect, often in ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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