Reviews by Raven

Talk about exasperating material. I can’t tell you if it was a good story or a good ending because I never finished it and I'm not going to attempt it again. I couldn’t do that to myself. I can tell you though that after 100 pages I still found it ridiculously hard to get into. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that it wasn’t an in-depth story. Rather it felt like skimming the whole way. As if the writer was just giving you an overview of events that encompassed years. Sure down the line it may have mattered when or if he finally got more to the main characters but I wasn’t going to keep going after 100 pages of boredom just to find out. I’m not that masochistic.

One of those books you can finish in one sitting easily just like I did and not because it is fantastic literature, not because you’re so engrossed in it that you don’t notice you’re even reading or that time is moving on. No far from it. It’s so easy to read in one sitting because there is hardly anything to it.
First of all this is teen literature and is very much directed at young teens. Basically it’s teen lit I wouldn’t recommend for adults unless you’re bored and you can’t figure out what else to read.
The idea was great but the execution fell short in my opinion anyway. In the beginning it was confusing, being told via the story but broken up abruptly with emails, letters, newspaper clippings and other items, but with no discernable bridge between the sudden changes.
Actually it seemed through out the whole book that there was a lot of detail that was missing. What could have been necessary detail to keep it flowing and not confusing or jarring the reader. The story being told via unconventional ways (letters etc) stopped after a time but the confusion didn’t.
There’s also the fact that there wasn’t any character growth or much depth. Actually there wasn’t much substance to it at all and correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve read my fair share of young adult literature and just because it’s directed at adolescence doesn’t mean it should be lacking in anything. Does it?
Well this does and that’s why it is such a light, fast read.

Being the second book in the Alchemyst series, I found this to be a very good continuation from the first book although there were some inconsistencies. Such as in the first novel the twins didn’t seem to feel each other’s pains and yet in this one they do. That would have to be the biggest example, most of the inconsistencies centre around the twins. Then there is the repetition, such as everything being a “bruise colour” and a lot of the characters speaking in some “rapid-fire” language.
Luckily the story was that enjoyable and the book was that hard to put down they were really only small annoyances and most of the time I didn’t think of them unless they were brought to my attention, when I came across them.
Speaking of an enjoyable read I found it far more entertaining then the first novel what with the introduction of interesting new characters, some eccentric, amusing and just plain weird, plus new Elders perceived as Deities. I actually like how Scott has brought to life the gods/goddesses of mythology in this story, so much so I find myself very interested to read what will be the next mythological character introduced and how they will be represented especially seeing as some of my favourite myths and legends have already been mentioned.
A very enjoyable book indeed and I think a perfect series for teens but also a nice light read for adults as well.

A great read and not your average fantasy. I really enjoyed this and had such a hard time putting it down. I loved the main character because he had back bone (just finished reading a series where the main character didn't have a back bone, it was a nice change). I like a character with guts basically and the fact that some of the other characters had that as well made a big difference to the story, for me at least. That and apart from a bit of action and magic there was also some humour.
It was a very tightly packed novel and a great first attempt for a new author as well. Enough to make me want to read the next one in the series.

Just like the first one in the series (Twilight) I found this to be a very fast, absorbing light read. It carried on from the first pretty well with showing more of Bella’s vulnerabilities and introducing more of Jacob. Something I felt was, although a surprising turn of events (yes I was surprised and somewhat pissed off too), a good turn of events. I think if the story had of carried on from twilight in the same vein it would have become too monotonous and as a result really boring.
Mind you after the turn of events in the beginning it still became predictable and it also showed just how daft the main character is which could at times be a tad frustrating seeing as you can figure it all out before the main character gets it together. Obviously the character can never seem to see the forest for the trees and yet for some odd reason I got over that pretty quickly. You just can’t help it with a character like Bella. I really think the daftness is just part of her charm.

Talk about painful. This was excruciatingly boring. It may have only been an hour and a half but it felt like it dragged on and on and on for hours upon hours. I feel like I have truly wasted my morning when I could have been doing some thing else, say another form of procrastination, that wasn’t so painful I wanted to scream.
Then there is the fact that apparently this movie is meant to be humorous. Where’s the humour in it? I didn’t come across one small part that was even remotely amusing. If movies were created not for entertainment but for sleep inducement then this would be a masterpiece but alas it was a pathetic attempt at entertainment and a huge waste of my time.

When books and movies become popular and a fad I usually shy away from them until the curiosity gets the better of me. Which is pretty much years down the track for a movie or at the end of a book series. Curiosity won out far earlier then I was expecting and I'm glad I gave in.
This isn't exactly a masterpiece, it's not ingenious writing, it's not even crammed with detail but it was very absorbing and extremely hard to put down. You can't help but warm to these characters. Especially when the main one is such an endearing, although sometimes slightly daft, klutz.
The vampires also aren't your typical vampires which is fine by me because although I like my typical vampires I also like a bit of a twist and this offered that. Plus there's presenting vampires with moral conscience which could always work out wrong but it worked out fine in this story.
The romance aspect of it was quite unrealistic especially seeing as this is a young adult novel and impressionable minds and all... but as long as you chalk it up to fairy tale it's pretty easy to ignore.

A far faster and lighter read then the first one in the trilogy (Northern Lights), I didn't realise why until I'd finished and compared it to the first one. It was far less detailed then the first but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Rather then spending all that time reading into and absorbing the details you could really get into the story. Although it was a bit more predictable.
I enjoyed the introduction of Will but I didn't like how Lyra was portrayed. Something about her character seemed a bit off putting which left me not liking her as much. A thing I don't think is very good when it's one of the main characters. The dialogue that involved her was better though and so was some of the punctuation.

Atrocious and yet amusing. Which is why I watched the whole thing, so I could snicker at it. I figure I should get my moneys worth.
As a concept it was workable but once made into a movie, well it just didn't work. I think that's because it was not only poorly executed but perhaps shouldn't have been made into a movie in the first place. A book, now that could have worked. Could have, but then again who knows.
The acting was pretty bad and then granny with her gun was even worse but at least it was mildly entertaining in a humorous way. Throw in the looks these people gave each other, the nurse who was flirting with a child, the fact that the werewolves kept their clothes on and intact (pfft) and they didn't really look like wolves in the first place in my opinion and that's even more reason for it to be a movie to laugh at not spend your money on.

This isn't your typical "little green men flew down in funny ships and took me away" alien story so if you read this expecting that you might be either disappointed or surprised. Yes there is talk of "visitors" but this isn't some sci fi novel. What this is, is a man trying to understand the disruption to his life and the people around him. I got the impression as I read the book that it was his way of coming to terms with and understanding his experience. In saying that don't expect a definite conclusion as to what is going on.
It was an interesting read though especially seeing as a fair bit of it was told via hypnosis transcripts but I think if it wasn't for those transcripts I wouldn't have found it as interesting. It also isn't a novel that stays with you while you're reading it, I was really only ever compelled to read it and not put it down when I finally decided to pick it up, but when I took a break and closed the covers it felt like I wasn't even reading it.