Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Review: Ruin and Rising


Ruin and Rising
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A great ending to a highly imaginative trilogy. I appreciated the complexity of the characters and the depth of emotion in the relationships while at the same time frantically flipping pages to find out what was going to happen next!

Bardugo captured my imagination with her faux-Russian culture and landscape and created a world that inspired awe and fear all at once. I am so glad I finally got to read this book! I've been waiting impatiently ever since I finished "Siege and Storm".



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Monday, June 9, 2014

Review: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line


The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I'm a huge fan of the Veronica Mars TV series, so when I heard that Rob Thomas had written a book, I knew I had to read it. I wasn't sure entirely what to expect. Thomas wrote an amazing TV show, but I was worried that his prose might fall a little flat, or that the characters would not live up to the actors who portrayed them.

In an uncharacteristic move for me, I decided to listen to the audio book (read by Kristen Bell) instead of reading the novel. Let me tell you, that was probably the BEST thing I could have done after deciding to read this novel. Kristen Bell, who plays Veronica on the TV show, added SO much to the narrative voice. It really was Veronica telling the story. I loved it!

The book picks up where the Kickstarter movie left off, which is good, because I had many unanswered questions after the movie. I look forward to finding out more about my favorite characters as this mystery series unfolds.

Thomas's writing was spot on like the TV show. I laughed out loud many times at the dry wit, gasped with pleasure at the appearance of my favorite characters from the show, and teared up at sentimental moments with Keith Mars (Veronica's dad). The story kept me guessing, figuring out "whodunit" along with Veronica was part of the fun, and I never felt like I was jerked around by the author trying to tie up loose ends.

This book was a pleasure I cannot WAIT to repeat, so hurry up and publish the next book in the series, Mr. Thomas!



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