By JK, on February 4th, 2010 Yes, it’s a werewolf book. I think it’s good to put that out there. People who can’t handle books about the supernatural — move on. Those who can’t handle bad books about the supernatural — read on. Because despite the calculated similarity in cover treatment to Stephenie Meyer’s tortured saga of sparkly immortals (a strategy, which, as the series goes on, REALLY gets out of hand), Canadian author Kelley Armstrong’s books are a different beast entirely.
I’m not a Twilight hater, but I certainly recognize Meyer’s weaknesses as a writer. She’s got a good story, but the delivery tends to be loose, soft, and often repetitive. Armstrong is anything but. Her writing is sharp, sleek and biting, with a delightfully sharp-tongued protagonist, tight plotting, and no time for lovesick mooning. Reading Bitten is like running with the wolves as they tear through the forest — the prose is taut and muscular, the plot races, and on occasion, some animalistic desires bare their fangs. (Another difference: This isn’t a series for teens, or at least, not for good Mormon teens — self-control is not exactly the message here . . . and I don’t think anyone who reads it will complain.)
Bitten begins [...]
By JK, on December 12th, 2008 I was about 18 pages into Eclipse and after Bella had been going on and on about Edward’s perfection (as per usual), I thought of the 1300 pages ahead and thought, “I don’t know if I can do this.” I couldn’t remember how I could possibly have enjoyed the first two as much as I did. But I turned my brain off and continued on. Once again I entered the seemingly drug-induced haze of the Twilight saga. The congested subways disappeared (good thing I’m subconsciously programmed to know when my stop is) as I waded through the angsty vamp drama.
Now, though I generally try to avoid too much plot synopsis, I’m going to end up giving it all away here, so if you don’t want to know, pick another lovely review. In Eclipse we find ourselves back in Forks where not much has changed – Bella loves Edward, Edward loves Bella. Oh and Jacob loves Bella. The main source of conflict is that a strange vampire has been in Bella’s room, and nearby in Seattle, dozens of people are being killed by vampires. It appears someone is assembling an army of uncontrollable ‘newborn vampires’ and they are after Bella and [...]
By JK, on September 9th, 2008 I’ll start by admitting that I don’t remember all that much about The Giver. What I do remember is basically “The world is black and white (literally). A boy with a special gift sees a read apple. He leaves his community.” Pretty shoddy, but not bad, considering I read it about 15 years ago. Details aside, what I remembered most was that it was a powerful book, so I was intrigued by these two “companion novels” (A term which II think means “very loose sequels.”)
Gathering Blue tells the story of Kira, a crippled girl in a cruel village that does not tolerate any physical deformities. When her mother dies, she loses her only protection, and it is expected she will be brought to the fields to die. However, the Council of Guardians spares her because she is a talented weaver. They give her shelter and a special project – to repair the gown that is embroidered with the village’s history, and eventually, to add to it. It’s a quick read (I polished it off in one day of my lengthy commute), and Lowry’s writing is clear and accessible without being juvenile. Dystopia that it is, it also gives readers plenty [...]
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