An Ember in the Ashes: a book review

An Ember in the Ashes. Sabaa Tahir. 2015. Razorbill. Pages: 480. [Source: Bought]

• • •

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire's impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia's brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire's greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school's finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he's been trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

• • •

Rating: 5/5

I never knew that this book would become one of my absolute favourites, especially when I began to read it and found that it had been written in First Person Present. There aren't many novels written in First Person Present, and I often find it an annoying way to write because it presents the fact that, in logistics, when it's written that way, it kind of suggests that the book is being written as the events happen. And how can the main character be writing this when he's the middle of a battle or while she's being beaten by her master?

But this writing style didn't bother me while I read An Ember in the Ashes. Somehow, it actually helped.

The way Sabaa Tahir wrote her story drew me in and never let go. I couldn't put the book down! I actually felt regret every time I had to because I just had to know what happened next!

The characters were excellent. I felt I got to know Laia and Elias quite well. I grew to like them very much, and it got to the point that I was like "If you touch my son or daughter so help me—!" when it came to when Laia and Elias were punished for something. I'm not usually like that, lol.

I love the cover—I know it's not the original, which is just as stunning—but it was one of the things that drew me to the story to the point I ended up getting it and buying it. I've been aware of it for a few years, thanks to bookstagram and other book communities that I'm a part of, but I never really bothered to check it out until now. It kind of reminds me of something my photography teacher told me when I was in college: "People love faces", meaning people respond to images with faces or face-like shapes in them. It seems to be true because I was ten times more attracted to the copy with Laia and Elias on the cover than the first one with their silhouettes and the stone texture on it.

The range of characters in this book was amazing. The brutality is realistic, and even frightening. I swear I found myself holding my breath half the time, but somehow I managed to breathe or I wouldn't be writing this post, XD And despite the fact that the world of the story was based on the Roman Empire, it didn't jump out of me until after I read the synopsis on Goodreads while I marked the book as read. 

The world itself is rich and doesn't seem like a copy. It always felt like I was there, almost as if I was standing next to, fighting next to, spying next to, the characters as the plot progressed.

I love books like that.

The theme and the story were very well done. I could tell that the overall theme was about freedom and that bravery comes in more than one form. It makes me kinda a little jealous, because I fumble with themes and it's always been a mist-like concept for me and when my English teacher tried to teach me about it and have me find it in a short story he had me read I kept drawing a blank, ha ha. But that doesn't mean that Sabaa made the theme too aparent—I say that I was able to see it clearly now that I think back to it because she wove it into her story masterfully. It makes my heart beat harder because not all authors are able to that!

Unfortunately, despite all the good things I have to gush about An Ember in the Ashes, there are still some downsides to it. There was some swearing, b-words but no f-bombs (thankfully). Rape is mentioned but never happens in the story. It almost happens to Laia a couple of times, but Elias was there to keep it from happening. Laia gets beat up by one of the Masks, but that wasn't the only instance of violence in the story. A lot of people die. Sabaa has a body count to rival Tolkien in this story.

But I would read this story again, definitely. It will stay on my bookshelf forever. I'm definitely getting its sequel, A Torch Against the Night, when I get my next paycheck (I'm trying to save money, lol), and when I'm finished that I'll get the one after that...

I love it when I find a book that I like ^^

The Sword of Shannara: a book review

The Sword of Shannara. Terry Brooks. 1977. Del Rey Books. Pages: 726. [Source: Library]

§§§

Long ago, the wars of the ancient Evil ruined the world. In peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Ohmsford knows little of such troubles. But the supposedly dead Warlock Lord is plotting to destroy everything in his wake. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness is the Sword of Shannara, which can be used only by a true heir of Shannara. On Shea, last of the bloodline, rests the hope of all the races.

Thus begins the enthralling Shannara epic, a spellbinding tale of adventure, magic, and myth...

§§§

Rating: 3/5

When the librarian at my library suggested this book for the "library staff recommendation" category of the Bookopoly Reading Challenge my library is hosting, I was happy because my Dad had read it once so there was a bit of a legacy going on with how he read it and then I read it...

Maybe I'll make one or all of my kids read it when they're around my age, just so they can learn to appreciate well-written novels. I'm not saying that The Sword of Shannara was well-written, but it is something I've grown to expect from a majority of the novels from the era that in which was published.

So, while I wait for the forecasted thunderstorm to come barreling over my home, I'll discuss the pros and cons, and the things I liked and disliked about the story.

As the title of the novel suggests, The Sword of Shannara is about the Sword of Shannara—to an extent. It's mostly about Shea Ohmsford, and the fact that he's the only one left who can properly use the thing.

At the beginning of the novel, we're introduced to Flick Ohmsford—Shea's adoptive brother. He's walking along, on his way home from helping some of his fellow Man who live on the outside of the Shady Vale, the quiet and quaint Shire-like sanctuary protected by the Duln Forests that surround it on all sides. Suddenly, he comes across a stranger who seems to leap from the shadows of the trees to ask him for directions to a place to stay in nearby after nearly giving poor Flick a heart attack.

This is how Allanon, mysterious historian of the Four Lands, came to stay in the Inn of Curzad Ohmsford, the father of Flick and the man who took in Shea when his mother died. And that is how Allanon found Shea, and ultimately sent Shea and Flick on the adventure of their lives.

Now, this is the kind of story that leaves me feeling a bit disappointed when I finished it. Yes, I made it all the way through this 726-page MONSTROSITY (I say that because of its length, not because it was so bad as it could be considered monstrous), and I couldn't be more happy because now I can finally read something else.

But I didn't hate this book as much as some of my fellow Goodreads users. No, I think I was okay with it, but I feel it could have been stretched out a bit. The Sword of Shannara itself could have been stretched into its own trilogy in my opinion, with more details and more attention to each event as they happened. Then, The Elfstones of Shannara, and The Wishsong of Shannara could have continued on afterwards as consecutive instalments in a series.

There was too much crammed into this one book, in my opinion. Scenes were too generalized and I noticed that several important, probably pivotal conversations were glazed over and only described. Secondary characters were hardly introduced before they were thrown into battle where they were slaughtered (though I was kinda sad that Sheelon was killed by his fellow man because he had survived so long that it seemed he should have been allowed to die of old age and not in battle).

The main characters, too, kinda felt half-baked. Shea appeared and we weren't given much of a background other than he was the last living descendant of Jerl Shannara and he's the only hope for the whole world and his father was an elf and his mother was a human from Shady Vale and that when he was a kid Curzad adopted him. There was no mention of what he liked to do in the day, or much describing of what he did in his day to day life. What was his job? How did he help Curzad and Flick run the Inn? What were his dreams? hopes? passions?

Who Is Shea Ohmsford?

Who Is Flick Ohmsford?

Who Is Menion Leah?

Who Is Balinor Buckhannah?

Durin?

Dayel?

Hendel?

So many questions and no answers. That is one of the reasons why I'm disappointed about this book. I can only hope that The Elfstones of Shannara is better than The Sword of Shannara. I'm not holding out much hope though, and it will be a while before I pick up the next instalment of the trilogy.

I made the point of making a list of all the things that were similar between The Sword of Shannara and The Lord of the Rings because I wanted to know if the novel really was as bad as a lot of people on Goodreads proclaimed. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but I like to stray from the pack that tends to follow and agree with those who rant and rave about how bad something is.

Similarities:

• A wizened old man (Gandalf / Allanon) comes to the main character warning them of coming danger.
• Two characters (Frodo and Sam / Shea and Flick) flee their home from ghostly bad guys out to get the main character.
• They encounter an ally in the first town they come across (Strider in Bree / Menion Leah in Leah).
• Unearthly monsters chase them through the wilderness.
• They battle a tentacle monster in a swamp (at the door to the Mines of Moria / in the Mist Marsh).
• There was an epic battle between wizard-figure and servant of the evil overlord over endless pit (Gandalf versus Balrog / Allanon verses Skull Bearer).
• The evil overlord's land is shrouded with shadow (Moria / Skull Kingdom).
• An evil advisor has control over the ruler of a strategic kingdom (Grima Wormtongue and King Theoden / Stenmin and Prince Palance Buckhannah).
• The evil overlord's forces attack the last real defence of the lands of the Free People (Minas Tirith / Tyrsis).
• The evil overlord is defeated by a magical object.

I also made it a point to jot down any differences that I noticed, because there is enough of a difference that The Sword of Shannara is just able to stand on it's own. Just.

Differences:

• While Gandalf returns 17 years after Bilbo's Birthday Party and sends Frodo and Sam off on their adventure, Allanon warns Shea the day after he arrives at the Ohmsford's Inn.
• The two-character dynamic in The Lord of the Rings is friend with friend fleeing the Shire, while the two-character dynamic in The Sword of Shannara is brother–brother.
• Frodo and Sam are quickly joined by Merry and Pippin, while Shea and Flick remain alone until they reach Leah.
• Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are kind of ambushed by Aragorn while they were waiting for Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. Shea and Flick go to the town of Leah and seek out Menion on purpose. Allanon is nowhere to be seen, and the two don't expect to see him there.
• Only nine Ringwraiths are chasing Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. An undeterminable amount of Skull Bearers are searching for Shea.
• On that point, the Nazgûl are chasing Frodo because Frodo had the One Ring. They were chasing him for the ring and nothing else. The Skull Bearers were searching, not chasing, having no idea where Shea was, because Shea is the last of Shannara's descendants.
• The battle in the swamp in LotRO happens near the door to the Mines of Moria, while the battle in the swamp in The Sword of Shannara happens in the middle of literal nowhere. The monster caught Shea, Flick, and Menion while they were on the way to a certain river that would lead them to the dwarves in the forest. They knew of a danger in the swamp, which they knew as the "Mist Wraith", but they had no idea if it was real or what it was.
• Gandalf fights the Balrog in Khazad-dûm until he wins, then dies of exhaustion before being revived by the Valar as Gandalf the White. Allanon battles the Skull Bearer in the bowels of Paranor, over the deadly flames of the castle furnace. He defeats the Skull Bearer, but is dragged into the furnace and assumed dead by the sole witness of the fight, Flick. Fortunately, he manages to survive by catching himself before falling all the way in.
• The Northland is a mixture of Mordor, that one shadowed island from The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and that poppy field from The Wizard of Oz.

Of course, there were too many similarities between The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara for my liking, though I wouldn't classify it as a "Retelling" of Tolkien's work. I find it bold, though, that Terry Brooks thought he could write a story so similar to Tolkiens so soon to its publication. The Lord of the Rings was published in the span of two years—1954 to 1955—while The Silmarillion was published in 1977, the same year as The Sword of Shannara. Nevertheless, LotR was still fresh on everyone's minds, and publishing such a story at that time would only be akin to setting yourself on fire as a writer.

I have no idea how Terry Brooks managed to pull it off—to make his book so popular that he was able to go on and expand the world of Shannara with nothing standing in his way.

Shea (portrayed by
Steve Moakler)

Frodo (portrayed by
Elijah Wood)

There are some things that I liked about the book. Shea's personality was nothing like that of Frodo's, and I liked how Brooks managed to make a point of making Shea see how flawed he was, since Shea had never seen himself as flawed or that he harboured any stereotypes (which he did, of the Trolls). Brooks managed to make the main character different from Frodo, as a human/elf hybrid is as far from a hobbit/halfling as you can get.

I managed to find a picture online of a man who kind of looks like how I pictured Shea in my head, so that was a plus. Thankfully, I liked the story enough that I was able to finish it, because if I hadn't liked it enough I wouldn't have finished it and I would have had to go back to the library and ask the librarian for another recommendation. My favourite aspect of the story would have to be, though, is the fact that it takes place thousands of years after a nuclear holocaust which brought the world as we know it (basically "the ancient Evil" in the synopsis) to an end. There are remnants of that world littered about the place—like in the Wolfsktaag Mountains, in a valley, there's the ruins of a city with an ancient guardian made of flesh and metal, obviously something mutated by the radiation from the nukes. And the Gnomes didn't dare to step in there, which obviously meant that in their culture there was a legend about the place which probably warned them not to go there because it might have been irradiated. The world's background in The Sword of Shannara was what fascinated me the most in this book.

The plot twists when they came were welcome and unexpected, placed in just the right places. I don't know when I will ever read The Sword of the Shannara again, but when I have money to burn I will buy a copy so I can have the chance to place it in chronological order like it is suggested on Goodreads. It'll be interesting to read Terry Brooks' books in chronological order because then maybe the story will make more sense.

§§§

Read in order to complete a category for Bookopoly Reading Challenge.

Qualifies as the book read for the year 1977 for a Century of Books Reading Challenge.

A Defense of Honor: a book review

A Defense of Honor. Kristi Ann Hunter. 2018. Bethany House Publishers. Pages: 352. [Source: Netgalley/Bethany House Publishers Review Program]

§§§

When Katherine "Kit" FitzGilbert turned her back on London society more than a decade ago, she determined never to set foot in a ballroom again. But when business takes her to London and she's forced to run for her life, she stumbles upon not only a glamorous ballroom but also Graham, Lord Wharton. What should have been a chance encounter becomes much more as Graham embarks on a search for his friend's missing sister and is convinced Kit knows more about the girl than she's telling.

After meeting Graham, Kit finds herself wishing things could have been different for the first time in her life, but what she wants can't matter. Long ago, she dedicated herself to helping women escape the same scorn that drove her from London and raising the innocent children caught in the crossfire. And as much as she desperately wishes to tell Graham everything, revealing the truth isn't worth putting him and everyone she loves in danger.

§§§

Rating: I'm gonna have to give it a 5/5

When I saw this pop up in my email in May, it was the most interesting of the stories that Bethany House Publishers offered to me for that month. I don't think I was that enthused when I chose it, because I didn't feel that I was being given much of a variety to choose from.

All I can say is that I'm so, so glad that I chose this one.

The story begins with handsome Graham at a ball in a lavish ballroom, talking to a couple of "friends" who only seemed interested in gossiping. Then—there! He spots it—something interesting! A flash of green fabric—a hand snaking out between the plants to snag a treat from a passing platter—he gets up to follow, thankful to separate himself from those two.

He finds her in the garden—and thus begins one of the most interesting chapters of his life.

This has to be one of the most original ideas I've come across. When I think about history, about the Regency era, I never thought about what happened to the illegitimate children or the women who were intentionally ruined by greedy men who were only after the biggest dowry available.

The fact that the main character was working to protect those children made me really excited because there's so much that could go wrong when she's going out there and getting those irresponsible men to pay for their mistakes.

I don't think I've ever felt such rage about the unfairness of something since I watched the episode of Blue Bloods where a young man came and punched a pregnant woman in the face, knocking her out so she landed on her front and crushed her baby. I wasn't as violently angry about the injustice as I was then, but it was close.

The book made me think a lot about how tough women have had it for centuries. Yes, there have been powerful queens, women leaders, etc., but when it comes down to it, women have always been the more vulnerable of the two sexes. Kit knew this, but she was able to take advantage of what had happened to her and her friend and do something good, even though it ended up morphing into something not good (i.e. blackmail) until a new face came along and helped her right her ways.

I'm honestly excited for Haven Manor - 2 to come out next year. And once its out I'm definitely going to start collecting the Haven Manor book as paperbacks.

Falling for You: a book review

Falling for You. Becky Wade. 2018. Bethany House Publishers. Pages: 368. [Source: Netgalley/Bethany House Publishers Review Program]

§§§

"Hey," Willow said. "Sorry I missed your call."

"No problem. I was calling because…Well, for a reason that you're not going to be thrilled about."

"Okay. What am I not going to be thrilled about?"

"The fact that it involves Corbin."

Willow winced, then concentrated on swallowing her bite of cookie. Nora was right. She wasn't thrilled.

§§§

Rating: 5/5 ❤︎

You wouldn't believe how excited I was for this book to come out. I was extremely delighted to find out that I could request A Bradford Sisters Romance #2 to review, and didn't hesitate to say YES to reviewing it. A childish part of me had hoped that I would have finished reading this before May 1st just so I could say I finished it before it came out in stores, but I was too busy packing up my apartment since I graduated from college (woot woot~!). And it doesn't matter that I didn't finish it before the 1st, because I wanted to enjoy this and not miss a single thing about it!

I didn't connect with Willow Bradford, Nora Bradford's older sister, as strongly as I had with Nora. But that's probably just because Nora is just so much like me—bookish, creative, a major history buff, absorbing information like a sponge—while Willow is a model who is more into the finer things in life (because her income allows her to indulge). But this didn't stop me from enjoying the book!

At first, I didn't like Corbin. I didn't like Corbin since I was introduced to him near the end of True to You, when John Lawson, Nora's beau, brought him along to a family party. I had been wondering what was up between Willow and Corbin since that encounter, but I wasn't sure if book 2 would feature their story or Britt's and Zander's. It kind of makes me wonder what Britt and Zander are going to have to go through before they get together? hmm...

But as the story progressed, I got to know Corbin more, and I started to like him. I began to sympathize with him whenever he tried to make headway in their relationship. The way he breached Willow's rules did get on my nerves, though, because to me it seemed that he didn't respect boundaries, which can be dangerous in a relationship.

Thankfully, Corbin quickly won my heart, and at one point I was almost yelling because Willow had been told by Corbin's dad to stay away from him and all I wanted was for her to tell him or for him to find out somehow so he could have a serious talk with his dad.

The ending of the story was a bit bittersweet, but Willow and Corbin had completely reconciled by then which made the ending happy as well.

This instalment of showed me a great story about getting back together again without having to go through countless aggravating obstacles. It also reminded me how I need to forgive and not hold grudges for as long as I do—though those I have a grudge against never really work to help me to forgive them, so... yeah.

I would definitely read this one again, and I want to buy it. I so, so want to buy it.

The Accidental Guardian

The Accidental Guardian. Mary Connealy. 2018. Bethany House Publishers. Pages: 305. [Source: Netgalley/Bethany House Publishers Review Program]

***

When Trace Riley finds the smoldering ruins of a small wagon train, he recognizes the hand behind the attack as the same group who left him as sole survivor years ago. Living off the wilderness since then, he'd finally carved out a home and started a herd – while serving as a self-appointed guardian of the trail, driving off dangerous men. He'd hoped those days were over, but the latest attack shows he was wrong.

Deborah Harkness saved her younger sister and two toddlers during the attack, and now finds herself at the mercy of her rescuer. Trace offers them the only shelter for miles around, and agrees to take them in until she can safely continue. His simple bachelor existence never anticipated kids and women in the picture and their arrival is unsettling – yet enticing.

Working to survive the winter and finally bring justice to the trail, Trace and Deborah find themselves drawn together – yet every day approaches the moment she'll leave forever.

***

Rating: 3.5/5

I hate to say this, but I wasn't really all that happy with this one. Yes it was engaging, and yet it had a good plot, and it had so much going for it which drives me crazy because Mary Connealy didn't seem to harness it properly.

I'm not the biggest fan of western stories, though once in a while I'll pick up a good one. When I was a teenager, I was in love with Gilbert Morris' Reno series. But, unfortunately, this story just didn't meet my expectations.

Trace was such a sweet man and is the kind of man I dream of finding someday.

The plot of this novel was good, with the climax hitting at the end with a decent resolution afterwards. The novel itself ends rather abruptly, but I can see how it leads immediately to its sequel, The Reluctant Warrior, which comes out later this year. I think I will read it when it comes out, just to quell some curiosities I have.

I guess the biggest problem I have it the fact that there were blocks of dialogue that here paragraphs long. It really didn't work for this novel. When Trace told Deb about his past, he kept talking and talking, instead of switching over to a flashback or something that would have drawn the reader deeper into the world of the story.

The way the story was written made me feel like I was on the 'outside' instead of being sucked in. The goal of the author should be to suck their readers into their story. I like it when I'm sucked into a story, because that way I can escape from the stresses of real life for a while.

This is only a problem, I think, because I've been training myself to become a better writer, and through my countless hours reading articles by other authors, I've begun to notice little things that break little rules I've learned to follow. It's kind of like how my training to become a better photographer has been judging the pictures I've seen and the movies I've watched, to the point I can't look at a blurry photo and call it 'good' anymore.

The Accidental Guardian had its good and its bad, and one day I might reread it when my life isn't as stressful it has been over the last month. But until then, the book will remain at a firm 3.5 out of 5.

Star Trek: From History's Shadow

From History's Shadow. Dayton Ward. Based on the concept created by Gene Roddenberry. (Star Trek: The Original Series).  2013. Pocket Books. Pages: 427. [Source: Bought]

He heard breathing and the rustling of clothing. Muscles tensing in anticipation of a confrontation if not a full-blown firefight, Kirk stepped around the stacked containers and levelled his phaser at the figure standing in the open. It was the Vulcan, who appeared flush and disheveled. At his feet lay what could only be the particle weapon detected by Spock's tricorder.

"That is my only weapon," he said, standing in place and holding his hands away from his body. "I am not a threat. It is my counterpart who should concern you."

~~~

I've had this pocket book sitting in the data-banks of my iPad for 6 months to a year. I can't quite remember when I bought it, I just remember that I wanted to read it very badly since it sounded like it was quite exciting. And I wasn't disappointed. Did I love From History's Shadow? Yes, yes I did.

From History's Shadow starts out with the crew of the Enterprise just having returned to the 23rd Century after the whole incident with Gary Seven in the Original Series episode "Assignment: Earth". They've barely been in their century a day before a disturbance in a cargo bay has them slamming on the brakes so they can go investigate.

What exactly is causing all that fuss in the cargo bay, anyway? Turns out, Enterprise somehow gained a couple of stow-aways when it was in the 20th Century.

One of the reasons why I grabbed this book was because Mestral was in it. Mestral is a Vulcan character from the only Star Trek: Enterprise episode I've ever watched - "Carbon Creek". The reason why I like him so much is because he decided to stay on Earth after kind of falling in love with a Carbon Creek resident named Maggie. The thought that Mestral, a Vulcan, decided to stay and live amongst the human race, which at the time was extremely interested in the concept of alien invaders, is an interesting concept.

I liked the action and the cohesiveness of the plot of this story. Despite the fact that there were at least four points of view at any given time, I understood what was happening at each point and the only times I felt lost were when I returned to the story after stopping in the middle of a scene. Each and every character read like they were supposed to. Sometimes I felt that the situations weren't described as much as they could have but in every scene my imagination took over and compensated because there was enough information!

At the end of the novel, when one of the characters, a James Wainwright, is retired and old and slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's Disease, a breaking news TV spot pops up on his TV, showing a picture of a very familiar UFO. After several encounters with a similar-shaped ship which was under the command of Captain Kirk when he was in his prime, Captain Janeway's starship pulls the memories of his times chasing aliens and seeing things out-of-this-world from the depths of his mind where they had long since been buried.

What I would have liked to have seen at the end was Mestral visiting James after he saw the image of Voyager on the TV, since they had a bit of a working relationship halfway through the novel. You know, just to see how he was doing since Mestral would have hardly have changed at all. But it didn't happen. Oh well.

Note: The reader of this novel would have to be extremely well-versed in the Star Trek universe to get a lot of what happened in this novel. I just squeezed in thanks to my curiosity and due to the fact that I'm finally watching Star Trek: Voyager from the beginning.

This novel takes elements from:

• Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Assignment: Earth".
• Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Tomorrow is Yesterday" with a cameo by Captain John Christopher.
• Star Trek: Voyager episodes "Future's End & Future's End, Part II"
• Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek"

The Phantom of the Opera / Le Fantôme de l'Opéra

The Phantom of the Opera / Le Fantôme de l'Opera. Gaston Leroux. 1909-1910/1911. Bantam Classics. Pages: 338. [Source: Library]

When I borrowed The Phantom of the Opera from the library, I didn't really know what I was getting into. I thought that the story would start out with the main characters, which I assumed were the Phantom and the girl, which I later learned was Christine.

But no, The Phantom of the Opera began with a group of characters that had nothing to do with the story at all, and that was when my frustration began.

I was disappointed with The Phantom of the Opera because I my mother told me that it was Phantom/Christine-centric. Yes, the story revolves around Christine and the Phantom, but not as much as I had thought. Hoped. Instead, as I read, I felt removed from the action, unable to connect with the characters.

It was torture for me to get through this novel. In fact, it read less like a novel and more like an autobiography/Leroux's personal opinion of what happened. I went in wanting a novel and didn't get what I wanted.

So, I did not like The Phantom of the Opera. I did not like Erik/The Phantom, nor did like Christine. Christine didn't feel real. She was out there. She infuriated me. I connected with Raoul, more than anyone else because of how Christine played with his heart! She would go to him, and then leave, over and over, and it made me so MAD at her! In my head I imagined throwing the book across the room, and throttling her.

But I made it to the end, and Raoul finally got the girl. I guess I can be slightly pleased with that ending. But, oh boy, I'm never going to pick this book up again.

Book Review: From This Moment

From This Moment. Elizabeth Camden. 2016. Bethany House Publishers. Pages: 352. [Source: Netgalley/ebook from Bethany House Publishers' book review program]

Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry. But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.

Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they've worked for at risk?

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When I requested From This Moment, I was drawn by the potential for a good mystery hinted at in the synopsis. And I wasn't disappointed. It was one of those times that I wished Bethany House Publishers was able to send me a physical copy of the book so I would be able to keep it after I reviewed it! It's definitely going to be a book I'm going to add to my collection, just so I can read it again sometime.

There were so many things I loved about this novel, from how real the characters were to the mystery and the thrill I get when we don't know who is friend or foe. Romulus was my favourite character by far. He was so 3D is was crazy. He's definitely the kind of man I would like to marry some day - not because he runs a magazine or because he's handsome. I'd marry him if I could because of his personality.

This novel was one wild ride, and was oh so realistic. I felt like I was there, in Victorian Boston, watching as the streets were dug up so the subway could be built. The dynamics between characters were as real and volatile as if they were happening in real life.

I was quite surprised at how rough the constabulary was with Stella. When two constables barged their way into Stella's boarding-house room, I nearly had to swallow my heart! I guess I was really surprised since I'm used to Murdoch Mysteries, a mystery series that takes place in Victorian Toronto, where a couple of the regular characters are constables at Stationhouse 4. Constables Higgins and Crabtree are actually gentlemen with whoever they interact with.

I guess I learn something new every day. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would like to read it.

Book Review: Cold Shot

Cold Shot. Dani Pettrey. Chesapeake Valor Book 1. 2016. Bethany House Publishers. Pages: 336. [Source: Netgalley/ebook from Bethany House Publishers' review program]

In college, Griffin McCray and his four best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore PD. Declan Gray would head to the FBI and Parker Mitchell would go on to graduate school as a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world - and friendship - crumbled.

Now Griffin is a park ranger at Gettysburg, having left life as a SWAT-team sniper when a case went bad. The job is mostly quiet - until the day he captures two relic hunters uncovering skeletal remains near Little Round Top. Griffin just wants the case to go away, but charming forensic anthropologist Finley Scott determines that the body is modern - a young social justice lawyer missing since spring - and all evidence points to the work of an expert sniper. When FBI agent Declan Gray takes over the case, past and present collide. Griffin soon realizes he'll need to confront some of the darkest days of his life if he - and those he cares about - are going to escape a downward spiral of murder that crosses continents. - Synopsis

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Cold Shot is the first novel I've reviewed for a publisher in many years. Did I love it? Unfortunately, no. It was an interesting story, but I found many faults that impeded on my ability to enjoy it.

The characterization was pretty good, and I was able to picture the characters as living beings. The relationships were real between Griffin, Declan, and Parker, but I found the relationship between Griffin and Finley to be a little bit strange.

Once they realized that someone was after them, the moments of suspense were impeccable - my chest tightened whenever Griffin and Finley stepped out into the open with the prospect that a sniper might be watching them through a scope from a thousand or more yards/meters off. That's one of my greatest fears - the fact that someone could be watching you, but you don't know where they are or if you're even being watched at all.  It doesn't allow you to relax.

But I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a bit of a grouch now.

There were several aspects of the story where I felt a little bit irked at how it was put together. For one, Finley seemed a little too perfect for me. At one point Griffin and her go out to a shooting range and every man turns to look at her and gawk over her beauty as if she was God's gift to men. Then, when she shoots at a target, she hits the bullseye with her first shot, even though she's never picked up a gun or shot one before. And Griffin seems to stop and think: "Wow, she's hot" (in general terms) as soon as he lays eyes on her. I honestly have to say that it almost feels like the author forgot that "love at first sight" is more like "infatuation at first sight" - which is really how Griffin felt about her and how it was described. In my opinion, it wasn't all that realistic with how Griffin seemed to like every aspect about her almost right away.

In my opinion, she teeters too close to point of being able to achieve the label of "Mary-Sue". I'm sad to say that I didn't seem to read about enough of her faults to help balance out all of her attributes.

I found Griffin's desire to resist temptation revolving around Finley's beauty to be rather admirable, and the Christian message contained between the lines was powerful. It screamed to me: this is a story about trusting in God to protect you and guide your paths. God protected Griffin, Finley, Declan, and Parker in this novel.

There were some plotholes in the story, but I'll leave it to you to find them for yourselves, lol ;)

One more thing bothered me - in a scene where Finley is running an autopsy of sorts on the body found on Little Round Top, I found the examination to be a little plain and rushed. But that could be just me and the fact that I took Forensic Science in high school. 

As a note, I would like those who read this review to know that you, yes, can find the gender of the skeleton through the shape of the skull and the pelvic bone, but you cannot simply find out the race of the individual through the shape of the face of the skull (though it is possible). According to my FS textbook, there are three types of skull characteristics: Negroid, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid. 

The victim in Cold Shot was most likely Caucasoid, as it was described in the book, but there is a chance for Mongoloid to be mixed in since Native Americans are descended from those who came over from Mongolia and the Asian continent. All I am saying is that the author should have been a little more specific since Finley is a forensic anthropologist. It could have been a little more specific without being gory or gritty.

All in all, Cold Shot was okay (in my opinion), but wasn't what I was looking for when I wanted to read a mystery/suspense novel.