Three Souls

Three SoulsThree Souls by Janie Chang
Published by HarperCollins Canada on August 20th 2013
Genres: historical fiction
Pages: 439
Goodreads

We have three souls, or so I'd been told. But only in death could I confirm this ...
So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China...

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I quite enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t your typical ghost story, but it wasn’t your typical historical fiction either. It was a very good mix of both.

The characters were all intriguing and the little bits of background given about the side characters made you that much more involved in the story.

The locations were richly described without bogging down the story and I genuinely felt for Leiyin even when her actions were a bit stubborn.

Definitely pick this novel up!

The Postmistress

The PostmistressThe Postmistress by Sarah Blake
on February 9th 2010
Genres: historical fiction
Pages: 371
Goodreads

In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say, and believes...

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This book was amazing. It exceeded all of my expectations by about a mile.

To start off, I am a huge history fan, especially regarding World Ward Two. I love the idea of focusing more on the people surrounding the war than directly involved in the war. It paints a picture that is more easily relatable to most people I believe.

It might be a bit of a slow start (especially getting used to all the characters and remembering who is who) but once it gets into the story, it really starts going. There were a couple of parts that had me almost in tears.

My favourite part has to be the way it was written though. You know what is coming but you continue reading hoping against hope that you are wrong. That is what makes an excellent book.

The Taker

The TakerThe Taker (The Taker, #1) by Alma Katsu
Published by Simon & Schuster on September 6th 2011
Genres: fantasy
Pages: 438
Goodreads

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural St. Andrew, Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting a quiet evening--until a mysterious woman, Lanore McIlvr...

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I couldn’t put this book down. It was absolutely stunning and surpassed any and all of my expectations.

My favourite part about this entire novel is the narrative voice. I think Alma Katsu could write 300 pages about watching paint dry and it would still mesmerize me. The story line alone was fantastic, but when told the way it was, it easily took The Taker to the top of my recommendation list.

Narrative aside, I did love the plot as well. The cover copy gives you an inclination of what the story could be about, but I was still absolutely surprised ever time I turned the page. I finished the book satisfied, but I still want more at the same time! I want to see where the story goes and how the characters develop.

I would highly recommend The Taker to anyone. But I would suggest having a solid chunk of time set aside to read it, as it’s very unlikely you will be able to put it down.

Y

YY by Marjorie Celona
Published by Hamish Hamilton Canada ( A H C ) on August 1st 2012
Genres: fiction
Pages: 350
Goodreads

"Y. That perfect letter. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass. The question we ask over and over. Why? . . . My life begins at the Y."
S...

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I don’t think I have ever been so sad to see a book end. It caught me by surprise and I must have stared at the last page for 5 minutes before I finally closed the book. It was like saying goodbye to a friend that you don’t want to lose. I grew so attached to the main character that I almost cried.

One of my favourite things about this book is the way it was written. The narrative is beautiful and 150% suits how you imagine Shannon would think if she was an actual human being. She doesn’t always describe what’s going on in full sentences, but when you think about it, when does anyone in real life think to themselves in full sentences when something is going on? I sure don’t. In my opinion the narrative is pretty much what made this book exceptional.

I loved how not one character in this book was perfect. Their flaws don’t get pointed out blatantly, but you know that they have them and you know what they are for the most part. It’s like you’ve been talking to this character for a bit and you notice they have a tick or something. Their flaws are slipped in just like that. And it makes them so much more vivid and life like.

Last but not least, the plot. I only have one word for this: phenomenal. I seriously can’t explain it any other way. If I had the time and I thought someone would actually read it, I’d write two pages on just the plot alone. It flowed so smoothly and weaved together so wonderfully that I didn’t even feel like I was reading a book. No questions were left unanswered, and yet there was still a hint of mystery at the end. But I was left satisfied instead of upset with that.

I would, and have already, recommend this book to everyone I meet. Strangers walking down the street might even be told to read this book. I loved it that much.

Asha

AshaAsha by Kevis Hendrickson
Published by Smashwords on September 8th 2011
Genres: urban fantasy
Goodreads

Asha is a 15-year old girl with the soul of a demon. She plans to wage war against heaven and hell using humanity as her main weapon. Asha begins the ...

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I’m not generally a fan of short fiction, but I quite liked Asha.

I almost wish the book was longer so I could see more of our world through Asha’s eyes. In some spots her character came fully to life, especially during the scenes where she flexes her power. In other parts she tends to fall flat. I understand that on one hand she probably isn’t supposed to have emotions, or show emotions like a normal person would, but I feel with some tweeking that would come across a lot better.

It would be interesting to see Asha when she’s older, to see if her point of view changes at all. As much as she doesn’t care about our world, she cares for her earth-mother (for some reason I love that she called her this). It would be interesting to see if as she got older more people would have this kind of an impact on people. If she’d fall in love or not.

All in all, this was a great short read. I certainly would recommend it to anyone who has a couple of minutes to spare and who enjoys a cold plate of revenge every now and then (you know who you are).

The Last Romanov

The Last RomanovThe Last Romanov by Dora Levy Mossanen
on April 3rd 2012
Genres: historical fiction
Pages: 333
Goodreads

She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majesty. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanovs hau...

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I picked this book up simply because it had the name ‘Romanov’ in it. I’m not even kidding. I didn’t even read the back of the book to figure out what it was about, I just bought it. I love reading about history and different spins on history, and what happened to the Romanov family is well known.

The book was a tad bit disappointing. The writing was a little slow, and not much of the mystery that happens in the book is explained. I was expecting the book to revolve what happened to the Romanov family, or the events surrounding their deaths, but it didn’t really.

The book took me a long time to get through because it never really grabbed my attention. Unfortunate because I really wanted to love this book.