Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Summary from Goodreads:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Review:
I feel I need to kick this review off with the words "I don't like fairytales". Maybe it is that I have my feet firmly on the ground, or that I haven't found the right fairytale for me, but I'm not a fairytale kind of girl. Nor am I a remake of a fairytale kind of girl. This is why I put off reading Cinder for so long. However, I finally picked this one up on several recommendations and I'm glad I did.

Let me say fairytales on their own... meh! Fairytales with cyborgs... awesome! I'm a science fiction fan through and through and I loved the combination of the cyborgs in this one. Cinder is a cyborg and she's under the legal guardianship of Adri. She has two step-sisters, one decidedly more mean and evil than the other. There is a disease ravaging its way through the country, called Letumosis, and of course there is a handsome prince.

There is all the elements of the original tale of Cinderella, but with a twist. The twists are definitely what makes this story awesome.

I liked Cinder, she's tough and determined. The Queen and her step-mother "legal guardian", Adri, certainly fill up the "evil" quota quite nicely, and there were quite a few other interesting characters, especially some fascinating androids.

This was a really good first introduction into what is a 4-book series and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Comic Book Review: Star Wars #1 (Marvel Comics 2015) by Jason Aaron

It's here! Marvel is publishing a "classic" Star Wars series, featuring our favorites from the original movies! As soon as it hit the shelves today I had to scoop it up and read it.

Skywalker Strikes sees the gang visiting a weapons factory with a cover story of negotiations between the Empire and Jabba the Hutt. Of course this is anything but that as the rebels try to make a further dent in the Empire's plans.

This story is set between Episode IV and V and for those that have read the novel "Scoundrels", it would seem it is set just before Scoundrels too, as Han Solo is still in the action (or maybe just after - if anyone cares to clarify please comment below!). It has a really classic feel to it and I liked the story line a lot. Jason Aaron writes with humor too and, of course, I liked the humor between C3PO and Han Solo.

I liked this first issue, and the only downside that I see is that I have to wait another month before the second issue!!

If you like the original movies this would be a really good starting point to start reading Star Wars comics! 

Book Review: Two of Us by Elizabeth Eulberg

Summary from Goodreads: 

Penny Lane Bloom founded The Lonely Hearts Club, which means that she basically doesn’t date. She’s got her awesome girls to hang out with, she’s got her hilarious (and sometimes annoying) family, she’s working towards high grades to get into a great college–she’d never give up any of that to be with a boy.

But all of a sudden, the rules of the Club have changed and Penny’s not only allowed to date–she’s going out with Ryan Bauer, longtime friend, all-around amazing guy, and her best friend Diane’s ex-boyfriend. It’s not like Penny hasn’t been on plenty of first dates before, and it’s not like she hasn’t seen Ryan practically every day for years… so could someone please let the butterflies in her stomach know it’s okay to calm down?

My Review:

This book contains a major spoiler to The Lonely Heart's Club so if you haven't read that book yet I recommend reading it before starting in on these short stories. The first short story could be read before The Lonely Heart's Club, but this one should definitely be read after.

In this story Penny and Ryan go on their first official date and it's sweet and lovely. I loved that he took her to a bookstore!! 

Since it has been a while since I had read The Lonely Heart's Club these stories are a nice refresher for the first book, and make me even more excited for the second book in the series to be released.

Book Review: A Hard Day's Night by Elizabeth Eulberg

Summary from Amazon:

Penny Lane Bloom, founder of The Lonely Hearts Club, has never loved Halloween. Her dad's a dentist, so she's never been allowed much in the way of candy. And forget being a witch or a ghost or a superhero--Penny is always one of the Beatles, along with the rest of her family.

But this year, she's got the Club, and the support of an amazing group of girls who all have each other's backs. So when someone tries to ruin Halloween for one member, the Club sets out to prove revenge is a dish best served en masse.

My Review:

I was introduced to Elizabeth Eulberg with Prom and Prejudice, and then her book, The Lonely Heart's Club. I enjoyed both immensely and was thrilled to hear recently that The Lonely Heart's Club is getting a sequel. Even more exciting was finding out about several short stories recently released with our girls from The Lonely Heart's Club.

This was a fun short story about Halloween and the girls dressing up. Penny's family is very big into the Beatles and dress up as the Beatles every year, which sounds very cool.

This story likely could be read without reading The Lonely Heart's Club, but I do recommend reading The Lonely Heart's Club first. It's a enjoyable YA contemporary that embraces girl power, and I can't wait to read the other short stories.

Audiobook Review: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Summary from Audible: 

Right before the wise old wizard Drum Billet died, he passed on his magical staff of power to the newborn eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately, Drum Billet never bothered to check the gender of the newborn baby, and it turns out to be a girl. Now his chauvinistic colleagues are forced to deal with a young girl who has all the qualifications to join their all-male profession. Terry Pratchett's third Discworld novel, Equal Rites, asks many provocative questions about magic, where it goes, where it comes from, and why. 

My Re-read review:

I'm a big fan of the Discworld series and I've been reading them for over 15 years. I decided to start re-reading this series late last year, by experiencing it in audio format for the first time. Equal Rites is the second book I've listened on audio and I have to say I'm really enjoying the listening experience.

As I have read (and re-read and re-read) this story many times I will concentrate on my thoughts on the audiobook. Celia Imrie does a great job of portraying the voices. The witches are some of my favorite characters in the Discworld series. In Equal Rites we get to meet Esk, who is to become the first female wizard (or so she hopes) and the brusque but lovable witch, Granny Weatherwax. They travel to Ankh Morpork to enrol Esk in the Unseen University. 

I loved hearing their journey and listening to the various voices Celia Imrie uses to portray the eclectic characters on the Disc. It was a fun experience and I'm thrilled to see that she narrates Wyrd Sisters, another Discworld story containing the witches.

Equal Rites was a great re-read. I never get sick of this series and I'm looking forward to experiencing them all again this year.

About this Audiobook:
Written by: Terry Pratchett
Narrated by: Celia Imrie
Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
 Series: Discworld, Book 3
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:12-16-99
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Audiobook Review: Scoundrels by Timothy Zahn

I'm a "new" Star Wars fan that still prefers Episodes IV, V & VI to the prequels. I remember seeing Star Wars as a kid but it wasn't until I was an adult that I re-discovered it, along with a love of science fiction.

I liked the look of this one, especially since Han Solo and Chewbacca are two of my favorite characters in the original movies. Scoundrels is set after A New Hope and before Empire Strikes Back. Han has survived the adventure of blowing up the Death Star and still on the run from Jabba the Hutt. When he is asks to take part in a great scheme, that will result in a lot of treasure. He puts together a eclectic team to help him, including his friend, Lando.

As with any adventure a lot goes wrong, and it was interesting to see how it unfolded. It was like the heist to end all heists and it reminded me of a science fiction version of Oceans Eleven, with a unbelievable twist at the end.

I liked learning about each of the characters involved in the heist, and how they are affected by the war against the Empire. It makes reference to the events of A New Hope but Luke and Leia do not make an appearance. I liked hearing more about the complexity of the friendship between Lando and Han, and watching them in action.

This is the first Star Wars book I've listened to. I previously read other Star Wars books and I really liked the narration. Marc Thompson does a great job, and at times I found it hard to believe that it wasn't Harrison Ford speaking as Han Solo.

This was a great audiobook for me to dip my toe into Star Wars on audio and I will definitely be back for more.

About this Audiobook:
Written by: Timothy Zahn
Narrated by: Marc Thompson
Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
 Series: Star Wars (Novels)
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-01-13
Publisher: Random House Audio

Comic Book Review: Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #3 by Robbie Morrison & Dave Taylor

In the third installment the Doctor and Clara are off on a new adventure. This time they start their adventure back in time with Da Vinci in Italy and travel into the future to India, to battle more evil. 

I'm enjoying the heck out of this comic book series. They are full of snappy dialogue and adventure and so much fun. This one makes mention of one of my favorite Doctors ever, the 4th Doctor. 

I liked the setting and the adventure. It leaves readers in a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm eager to find out more about the monsters and how the Doctor, Clara and their other friends will get out alive.

This is such an enjoyable comic book series, especially for Doctor Who fans like myself. I can't wait for #4 to come out on January 14, 2015.

**This book qualifies for the 8th Annual Graphic Novel & Manga Reading Challenge**