Review : Last of the Wilds by Trudi Canavan

Title : Last of the Wilds Author : Trudi Canavan Reading Dates : 7 Aug - 9 Aug 2011
The Age of the Five
Priestess of the White Last of the Wilds Voice of the Gods
From Amazon :
After pitched battle, The White—the avatars of the Five Gods—have briefly turned back the vicious invaders. And now, the priestess Auraya is sent on an urgent mission to reconcile with the powerful, outcast Dreamweavers, for their magical healing abilities may be the key to saving the land. But as a deadly plague devastates their allies and old adversaries resurface, a dreadful surprise may ruin the chance for peace. For Auraya's terrible discovery will force her into a desperate choice—one whose consequences will change the world forever.

Book Review of Last of the Wilds.

The second book in The Age of the Five trilogy was a much better read. This is mostly because the focus is finally on the Wilds or the Immortals as they preferred to be known.

While the story isn’t actually action-packed, there are a number of interesting revelations regarding the Wilds which kept things moving. I certainly had a hard time putting down the book despite the fact that it was a re-read.

What happens here also reinforces my feelings regarding Auraya and the Circlians. Whatever justifications they give for their decisions or the excuses they make for their gods, I can’t help but note the hypocrisy of it all. If they were truly as benevolent as they are, what would it matter who worshipped which gods as long as they did good.

An intriguing read with plenty of tension to keep me coming back for more.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Yes.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? Definitely.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Maybe.
• Who would I recommend this too? Fantasy readers.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

Read another review on the book by :

• Spoilers and Nuts

In My Mailbox

Challenges : 100+ Reading Challenge

Review : The Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan

Title : Priestess of the White Author : Trudi Canavan Reading Dates : 2 Aug - 7 Aug 2011
The Age of the Five
The books in the trilogy: Priestess of the White The Last of the Wilds Voice of the Gods
From Amazon :
In a land on the brink of peace—watched jealously by a ruthless cult from across the sea and beset by hidden enemies—five extraordinary humans must serve as sword and shield of the Gods. Auraya is one. Her heroism saved a village from destruction; now Auraya has been named Priestess of the White. The limits of her unique talents must be tested in order to prove her worthy of the honor and grave responsibility awarded to her. But a perilous road lies ahead, fraught with pitfalls that will challenge the newest servant of the gods. An enduring friendship with a Dreamweaver—a member of an ancient outcast sect of sorcerer-healers—could destroy Auraya's future. And her destiny has set her in conflict with a powerful and mysterious, black-clad sorcerer with but a single purpose: the total annihilation of the White. And he is not alone . . .

Book Review of Priestess of the White.
Priestess of the White is the book I like least in The Age of the Five trilogy. This has been true no matter whether it was my first time reading it or my subsequent re-reads. The only reason I read it is actually because of the next 2 books.

The first book focuses on Auraya of the White, which I’ve never managed to like. Auraya, like her fellow White and Circlians, strikes me as hypocrites. How they justify the things they do as for the betterment for all is the greatest mystery to me. The fact that their gods are so petty and intolerant of peaceful healers should have been the obvious giveaway that all is not as it seems. Instead, Auraya justifies some of her decisions as being for the good of everyone. Definitely, not a heroine I can like.

But it is that very contrast to Leiard and Emerahl which makes them so likable. Neither of these two are perfect but at least they are honest enough to acknowledge that their choices are guided as much by self interest as other factors.

More interesting of course is the fact that the Circlian gods obviously considers them a threat. In fact, upon reading the story the first time, wanting to find out the reason why the gods had the Dreamweaver founder killed played a large factor in my reading on. And once the truth behind the gods and the Wilds are revealed, I was hooked.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Yes, but not frequently.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? Definitely.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Not really.
• Who would I recommend this too? Fantasy readers.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

Read another review on the book by :

• Spoilers and Nuts

In My Mailbox

Challenges : 100+ Reading Challenge

Review : Charming the Prince by Teresa Medeiros

Title : Charming the Prince Author : Author Reading Dates : 1 Aug - 2 Aug 2011
From Amazon :
He never lost a battle until he met the one woman who might succeed in... Charming the Prince. Dear Reader, My enemies know me as Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of the English and Terror of the French. Never in my life have I backed down from any challenge or betrayed so much as a hint of fear--until the war ended and I found myself a reluctant papa to a dozen unruly children. Realizing that I couldn't lop their little heads off or throw them in the dungeon, I sent my steward out to find them a mother and me a bride--an attractive, meek, maternal creature too plain to tempt me to get her with child. You can imagine my horror when he returned with Lady Willow of Bedlington, a spirited beauty who made me think of nothing else! With her cloud of dark curls and the sparkle of passion in her eyes, Willow was everything I'd sworn to resist. I never dreamed she would join forces with those mischievous imps of mine to teach this cynical warrior just how sweet surrender can be. Bannor the Bold, Lord of Elsinore

Book Review of Charming the Prince.

What I liked about Charming the Prince is Bannor’s brood. The children are absolutely adorable. The obvious closeness of the siblings, notwithstanding their blood and squabbles, their mischievousness and individuality really stand out. I had no problems reconciling the fact that despite being little tyrants, Willow is so easily charmed by her tormentors.

The other parts I enjoyed was Bannor’s relationship with his children and wives. Sweet, funny and moving. It makes him utterly swoon worthy. And all this done without dismissing or demonising his late wives

Unfortunately the romance was not as interesting this re-read. It was simply too saccharine sweet for my tastes after my recent reads. I guess I just wanted something with a little bit more bite.

In any case, I still enjoyed Charming the Prince but it’ll be some time before I come back to it.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ?Yes.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series if there were one? Not really, there isn't any character whose story I'd like to read about after Bannor and Willow's.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Maybe, my opinion changes with each re-read.
• Who would I recommend this too? Romance readers.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it first.

Challenges : 100+ Reading Challenge

Teaser Tuesdays : Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.

Share 2 teaser sentences from your current read. Be careful not to include spoilers.

This week, my teaser is from the book I've recently finished.

"Do something, Mr. Sharp," cried Dr. Barlow above the din. "We appear to have been captured!"

It's Monday, What Are You Reading ?

It's Monday What Are You Reading ? is hosted at Book Journey.



Where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

What I Read:

• The Hollywood Book of Breakups by James Robert Parish
• Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

What I Reviewed:

• Clockwork Angel by Cassandre Clare
• The Passage by Justin Cronin

What I’m Reading:

• The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

What I Plan to Read next:

• The Magician by Michael Scott
• The Sorceress by Michael Scott

Review : The Passage by Justin Cronin

Title : The Passage Author : Justin Cronin Reading Dates : 28 Jul - 31 Jul 2011
The Passage
Books in the series: The Passage The Twelve The City of Mirrors
From goodreads :
“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.” First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear — of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse. As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey — spanning miles and decades — towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun. With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

Book Review of The Passage.

I loved The Passage and can’t wait to read the next books in the trilogy. In fact, immediately after finishing The Passage, I had to restrain myself from re-reading the book.

Aside from a few chapters early on which seemed overly wordy, the rest of the tale grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go until the end. And even those parts, could be due to my impatience to get back to what was happening with the main character, Amy.

Amy is a mystery which isn’t fully resolved, even at the end of the The Passage. Sure, the group that sets out with her in an attempt to save their colony, finds out the truth of the virus which destroyed their world and possibly how to save it. But that doesn’t fully explain Amy because she’s obviously something more than that. And with everything that she has endured, it is amazing how she could still be the person she is.

As for the story, I couldn’t possibly describe everything that The Passage made me feel. There were so many parts where terrible things happen, which made me worry and root for the people in it to survive. The ending of the world especially, was haunting. I could picture everything in my mind and also the awful sadness and inevitability of it all. And still be amazed at what people are capable of during such times, not just the bad but the good as well.

My favorite moments though are probably the short interlude Amy had with her surrogate father. No matter how brief the time they had, I believe that those were probably Amy’s happiest memories. And the end, when it comes, somehow makes everything worth it all.

I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy, The Twelve.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Definitely.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? The next book is now on my wish list.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Yes, this one's a keeper.
• Who would I recommend this too? In particular, those who like dystopian stories.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Buy it. This is that needs to be read again and again.

Read another review on the book by :

• Book Journey
• Reading with Tequila
• The Crowded Leaf

Books alluded to :

In My Mailbox

Teaser Tuesdays

Challenges : 100+ Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge