Title: Mimus

Author: Lilli Thal (translated by John Brownjohn)

Genre: Fantasy, medieval history

Rating: A

Blurb: Who is the fool and who is the fooled?

Prince Florin and his father, King Philip, attend a banquet in the court of their former enemy, expecting peace at last for their war-torn kingdom. What greets them is a devastating betrayal. The king is humiliated and imprisoned, but Florin's fate is far stranger.

Forced to live in a stable, at the mercy of Mimus, the wily court jester, Florin is close to despair...until he uncovers clues to a secret plot. There may be hope, but can he entrust his life to the whim of a manipulative fool?

An intense medieval adventure story, highly acclaimed for its almost unbearable suspense.

Opinion: If I'm reading fantasy, I'm the one that goes more for dragons and magic and swashbuckling adventures. I have little to no interest in books labeled 'fantasy' but having not a hint of magic in them. That was what I'd thought when I randomly plucked this book off the shelf.

Having nothing else to read, I settled down to try this novel.

It's only when I really start to get into the novel then I realize that I really am enjoying it, magic or not. The characters started to become more and more alive - I felt as if I was there with Prince Florin himself, sharing his shame and his humiliation and his despair at his seemingly hopeless predicament. I winced when he was forced to perform jester tricks (he was, after all, apprenticed against his will to Mimus, the court jester, and was given the pet name of Little Mimus) in front of the people who betrayed his kingdom. I read about how he was forced to conform to his new role, unwilling as he was, and the way his quick, sharp mind sought for ways of escape. I read about how he thought his end was inevitable - until he found a shred of hope.

Prince Florin - or little Mimus, during his time as a jester apprentice - is a very lively character indeed. I was enthralled by him even before the book was finished. I hate the thought of confinement and the stifling of freedom, which was why I sympathized with Florin throughout his captivity. I cheered for him when the rescue mission went off smoothly and he was able to go home.

I was particularly intrigued with his relationship with Mimus, the court jester. At first read, I disliked the jester - he spoke of flippant things in a quick, loose tongue, and was highly irritating and annoying. As the novel progresses, however, I saw little sides to him that seemed to flash past - the way he was comforting Florin when the boy was having a particularly bad nightmare (making up an excuse for it afterwards, of course, complaining that the boy was being too noisy during the nightmare and that was the only reason why Mimus was stroking his brow anyway), his quickness to speak up to aid Florin when the boy bumbled in his act before the king, the way he helped Florin save his father...

By the end of the novel, I couldn't help but like Mimus as much as I did Florin. I found the old fool affectionate when he chose to be, and he did, after all, take care of Florin. The character interaction in the novel is excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. :) I even found myself rereading it!

Count to Ten

Title: Count to Ten

Author: Karen Rose

Genre: Crime, thriller, mystery

Rating: A

Blurb: Abandoned to the foster-care system, two young brothers end up in an unimaginable hell. When one dies, the other vows revenge on those responsible.

A fire investigator

Chicago Fire Department veteran Reed Solliday is sickened. An autopsy has revealed that a young girl found in the wreckage of an explosion was raped and murdered before fire ripped through the house. Solliday must now join forces with the police if they are to find the killer...

A detective

Determined to bury herself in work after her partner is shot, Mia Mitchell is immediately confronted by her most challenging case - an arsonist who has escalated from fire to rape and murder.

What will happen when their lives collide?

Count to ten and watch their worlds explode.

Opinion: A really excellent read, and only the tiniest bit hampered by the predictable romance line of the novel (the two characters always get together in the end *sigh*). Still, the thrill bit was every bit as absorbing and I was up late into the night trying) and failing - through no fault of the novel) to finish the book. The morning after, I grabbed the book as soon as humanely possible, continued reading, and was spooked for the rest of the day, having been heightened to a new feeling of paranoia. ;)

Character development was OK in the novel - I liked the way they interacted although really, don't you think the tough-female-cop-with-a-bad-past has been overused? Still, I'm the typical gal who enjoys such stories. D:

The murderer/arsonist cuts a swath of dead bodies through the novel, and sometimes you can't help but go, "No, don't kill him/her!" but the wish never comes true. Well, almost never. You can't help but feel sorry for the people he kills because for me, death is a very personal issue (although I have no problem writing the deaths of my own characters D:). Karen Rose is my new author addiction and I highly recommend that you hunt down this book and have a read.

~rage-chan

Quicksand

Title: Quicksand

Author: Iris Johansen

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Rating: A-

Blurb: "Do you still miss your little Bonnie?"

This one sentence, spoken by a madman in an anonymous phone call, is all it takes to drag Eve Duncan right back to that horrifying day when her only daughter vanished without a trace. Since that day, her life has become an obsession to find Bonnie's remains and put the pain of her death at rest. However, one man wants nothing more than to prevent that from happening. He is every woman's waking nightmare: a brilliant, ruthless killer whose hunting ground stretches from coast to coast. But taunting Eve Duncan might be his first and last mistake...

For Eve is armed with more than just her talent as a forensic sculptor and her fierce protective nature. She brings with her former Navy SEAL Joe Quinn, an Atlanta detective who will do whatever it takes to bring Eve some kind of peace, even if he has to lie to her to do it.

Eve's only salvation may be through the mysterious skills of another woman whose chilling talent leaves her as tormented as Eve - and as driven to bring this monster to justice. But when lives are in danger, every step could be a trap, and every inch of solid ground seems to be shifting under their feet. And this killer wants nothing more than to lure Eve further and further into his swamp of madness...

Opinion: Quicksand is the latest in the Eve Duncan series, and sequel to Stalemate which was featured earlier. :) I really enjoy Iris Johansen novels because she writes very simply, but one thing which I find rather disappointing is that the plots are recurring. I can easily predict the ending of the novels and the way the plot will progress, and that's saying something for someone as dense as I am.

That said, she's not all dull and boredom. There is a slight twist of anticipation throughout the novel that keeps you reading and reading. The characters are well-developed, although Eve's anguish is beginning to grate away at me because, well, I keep expecting a fantastic discovery about her daughter and when I get to the end of the book, I feel all flat and disappointed because no, the leads were all false and therefore they are back to square one.

~rage-chan

Heartstopper

Title: Heartstopper

Author: Joy Fielding

Genre: Thriller

Rating: A-

Blurb: Welcome to Torrance, Florida. Population: 4160. As Sheriff John Weber would attest, the deadliest predators to date in his tiny hamlet were the alligators lurking in the nearby swamps. But that was before someone abducted and murdered a runaway teenage girl...and before the disappearance of popular and pretty Liana Martin. The pattern is chilling to Sandy Crosbie, the town's new high school teacher. With a marriage on the rocks, thanks to her husband's online affairs, and a beautiful teenage daughter to protect, Sandy wishes she'd never come to the seemingly quiet town with shocking depths of scandal, sex and brutality roiling beneath its surface. And as Sheriff Weber digs up more questions than answers in a dead-end investigation, one truth emerges: the prettiest ones are being targeted, the heartstoppers. And this killer intends to give them their due...

Opinion: Well, there wasn't much to keep me reading, I admit. It just barely grazed the edge of my interest with its blurb, and being bored, naturally I picked it up and started reading.

Still, it was half-way decent with a pretty solid plot, no real 'evidence' of savagery like other authors regarding how she described the murders, not much sadism, but interesting enough nonetheless to keep me reading until the end. I would've given this a B if not for the brilliant twist in the end. I gues maybe the author had dropped some pretty broad clues especially near the end of the novel, but being the dense person that I am, I suspected near about everyone except the killer. XD

Fielding also touches on issues like physical appearances ("Boobs, baubles, and bloated, boinking, blond bimbos." anyone? XD) and how shallow some people are, and that in reality, looks and appearances count for a lot, especially if you're a high school student. Because I still have my English essay to work on, I will not attempt to highlight the 'major issues' of the novel. XDD

I think this warrants a read, especially if you enjoy thriller/crime sort of stories. ~rage-chan

A Voice in the Distance

Title: A Voice in the Distance

Author: Tabitha Suzuma

Genre: Psychology, slice-of-life

Rating: A-

Summary:In his final year at the Royal College of Music, star pianist Flynn Laukonen has the world at his feet. He has moved in with his girlfriend Jennah and is already getting concert bookings for what promises to be a glittering career. Yet he knows he is skating on thin ice - only two small pills a day keep him from plunging back into the whirlpool of manic depression that once threatened to destroy him. Unexpectedly his friends seem to be getting annoyed with him for no apparent reason, he needs less and less sleep, he is filled with unbridled energy. Events begin to spiral out of control and Flynn suddenly finds himself in hospital, heavily sedated, carnage left behind him. The medication isn't working any more, the dose needs to be increased, and depression strikes again, this time with horrific consequences. His freedom is snatched away and the medicine's side-effects threaten to jeopardize his chances in one of the biggest piano competitions of his life. It seems like he has to make a choice between the medication and his career. But in all this he has forgotten the one person he would give his life for, and Flynn suddenly finds himself facing the biggest sacrifice of all. Told in alternating chapters from both Flynn and Jennah's points of view, this is the breathtaking, poignant sequel to A Note of Madness. - Tabitha Suzuma's website

Opinion: I would've given it an A if not for the fact that the novel was written in two POVs this time - alternating between Flynn's POV and Jennah, his girlfriend's, POV. I already have a bit of dislike towards novels written using 'I' or in first POV - and seeing the sequel written back and forth made me frown. Sure, it gave depth to Jennah who was always 'Flynn's girlfriend' but since I thought that the novel was fine with just Flynn narrating it, I didn't appreciate that. :)

Still, that's not to say that it isn't an excellent book. It's a good sequel to 'A Note of Madness' and still a pleasure to read. I bawled my eyes out with this one - something I didn't do with the first book - especially at the ending (which I shall not reveal now XD). It touched me deeply and I can fully sympathize with Flynn - that's how real a character he is. He'll stay with you, hopefully. I can never see the word Flynn now and not think of Flynn Laukonen the piano genius who suffers from bipolar.

I love him. ^_^

A Note of Madness

Title: A note of madness

Author: Tabitha Suzuma

Genre: Psychology, slice-of-life

Rating: A

Summary: Life as a student is good for Flynn. As one of the top pianists at the Royal College of Music, he is put forward for a big concert, the opportunity of a lifetime. But beneath the surface, things are changing. On a good day he feels full of energy and life, but on a bad day being alive is worse than being dead. Sometimes he wants to compose and practise all night, at other times he can't even get out of bed. His flatmate Harry tries to understand but is increasingly confused by Flynn's erratic mood swings. His friend Jennah tries to help, but Flynn finds it difficult to be around her - she evokes in him feelings that he can't accept. With the pressure of the forthcoming concert and the growing concern of his family and friends, emotions come to a head. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. - Tabitha Suzuma's website

Opinion: Excellent. Something you -have- to read in one sitting, because it's that captivating. Flynn - the protagonist - is a very real person, and will turn out to be someone you will want to hug and cheer him up. You see, Flynn has bipolar disease - one minute, he's high and full of energy, and another, he's down in the slumps and thinks that life isn't worth living. The emotional edge to this novel is simply sizzling, and you'll be drawn into Flynn's up-and-down world in no time.

Even though I usually focus on novels with magical/fantasy themes, something drew me to this novel, and I now confess that it was the fact about him being a pianist. XD Not an entirely good reason for picking up a book, but I haven't regretted it in the least.

One drawback for me is that the novel is, in my opinion, too short. -.-' Still, that's not exactly a bad thing because some authors, if they draw out the plot too long, turns an excellent idea into something terrible.

Please read this. I'm begging you. *A* I simply loved it. You should at least give this a try.

Little Queen

Title: Little Queen

Author: Yeon-Joo Kim

Genre: Manhwa, fantasy, magic

Summary: June is a candidate in the running for the selection of becoming the Queen of Light, the most revered position in the land. The Queen of Light’s duty is to keep the King of Darkness at bay as well and reign over the kingdom.

June has a rival, however. Lucia is widely considered by many to be the perfect candidate for the position – cool, poised and calm, Lucia is the epitome of grace and elegance while June is wild, brash and rough when compared to her. It seems clear that Lucia, and not June, is much more suitable for the position.

But as with every heroine in manga/manhwa titles, the protagonist must triumph over the enemies, so to speak. June appears to be a master at acting (even if she isn’t much good at anything else) and is able to charm her way through the judging panel, at least, and puts herself in the lead for the position of Queen of Light. Why she wants the position when all she can do in economics is to blow things up, but murky reasons lie deep beneath her scary exterior. June is determined – that much can be said for her – and for reasons of her own, she is dead set on protecting her childhood friend, Sejuru, who is said to be, in reality, a demon. And when June wants something, June will get it, no matter the means.

This manhwa is also a little of a love triangle as June finds Lucia liking Sejuru, but the problem is: Sejuru follows no other than June…for the time being, at least.

The manhwa sports plenty of action as well as demons crash into the Academy in the second volume, and if you enjoy pretty boys + action + a reasonably good plot, then try Little Queen. June, Sejuru and Lucia are characters not to be missed…not if you want June’s boot in your face. ^^

Opinion: Well, haven’t I said enough in the summary? Shojo manhwa with lovely characters. Is it just me, or are all manhwa so prettily drawn? Most of the ones I’ve read, anyway. It’s not as diverse as manga where I can find a million and one different styles of drawing. Korean manhwa seems to adhere to a basic rule of drawing – and I’m not complaining much yet because it’s really quite pretty and pleasing to the eyes.

I find Sejuru to be the typical ‘pretty boy’ although I would prefer it if he did away with that headband thing that he wears…he would look much nicer without it, methinks.

All characters have that bit of angst within them, and Sejuru is no different. By the end of the volumes, you might want to squeal and huggle him a little. ^_^

Oh dear, this isn’t supposed to be entirely about Sejuru. Pretty boy-ness has taken over me~!

I think that Little Queen’s plot is confusing in the first volume (it abruptly jumps back in time without much of a warning) but then it evens out and gets better in the next three volumes. You might be confused a little at some points, but generally you’ll understand everything perfectly. June is a refreshing character who does things her way and manages to bulldoze through everything and everyone except Sejuru, who seems to obey her every whim. It’s rather heartening to see these two stick through everything together (although Lucia does get jealous!).

Yuki, another character who is on the judging board for the Queen of Light, is determined to prevent June from holding the revered position. He instead chooses Lucia as the ideal candidate, but as the judging board is made up of many other people other than him, will he succeed…?

(It helps that Yuki’s a sweet ass too, doesn’t it? All cute and lovely boys. Priests who smoke. Hmm.) ~rage-chan

Rating: 4 out of 5 for the whole series, and 3.5 out of 5 for the first volume.