I present you with a blast from the past — some as-I-read-it reviews of the various novels I’m sampling.
Bewitched and Betrayed by Lisa Shearin
Wow; that Sarad Nukpana just doesn’t stop–not even when he’s dead. He’s turned up badder and more diabolical than before, and Raine, of course, is his target. He just loves to torture Raine. And he wants to torture her as much as he can before he absorbs her soul, her powers, and most important, her link with the Saghred.
Ugh! That’s a problem!
Bewitched and Betrayed is the fourth novel in the Raine Beneres series, which includes Magic Lost, Trouble Found, Armed and Magical and The Trouble with Demons.
What I admire about this series is Ms. Shearin’s ability to keep it fresh. Just when I think I’m getting a bit tired of a certain plotline, Ms Shearin throws a twist in there that snares my interest anew.
A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunce
I really haven’t gotten any further with this novel because I started reading Lisa Shearin’s. It’s a bit slow going for me. More on this one later.
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
I’m done! Review in August, because that’s when it comes out.
Bloodgate Guardian by Joely Sue Burkhart
I read the first chapter and while it was exciting, it didn’t hook me as much as I wanted. It is all about this guardian who was awakened by this old man (an archaeologist) performing this ritual that he really shouldn’t have performed. With disasterous consequences. In the second chapter, cut to the old man’s daughter, who is breaking up with her boyfriend for stealing her archaeological research. Intellectual property theft–I can relate. But I really didn’t get totally hooked until the end of the second chapter, when it is revealed that the daughter doesn’t feel like her father ever really loved her–that he’s just using her for her research talents as well.
Ok, now I’m hooked. And then, Chapter three gets into where the daughter receives this secure video email from her father that shows him doing the ritual from Chapter One. So yeah, I’m still reading.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
What’s this doing here? I downloaded this onto my iPod touch back in December, and I’ve been reading it paragraph by paragraph ever since. It’s a fun novel, aimed squarely at the 12 to 14 set, but suitable for all ages. Who couldn’t love Anne? I did have a hard time with the ending, because I thought things were winding down, but then it just kept going on. Pacing seemed uneven. And once Anne went away to the Queen’s school, it became almost all Telling and not Showing. And the resolution with Gilbert could have been more satisfying. Still, this novel was just enchanting, and I can certainly see why it became a classic.
Now I want to watch a movie version, but they don’t seem to be readily available. I’ll probably try to see what Amazon has; I think my daughter would like it.
I’m not going to bother reviewing it, but I did enjoy it enough to download the next book to my touch (not my nook).
~*~
I kinda miss doing these as-I-read-it reviews. I don’t know why I stopped; I did this all the time with Fantasy Debut. I think I started getting All Serious about reviewing, which if course is Not As Fun. So, when I decide upon one of the above (or something else, entirely!), I’ll continue to review As I Read it.
I do like these. I like the formal reviews with the impressions you’ve had after you’ve had time to think things over. However, these give initial impressions. Those are important, too. Especially when I’m looking for a fun read. {SMILE}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
Thanks, Anne!
I love this style of review. It’s like chatting about books over a coffee!
I love Lisa Shearin’s books. They are some of my favorites–funny and smart, with a kick-ass protagonist and really interesting side characters. Anyone who hadn’t read this yet should run out and get them!
I remember this TV version of Anne of Green Gables as being good:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088727/
And I messed up my HTML tags and can’t fix them. 🙁
I’ll fix ’em. I wished they’d work with brackets like that, but you need angle braces. I’m going to look into the TV version.
If it’s the same TV version I’m thinking of, and if memory serves me well, it was good. I might be thinking of something different, though. Disney Channel used to run a series called (I think) Anne of Avonlee, which was based off of these books. I used to watch it all the time.
Tia – Kevin Sullivan directed the 1985 and 1987 Anne of Green Gables and the sequel for CBC television. It stars Megan Follows and Colleen Dewhurst. It’s an excellent adaptation – steer clear on pain of death of the third installment. It’s AWFUL! 🙂
There’s also a TV series called Road to Avonlea that ran in the mid 90s(I think it was broadcast under a different title in the States). Same setting, but totally different characters.
Elyse