Happy Monday you guys!
This week is gonna be quite work-busy for me, and I still hope to manage to read a bit at night and hope that I won't have to juggle too many apartment related things...
And if only the damned heat wave went the F away! This heat is really killing my energy and my productivity!
For this week's Mark This Book Monday I'm gonna have a special Samplers mini reviews, so I can finally get them off my NetGalley Shelf!
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
This was a rather short sampler, but quite enough to give us a sense of the state of mind of Frances right as she is rescued from a shipwreck, dealing with survivor's guilt and having to face the fact that the other only survivors are lying about what happened in the cruise and how the ship was sunk.
I liked Frances' voice and just the first chapters were really intriguing, really left me wanting to read more. And for some strange reason the sampler also made me think of the Doctor Who Xmas Special about the space Titanic (Allons-y Alonzo!). I think the whole conspiracy feeling about a ship sinking making it look like an accident or lying about how it was an accident is the similar thread there.
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? Quite so!
Dove Arising by Karen Bao
This one was a slightly longer sampler, and one that showed how unique the voice of this novel is. Phaet doesn't speak out loud, much or nearly at all. That could have proved a challenge to relate or to connect with her, but given it was not like that at all. Being inside her head with the first person narrative was a treat!
I loved how she was determined to work hard and make the most of her intelligence and was aiming to do what she loved, but how she was even more determined to keep her family together.
The world building of the Moon as a colony and the society developed there felt like a mix of classic science fiction and classic dystopia, and one I really would love to read more about!
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? YES!
The Heir by Kiera Cass
I must confess that getting this sampler was a total guilty pleasure, because I read the three Selection books and enjoyed them, even if they were the fluffiest of fluff. I had decided not to give a flying f*ck about the next book because I felt it wasn't needed, but then I got curious and grabbed this sampler.
It is a fairly big sampler, with the first 10 chapters of the book. The writing is equally as easy to read and devour as the rest of the Selection books, but Eadlyn, our new main character and the daughter of Mer and Maxon, is not an easy to like character. She reads entitled and spoiled in a way that her brother doesn't, and when she makes a point of fighting for her independence and self reliance, it comes out more as a selfish tantrum.
There's a new Selection, one with a female as a chooser for the first time, so it's like a first edition of the Bachelorette. And maybe it should have read girl empowering, but since it was used as a distraction, it felt manipulative and even if that was not the intention, it read like "you need to find someone to love, or you'll never be happy" sort of attitude pushed onto Eadlyn.
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? Well, yes...
Will I buy the book and read it? Nope, I'll probably beg for spoilers to know what the hell happened though.
Ungodly by Kendare Blake
My most recent sampler grab and one that I had to read right away, even if reading a sampler from the last book of a trilogy you love is never really a good idea...
This one is also a BIG sampler, with the first ten chapters and quite a few answers and twists already happening!
After the very bloody and cruel ending of Mortal Gods, we see the fallout and what happened to our characters, meet a few interesting new characters (helloooo there Death!) and see Athena in a rather unexpected light and continue to feel like hugging and walloping Cassandra in the head! Neither Athena nor Cassandra are easy characters to love, but for some reason I give Athena more lenience and Cassandra ends up making me want to shake her a bit more, with her combination of hatred, naivete and deep knowledge at the same time...
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? HELL YEAH, EVEN MORE THAN I ALREADY WANTED TO BEFORE!!
This week is gonna be quite work-busy for me, and I still hope to manage to read a bit at night and hope that I won't have to juggle too many apartment related things...
And if only the damned heat wave went the F away! This heat is really killing my energy and my productivity!
For this week's Mark This Book Monday I'm gonna have a special Samplers mini reviews, so I can finally get them off my NetGalley Shelf!
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
This was a rather short sampler, but quite enough to give us a sense of the state of mind of Frances right as she is rescued from a shipwreck, dealing with survivor's guilt and having to face the fact that the other only survivors are lying about what happened in the cruise and how the ship was sunk.
I liked Frances' voice and just the first chapters were really intriguing, really left me wanting to read more. And for some strange reason the sampler also made me think of the Doctor Who Xmas Special about the space Titanic (Allons-y Alonzo!). I think the whole conspiracy feeling about a ship sinking making it look like an accident or lying about how it was an accident is the similar thread there.
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? Quite so!
Dove Arising by Karen Bao
This one was a slightly longer sampler, and one that showed how unique the voice of this novel is. Phaet doesn't speak out loud, much or nearly at all. That could have proved a challenge to relate or to connect with her, but given it was not like that at all. Being inside her head with the first person narrative was a treat!
I loved how she was determined to work hard and make the most of her intelligence and was aiming to do what she loved, but how she was even more determined to keep her family together.
The world building of the Moon as a colony and the society developed there felt like a mix of classic science fiction and classic dystopia, and one I really would love to read more about!
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? YES!
The Heir by Kiera Cass
I must confess that getting this sampler was a total guilty pleasure, because I read the three Selection books and enjoyed them, even if they were the fluffiest of fluff. I had decided not to give a flying f*ck about the next book because I felt it wasn't needed, but then I got curious and grabbed this sampler.
It is a fairly big sampler, with the first 10 chapters of the book. The writing is equally as easy to read and devour as the rest of the Selection books, but Eadlyn, our new main character and the daughter of Mer and Maxon, is not an easy to like character. She reads entitled and spoiled in a way that her brother doesn't, and when she makes a point of fighting for her independence and self reliance, it comes out more as a selfish tantrum.
There's a new Selection, one with a female as a chooser for the first time, so it's like a first edition of the Bachelorette. And maybe it should have read girl empowering, but since it was used as a distraction, it felt manipulative and even if that was not the intention, it read like "you need to find someone to love, or you'll never be happy" sort of attitude pushed onto Eadlyn.
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? Well, yes...
Will I buy the book and read it? Nope, I'll probably beg for spoilers to know what the hell happened though.
Ungodly by Kendare Blake
My most recent sampler grab and one that I had to read right away, even if reading a sampler from the last book of a trilogy you love is never really a good idea...
This one is also a BIG sampler, with the first ten chapters and quite a few answers and twists already happening!
After the very bloody and cruel ending of Mortal Gods, we see the fallout and what happened to our characters, meet a few interesting new characters (helloooo there Death!) and see Athena in a rather unexpected light and continue to feel like hugging and walloping Cassandra in the head! Neither Athena nor Cassandra are easy characters to love, but for some reason I give Athena more lenience and Cassandra ends up making me want to shake her a bit more, with her combination of hatred, naivete and deep knowledge at the same time...
Did this sampler succeed in making me want to read the book? HELL YEAH, EVEN MORE THAN I ALREADY WANTED TO BEFORE!!
Ohh, I just got an arc of Ungody in the mail days ago and I've been trying very hard to stay away from it until at least late August, but now you went and ruined that for me. I have to know about these plot twists and Cassandra's and Athena's new challenges. Like you, I find Athena more easy to forgive and I enjoy her story far more. Can't wait to see where it all goes in the finale.
ReplyDeleteWhoooopsie!! Sorry not sorry?? I couldn't resist and devoured the sampler! Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the full ARC!!
DeleteOh gosh, The Heir is SUCH a guilty pleasure. I personally didn't like it, but most Selection fans loved it. I really want to read Daughter of Deep Silence. I hear it's just like the show Revenge!! Dove Arising seems to have problems already, and that worries me... Lovely sample reviews :)
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
Thank you Rachel! If you've read The Heir I might end up asking you for spoilers via DM at some point! ;)
DeleteMy comment just got eaten. Boo.
ReplyDeleteWhat I was saying before it disappeared though is I had no idea so many samples were available! I should read more of those instead of just buying the book so I can see if I like the writing style/character's voice. Can't wait to see what you think of Ungodly, I hope it's as amazing as you want it to be!
Bad blogger, eating comments! I do like the idea of samplers for that very reason Jenny, that way I can see if I like the writing style!!
DeleteI have two samplers that I might have reviewed! But then I ended up receiving both in full - The Bourbon Kings, via NetGalley widget from pub, and The Rose Society, via friend who went to ALA! So no sampler reviews I suppose. Oh well! I hope you read these in full, hopefully you love them, Pili!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa @ The Eater of Books!
YAY for getting full ARCs! I hope you'll love them both! ;)
DeleteYay :D Awesome small reviews Pili. <3 You are awesome. Yay for reading that sampler of Ungodly :D I cannot wait to read this book. <3 But hah, yeah, I adore Athena the most too, hih :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, Ungodly is gonna be amazing, I know it Carina!
DeleteThank you for commenting sweetie!
Oh wow, Dove Arising sounds really interesting with a character that rarely speaks! I love the sound of her already and the sci-fi stuff with the moon. Going to check this out more!
ReplyDeleteDaughter of Deep Silcence sounds really interesting too.
Woah, that's a big sampler for Heir! I'm not sure if I'll rush to read it though, because Eadlyn sounds meh.
Oh my gosh UnGodly sounds amazing! I have the first book on my shelves but never got around to it..
Good on you for reading samplers Pili! I won't be able to because I'd want to find out WHAT HAPPENS NOW.
Samplers are really good when you want to see if you'll like the writing and the style of the book, although they tend to end and you are left with a "MOAR PLEASE NOW" sort of feeling half of the time!
DeleteAND OH MY GOODNESS JEANN, YOU NEED TO READ ANTIGODDESS PLEASE!! Awesome twist on Greek myths!