Book Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Well, The Picture of Dorian Gray means another classic completed.  It's short.  It's a good story. But it's written like a classic.

Everyone is mesmerized by Dorian Gray.  It starts with Basil Hallward, who paints a portrait of Dorian that he feels is his best work.  He can't even stand to put it in a show for the public to see.  He then introduces Dorain to his friend, Lord Henry Wotton, who takes Dorian under his wing and "teaches" him his hedonistic views of society.

Dorian is taken by Henry, and falls into a life of debauchery, hurting almost everyone with which he comes in contact without a care. His path through this deplorable existence is enhanced by the fact that Dorian never ages.  It seems his age, as well as his sins, are only depicted in his portrait, which he keeps hidden.

It's a strange and entertaining story and gives an insightful look at life in late nineteenth century England. And, even though its a relatively short book, it is still filled with overly descriptive passages indicative of almost every classic I've read.

I'm glad I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. Once again, my Serial Reader app made it bearable.

Originally published in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
eBook obtained from Serial Reader
176 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Audio Book Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow is a well crafted detective story that strings you along bit by bit to the conclusion.

The multiple perspectives and time frames are used effectively.  We get the perspective of the widow, the reporter and the detective for much of the book. And a bit from the mother and even the husband (the accused) towards the end.

A two-year-old child, Bella, has been abducted from her yard (or "the garden" as it is called in Britain.) We learn about Jean and her husband's past--how they met, the courtship and their marriage.  At the beginning of the book, Jean's husband has died, and she's being hounded by reporters to tell her story.  You see, her husband was accused of taking Bella.

The best thing about The Widow is the way it is told.  We, as readers, are slowly and carefully fed bits of the story, from the past and the present, and from multiple perspectives. Slowly the secrets and details of the twisted life are revealed.  It's masterfully done.

The slight disappointment is that I kept waiting for "the twist," or the huge surprise.  There really isn't one. The resolution is what I expected. So the comparisons to Gone Girl and those types of books doesn't really ring true.

Each perspective gets a different audio narrator, and they were all excellent.  It was a great way to keep the changing perspectives clear.

The Widow definitely kept my interest, and I'd recommend it to those who enjoy a  detective story that is told in a very entertaining way.

Published by Berkley, 2016 (Penquin Audio)
Copy obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 4/5

 

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Book Review: Dividing Eden, by Joelle Charbonneau

I ended up enjoying Dividing Eden, but boy, it took awhile!

Carys and Andreus are twins.  They are a princess and a prince, but they don't have to worry about taking over the throne, because their older brother will do that.  Until their father, the king, and their brother are murdered. Then the queen loses her mind. Everything changes.

The elders don't know which twin is the rightful heir. To avoid the elders' scheme to take over the country, the twins agree to go through the Trials of Succession, to prove which one of them is worthy.

Now, they have secrets.  Andreus has a curse, and because the queen has asked, Carys has always protected him so no one is aware. He has asthma -- and if anyone knew, they would banish him.  Carys has her own little secret.  She's addicted to opium. So these trials, some of which are physical, are going to be a challenge.  Carys and Andreus both agree that Andreus should be the king, so Carys will protect him, and make sure he does better than she does.

There are a lot of secrets that are slowly revealed.  Carys and Andreus stop communicating, and Andreus has decided Carys is out to get the crown.  The trials get more and more intense, as there are murder plots, and many other issues that are keeping both of them from succeeding.

This book takes a really long time to get going.  The assassinations don't even take place until about 40% through. I really almost quit on Dividing Eden, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I made myself stick it out.  The whole premise of the Trials is a bit weak, but that's what the plot hinges upon, and once the trials get going, so does the pace.

Dividing Eden is exciting to the very end, and this is the first in a series, so we need to wait to find out the ultimate outcome.  I think I'm becoming a bit battle worn over so many fantasies about royal families and fighting for kingdoms and crowns.  I think I need a break.  But I also think my teens will enjoy Dividing Eden.

Published by HarperTeen, June 6, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye

After absolutely loving The Crown's Game, I must admit a little disappointment in the sequel, The Crown's Fate.

It may have something to do with my reading mood?  It took me forever to read The Crown's Fate, and I really thought it dragged, especially during the first half. I started about a week before the release date, and it took me at least 12 days to read it! (Hence, the late review.)

One of the things I liked most about The Crown's Game was the characters.  I fell in love with them and struggled with their dilemmas.  In The Crown's Fate, I didn't really like Pasha, Vika, or Nikolai.  They were all wishy-washy, changing allegiances and, in general, working against each other most of the time. There's almost no romance.  Not that it's required for me to enjoy a story, but I felt this book needed some.

And I guess when a book is about magic, one can expect magic to save the day (over and over again.) I don't know why this didn't bother me in the first book, but it just seemed like they just kept coming up with better magic tricks to save the day.

I haven't really talked much about the plot, but you can read the blurb and get that.  Suffice it to say, it's a battle for the throne. The battle at the end was epic (and, of course, magic filled.) The ending was happily satisfying.

I'm glad I read it--I just think the beginning could have used some editing. I think my teens will enjoy it too.

Published by Balzer + Bray, May 16, 2017.
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
432 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Audiobook Review: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Here are my general feelings while reading Leaving Time: love, love, love, LOVE... oh no... disappointment...no way!... well,  maybe,  ummmm, well I guess this is okay.

Leaving Time is about an adolescent girl, Jenna, who has been searching her whole life for her mother who disappeared when Jenna was a  young child.  Her mother (and father) worked at an elephant sanctuary.

The story is told from multiple perspectives. Through Jenna's mother, Alice, we learn about her elephant research in Africa and how she ended up married and working at the sanctuary. The stories about the elephants are my favorite parts of the book. We learn a lot about elephant behavior, and it is fascinating.

Jenna enlists the help of a psychic, Serenity, and the washed-out detective who originally investigated the tragic events leading up to Alice's disappearance. We get their points-of-view also.

The reader is taken step by step down this path to discovering what happened, and then BAM! -- the huge twist.  I had no idea this was going to happen because I hadn't really heard anything about the book before I read it. I was stunned and disappointed at the "cop -out" I fell Picoult used.

However, I liked that the twist wasn't the end of the book. We still get more story, more explanation, and some closure for all of the characters, so I ended up being okay with it. But I still would rather it have turned out to be something else.

The audiobook is narrated by four different people, all of whom did a great job, and the multiple readers helped make the perspectives distinct.

Looking back, I really enjoyed Leaving Time and would recommend it even with the startling twist.

Published by Ballentine, 2014 (Random House Audio)
Audiobook obtained from the library
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Stacking the Shelves - A Few New Ones

Happy Weekend everyone! We are winding down things at school, so I'm hoping to up my reading for the summer -- but still have a lot of other plans, so we'll see!  Here's what I received for the past two weeks:

For Review:

Among the Red Stars, by Gwen C. Katz from Edelweiss

Dare Mighty Things, by Heather Kaczynski from Edelweiss

Crossing Ebenezer Creek, by Tonya Bolden from NetGalley

That's it for me.  How about you?  Anything good I should get my hands on?  Leave me a link in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the hosts:  Team Tynga's Reviews. 

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Book Review: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I would never make it through Charles Dickens without my Serial Reader app. I have tried to read Great Expectations previously but just couldn't do it. Taking it in 10-15 minute chunks daily is the only way for me.

I can't say I enjoyed Great Expectations, but I did get through it without any discomfort.

It really takes a long time for the story to get going.  It never moves at a fast pace, but it does pick up a bit at a point past the halfway mark.  I just didn't find the story all that compelling.  I was entertained by poor Pip's experiences but really could have read the CliffsNotes and been just as happy. The characterizations are great, and I enjoy visualizing them. There were some surprises that I didn't see coming and some that I did.

I readily admit I don't have the appreciation for the old terminology, slow pace, and very descriptive language used in many classical works. But now I can say I've read it. It will be a while before I tackle another Dickens.

Published by ??
EBook obtained from Serial Reader
544 pages

Rating: 3/5

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Book Review: Avenged, by Amy Tintera @amytintera

I enjoyed Avenged just as much as Ruined and I'm really excited about this series!

Em has rescued her sister, Olivia, and they are now headed back to Ruina to rebuild the castle.  Things are not that easy, though, and Olivia is out for vengeance.  Em has assured Cas, who is now ruling their enemy, that Ruina will not attack and he has assured her he will leave them in peace.  But that isn't good enough for Olivia.

So things get complicated between the three kingdoms. Alliances are made and then broken.  No one trusts anyone.  And all the time, Em just wants to save her kingdom and keep everyone safe - including her enemies.  That isn't a popular opinion, however.

There is a lot of movement between kingdoms and in some books with multiple factions, I tend to get them mixed up.  But not in Avenged. Tintera does a great job of keeping them distinct.

I enjoyed the struggles and how Em is so strong in her beliefs. She's a survivor and a fighter, and I'm rooting for her and Cas to end up happily together -- but that isn't the case yet.

This series is shaping up to be a favorite, and as I said in my review of Ruined, teens who can't get enough of these female heroines who are trying to take over the world will enjoy Avenged.

Published by HarperTeen, May 2, 2017
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

I'm going to have to quit saying I don't like contemporary romances when I adore everything Jennifer E. Smith has written. I was, once again, captivated by Windfall.

The funny thing is, you will probably be able to guess the general story arc when you read the blurb.  Alice buys a lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, on his birthday.  She's secretly head-over-heels in love with him and has chosen this day to tell him.  Instead of that happening, he wins millions of dollars in the lottery.

There is much more to these characters. Alice lost her parents when she was nine years old and lives with her aunt and uncle and her cousin, Leo, who makes up the third person of the best-friend trio. Teddy's father left when he was young, and he and his mother struggle to make ends meet. Leo's boyfriend is a year older than Leo and is away at college. They are all trying to figure out what they will do after high school.

Smith is a wonderful storyteller. There's just no way that this mostly predictable story should be this good.  But it is. It isn't sappy, but it should be. The characters are genuine and tug at your heartstrings. They have life struggles to get through, and they do it without going over the top. Smith just has a way of sucking you in so that you can't wait to find out what happens, even though you pretty much know.

I thoroughly enjoyed Windfall, and I can't wait to hand it to some of my teens.

Published by Delacorte, May 2. 2017
eARC obtained from NetGalley
432 pages

Rating: 4.5

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