Thursday 11 April 2013

2000 and my thoughts on The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Hi Everyone

The counter is just a few off from 2000, and I can't believe it! Thank you again to everyone for coming by, and for continuing to come back and read my ramblings. I appreciate it, and it means the world to me. Thank you.

I put up a review of The Rising on Goodreads for anyone who's interested, but I thought I'd write a bit more here.
The Rising, to me, really felt like 'the end', more then the end of Armstrong's adult series Thirteen did. The Rising is, really, the last of the Otherworld books for the foreseeable future and I am ok with that. Not that I wasn't ok with Thirteen and the way that it ended, I was. But this really felt like more of an ending for me. It left everyone in a comfortable place, with the possibility of more to come.
The Rising, for me, was really a book about the kids in the series deciding what to do. I won't get into too much detail because I don't want to give anything away, but readers of the series will know that these kids have had some crazy shit (for lack of a better phrase) thrown at them and they're still standing, with two Cabal's chasing after them. (Cabal's are huge multi national corporations run by supernaturals in Armstrong's world....have you read the series yet? You should, if you like the genre. She also has mystery books, but that's another post altogether).
So, it's really come down to what do they do? Their parents think they are dead, and they either get to keep running or come to some kind of of a decision on how best to deal with the Cabal's. I liked the resolution, and I think it really gave a taste of how much power these Cabal's really have.
Now, readers who know of Armstrong's series know that you aren't always going to like every narrator but that doesn't mean that you're going to stop reading. Maya wasn't my favorite, but neither was Hope and that's ok. I think that's part of what makes this series so amazing.

Armstrong really changed the game in so many ways with her supernatural series on so many levels. There are so many things that I'm not even sure I can name them. And in terms of a Y.A supernatural book, there is nothing silly about her work. The romantic aspect isn't in your face all the time, and it's not a bunch of bitchy teenage girls complaining about their problems. It's all very realistic and I like that. That was a key element throughout all her work that I think makes it so accessible and is something that I strive for in my own work.

So, supernatural fans should take a look at Armstrong's series, I think all the adult books are available in paperback now and the first Y.A trilogy, The Darkest Powers, is available in an omnibus as well. Totally worth it.

Friday 5 April 2013

What I'm Reading

Hi!
I have The Rising by Kelley Armstrong in my lap, waiting to crack it, and I thought I'd write a little post about what I am currently reading, and why I read how I read.
Well, I'm sure you all know that there are never enough hours in the day to read. Because of that I got in the habit of reading more than one book at a time (I just had a vision of myself with a book in each hand....its not like that!). The key to doing that is to make sure that they are different genres, or if you are a person who only reads one 'type' of book make sure the story is different enough that you won't get confused.
Right now I am reading A Game Of Thrones, this is my second attempt. The first time I didn't have the patience to really sit with it, but I am glad I finally did. It took about 100 pgs for the story to really pick up for me and now I am a bit obsessed with it.
I also have started The Painted Girls, about Degas's ballerina's. So far its very good, but I admit Game of Thrones has been taking my attention and I have to get back to it.
Now, with The Rising, it'll take me a few days if that. Armstrong has a way of keeping you sucked in, and its the last of her Y.A books so I am excited to get into it.

What are you reading? Any recommendations for me?
If your interested in what I love, check out my recommended reading section and/or my Goodreads pages.
Happy Reading!