Book Review: The Vampire Stalker, by Allison van Diepen
Spoilers alert!
Synopsis:
What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?
Amy
is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing
hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a
boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS
Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot
pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set
out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when
she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even
wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.
Book review:
This is my first time reading a book by van Diepen, and I must say, I was, and am, very impressed. I found the main character, Amy, to be very relatable and well-written, and Alexander, the vampire-hunter love interest, to be engaging and funny.
One scene in particular stood out to me- Amy is at a "teen club" for her friend's birthday, and Vigo shows up, with Alexander in hot pursuit. Amy throws herself in front of Alexander to save him from a bullet (I think it was a bullet- that part wasn't really clear.)
Anyway, I enjoy when, in books, the main character "sacrifices" him/herself for their friend/boyfriend/girlfriend, whatever. I think that it makes the character appear selfless and brave in the face of danger.
Unfortunately, to write an honest review, I must point out that in several parts of this book, the author did not write with clarity, thus making these sections hard to understand. Like in the end, when Alexander decides to stay in the human world instead of returning home- van Diepen doesn't really say why he stays, apart from Amy. He's still a vampire hunter- and it's not like, with Vigo dead, there's a sudden shortage of vamps out there. However, the characters did say that bringing him back with them would be complicated, because of vamps that are out for revenge. To which I reply: He's a vampire hunter! He'll probably survive it.
Overall, though, this book was witty, engaging, and action-packed, making it a must-read for people 12 and up.
Five out of five stars.
Book Review: Confessions of a Murder Suspect, by James Patterson
Spoilers alert!
Synopsis:
James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a
thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently
wealthy Angel family...and the dark secrets they're keeping from one
another.
On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel
knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents
alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three
siblings. 3) She can't trust anyone—maybe not even herself. Having grown
up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child
comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the
family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a
dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly
capable of?
Book Review:
I picked up this book for half off at Target, excited to find a James Patterson book I hadn't read.
I was disappointed.
James Patterson's style of writing was as close to perfect as could be, as always, but I found the book to be rather anticlimactic and boring. It is just another murder mystery that turned out not to actually be "murder," and the one suspect who could "crack the case" chose to stay silent until the end of the book, which led to a boring and disappointing ending.
Also, the main character, Tandy, suffers from memory loss for the majority of the book, which was never explained. Neither was the loss of funds for Angel Pharma, or the conviction of the children's uncle for shipping illegal drugs. In fact, I'm not even sure he was convicted.
Not to mention the fact that the whole book was leading up to finding out who killed Tandy's parents, when, instead, the parents killed themselves. I, for one, was disappointed.
Part of Tandy's memory loss was connected to this mystery boy, and in the end, when everything was finally revealed, nothing about him seemed to tie in with the rest of the story, apart from having something to write about in the Confessions sections every other chapter.
However, the plot was intriguing for the most part, so this story wasn't a complete disappointment. I did enjoy a lot of it. But the flaws ruined most of it for me, making this a not-so good read.
Two out of five stars.
Book Review: This Dark Endeavor, by Kenneth Oppel
Spoilers alert!
Synopsis:
Bravery, danger, and intense passion. How does obsession begin?
Victor
and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly
inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary
adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real.
They stumble upon the Dark Library and discover secret books of alchemy
and ancient remedies. Father forbids them from ever entering the room
again, but when Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is drawn back to the
Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of
Life. Victor, along with his beautiful cousin Elizabeth and friend
Henry, immediately set out to find a man who was once known for his
alchemical works to help them create the formula.
Determined to
save Konrad, the three friends scale the highest trees in Strumwald,
dive into the deepest lakes, and even make an unthinkable sacrifice in
their quest for the elixir’s ingredients. And as if their task was not
complicated enough, a new realm of danger—that of illicit love—threatens
to end the ordeal in tragedy.
Book Review:
Recently I decided to reread This Dark Endeavor, having only read it once a couple years ago. All I remembered was that I enjoyed it.
To my younger self, this book was magnificent- but to my older, reviewing self, I immediately identified the obvious flaws.
First, however, I must say how much I loved the beginning, then and now. The intriguing fight scene really drew me in, as well as Victor falling off the balcony and being rescued by Konrad. I could feel their brotherly affection for one another where minutes before they were fighting to the death.
I must also mention the comic relief provided by Elizabeth, the love interest, Victor, and Konrad. I was cracking up well into the night. The love triangle, also, was extremely well-done, and did not interfere in any way with the overall plot- everything was woven perfectly together, one event fueling another, and subtle foreshadowing that hinted at later conflicts, as well as a sibling rivalry that was backed by an undying affection for each other.
Now for the flaws.
Some parts, like the discovery of the Dark Library, were extremely underdone, while others, like the preparation of dinner for the servants, were overdone.
I found it a little TOO convenient that each of the ingredients for the Elixir of Life were revealed only one at a time. Also, there were only three ingredients. It is an Elixir of LIFE, people! There should be more ingredients! And it was also extremely convenient that each of the ingredients was extremely close to where Victor, Elizabeth, and Konrad lived.
Overall, however, I really enjoyed the dark story of the apprenticeship/corruption of Victor Frankenstein
I recommend this book for anyone 12 and up.
Four out of five stars.
Book review: Tallstar's Revenge, by Erin Hunter
Spoilers alert!
Synopsis:
A desperate quest for revenge.
Tallpaw is a loyal WindClan apprentice who is eager to protect his
Clan. But before Tallpaw can complete his apprentice training, a tragic
incident leaves his father dead—and Tallpaw consumed by a burning desire
for vengeance. Even as he earns his warrior name, Talltail, he cannot
see past the anger in his heart.
Though it goes against everything he has been taught, Talltail puts his
loyalty to WindClan aside and travels far from home in search of justice
for his father. But Talltail's new life outside the laws of the warrior
code is filled with danger . . . and he is forced to decide how much he
is willing to sacrifice for revenge.
Book Review:
Erin Hunter is, honestly, one of my favorite authors. I have read all the Warriors books, but only just figured out that this one came out a while ago. When I checked it out of the library, I had high expectations for the story.
Typically, the Warriors Super Edition books tell the story of one cat's life, from kithood to leader or medicine cat or whatever. This one tells the story of Tallstar's rise to power, and his quest for revenge. Hence the title, Tallstar's revenge.
When Tallstar was an apprentice, his father went into one of the underground tunnels with Sparrow, a rogue cat. The tunnel caved in while they were in it, and only Sparrow made it out alive. For this, Tallpaw hated Sparrow, and viewed him as the cat who killed his father. Which is understandable. I would think that too.
The first half of the book tells about Tallstar's kithood and apprenticeship. Tallpaw felt like he had to prove himself to his father because he didn't become what his father wanted, which I found kind of foolish. I mean, cats keep telling him, oh, it doesn't matter what your father thinks, yada yada yada, and even Tallpaw came to this realization himself, but he wouldn't stop feeling the need to prove himself. Just buck up, cat!
Joining up with Jake, a "kittypet" from Twolegplace, Talltail hunts the rogue who "killed" his father. Half of the second half of the book is dedicated to Talltail's quest for vengeance, and when finally presented with the opportunity to kill Sparrow, he realizes that Sandgorse saved Sparrow's life, and thus, couldn't kill him. So the book should be renamed The Quest For Revenge That Lasted For Like One Quarter Of The Story.
Catchy.
Seriously, after he DOESN'T get his revenge, he goes back to the Clan and gets an apprentice, and then skips directly to his leader naming ceremony in StarClan, which seemed kind of fast to me.
But I loved Erin Hunter's style of writing, and the plot IS engaging and exciting. I suppose that if Talltail had killed Sparrow, than it would have "corrupted" him, and he wouldn't probably have become leader. And I get that he had to become leader before the end, hence the time-lapse between getting an apprentice and going to the Moonstone. Also, at the end, I absolutely LOVED the connection to Firestar.
I did enjoy the book, and I will keep reading the series for as long as they keep coming out.
So, all in all, I recommend this book for anyone 11 and up.
Four out of five stars.
