Heart’s Blood

6 Jan

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

Set during the time of the Norman invasion of Ireland, Heart’s Blood is an intricate blend of historical fantasy and ghost story. Trained as a scribe, Caitrin is a skilled and learned woman, but all this changes when she is subjected to the cruelty of her distant relatives after her father’s death. On the brink of losing all sense of self, Caitrin realizes that she must escape or forever become a victim. Running as far as she can, Caitrin is ill-prepared for the demands of traveling across Ireland on her own, but is spurred by her desire to find herself once again overrules any fear she might feel in doing so.

Reaching the fortified settlement of Whistling Tor, Caitrin is stunned to find herself an object of curiosity–no one ever goes to the Tor; it’s cursed. Uncertain what to believe when told tales of uncanny folk in the forest surrounding the chieftain’s keep, Caitrin is nevertheless drawn to the Tor and seeks a position translating and transcribing Latin for the chieftain of the Tor, Anluan, who never leaves his keep and is said to be monstrously disfigured.

When Caitrin reaches the keep, she finds that all is not quite as it seems, but neither is the Tor the place of horrors that she was warned against. Suddenly, Caitrin finds herself enmeshed in battle to save the heart of Whistling Tor and restore it to the holding it once was, if only she can get its chieftain to see things in a different light…

—

I will start by saying that I LOVED this book. I’ve read a few books that I’ve enjoyed recently, but I have not been truly engrossed by any of them (a few I went so far as to give up on after a few chapters). This is part of the reason my posts have been so short…

Heart’s Blood grabbed me from the very first. Not only was I intrigued by the mystery, I was drawn in by Marillier’s prose and ability to give me a bit of the chills when describing the circumstances surrounding the inhabitants of Whistling Tor. Caitrin is a real and believable heroine and Anluan a troubled but worthy hero. I don’t want too much away about the curse, but the ghostly, uncanny folk that live at Whistling Tor are just as intriguing as the heroes. This novel is rich with characterization and that is one of the elements that I most crave when I read fiction, something that I haven’t quite gotten recently. Reading this book felt like becoming part of something strange but wonderful.

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2010 in review

2 Jan

Thought this was pretty neat :)

 

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 100 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 178 posts. There were 67 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 5mb. That’s about 1 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was January 7th with 132 views. The most popular post that day was What I’m Reading.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were Google Reader, zenleaf.blogspot.com, bookblogs.ning.com, zenleaf.amandagignac.com, and j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for 15 authors, things to read, jessie bollier, the slave dancer, and cupid and psyche.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

What I’m Reading December 2009
5 comments

2

43rd Bookworms Carnival: Cupid & Psyche December 2009

3

“We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.” April 2008
1 comment

4

15 authors October 2010
4 comments

5

The Slave Dancer May 2010
1 comment

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Last post of 2010

31 Dec

Goddess of the Rose by PC Cast

Mikado “Mikki” Empousai has always had a special affinity with roses, as did her mother and grandmother. When she starts to have tantalizing dreams about a mystery lover, she starts to wonder if it’s the result of loneliness and an overactive imagination, or something more.  It doesn’t help that her dream man bears a striking resemblance to the mythical beast statue that guards the local rose garden. Little does Mikki realize that it’s a sign of a change to come, an awakening that brings her close to her true destiny and challenges her concept of dreams and reality.

—

I picked this book up on a whim at the used paperback store by my old job. The cover was a bit more sensual than the kind of covers that usually pique my interest, but I was intrigued when I read the blurb and realized that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

I have mixed feeling about the novel itself… I found the concept original. The plot draws on Greek mythology and casts the Beast as the misunderstood Minotaur who guards Hecate’s Realm of the Rose, the place where the mundane world’s dreams are made. Mikki is portrayed as a strong, determined woman willing to chase her dreams, while the Beast is presented as a creature who is well aware of his position as a man-beast. The magickal elements also seemed a natural part of the world created by Cast. However, I had some trouble with the prose. I’m very particular about my idea of romance, dialog, and description when it comes to sex in literature, and the language just fell short in my opinion.

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Green Rider

26 Dec

Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Expelled from school after getting into a fight with a noble lord’s son, Karigan G’ladheon decides it’s time to leave the famed Selium academy and return home. Too bad fate has something else in store for her… Making her way home on foot, Karigan encounters a wounded Green Rider, a member of the King’s messenger service, sworn to deliver messages of import no matter the challenge. Finding that the Greenie is mortally wounded, Karigan agrees to complete the messenger’s final task, to deliver a message that others would kill to intercept. Facing dangerous creatures, magical foes, and countless dangers, Karigan fights her way to King Zachary’s castle, accepting the call of the Rider.

—
Green Rider was an interesting read with just the right amount of fantasy and adventure to keep me engaged and up into the night despite a head cold. It was a completely serendipitous find, just a cover that attracted my attention on PaperBackSwap. It has the feel of a Tamora Pierce novel, as if Karigan belonged among the sheroes of Tortall. I find this is quite a good thing :) . Unfortunately, I did not realize that it is part of a series, so now I’ve sucked myself into another series… I keep telling myself to stop doing that.

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Secret Santa Surprise

23 Dec

My Secret Santa package arrived in the mail today! My Santa sent me a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel and North & South, and a bunch of festive sticky notepads :)

Thank you!

Can’t wait to read The Scarlet Pimpernel, it’s been on my mental to read list for a while…

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hectic holidays

20 Dec

If it seems like I’ve disappeared off the face of the blogosphere, it’s because the holidays have made it nearly impossible for me to sit down and write. Preparations for holiday parties, gift exchanges, and family get-togethers have taken over most of my free time, and what’s left has been dedicated to relaxing and enjoying my lack of homework. Will try to post once again when things slow down.

In the meantime, I did manage to get around to reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, which is a very quiet sort of novel that sort of sneaks up on you with its humor. It also put me in the right frame of mind for mad family events.

Happy Holidays to all!

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No Greater Sacrifice

5 Dec

No Greater Sacrifice by John C. Stipa

When Renee d’ Arcadia, archaeologist learns that she is terminally ill, she decides it’s time to take any chances she can get. Grasping at straws, she starts a quest to learn the secrets of the legendary Eleusinian Mysteries, a purification rite that might just provide her with the lifeline she needs. Never did she think that a trip to Greece would place her at the center of a dangerous plot, or bring her closer to sexy David Arturo.

Part adventure, part rollicking romance, and part ancient history lesson, Stipa’s novel is a sort of Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones with a dash of mysticism.

I don’t read much in the adventure/thriller genre, but when I do, I like to be absorbed by the story. This was a quick-paced and engaging read. I especially appreciated that Renee was not the sort of damsel-in-distress female sidekick that is so often introduced in such novels, but a strong, determined woman capable to getting herself in and out of scrapes.

I received my review copy of No Greater Sacrifice from John C. Stipa.

You can find a copy of the novel on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles

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Monthly Round-up: November 2010

28 Nov


Monthly Round-up for November 2010

Read
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Currently Reading
No Greater Sacrifice by John Stipa
Felicity’s Story Collection – American Girl Collection

On Hold
Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson

The Monthly Round-up is a regular feature wherein I list the books I read each month.

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The Moonstone

24 Nov

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

One of the primary examples of the early detective novel, Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone is a mystery that tests the limits of reason and imagination. Told through a series of witness accounts, the novel plays with multiple narrative voices, while also exploring the varied ways in which several individuals perceive the same event.

Beginning with the story of the Moonstone and its violent removal from its native India, the narrative can be read as a tale of colonialism and conquest, the Moonstone’s presence introducing a foreign element amidst the members of Lady Verinder’s home when it is delivered by her nephew, Franklin Blake. While I was reading, I kept coming up with all the ways that I could have written about this novel if I had read it in grad school; luckily, I get to be brief and enjoy myself while writing about books now :) . Unlike when I read The Woman in White, I did not feel completely absorbed by the story of the Moonstone until I was about halfway through the first narrative, told at Franklin Blake’s request by Lady Verinder’s faithful servant, Mr. Betteredge. When the “detective fever” came upon Mr. Betteredge, it suddenly came upon me as well.

Was it a difficult puzzle to solve? Not at all; it almost reminded me of Bleak House–the suspicious characters were a little too suspicious to be anything but the actual suspects. That is not to say that there isn’t some depth to the mystery, this is a multi-layered novel after all and there are several stories that merge before the mystery is resolved. Rachel Verinder’s adamant refusal to take part in the search for her stolen diamond was at times more intriguing than the actual case of the lost diamond. Her motivation eluded me throughout the story until she presented her account (as retold by Mr. Blake). At first, I found Rachel’s actions irrational and annoying, but soon I came to see that the real story was part of her silence.

One of the things that I most loved about the novel was Collins’s ability to imbue his characters with original and highly individual voices. Each narrative is vivid and distinct in its portrayal of the narrator in question; from Mr. Betteredge to Mr. Jennings, the reader gets to know each narrator’s biases and foibles.

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Books await

21 Nov

It’s Book Fair day! Though I am trying to restrain my book buying habit, today is the last day of the Miami International Book Fair and I cannot resist its lure. I will stick to a budget. I will not buy more than a couple of books. Must remain calm…

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