Review: Lirael (Abhorsen #2) by Garth Nix

Title: Lirael (Abhorsen #2)
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 705

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr’s birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

In this sequel to SABRIEL, winner of the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Science Fiction, Garth Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger. (More from Goodreads)

As should be apparent, this is the second book in the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix- perhaps the best series of books ever written by him, and the very series that made me start reading his work. I started re-reading Sabriel a while back when Rinn was doing re-reads sometime last year, and I figured I should continue to finish the trilogy again- because at the time, the new prequel Clariel was coming out soon. At the time of writing, Clariel has been out for a few months now and I still haven't got it yet because I'm... waiting for the right time (and price).

Fulfilling Friday: What have YOU fulfilled this week?

Based on a screenshot from one of the MMORPGs I play(ed): TERA

Intro to Fulfilling Friday

I've only read about book blog memes. It's easy to see that they're a great way to expand your network in the book blog world, meet new friends and most definitely garner more readership. However, since I'm more into personal reviewing/writing and less into networking at this particular moment in time, I haven't really thought of joining and/or starting book blog memes.

Except... You can only read so many reviews on a blog before it feels dry, and that's me talking about my own blog! 'I must write some non-book-related posts,' I thought. Particularly ones with more of an insight to my life, since I did start this blog with self-improvement in mind. So I decided to do a weekly post which is- to the best of my abilities- consistent, and definitely not just a book review.

Fulfilling Friday is the time when I talk about how fulfilling my week and the previous weekend has been, and detail what I look forward to in the coming week and weekend. Sounds like a blog meme doesn't it? It's not something I have come across, but I would like it to be a feature of this blog- whether or not that makes it a meme doesn't really matter all that much to me, at least in this moment! On that note, it will be as positive as possible, and if there were downsides to the previous week I wouldn't neglect them, but focus on how they improved me. On the Friday that is closest to the end of the month (for example this month it would be Friday the 30th of January), I would probably write a longer post for Fulfilling Friday which may summarize the whole month's fulfilling moments, or even include some throwbacks to some other positive moments in my life, most obviously not limited only to the month or year involved. This would also include aspirations for the coming months and years.

Why a certain day for this? Well it would ensure I remember to come here and do something at least weekly, for one. Also, I would not like to turn this blog into my personal diary- I have another blog for that which is not as public. In addition, in the event that I DO get a readership, I'm guessing it would be more important for people to get a glimpse into my life (and hopefully understand why I don't read or review as often, which is bound to happen sometimes)!

Enough of intros, let's begin!

Review: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Title: A Tale for the Time Being
Author: Ruth Ozeki
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Cultural, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 422

"A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.”

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.

Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future. (More from Goodreads)

I saw this book in my then-housemate's possession, in the alternate paperback cover- nowhere near as colorful or interesting-looking. She expressed her enjoyment of the book and allowed me a look to get a feel of the writing, and before I knew it I was well into the first chapter. Unfortunately, I was supposed to be engaging in our weekly study group at the time and she, noticing my obvious inattention, snatched the book away from me again and tucked it safely into her satchel, away from my prying hands.

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 352

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place - he's the only living resident of a graveyard.

Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other. (More from Goodreads)

I've read several books by Neil Gaiman, all of which were targeted for the adult audience. I started picking them up because of the movie adaptation of Stardust, which I adored. That being said, I've been looking for this book at the bookstores for a while after having read the collection of short stories 'Wizards', in which an excerpt from The Graveyard Book was included- and I loved it (it might have been Chapter Four; I can't find the book anymore).

Mini Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Pages: 384

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic. (More from Goodreads)

I fear nothing I can say will be eloquent enough to begin to describe this masterpiece. Having finished this book in two sittings (stopping only once to have lunch because I have skipped dinner and breakfast), I can tell you that it is one of the most riveting books I have ever read. There was never a dull moment- I laughed, and I cried, and I prayed- and cried again. The hype with this book is well-deserved. The writing was beautiful, the story gripping; the reality of it all is eye-opening, and heart-wrenching.

This is one breath-taking book with the capability to change your life, and I cannot sing enough praises for it. As such, I am not going into detail on the storyline. I feel everyone should read it and form their own opinions about the book.

Looking forward to future encounters with Khaled Hosseini's work!

~My Rating~

5 out of 5 Stars

★★★★★

Review: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 358

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom? (More from Goodreads)

"What if you knew exactly when you would die?"

This statement, and the rather attractive book cover, was probably enough for me to snap this book up, brand new, for less than $2.

Review: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

What a better way to kick-off this year (and blog) by reviewing a fantasy classic! 

Title: The Last Unicorn

Author: Peter S. Beagle
Genre: Fantasy, Classics
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 294

The unicorn wants to find other unicorns. Mage Schmendrick, whose magic seldom works, never as he intends, rescues unicorn from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival. Only some mythical beasts displayed are illusions. Molly Grue believes in legends despite Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. King Haggard and his Bull banish unicorns into sea. (More from Goodreads)

Let me start off by saying this is my first time reading this book, even though it's a certified classic in the fantasy genre.