Welcome to Tynga's Reviews — Where the story began. Reviews published before June 2017 may have simplified formatting. Thanks for being here. ♥

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Nemesis Games (The Expanse Book 5) by James S. A. Corey

Just like last weeks post this week I  am doing a review on another of the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey.  In discussing this weeks book, I will likely bring up events, plot points and characters that may give clues to the ending of the previous books, you know, spoilers.  If you have not read any of this series (and I believe you should at least try it out) and wish to be spoiler free, turn back now and ,please come back when you've caught up.

When last we left Captain James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante they had just saved themselves and hundreds more from a planet.  Well, to be honest a planet re-engineered by one group and taken over by yet another.  All before humans even knew it existed. It was a story that delved into many hidden thoughts, feelings and talents of the Rocinante.  In Nemesis Games, we get the opportunity to find out the hidden story behind them and some of the crewmembers themselves.

The setting of this reminded me much of one of hA Song of Ice and Fire Books in that it took place in a finite period of time but, the story was told in many different places.  We are allowed to sort of time shift to see events take place in one locale and be reported in another.  This is one of those times when I'm not sure if it is easier to have more than one author on a project.  Seeing as James S. A. Corey is really two people writing these books together and they did such an awesome job at managing it all, there may be some benefit to it. They keep a good time line and a very good pace throughout the book.

This, though, is truly a story of character development.  Events unfold that lead to some having to confront past decisions and the consequences and maybe even atone for those acts in the present.  Then there is a sort of re-introduction of somebody who was sorely missing from the previous book, Chrisjen Avasarala, the potty-mouthed, no-nonsense politician of Earth's UN.  She was showed up very briefly in Cibola Burn but, never fear, the diplomat with the razor sharp tongue and wit to match is on full display this time.

The Expanse is a series that delivers each time a  new story is released and Nemesis Games is a fine example of that.  It is meant for a mature audience so still maintains its R rating for violence, language and mature subjects.

Robert

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Saturday, September 10, 2016

Stacking The Shelves [224]

Stacking the Shelves


Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!


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 Hello Everyone! Sorry for the late posting, it's been pretty busy at Casa Tynga lately.


I have been very busy with my etsy shop creating all kinds of logos and my photography is also launching nicely as my entire month is booked! Here are some pictures in case you are interested ^^


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Blog wise, I hope you like the new look I created :) I felt like it was time for change!


Also, more change coming on the blog, since Jenn hasn't been able to review for over a year now, we filled up with a new girl!


So I would like to introduce Kara, here's a little more about her:



I’m a teen librarian in my late-twenties (rare, I know) living in the southern US with a web developer husband, whom I have convinced to listen to audiobooks; a wonderful preschool-age daughter, who loves reading so much she sleeps with her books; and a rescue dog aptly named Katniss, who is the best company for reading though she can’t help but have a taste for pages. I’ve been blogging since 2012 at eKaraLibrium and have only just begun to branch out to other blogs despite my busy life both personally and professionally.

Since childhood, I’ve found myself captivated by the adventures in Narnia, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, Valdemar, and Tortall. Fantasy has always been my first love, and should I ever write/publish (which I hope to do one day), I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away from it for long. Still, I love all types of books: historical fiction, chick lit, romance, dystopian and post-apocalyptic, series, scifi and fantasy, classics, international…and you can usually convince me to read out of my comfort zone as long as it’s really, really good. However, YA is my favorite because I think it’s probably the most overlooked, criticized, and yet deeply inspiring to its readers as teens are forming self-identities and realizing they matter.

Currently, I have a wall of TBR books and with the publishing trends and library work, I don’t think I’ll ever catch up on all of the wonderful things to read.

Please welcome her warmly :) Her first review will be posted very soon!

Tynga[inlinkz_linkup id=662299]

Thursday, September 08, 2016

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is one of those books where I can totally understand the people who give it five star ratings on Goodreads and the people who give it two star ratings.  So weird when that happens.  For me, the prose and setting and magic swept me in and kept me entranced- I give that part of the book five enthusiastic stars.  But then there's the plot, which left some key questions unanswered- I give that part of the book only two or three stars.

Les Cirque des Reves arrives in towns without any warning.  No advance man, no advertising posters.  In fact, most people aren't even sure how it arrives- no one sees or hears a train pull into town.  (The book is set at the turn of the twentieth century; no airplanes or tour buses.)  Once it arrives, it only opens at night.  By the light of an elaborate bonfire, guests can explore the many black and white-striped tents.  They're full of the circus usuals, like acrobats and tarot card readers, plus the fantastic, such as a tent full of dreams.  At the heart of it all is a pair of magicians who have been pitted against each other since childhood.

The Night Circus is beautifully written.  I never wanted to put it down.  At times the prose seemed almost lyrical.  Erin Morgenstern truly brings the night circus to life in your imagination as you read.  I could smell the sawdust and hear the crowd and see the flames of the bonfire... I swear my fingers felt caramel corn-sticky at times!  I'll admit that I'm predisposed to enjoying circus books, but this one was better than most.  I also loved the setting.  Because it's set at the turn of the century, we get to picture all the beautiful gowns on the female characters and nice suits with top hats on the guys.  The book takes place over the course of many years, but many of the pivotal scenes are set in fall, my favorite time of year.  The leaves are changing and the winds are blowing and there's a little crisp to the air... to me, fall is the most magical season, so it makes sense to place a magical book in the fall!

I would consider knocking a star or two off of my rating, though, for the plot.  I got very frustrated with trying to understand the game that the two main characters are playing.  They're supposed to be in a competition, but they're both working on the circus?  What are the rules?  Are there any rules?  How is a winner decided?  Don't get me wrong- I loved reading about the circus, the result of their competition!  Morgenstern could've skipped the whole competition thing and just done a romance and it would've been fine.

Overall, the writing and the circus make this a book I heartily recommend!

Marie

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

Cibola Burn Expanse Book 4 by James S. A. Corey

This is the 4th book in the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey.  Not only has it spawned numerous books in the series (starting with Leviathan Wakes) but also a TV show on the SyFy channel.  Since this is the fourth installment of that series, I will likely be touching on major plot points from the earlier books and the series (also known as Spoilers). So, if you have not started reading or viewing this series but think you may, turn back now and get started already! It's an excellent series in both print and video.

Those who have read this series thus far probably remember the black goo that turned people into 'vomit zombies' and took over a couple of settlements in the 'Outer Planets'?  It's what led to James Holden and three of his crewmates/friends claiming by right of salvage a Martian warship.  It also brought the already strained relations among Earth, Mars and the Outer Planet Alliance to its boiling point.  All of which was rendered mundane when the origin of the black goo was discovered and a gate that was a shortcut to many habitable worlds was found.

Cibola Burn begins at that gait and just within.  The discovery of a world suitable for humans was too much for two factions to deal with and tensions are high once again.  This is actually the continuation of a story that always seems to be on the brink of resolution but never makes it.  That is not meant in a negative way.  In reality, life is only resolved when it is over and this story has plenty of life left in it.  This part of the story is merely the next logical steps after what has happened previously.

This book does take a bit of a departure from the rest in two ways.  One is in the setting.  The number of different settings is reduced and the nature of one of them is very different indeed.  The other difference is that more POV's from characters other than the major four occur in this book.  One the more unusual characters gives us insights that were missing and we didn't likely realize it.

Cibola Burn is an action filled story that not only gets the heart pumping at times but also forces us to engage our minds and emotions.  This whole series has intense violence at times, frank sexual discussions and liberal use of language so, it gets a mild R rating from me

 

 

Robert

Monday, September 05, 2016

Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper

You know you're reading a Molly Harper book when the main characters are stuck in a crazy, life threatening situation but the author still manages to make you laugh. Molly Harper has this wonderful recipe for paranormal romance novels and it's infallible. I've never been disappointed by one of her books, probably because I understand her type of humour. Her characters are relatable, despite their peculiarities and you can't help but get attached to them. Where the Wild Things Bite, despite being short, is a wonderful addition to the Half-Moon Hollow series.

Anna, a rare book expert on the paranormal, is on a mission to return a valuable book to none other than Jane Jameson, after having appraised it, and confirmed it as an authentic and important document in the history of shifters. However, things go wrong as soon as she enters the plane that is supposed to bring her to Half-Moon Hollow. The pilot is deranged and threatens to kill her with a knife if she doesn't hand over the book, and when that fails, he tampers with the plane and crashes it in the middle of Kentucky lakeland. Anna would have crashed and died in it if it wasn't for Finn, the only other passenger of the plane. Anna accuses him of throwing her out of the moving plane but Finn guarantees her that he jumped, cradling her in his arms.

Together, they're lost in the woods, with no supplies and no sign of civilization. Only an old, but valuable book. So valuable that people are willing to kill for it. Anna, a germaphobic and very anxious person, quickly learns to survive in the woods. With shifters after her, she relies on Finn, who happens to be a vampire, to find her way through the woods. However, smart as she is, she soon realizes that Finn has somewhat questionable reasons for helping her. A liar, a thief and a con man, Finn tries to convince skeptical Anna that he really wants to help her, despite his previous motives.

Anna is a wonderful and realistic character, despite her neuroses. Her tendencies to learn every survival statistics and her obsession in reading survival guides to everything, helps her survive the Kentucky woods. Finn might be a liar and deceitful but I think he really wants to help Anna. I don't know exactly when he started to like her, but their close proximity leads up to steamy scenes. They're the most unlikely couple, but I think that's what so charming about the pair.

I really wish we could have gotten more out of Anna and Finn's story. Their trek through the woods was hilarious and entertaining, but what happened after the woods just went by so quickly. I'm glad Jane and the Half-Moon Hollow gang made an appearance but they didn't have much to do with the story. In a way, that made Anna and Finn the focus of the story. A delightful read, Where the Wild Things Bite is a must read for Jane Jameson fans.

Steph

Saturday, September 03, 2016

Stacking The Shelves [223]

Stacking the Shelves


Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!


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Just a couple of books from the library for me this week. I love my public library for having such a great selection of new books. I pay enough city taxes so I take advantage of the selection as much as I can!


where the wild things bite      spells and scones


Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper


Spells and Scones by Bailey Cates


 What did you add to your shelves this week?Steph


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