March book picks

“Glass Houses” by Rachel Caine (paperback)

I don’t really know whether I liked the first book in “The Morganville Vampires” series or not – or should I say how much I liked it. It certainly kept my interest and my adrenaline level up, and maybe that’s the problem: I prefer a healthy balance between bad and good, good and bad, but Claire and her friends didn’t have a moment’s peace. I don’t mind problematic characters and violence in books – heck, one of my all-time favourite series is “All For The Game” by Nora Sakavic – but constant violence aimed at Claire by Monica and her cohorts simply baffled me. I just kept wondering why as it kept escalating, without any reason other than to wish to hurt and even kill Claire. There wasn’t any comprehensible reason to justify such level of viciousness and violence. And then I realised that maybe there doesn’t need to be any normal reason for a deranged person to attack a non-deranged person? After all, isn’t that exactly what happened when my country was attacked by a neighbouring country? They do it because they want to, because they can, and because they know that no one will stop them. I guess I want books that I read to provide some hope when real life doesn’t. Still, I grew quite fond of Claire, Eve, Shane, and Michael, and if I come across any more books in the series, I’ll definitely buy them. I also really liked Amelie, whereas Oliver turned out to be a complete disappointment. By the way, I was shocked to learn that the author of the books had passed. I’m pretty sure that I bought my copy when she was still alive and the knowledge that she is no more hit me hard. She left behind a legacy of more than 50 books and I hope that people will continue to discover and read them.

“The Ice Mage” by Julianne Munich (ebook)

I took up this novel expecting to find a magical adventure yet all I found was growing frustration with the novel’s language, logic, plot, and characters. The language was very wobbly: I had a feeling that the author couldn’t quite decide whether to stick to more old-fashioned language that would suit the selected historical time period or whether to pepper its pages with modern-day expressions and notions – and simply used both, creating a rather uneven effect. I kept wondering if people of that time period would be familiar with such notions as ‘coma’ and ‘closure’. Worse still were the dialogues: awkward, forced, and generally unnatural. The characters sounded like wound-up dolls rather than people. Speaking of the characters, most of the things they did were so idiotic it was painfully obvious that they would achieve the opposite result to what they actually expected to achieve. Was that supposed to be a plot device to help move the story along? A very questionable technique then, as it made the characters look stupid and incapable of anything sensible. Also, if you set your story in a historical time period, your characters cannot have the same attitudes as modern people (e.g.: beauty standards) – unless you’re writing a time-travelling novel, of course. Otherwise you’re just playing dress-up. However, I wanted to commend the author on providing some authenticity in terms of personal hygiene (dressing, undressing, even going to the toilet – it nicely recreated the atmosphere of the time where dialogues failed to convey it), but the relationship between the aristocracy and their employees was completely unrealistic. I have been extensively studying everything connected with the French court during the reign of Louis XIV for a while now and I found the depiction of court-related things in this book utterly unbelievable. I believe that even when writing fantasy we should operate within certain parameters of knowledge and understanding. Also, I’ve noticed that the female characters appeared to be all-knowing in this book, while the male characters were generally slow and clueless. I actually found Marcel and Adelaide quite likeable at first, but after that interminable carriage ride without a single conversation of substance between the two of them, they began to seriously annoy me. They only grew more tiresome once the carriage ride came to an end. All in all, a very silly book with ridiculous characters, and an extremely forced plot.

February book picks

THE VAN HELSING PARADOX, Evelyn Chartres (ebook)

I found the story quite intriguing and interesting but there were many instances when the style of narration was so confusing that I had to reread the same sentence or passage more than once in order to figure out what the author meant. In fact, as I kept reading, more and more ‘buts’ began to pile up. I found the main character, Clara, too distant and mechanical – rather like an automaton than a real person, but that could be explained by her calling and things that she saw and had to do. I suppose she had to be detached and cold-hearted but it stood in the way of my liking her. Additionally, I found Clara’s isolation daunting and I keenly felt the lack of interaction between her and the other characters. There was a lot of telling and little showing in this respect, with the exception of occasional back-and-forth between her and her tutors. I thought that once Edith appeared on the scene we would get to see Clara interact more with someone other than herself – the author’s description of Clara’s thoughts on the subject was quite promising – but their relationship never amounted to anything in the end. There really were very few actual conversations as though the author is allergic to dialogue. I kind of felt that the story wasn’t really moving forward. Clara didn’t seem to learn anything, even though we were often told about her training and learning. However, every single time she would leave the Tower, she would blunder her way into trouble and blunder her way out through sheer dumb luck. Miraculously, she always managed to accomplish things that apparently no one else ever could before her, even though her knowledge and experience were often lacking. Honestly, I felt more sorry for the creatures that she killed than glad that she did it. I guess it was the ease with which Clara dealt with all those creatures that made me feel that it wasn’t a fair fight at all. She might have ended up the best hunter out there, because that was the author’s intent, but because she failed to form any meaningful and lasting relationships, she failed to develop as a person. I felt disconnected from her throughout the book and struggled to understand her.

A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA, Ursula Le Guin (paperback)

A masterfully woven, perfectly crafted, beautifully written old-school fantasy tale that just wasn’t my cup of tea. I enjoyed reading it as a linguist but as a lover of the fantasy genre it failed to entertain me, even while its language kept me completely spell-bound. Just like in the previous book, I was ultimately put off by the main character’s isolation and didn’t feel any connection to him. However, I understand that back in the day the representatives of what I term ‘classic fantasy’ (just like in classic literature, I suppose) treated their characters as tools that moved the plot along, whereas nowadays many authors tend to write character-driven stories. I definitely prefer the latter approach. I like to fall in love with characters I’m reading about. If I’m not invested in the characters, I don’t care about the story, no matter how well-written it is. I know that there are three more books in the series and if I ever come across them I’m sure I’ll buy them and read them but for now I will be moving on.

January book picks

This year I’ve decided to go through as many books as I can, both standing on my bookshelves and gathered on my Kindle. So each month I’ll try to read one ebook and one physical book.

January book picks:

WAYWARD SON, Rainbow Rowell (hardback)

I really don’t know what to say. I feel like this is the silliest and the most ridiculous book I’ve ever read. There were some sweet and touching moments, I grant you, but most of the time it reminded me of complete descent into madness. As a writer myself I’m sometimes genuinely concerned about the books that actually get published and that people apparently enjoy reading. The only thing that kept me going was my fondness for Baz. I know that there is another part but I’ll probably need at least a year before I’m ready to tackle it.

WIDDERSHINS, Jordan L. Hawk (ebook)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I suppose I could call it a comfort read for me. It had just the right amount of history and pace and a perfect balance between good and bad, sweet and gory, romance and adventure. I got really attached to the main characters that I found very easy to like and to understand and I feel like I would really love to go back and reread it. I enjoyed following the development of their relationship during their investigation, learning more about their backgrounds and backstories, and exploring their characters. I know that there are many more books in the series and I’m looking forward to getting into them at a later date.

I want a new Harry Potter book!

I will probably be crucified if I so much as mention her name, but I miss the times when J.K. Rowling was writing and releasing new Harry Potter books. No other book or series of books have such a claim upon my heart as the Harry Potter books. I wish there was a new Harry Potter book coming out. I always wanted J.K. Rowling to write a novel about Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s first few years of their work at the Ministry of Magic. Though, honestly, I would read anything at this point as long as it was Harry Potter-related. "Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" by Rita Skeeter would be an excellent read, I bet! I would absolutely love to read an Albus Dumbledore-centered story.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Farida Mestek. I’m a self-published author. I write Fantasy novels and novels set in Regency England. Here are my currently published books. Have a look! Maybe you might find something to your liking? So what are you waiting for? Click on the titles to read sample pages!

ALMENDRA’S QUEST

Almendra Ravenlock, 17, has never been outside her kingdom in all her life. So when an unexpected messenger arrives and tells her that the prince, she has been waiting for, is at death’s door and that she is the only one who can save him, Almendra grabs at the chance to take her life into her own hands.

As she travels through her kingdom with her wolf companion and her new friend, Almendra unearths a horrifying secret buried deep under the ground, discovers that her life and her kingdom are in as much danger as ever, and that the prince she is determined to save might not be the one meant to save her or her kingdom after all.

MARGARET’S REMATCH 

Afraid of scandal that might very well ruin her reputation should she stay in London, Margaret Fairfax accepts a reluctant invitation from Mr Westfield, her late sister’s husband, to come and stay in the country with his family. It is no secret that Mr Westfield greatly dislikes Miss Fairfax due to their long-standing feud, which is why Margaret makes it her mission to change his mind and to prove him wrong on her account. It is not an easy task, to be sure, but Margaret has many charms and virtues (not to mention allies) that gradually turn the tide in her favour, securing Mr Wesfield’s good opinion as well as his heart. However, things take a most unfortunate turn with the arrival of her deceitful friend, who is determined to ruin it all in order to see Margaret married to her brother instead.

A SECRET ARRANGEMENT

Henry Chadderton's father earned his wealth in trade, but he looks to elevate his son to the gentry through marriage into a titled family. And so it is that Edward Montford, the second son of an impoverished baronet, accompanies his twin sister Emma to London in order to introduce her to her future husband.

Henry neither appreciates being ordered around nor has any intention of marrying anyone. Then he meets Emma—and Edward—and falls in love with the wrong sibling, setting off a chain of events that will cause arguments, bloodshed, jealousy, and scandal. But Henry will endure it all if it will eventually lead Edward to him.

SINS AND SECRETS

Robert Hayward is an extremely pious young man. He is determined to live a life of devotion, obedience, and self-denial, devoid of all passions and pleasures. His ambition is to become a clergyman. His mission in life is to atone for his mother’s sins.

His plans are irrevocably ruined when Frederick Wainright returns to England. He disrupts his well-established routine, disturbs his peace of mind, provokes sensations Robert has never allowed himself to feel before, and gradually seduces him into his bed.

Following his newly-awakened desires, Robert accompanies Frederick to London. However, he gets more than he bargained for when Frederick’s past affairs and a secret that he intends to keep from Robert at all costs threaten to tear them apart.

my short reading update

I have once again neglected my blog. I keep meaning to make consistent posts about my writing and reading progress but I never get around to actually doing it. So, let's see, in terms of reading, I have read several series:

"The Last Kingdom" by Bernard Cornwell - LOVED IT! I started with watching the show, which I fell in love with, and then I devoured twelve books in a row, both as ebooks and as audibooks. I haven't read the last book yet, simply because it's hard for me to say good-bye to this series, but I'll get there eventually.

"The Last Hours" by Cassandra Clare - not too bad at all. I actually liked it much better than I expected, considering that I had trouble getting into it, but the third book is so very long and convoluted that I'm struggling to even start reading it. Or, maybe, once again, I don't want to start because it's the last book in the series...

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas - SO VERY BAD. Dear God, I can't believe just how many people love this series. It makes me wonder why I even bother writing anything at all if that's what readers need. I read only the first book and that was torture enough. I kept wondering if it was some sick publishing joke. I'm team Tamlin, by the way. Feyre and Rhysand can burn in hell.

"All For The Game" by Nora Sakavic - LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! Really, what's more there to say? I love exy! I love Foxes! Go Foxes! I love their messed-up relationships as a team and as a family. I like that they are complicated and problematic. I love how they finally became the team that went on to win the championship.

"All For The Game" by Nora Sakavic

OMG! I can't believe that it took me ages to get through "All For The Game" trilogy. I downloaded the first book some years ago but never read it. But I listened to the audiobooks now and I loved these books so very much! So I listened again - and again - and again. Probably my new favourite series. I just can't get enough of it and I hear that there's a new book coming soon...