Friday 56: The Last Star

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most Friday 56 post.

The Last Star page 56:

He swallows hard and glances down the hallway towards the family room. "Just me and you, Sarge?" 

Life has been crazy busy lately so I have not been reading much and posting even less. I hope to change that soon. Have a great weekend everyone! 

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty was not what I expected it to be at all and I was rather bored with the whole book. I kept waiting for the actual story to start. The pacing was slow, full of fluff, and I did not care about a single character.

Gemma dreams of going to London and after the death of her mother that dream comes true. Arriving in London her Grandmama quickly packs her off to a boarding school where Gemma meets three girls and their adventure soon begins.

I just did not like the book at all. The story did not appeal to my taste and I just wanted to be done with it. I will not be reading the other two books.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy

The Flight of Gemma Hardy was a delightful read that I had a hard time putting down.

Having lost both her parents at a young age Gemma is taken in by her uncle and aunt. Upon the death of her uncle her aunt treats her as nothing more then an annoyance and finally sends her off to boarding school as a working girl. Determined to learn all she can Gemma works as hard as possible while using every free moment she has to study.

While I did like the story I did have some problems in parts. The first half seemed like a faster pace reading and parts of the second part drug a bit. Even though it is a retelling of Jane Eyre I did not feel like I was ever re-reading Jane Eyre. The writing was elegant and well done, I never stumbled wondering what was going on or was confused about which character was which.

The Hunt

The Hunt is the second book in the Cage trilogy.

Having escaped the cage where Cora and five other humans were being held by a group of aliens calling themselves the Kindred Cora hopes the nightmare is over. That is far from the truth instead of being treated with care and as a creature with intelligence Cora along with Lucky, and Mali are put into the Hunt. Seen as the same as animals Cora has to learn to deal with being forced to sing for the entertainment of the Kindred while struggling to figure out how to better her situation.

Despite The Cage not being one of my favorite books I have been excited to read The Hunt. I was not disappointed, The Hunt had some of the mystery pulled away from it on what was going on and I enjoyed that a lot. The writing was crisp and interesting while maintaining a wonderful pace. Several time I felt like I was in the middle of the room with the characters. The downfall the ending. Just like with The Cage I had issues with how The Hunt ended. It did not feel like it ended, just like it stopped. While I know another book is coming the ending still felt awkward and misplaced.

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King

Arthas: Rise of the Lich King is a novel set in the Warcraft Universe.

Arthas, the prince of Lordaeron is an ambitious but spoiled young boy. Sheltered by his protective father and an ear of prosperity and peace Arthas has everything his heart desires growing up. Instead of embracing these privileges Arthas sees it as his right and expects to be revered at all times. Upon reaching adulthood Arthas is brought into the brotherhood of the silver hand and made a paladin. With his true love at his side, Jaina Proudmoore, Arthas has it all until a whisper of darkness finds its way into Arthas's mind.

The writing was wonderful, a complex character with many levels Arthas's descent into darkness was portrayed perfectly. While considered a character who has strayed from the path of light I did find myself cheering for Arthas at times and hoping he would overcome the darkness threatening to suffocate him. I hope to read more Warcraft lore novels in the future. 

Warcraft Durotan

Warcraf Durotan is the prequel novel to Warcraft the movie.

Durotan is the leader of the Frostwolves Orces and struggles with a tough decision. All around the Frostwolves the world is dying and clearly something must be done to stop the Frostwolves from dying with it. Struggling with the death of his father and taking over leadership of the clan Durotan leads the Frostwolves on the best path he possibly can. Filled with action, tenderness, and heartbreak Warcraft Durotan had me turning pages as fast as I could read them.

Deception

Deception is the second book in the Defiance trilogy. Having been on the waiting list for Deception for around a year I was beyond excited to finally have Deception arrive from the library.

Rachel was very different in Deception so different she came off as kind of a different character which annoyed me a good deal. Instead of being a strong confident person Rachel has fallen apart and all her determination in Defiance comes off as having been an act.

Logan is different as well but his transformation is a bit more believable. Tasked with leading the survivors from the cursed ones attack into the Wasteland Logan has to grow up and step up. Overwhelmed by the stress Logan clearly struggles with the issues of leading.

Sadly I must say that Deception for me suffered from second book syndrome. The plot line was predictable, Rachel's character development was wacky, and it felt too long winded in parts. Despite all the issues I had with Deception I do want to read Deliverance.