Katie edwards

I love Neil Gaiman's work because I know that he's going to create a world that's slightly unsettling, with terrifying villains. Neverwhere follows Richard Mayhew, from Upper London, on a grand adventure to London Below when he rescues Door, a damsel dealing quite capably with an attempt on her life and the death of her entire family. Once sucked into the chaotic world of London Below, Richard bumbles along, managing to keep himself alive and contribute to Door's quest to find the Angel Islington who knows what happened to her family. Neverwhere is great fun, keeping you on the edge of your seat, because you never know who the grand villain is and where he/she/it will pop up next.

I picked up this book because I heard the author read during LitQuake- and she's a really good reader. But when it came to actually reading her work myself, the flaws were tough to handle. There were moments that I wanted to strangle the heroine (who never really seemed to fit her name), because she was fawning and drooling over her mysterious partner. While San Francisco is a place that one could easily believe is inhabited by
Demons and vampires, the world never quite comes together in a coherent way. When the supernatural mystery is resolved and you think it's over, there's a bizarre non-epilogue epilogue. I think the author has potential but this book just didn't click for me.

I was looking for some YA lit to take on a trip with me, and I stumbled upon this one. I give this four stars for the ending and epilogue. The protagonist is just okay, and the macguffins are highly visible. The way we glimpsed the depth of evil present in the world beyond the maze is fascinating and I want to see how Dashner continues to develop the world.

Although Kel is my favorite of Tamora Pierce's heroines, Beka Cooper is fast in second place. I love the author's strong,female heroine and the strong, supportive men that surround them as they fight injustice. The Provost Hound series is much more mystery-like than many of Pierce's previous books which really focus on building the legends of the world. I'd give it to any of the self-rescuing princesses in my life.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict is a fun bit of fluff, but all too often the main character did something that jarred me out of the flow of the narrative. I found myself mentally saying “seriously?” over and over again. It's chick lit for when you need a brain break, nothing more.