Review: Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been seeing tons of buzz for this book lately - and for the author himself, because Older always has something topical and intelligent to say. Reading the book, I'm not disappointed by said buzz. Shadowshaper gets a lot of comparisons to The Mortal Instruments, which aren't that far off, and for me, the Columbia University scenes made me think of Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy too. But what this book really made me think it was, was the missing link between Miss Peregrine before it and Labyrinth Lost after it. It's a unique urban fantasy, in which our main character, Sierra, is inextricably linked to some long, dangerous family history (especially through her grandfather, not unlike Jacob Portman), artistic magic with an Afro-Caribbean twist, salsa-metal (I need to listen to some samples of this particular genre mashup if I can find any), and some well-placed social commentary, particularly in the scene where Sierra calls out her aunt after she gives her one too many racist insults for being, basically, "too black." (Like such a thing even exists.)

Bottom line, I need to finish this series now - and also read some of Older's, uh, older work, because I hear he's got a kickass adult urban fantasy series that comes with Rick Riordan's stamp of approval, among others.

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Review: Waking Gods

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really, Neuvel's an author you have to watch out for - and thankfully, my library is doing exactly that. Though they were very late to the party with Sleeping Giants - I recall having had to special-order that one from Sacramento - they were much more on top of things getting ahold of Waking Gods. And thank God - pun intended - for that, because while the first book was a little bit of a World War Z-The Martian hybrid (of the books, that is, combining the textual-equivalent-of-found-footage style of the former and the humor of the latter), this book shifted a little closer to Brooks' book, dialing up the action and introducing strands of War of the Worlds into the book's DNA, with weapons eerily reminiscent of the Heat-Ray and the Black Smoke. (Probably because of this book, I rewatched Spielberg's movie last night for the first time in years.)

So far, there's no word on when the third book in this series will hit shelves - but it better hit shelves, especially after that ending, a cliffhanger even more weapons-grade than Neuvel's first one.

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Review: High Heat

High Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a while to pick up this Castle book, mostly because I almost forgot it was coming out until about six months after it did. And that, I think, owes a lot to the fact that the show closed out its eighth and final season last year on a pretty sour note, with an annoying storyline of Castle and Beckett being forced to stay apart most of the time, not to mention the fact that, had a ninth season been ordered, it would've been without Beckett or Lanie and would've suffered so much as a result...and, of course, this book, in between its developments of an "American ISIS" and a strangely charismatic independent presidential candidate from Texas, plants the seeds for replicating that aggravating Castle Season 8 storyline.

So, on that basis, I wasn't a fan of this book. But at least it sets up the ninth and final novel - the long-awaited Nikki Heat/Derrick Storm crossover event - with gusto, so there's that.

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Review: Unplugged

Unplugged by Donna Freitas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I decided to give this one a try because I saw its sequel sitting on the "New Books" shelf at the library a few weeks back and decided to go back to the beginning. What I found in this book was a sort of YA version of The Matrix, but with far less agonizing philosophy and far more cheesy, cornball teen love. Oh, and the occasional bit of thrills and chills and action, but even that feels surprisingly lacking over the course of this surprisingly long book.

It's not that bad a read, and it's pretty addictive, but I can sort of see why A) this one doesn't have a terribly high GR rating, and B) this one isn't getting tons of hype.

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Review: City of Heavenly Fire

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

QUOTES FROM MY UNOFFICIAL CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE PLAYLIST:

"Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain?"
- Depeche Mode

"Tonight I feel my heart begin to fail me
And my head begin to fall
Like two ships crossing their paths
I see you like a new dawn

My perfect stranger, don't sail away
It was meant to be
We met this way
We met this way..."
- Civil Twilight

"'Cause you use your heart as a weapon
And it hurts like heaven..."
- Coldplay

"My body is a cage
That keeps me from dancin' with the one I love
But my mind holds the key..."
- Arcade Fire

"If I could turn the page
In time that I'd rearrange
Just a day or two
Close your, close your, close your eyes

But I couldn't find a way
So I'll settle for one day
To believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies..."
- Fleetwood Mac, "Little Lies"

"And it feels like I'm just too close to love you
There's nothing I can really say
I can't lie no more, I can't hide no more
Gotta be true to myself
And it feels like I am just too close to love you
So I'll be on my way..."
- Alex Clare

"Do you know what's worth fightin' for?
When it's not worth dyin' for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocatin'?"
- Green Day, "21 Guns"

"Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
Do you know, for you I'd bleed myself dry
For you I'd bleed myself dry..."
- Coldplay, "Yellow"

"When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion
Forgive us our sinful hearts..."
- Rush, "Emotion Detector"

"Follow me, you can follow me
And I will not desert you now
When your fire's died out
No one's there, they have left you for dead

Follow me, you can follow me
I will keep you safe
Follow me, you can follow me
I will protect you..."
- Muse

"It was a cup of good intentions
A tablespoon of one big mess
A dash of overreaction
And I assume you know the rest..."
- Barenaked Ladies, "One Little Slip"

"In the garden I was playin' the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were actin' like it was the end of the world..."
- U2

REVIEW:

Cassie Clare goes all-out for the final entry in the Mortal Instruments series. Of course, it's not the end of the Shadowhunter-verse, not by a long shot. We're only halfway along the ride, people!

But I have to wonder...just how is Cassie gonna up the stakes in future installments? She literally took the cast to Hell and back again in this one. (Speaking of which - does Cassie watch Sleepy Hollow? I have to wonder based on Chapter 14.) And the things she put them all through...those were some seriously intense feels she subjected us to.

My favorite things about this one, though, were A) the return of Tessa Gray (and while I wish she could have had a bigger role, CoHF was already long and jam-packed and epic enough anyway without her, much like TASM 2, so I'll forgive that lost potential), and B) the introduction of the two MC's for The Dark Artifices, Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn.

*pants, takes a breath*

Well. This was an amazing ride. Wish I could have caught it sooner (the rest of the world had about three years' head start on me.) Ave atque vale!

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Review: Abaddon's Gate

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the first two books of The Expanse well enough, but compared to Leviathan Wakes and Caliban's War, Abbadon's Gate had a certain something lacking. No, it wasn't the action - that was pretty much all there like expected. The problems lay mostly in two things: A) the lack of Bobbi and Avarasala, two of my favorite characters from Caliban's War, and B) the general sense that this book was mostly filler, a whole lotta nothin' plot-wise. I get that Holden and crew are fighting the good fight, but at this point, it's hard to tell even what they're fighting, if at all.

I hope the fourth book picks things up a bit, because I wanna see some improvement.

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Review: Mars One

Mars One by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When it comes to Jonathan Maberry, I usually expect tons of action and tons of horror. This book lacks the latter and features less of the former, being much more focused on characters and feelings. It's different for him, but maybe sometimes, a little different is a lot good. Although the story does suffer from some slow pacing - especially in its first 100 pages or so - and frequently drops hints of a greater conspiracy but leaves them hanging, untouched, for extended periods of time, it's still a very addictive read. The short chapters and the surprising emotional emphasis help.

This, I think, is going to be a standalone novel, but if there's a sequel, I'd be happy to give it a read. Oh, and the playlist at the end. Terrific choices, especially the TONS of David Bowie. And who says YA characters shouldn't be allowed to appreciate good music from before they were born?

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