Review: WINTERCRAFT by Jenna Burtenshaw

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw

Genre: fantasy, YA

About Wintercraft:

Ten years ago Kate Winters' parents were taken by the High Council's wardens to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council's most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft...

Source: Info in the About Wintercraft was taken from the book's official website at http://www.wintercraft.co.uk/ on 17/04/2010.

Wilma's Review:
The story telling quality was compelling enough but just short of a masterpiece. The world building was good and I could clearly see in my mind's eye the streets of Albion. The character development is very, very good. Silas felt like a person to me instead of just a character from the pages, whom I can sympathize with. This is a fast-paced read which left me wanting more. I hope Ms. Burtenshaw would write the second book quickly :) Fans of Harry Potter would love this book! I would definitely recommend this book to fantasy readers!

Story telling quality = 4
Character building = 4
World building = 4
The story itself = 4
Pace = fast
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Book Link(s):
http://www.wintercraft.co.uk/

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We would like to thank Headline Publishing for the review copy of Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw received.

Review: The Five Greatest Warriors

The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
Book 3 of the Jack West Jr series

About The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly:

Synopsis:
It Began With Six Stones

Jack West Jr and his loyal team are in desperate disarray: they've been separated, their mission is in tatters, and Jack was last seen plummeting down a fathomless abyss.

IT FINISHES HERE
After surviving his deadly fall, Jack must now race against his many enemies to locate and set in place the remaining pieces of The Machine before the coming Armageddon.

WHO ARE THE FIVE WARRIORS?
As the world teeters on the brink of destruction, he will learn of the Five Warriors, the individuals who throughout history have been most intimately connected to his quest.

OCEANS WILL RISE, CITIES WILL FALL
Scores will be settled, fathers will fight sons, brothers will battle brothers, and Jack and his friends will soon find out exactly what the end of the world looks like...

Source: Synopsis in the About The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly was taken from the author's website at http://matthewreilly.com/latest.html on 09/01/10.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy of The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly.

Also received in the same package are: Seven Deadly Wonders and The Six Sacred Stones.

Genre: action adventure

My Take On This Book:
Action-packed militaristic adventure. Modern fantasy. The story-telling quality is 4 out 5. Not a dull reading moment! This is the final book of the Jack West Jr. series and ends the saga very nicely. I would give the story climax a 4.5 out of 5. This book tied in all 3 Jack West books to a nice close. The ending is satisfying and does not disappoint despite the high expectations I had. Overall, I would give this book an entertainment value of 5 out of 5.

Imagine my surprise when I flipped through the Seven Deadly Wonders and realized that I've already read the book! Maybe because I've read it as Seven Ancient Wonders!?! Apparently they gave it slightly different titles in different countries *duh*. Why? Haven't got a clue! Why don't you ask the publishers, Simon & Schuster... See my review of the Seven Ancient Wonders (Book 1) and The Six Sacred Stones (Book 2) by Matthew Reilly.

Cherry’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Jack West Jr. series reading order:

The Five Greatest Warriors
Book 3
ISBN: 9781405039338
Release Date: 20-10-2009
Pages: 480


The Six Sacred Stones
Book2

My review is here.

ISBN: 9781405038164
Release Date: 01-10-2007
Pages: 528

Seven Ancient Wonders
Book 1

My review is here.

ISBN: 9781405036924
Release Date: 01-10-2005
Pages: 480





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Review: Storm Born

Storm Born by Richelle Mead

Genre: urban fantasy, chicklit

Caption At The Back Cover:

Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants.

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl’s got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy – one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie’s first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldly ne’er-do-well, and the ones who don’t want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her...

My Take On This Book:
This book was recommended to me by a fellow shelf browser at Waterstones bookstore when I went on a retail therapy a few weeks back. It came very highly recommended so I bought it. Talk about gullible!

The story itself is not very original. If I have to give it a score, it’ll be a 1 out of 5. It smacks too much like a female Harry Dresden by Jim Butcher. Or, the same tattooed protagonist in Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs. Or Kate Daniels in the Magic series by Ilona Andrews, ring any bells? Cassandra Palmer? I could go on and on. So… originality? Hardly. But what makes me buy Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews again and again even if they are not very original either? It’s the masterpiece story-telling quality! However this book’s story-telling quality is only about a 2 out of 5. Not very compelling at all. Plus the protagonist is just a shade this side of stupid.

About one third into the book and I just know who our protagonist’s father is. And guess what, I was right. It sort of deflates the suspense effect when one finds out one is right about the story.

The cover art is not bad. I would give it a 4 out of 5. The lightning and the wand appeals to the fantasy buff in me.

So, what have we got? A not very compelling story-telling quality, a story which is not very original at all and predictable to boot but good cover. Overall, I would give this book an entertainment value of 2 out of 5. Would I read another Richelle Mead? I would like to say no, but I already have a few of her books. But if ever I would read a Richelle Mead which I don't already own at this point in time, I’d borrow from the library than buy it.
Cherry’s Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries


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