Troubled Waters, by Sharon Shinn

I was both looking forward to and dreading reading Troubled Waters. I was looking forward to reading it because Sharon Shinn is my #1 favorite author (who is still alive, that is) and I was dreading reading it because Sharon Shinn is my favorite author and when I finished I would have to wait for her next book to come out. And it was as good as I expected and now I want to cry because it is over.
One of my favorite aspects of Sharon Shinn's books are how she manages to fit a long and somewhat complicated storyline into only a few hundred pages. If I were to give you a verbal summary of Troubled Waters you would give me a quizzical look with one eyebrow raised because of how deep she delves into the story. I also love her ability to create an entire new world so complete that it doesn't leave you with any questions about how life works there but doesn't take up too much space with explanations. (I hate when I have to ask "how" over and over again. Which is why I'd make a terrible author--I would'nt be able to stop answering questions that pop up in my head.) While reading any of Sharon Shinn's books I feel completely and utterly inside a different world, universe, realm-you get where I'm going. Her worlds don't only exist for the story, it's as if they really do exist.

So what is Troubled Waters about? Zoe's dad dies and then she is yanked out of her tiny village and brought to the capital, Chialto, to be the king's fifth wife. Note: this is not a polygamous world-only the king can marry more than one person. Anyway, she gets there and escapes and goes to camp/live next to the Marisi river because her element is water (coru). Everyone in this world is connected to one of five elements: water, air, fire, wood, earth (and each also connects to some bodily thing but I can't remember them right now). Personality traits signify element which is a big part of the culture. Zoe's story continues when she finds out that she is coru prime which means she is destined to lead one of the five families of nobility. (This isn't random-it's her mom's family.) Then she goes to court-not to marry the king, but as a political power. Then there's castle intrigue blah blah blah. It's told a lot better in a few hundred pages rather than one paragraph, by the way.

I loved Zoe because I felt like she was someone I was getting to know. Aspects of her personality and character are revealed slowly so you never know what her next action will be. But although I couldn't predict what Zoe would do I did predict almost exactly to the last point what the soap opera-ness behind the story was in the castle.

5 stars. It's Sharon Shinn so I didn't have much choice there.

This note is not about the story but about the actual book itself. A cigarette burn burning holes in 2 pages and marks on another 10 or so. Who does that? Who puts out a cigarette on a book? (It's from the library, btw.)You can call me a hopeless romantic but I know that the person reading it was not the one who did it so I am sending you my best right now, from one bibliophile to another-my heart cries out for you.

The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund, by Jill Kargman

I must confess: I do not usually like books about divorced women. Why? because they are all identical and every single character is selfish. Every single one- even the ones who are supposed to be "nice". The plot is woman gets divorced, woman cries, woman has fling, woman forgets that she is mother, woman and Mr. Right II live happily ever after. The end. This book did follow the mold up to a point but as it is a romantic comedy it didn't have much choice with the whole Mr. Right II thing. However, what I did admire was Holly's love for her child. In the middle of all her emotional turmoil she is still a great mom with her priorities straight. She does cry and mourn the end of her marriage, but she doesn't neglect her son.

Now you are probably thinking that I loved this book because I didn't bash it yet. Don't get your hopes up. Or down. Or in any direction. The bashing is yet to come.

My problems with this book were (as usual) with the supporting characters. Kiki, Holly's best friend and ex-sister-in-law, is way too over-dramatized. Someone with her style and personality only exists in movies and books and her happy ending came way too early and surrealy. Yes, I know that is not a word. Meanwhile, [spoilers ahead] Elliot is too much like Holly to be real. I'm sorry but he is too similar to her to be real. Ok, I'm done now.

But let me tell you, that ex-he's evil. Majorly evil.

4.2 stars. I thought I could go higher but I couldn't.

I Am Number 4, by Pittacus Lore

Before I start, for anyone with half a brain out there: Pittacus Lore is not his real name. Good. Now that I have brought you up to a second grade education, I can begin.

For those of you who haven't read the book or seen the movie, I Am Number 4 is about an alien. Who came to Earth after his planet was destroyed. And one day he and the others he came with who are still alive will go back and bring life back to the planet. Yes. It is as cheesy as it sounds. Number 4 is the 4th (no, I'm not kidding) out of 9 alien kids who were sent to Earth while their planet, Lorien, is being destroyed. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are dead and not they are coming for Number 4. Number 4, the main character (not kidding here either), travels around with his guardian on the run from them. He chooses the name John Smith, but no one in the town suspects him of being anything less than normal. Let me ask you this: if someone showed up all of a sudden in your town and his name was John Smith would you suspect him of anything? Personally, I feel it is the most idiotic fake name ever. And that includes Pittacus Lore. Enough about the names though, John/4 gets comfortable in the new town, gets some friends, a girlfriend, and doesn't want to run away at the slightest bit of danger. Now is when I stop reading and start screaming at him about "i don't care how lonely you are blah blah blah YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!!". Sorry about that. I think I should stop here and go curb my temper.

Besides for that it was mildly okay. The characters were in danger at the end of every chapter but it is supposed to be an action novel I suppose.

4.2 stars. It really wasn't that bad; certain parts just annoyed me. Can you guess which?

Holly's Inbox, by Holly Denham

The idea of this book is a look into someone else's, namely Holly Denham's, inbox. However, I highly doubt her emails can tell her story so well. It is entertaining to read the book in email format though, and the author uses this limited point of view to create and solve mysteries. While reading, I imagined this girl reading her emails and replying- so much so that I felt as if I was her.

Holly Denham is the new receptionist at a bank. During the day she emails her friends Jason and Aisha, and the other receptionist, Trisha. Slowly, very slowly actually, Holly's story is revealed through her emails. There is nothing else I can say. Those two sentences sum it up. The end.

One of the most entertaining parts of the book (to me) was Holly's responses to spam email. Her replies to the snarky girl upstairs had me cheering for the Holly, whose only flaw was being too nice. What I didn't like was the romance part of the story. Going into details would spoil it for any person who happens upon this blog by complete chance but let me just say that it did not satisfy my inner (and outer) romantic.

4 stars.

Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld

This book is very different from any I've read in a long time, primarily because it has pictures in it. Not on every page, only these really cool drawings that make the book seem even more interesting.

The plot itself was also very different, in fact, when my friend told me about it I thought she was kidding. See, this is one of those books that goes back in time and turns it all scifi-ish. Leviathan takes place during WWI, and is so historically incorrect that it is easier to think of it as taking place in some other world with countries named Britain and Austria that happened to be exactly in the same places as the Britain and Austria in our world. The main characters are Alek and Deryn and don't meet until the middle of the novel. This is very disconcerting because the chapters switch off and sometimes it takes a paragraph or two to realize who is talking. Alek is the son of the archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie whose assassinations were the direct cause of the war. Alek goes on the run so that the people who killed his parents won't be able to kill him too. Deryn meanwhile is a girl masquerading as a boy in the British air force navy whatever you call it.

But what really makes this book interesting are the weapons each side uses. The Allies: Britain, France, and Russia are Darwinists while Germany and Austria are Clankers. Darwinists create fabricated beasts (I think that was a little redundant) that are mixes of different animals created to serve man a specific purpose. Clankers have these awesomely complicated machines. So really the war is Darwinist vs. Clanker.

This is a very historical post. I think I will stop now.

4.7 stars. I am definitely reading the sequel.