3/50 A Dance With Dragons

Book: A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
Author: George R. R. Martin
Rating: *****


I finished this book in the wee hours of this morning and pretty much all I can still say about it is, "Wait...WHAT!?!"

There are so many loose ends that need to be wrapped up and the next book isn't due for nearly 3 years according to Martin.

This book was very similar to the last one, but I have to say that the fact that the first third of the book starts out at about the same place as the last book, filling you in on other character views of some of the exact same scenes as the beginning of the last book, was really confusing to wrap my head around at first. I had a few "Wait, but they aren't there, how is this happening!?" moments before I got used to what was going on. Just about the same time I got used to that idea, everything was caught up and the story line as a whole was progressing again.

Same basic caveats as the last book, people die, don't get attached, etc.  Other than that I really don't have anything constructive to say about the book. I love them, can't wait to figure out how things will work themselves out, and in the meantime I'm glad for the HBO series to help tide me over!

I do have to say though, as much as I loved these books, reading them all one right after the other like this was a LOT of work for my brain. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them all a lot, I'm just definitely ready to move along to something that will give my brain a bit of a break. I need a simple storyline for the next few books I read!

2/50: A Feast for Crows

Book: A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire #4) 
Author: George R. R. Martin 
Rating: ***** 


 So, I liked this one every bit as much as I liked that last one and hey, whaddaya know, I don’t remember nearly as many people dying in this one! 

This book seems to dwell more on all the intrigues, intricacies, and true character development of and within the world Martin has created for his readers. Honestly, that worries me because this author seems to almost try his hardest to make you fall in love with people he intends to kill off. There’s not a whole lot else that can be said without getting in to spoiler land, so I’ll leave the discussion of the content part of the review there. I loved this book. 

I love getting to know characters this well while the plot is still advancing. I’m excited to see what happens in the next book. I do have to say though, that this book takes a LOT of brain power to follow, keep straight, and enjoy. As much as I enjoy the complex story that is being told in this series, I will be glad to take a break with some easier to read material until the next book comes out!

1/50: A Clash of Kings

Book: A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire #3)

Author: George R. R. Martin
Rating: *****

So far I am loving this series. I don't have a whole lot to say, because I feel like anything I could say would really fall far short of describing how I feel about this work. The characters are so well developed, the world is something you can totally get immersed in, it's just brilliant.

However, I will give everyone reading this series and this book the same advice I got from a friend before I started. Try your very hardest not to get attached to anyone. There is not a single character in this book you should trust to be "safe". You know what I mean. You're reading a story, important character gets into a tough situation and you think "Oh, they'll be okay, the author would never kill off anyone this important!" If you've gotten this far you should definitely see how that logic TOTALLY does not apply here. I won't say any more, I don't want to get spoilery!

Definitely recommend this series to anyone who likes a long story full of intrigue, war, love, life, death, betrayal, a smidgen of fantasy, and plenty of totally jaw dropping moments.  I can't wait to get in to the 4th book (A Feast for Crows) before bed tonight!

Let's Try This Again!

So, life happened last year, big time. I moved twice, I got engaged, I planned a wedding and a reception all by myself, I got married. In short, I found myself with a LOT less time for reading than I had initially hoped. However, I'm starting the year 2012 with the same goal in mind. I would very much like to read 50 books this year. I don't foresee nearly as many things that could get in my way either! I'm definitely going to try and do a quick review of every book I read.

Here goes nothing! Again! This year I've got myself a fancy widget for my sidebar too!

5/50

Book: The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2)

Author: James Dashner
Rating: *****

Review: So, I officially cannot wait until the third book in this series comes out, something I very rarely say with such conviction. I thought that this was going to be a series that I would be interested in reading, but never something I would get this hooked on. I read this book in two sittings. The chapters are so well put together that, as soon as the characters are solving one problem, the next one is introduced and you're stuck reading the next chapter too, because you just have to find out what they do with this new set of "Variables" as they come to be called.

I also had no idea that this story line was going to get even more intense than what was presented in The Maze Runner. I really wasn't sure if it was possible to have more questions than I did while reading that book, but it was. Every other page seemed to open up a whole new series of what-ifs, whys, who-done-its, and more.

Definitely, 110% recommended this series to any interested in young adult dystopian fiction!

4/50

Book: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1)

Author: James Dashner
Rating: *****

Review:I picked this book up and only put it down because I had to sleep. I picked it right back up again in the morning and finished it in a less than 12 hour period. I was that hooked on the story line.

This book grabs you with questions from the very first page and the questions never stop. It is fast paced, well developed, and perfectly lovely (or unlovely, as the case may be, given that it does fit into a YA Dystopian category quite nicely).

I am fond of the character development. The author give you a very good idea of what the person is like with out repeating incessantly, boring you, or giving you more information about someone's appearance that you even know about your best friend of 15 year's appearance. In a similar fashion, the use of just enough and not too much in the way of descriptive language is very nice. In a book like this it sort of lets you fill in the nightmare in whatever way makes it the creepiest to you.

Definitely off to the library asap to get my hands on more of this one!

3/50

Book: Unwind

Author: Neal Shusterman
Rating: *****

Review: Reading the summaries for this book, I had a hard time thinking that it was something I would get as in to as I did. Most simple summaries make it sound very much like it's a plot line that could quickly spiral down into the world of teen-angst and woe-is-me lackluster characters that so many otherwise very good YA novel plots sink.

This book is anything but that! Unwind is so incredibly thought provoking; so full of such vivid language, imagery, and characters with a great amount of depth, that every impossible idea Shusterman sets before you becomes quite terrifyingly believable in the incredibly and horrifyingly tangible future world he has created.

I picked this book up and only put it down because I had to sleep. When I woke up in the morning I went straight back to it. A whole second book later and I'm still thinking back to some of the questions and topic raised in Undwind.

I am incredibly hopeful that this will turn into a series or a trilogy (based on the "Unwind #1" designation)!