DNF Review: The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

Title: The Serpent Of Venice

Series: Not technically, but includes characters from Fool

Author: Christopher Moore

Published by: William Morrow & Co. on April 22nd 2014

Genre: Humour Fantasy

Format: ARC Paperback

Source: Publisher via Goodreads First Reads

Buy it from Amazon or Book Depository

Check it out on Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore channels William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe in this satiric Venetian gothic that brings back the Pocket of Dog Snogging, the eponymous hero of Fool, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff

Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters - the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago-have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

My Review: I have been wanting to read Chrisopher Moore for a while now, so when I won this from Goodreads I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, this book just did not live up to expectations I had put on it - for one I was expecting it to be laugh out load funny, it wasn't, I did quietly snigger a couple of times but that was all.

I did not care about the main character, or any of the characters for that matter. They weren't badly written, I just simply could not connect. Because I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care where the story went. To me, it seemed like it was trying too hard to be funny, by being wacky and strange. I like my comedy (in books) to come naturally - where characters just do or say something funny.

I did give this book a few chances, but I had to force myself to pick it up each time. It's not terrible and I am sure that Christopher Moore fans will very much enjoy his new outing. To be honest, I don't think I am a big fan of literary satire (nor apparently humour), and so, it was just not my cup of tea.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Things I Want To Own

Weekly event hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish

Top ten bookish things (that aren't books) that I'd like to own 

You would think that I would have this huge wishlist of all the bookish things I want, but I don't. So, I am afraid this list won't contain lots of cool stuff, but I am looking forward to seeing other peoples lists, after which I most likely will have a big bookish wishlist.

ONE

Reality - I would like some new bookshelves, ones that don't wobble.
Fantasy - I would love to have a whole room to be my own personal library, with big windows and lots of comfy chairs.

TWO

Some cool bookends to go on my sturdy new bookshelves.

THREE

More bookmarks - I collect bookmarks, but unfortunately I have lost the majority of my collection.

FOUR

I would like to have Hermione's time turner and a mockingjay pin. And whatever cool bookish jewelry there is out there.

FIVE

Some book quote, book cover and book related t-shirts and hoodies.

SIX

Some original book related art work or simply some book posters.

SEVEN

I would love to get a bookish tattoo - I don't know of what or where yet but I want one.

EIGHT

Iko (see The Lunar Chronicles)

NINE

Whatever magic that will allow me to physically travel in my favourite books, so I can travel the lands and among the stars and planets, meet my fictional BFFs and of course, 'hangout' with my book boyfriends (not at the same time, obviously).

TEN

Tickets to Comic Con and BEA.

Whats on your bookish wishlist?

It's Monday! What I'm Reading (14/4/14)

A weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey

What I recently finished reading:

I gave up on this book, but there will be a review anyway.

This book was of course amazing, I love The Lunar Chronicles and I can't wait for Winter.

What I am currently reading:

I have really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and I am excited (and sad) to read the conclusion. 

I am still Listening to this when I get the chance. I am about 17 chapters in so far and I am really enjoying it, I haven't read a high fantasy in quite a while so it is a nice change.

What I plan to read next:

                                       Still have these two to read

I was contacted by the author and sent this collection of poems to review.  

I am not 100% certain what genre this goes in but I think it is a contemporary, so it will be a nice change from the scifi, paranormal and dystopians I have been reading (and will continue to read). It has a mixed bag of reviews and I am wondering where mine will fall.

How goes your reading this week?

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (13/4/14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. 

This week on my Blog:

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Waiting on Wednesday: After The End

Life of a Blogger: Food

Bookish Thoughts Thursday

Friday Finds

Review: Impostor by Susanne Winacker

And this here Sunday Post

What I read this week:

I spent most of the week reading The Serpent of Venice but finally DNF'ed it on Friday. It was taking me so long to get through and I had to force myself to pick it up each day and I just didn't care. So I decided my time should be spent reading something I actually enjoy. 

After I put that down, I picked up Cress and of course, I loved it. 

   

 Additions to my TBR this week:

Stacking the Shelves hosted @ Tynga's Reviews

 Bought - Physical

The only book I bought this week is Serenity Leaves on the Wind #3. I haven't started reading this series yet beause I am waiting till I have all six issues, then I am going to read them all in one way too short sitting.




Bought - Kindle

After seeing the Divergent movie I needed more, so I got the 0.5 novella to give me a small dose. The other two books are Kindle freebies with interesting covers. The Summons fits in with my interest in stories that give innocent things a not so innocent twist - you know, like naughty angels and sexy fairy tales ;-)

Library 

Even though I still haven't read all the books from my last library haul, I still checked out some more anyway.

Soulless by Gail Carrriger - I haven't yet forayed into steampunk and so I thought it was about time that I did.
Panic by Lauren Oliver - Booktube seems to be all over this, so I thought I would give it a try.
Biting Bad and Wild Things by Chloe Neill - I started reading the Chicagoland Vampire series a few years back, and I have steadily been making my through them since, they are fun, easy reads. I happened to pick up books 8 & 9, even though I haven't yet read books 6 & 7, so it looks like another trip to the library is needed.
Rags and Bones by various authors - Neil Gaiman contributes, 'nuff said.
The Learning to Read Music one is pretty self explanatory.

This week in the blogosphere:

Heather at YA Fantasy Junkie talks about not being ashamed of your reading choices. This was wasn't published this week, but I only found it on Thursday so I am counting it. In the same vein, Lori @ Writing My Own Fairytale writes her defense of loving YA.

Allie at Little Birdie Books lists the YA rules that must be obeyed, it's funny and oh so true.

Over on the YouTube, Hank Green reminds us that we exist for our own sakes, not anybody else's.

This week in real life:

I went and saw Divergent and it was fabulous, I loved it. OMG it was so good, I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is and in my opinion, it is not that far behind Catching Fire in awesomness. I was pleasantly surprised by the actors, especially Shailene - I have only ever seen her in The Secret Life an American Teenager and so I was not to sure about her as Tris at all, but she was brilliant. I want to go see it again and re-read the books and over throw an evil regime and Marry Four and have his divergent babies.
I was super lazy this week and didn't start on my essay or any exam revision, tut tut.

Next week on my blog:

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish things I'd like to own

DNF Review: The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

Waiting on Wednesday: Fool's Assassin

Bookish Thoughts Thursday (Didn't do, sorry)

Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

The Sunday Post

I am dropping a couple of the memes I tried out this week but I am going to give top ten tuesday a try.

Next week in real Life:

I WILL start my essay and I WILL start revising. As I WILL have my head in the books all week I won't be up too much else of note. A week full of reading and writing, sounds like fun, but it won't be, not for me anyway. I hate postmodern theory UGH and I don't enjoy reading critical journals or essays SNORE. I am not a very good academic - I just want to read fun books and talk/write about them. I love being in university, I just hate doing the work, but I guess that makes me no different from the majority of students. Oh well, summer hols are nearly here.

How was your week? I hope everyone had a great week and that next week will be equally as great or better.

Review: Impostor by Susanne Winnacker

Title: Impostor

Series: Variants #1

Author: Susanne Winnacker

Published by: Hodder Children's Books on January 2nd 2014

Genre: YA Scifi Mystery Thriller

Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased

Buy it from Amazon or Book Depository

Check it out on Goodreads 

Goodreads Synopsis: Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she's spent the last two years with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. There she trains with other Variants, such as long-term crush Alec, who each have their own extraordinary ability.

When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor - the stress, the danger, the deceit - but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she'd do anything to keep.

Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

My Review: I liked this book from the beginning; it puts you straight into the story, into this world of variants within the FBI. I purchased this book because I heard it was like a cross between X-Men and Veronica Mars – two franchises I love, so I of course had to have it.

A variant is a person who has a super or extra human ability (think X-Men) and our main character Tessa has the ability to morph into anyone she has touched. Tessa works for the FEA, which is a secret department of the FBI and she is sent out on her first mission – to play the role of a recently murdered young woman in order to catch a serial killer. 

I did like Tessa, for the most part, I just found her to be a bit immature and weak at times. She has been training to be a field agent for about two years but when she finally gets a mission she kinda just fumbles her way through it. She spends most of her time mooning over her crush, Alec, who in return spends most of his time being overprotective of her. Theirs is supposed to be a professional relationship but its so not. I did let Tessa of the hook for most of her flaws because she is only sixteen and hopefully in the next books we will see her grow, not only as a person but as an agent.

What I did like about Tessa though, was her humanity, while everyone else doesn’t seem to care about the death of a teenage girl (aside from catching her killer), Tessa does. She also, does show some growth, mostly in coming to terms with her childhood.

Tessa’s crush, Alec is a character I wanted to like but mostly because Tessa liked him so much, but he is a douche. He has no respect for Tessa – as a girl or as an agent. I can’t really go into why I don’t like him because spoilers. Again, I hope the next books show more depth to his character. There was only one character that I really liked and that was the dead girl, Madison’s twin brother, Devon.

Aside from the flawed characters, I really enjoyed the story and the writing. The mystery of the serial killer kept me guessing to the end and I did not have a single clue as to whom the killer was until it was revealed. I read it in one sitting which shows just much I enjoyed it – it was a fun, easy read and if you can see past only slightly annoying characters, I totally recommend it.

I will read the next book in the series Defector when it comes out late June, not just because this was an entertaining read but also to see how the characters grow.

Friday Finds

FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased). Hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading  

My Finds:

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan - Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death.

Nil by Lyn Matson - On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal - A young seamstress and a royal nursemaid find themselves at the center of an epic power struggle in this stunning young-adult debut.

I hope I can get my hands on each of these books soon because they look so good.

Bookish Thoughts Thursday (10/4/14)

There are many great discussion memes on a Thursday and so I thought that instead of doing them in seperate posts I would just make one.

Thursday Thoughts is an original, weekly conversational post hosted @ Ok, Let's Read

SAD

BOOKS

If you know a book is sad does it make you want to read it, deter you from reading it or not effect you at all? Do you enjoy sad books? Are you someone who cries easily at books? What books have you read that made you cry?

I don't stay away from a book because it is likely to make me cry and I don't pick them for it either. I enjoy books for their stories and/or characters and if they happen to make me cry, then thats fine by me.
I am the type of person who doesn't easily cry in real life situations and I tend to keep my emotions in check, therefore I like that books (and TV/movies) can make me cry because we all need a good cry every now and then - it's healthy.
I think I have cried while reading all of the last few books I have read this month. The thing I think is strange though, is that I didn't cry while I read The Fault in Our Stars, even though I know that it is actually considered a sad book. Maybe I read it too soon after my mum died (of cancer), maybe I was too numb to it at the time, I am fairly certain I will cry should I re-read it.

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly discussion meme about (mostly) books and reading

THE PRICE OF

BOOKS

Does the price of a book affect your decision about buying it? Do you wait for cheaper editions of the book you want?

I almost always wait for the cheaper paperback editions of books, even though in the UK most paperbacks are only £6.99 or £7.99, to me that is a lot. Hardbacks are even more, and I just don't have that kind of money to spend. Don't get me wrong, I think that books are worth the money because I know that a lot of work goes into them, I just can't justify spending more than £6 on one. Now, once I have a well paid job, then I don't think I will have a problem with buying many shiny, new hardbacks.

Thoughtful Thursday is a weekly bookish discussion post hosted @ Reading is Fun Again

DO YOU KEEP READ

BOOKS

What do you do with the books that you have read? Do you keep them? Donate them? Gift them? Return them to the library? Throw them away? Make them into arts & crafts projects? Has this changed during the years? Have you noticed a change in your perspective regarding read books?

Aside from being a book reader, I am also a book collector. I don't just like books for the stories they hold but also as physical objects. I love having shelves full of books - read or not. Now, if it is an ugly book that I know I will never read, then I will donate it. My perspective on this has not changed at all since I got my first book, even as a child I loved the feel of books, the smell and just knowing that they are mine. Of course, the content of books is the most important aspect and so, I love knowing that I can always fall into a story anytime I want. The benefit of having a lot of books is that I have plenty of choice of what I want to read and to read them whenever I want.

What about you - do you like sad books, cheap books and keeping books?

Life of a Blogger: Food

Life of a Blogger is a weekly feature hosted by Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat where bloggers get to talk about something not book related. There is a different topic each week - check out upcoming topics here.

FOOD

I am not a foodie but I of course do love food but then everybody loves food right? 

Some of my favourite foods are:

Pretty much all vegetables, which is good considering I am a vegetarian

Cheese pizza, with extra cheese

Chocolate

Eggs - cooked every which way

Baked beans
Cheese
Bread
Sunday roast - veg, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy and mint sauce, hmm hmm hmm

Foods I can't stand:

Most fruit besides bananas, apples and oranges

All cooked fruit i.e. apple pie

Celery

Cucumber
There are many more but I can't think of them right now.

While I love eating, I hate cooking or even preparing food or waiting for it to be ready to eat. So you could say that I love fast food and food prepared and/or cooked by someone else. I eat way more junk food than is probably healthy.

What foods do you love or hate.

Waiting On Wednesday: After The End

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

What I'm eagerly anticipating:

Title: After The End

Author: Amy Plum

Genre: YA SciFi/Dystopia

Expected Release Date: May 6th by Harper Teen

From Goodreads: She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Why I'm anticipating it: 

The synopsis of this book reminds me of M. Night Shymalan's The Village, and I loved the twist at the end of that film.  I expect that this will be about more than the 'why the hell did my parents lie to me?' kinda thing. I get the feeling that there is some kind of conspiracy and that Juneau's parents had to hide her from some big mean corporation and she is special in someway. You know, that kinda thing. And I love adventure/quest/survival stories, so this book looks like it should be right up my alley. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Does this book seem like something you would be interested in?

What book/s are you eagerly anticipating?

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising

Series: Red Rising #1

Author: Pierce Brown

Published by: Del Rey (Randon House) on January 28th 2014

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Format: Hardcover

Source: Public Library

Buy it from Amazon or Book Depository

Check it out on Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis: The war begins...

Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to be terraformed. Just knowing that one day people will be able to walk the surface of the planet is enough to justify their sacrifice. The Earth is dying, and Darrow and his people are the only hope humanity has left.

Until the day Darrow learns that it is all a lie. Mars is habitable - and indeed has been inhabited for generations by a class of people calling themselves the Golds. The Golds regard Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought.

With the help of a mysterious group of rebels, Darrow disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.

But the command school is a battlefield. And Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda...

My Review: As soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to have it, but it is so damn expensive and I am a poor student. Then praise be, my library got it and I was the first person to check it out in all its shiny and new sexiness.

I first heard about this book from an Adventures of a Book Junkie post where she recapped an interview at a Red Rising book signing. I enjoyed Pierce’s answers, especially where he says he likes Neil Gaiman and Joss Whedon, two of my favourite people. Then I may have fallen in love with him a little bit and I may or may not have cyber stalked him but I definitely did go and find out more about the book.

The book follows Darrow, he and his people are miners on Mars, mining for the element that will make the red planet liveable, so when life on planet Earth is no longer sustainable, humanity can survive on Mars – or so they think. In truth, Mars has been liveable for many years and Darrow’s people have been lied to. Mars has a caste system and each caste is colour coded, with Golds at the top and Reds at the bottom. Darrow is a Red. After his young wife is killed by a Gold and the truth has been revealed to him, he joins a resistance group. After some physical alteration, training and lessons, Darrow is given a new identity as a Gold. With this new identity he is entered into a school that sorts the wheat from the chaff, a survival of the fittest battle school and those who survive will be the future leaders of Mars and her colonies. Darrow’s goal is to win and make his way to the top of Gold society, so he can bring it down.

It is dark, it is brutal, it is at times heart-breaking and it is definitely not YA. I BLOODYDAMN LOVE THIS BOOK and I am itching to read the next one, Golden Son. I don’t even know if I can do the book justice with this review, I don’t think I have the words to describe how great it is. Also this book has so much going on that I don’t want to give anything away that will spoil it, but I will do my best.

Darrow is a great, well developed character who goes through so much growth, from a simple miner to a leader of men. Darrow is not perfect, he is very human and he makes mistakes but he learns from his mistakes to become a better person and thats one of the things that I love about him.

Darrow isn’t the only wonderful character in the book, there are many, but that’s all I will say about the characters because they and their interactions with each other are so complex it’s hard to talk about them without being spoilery.

I love the world that Pierce has created and I feel that how humanity got to where they are is plausible. There is still a lot to learn about the world, its history and political system, but I am sure all that will be developed in the other two books.

A=

The story starts out quite slow but its not too long before it picks up and gets to the really good stuff. So, if you start this book and wonder if you have the same book every one has been raving about because not a lot is happening, keep going. Trust me it is worth it.

I could go on and on about this book but I won't, because then this post will be too long and you dont want to read that. What you do want to read is Red Rising - what are you still doing here? Go my lovelies and get your hands on this book. Happy reading.

ALL THE BLOODY DAMN STARS