Snapshot: The Woman in Black

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Snapshots are short- reviews of my already read books, which should give a litte insight of how I liked the books, if I think it’s worth reading and for which taste it would fit.

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‘The Woman in Black’
by Susan Hill.

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(© goodreads)

I don’t know exactly where I should start. I’ve read it in the English original and although I never had problems with the English language in other books, here in this book it has been difficult for me. The writing style wasn’t liquid at all, but had many nested sentences with which I couldn’t make friends, although it has become better after some time.

Moreover it was particularly at the beginning that a lot of the story was told from the past, so things which had happened to this Arthur Kipps and he described them like he was looking back. I was never a fan of that and therefore I also didn’t like it here. But luckily this changed throughout the story and it thereby also become better and more interesting.

Parts of the plot weren’t really bad and at times I have also been frightened and at some pages I also was interested tensely and wanted to know what to happen next. But more often it was only a reading to finally finish the book.
I recognize the fact that I don’t like a book very much, if I start to look occasionally at the page numbers and calculate for me how much I still have to read. If I start like that than it’s not good – and unfortunately here it was like this for the most part.

Moreover the construction of the arc of suspense, when it really became creepy and scary, was stressed too much and then it simply flattened, without something really happened, and the ghostly situation just passed and then it was over. *very strange*

Also the end was for me – the only shocking thing in it – because the rest of it with the children and the approximate family background wasn’t hard to figure out by myself.

But the fact that it really ends like this – okay, I also kind of saw that coming – but what was hard is that it came so all of a sudden and was simply over afterwards. There happened something big and then the book just ended without any concluding sentence or a final chapter and I found this a little awkward. On top of that the book often dragged for me and hence it gets only two points.

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I’ve read this book for the ‘Book2Movie – Challenge’ 2012 !

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Review: Totenbraut

(© goodreads)

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‘Totenbraut’
by
Nina Blazon.

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Synopsis:
Serbia in the 18th century: The 14-year-old Jasna is sold by her father to the travelling horse breeder Jovan Vucovic who owns a manor on the border to the Ottoman Empire. There she should marry his son Danilo and give him an heir. After the fast wedding Jasna notices soon that something is not right with her husband and his family. On the one hand Danilo refuses to go along with her and doesn’t speak with her, especially not of the mysterious death of his mother. On the other hand the family is banished from the village: She isn’t allowed to participate in the church service and there are many contradictory and dreadful rumors; even from a curse and vampire. In her great fear and desperation Jasna only the young lumberjack Dusan gives her hold and she falls in love with him.
While the mysterious incidents pile up – strange deaths, slain sheep and strange bloody holes in the horse necks, and the villagers become more and more hysterical. In the meantime Jasna slowly gets into the dark secrets of her new family. (Source: goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
Totenbraut (‘bride of the dead’ in English) was a book which gave me mixed feelings and unfortunately my enthusiasm for it has developed quite late. At the beginning it dragged very much and the plot could only offer little tension. Or maybe the reason for it was that there were too many open questions which made the reading not more interesting, but rather confused me. Especially because I didn’t know who of the people in the book belonged to the good or to the bad side and I found that out only quite late. Also the fact that the story plays in a former time and the characters were very god-fearing, for me that was a point with which I couldn’t get go along very well.

Nevertheless throughout the story I could overlook that and it became clear, why the religion was important for the plot and therefore has becalmed me again.
Usually I like the writing style of Blazon very much because she is able to insert nice descriptions of feelings and the surroundings without exaggerating it, so that it doesn’t disturb the reading fluency, but sounds nice. But here it has irritated me a little because the book was told in the present tense and to be honest I’m no real fan of that. Additionally I didn’t like the dialogues in this book, they were sometimes too outmoded. In exchange I had no problem to read the book in the ‘first-person’, like others often have.

What I’ve liked the most in this book, were the characters. Here particularly Jasna, because she is a very bullheaded, stubborn person with a loose tongue and she always says what she’s thinking. A fact which is to be lifted up high, because the story plays in Serbia in the 18th century (1731) and there it was rather unusual that a woman said what she was thinking. Although Jasna was sold by her father and wasn’t able to decide by herself which man she wants to marry, she remains strong and presents her inwardly tightened and also smart.
She has amazed me, has sometimes brought me to laughter and if I now think back to Jasna, she reminds me a little of the comic figure‚ Heidi‘. The cheeky small brat was also always ill-behaved and had a heavenly stubborn attitude which makes me smile over and over again and made me fond of the character. Like with Heidi, it was for me just like that here with Jasna.

Also Danilo was able to change himself to the positive and I was anyway from the first time on a fan of Dusan! He’s a typical light-headed guy who I had to take in my heart soon. He’s joking all the time, is always good for a repartee and only after some time he let us behind his facade and we also recognize his seriousness.
Hence, to tell the truth, I also was a little disappointed at the end because the end happened too fast and too abrupt. I would have like to read more of the characters and their story and I was also eager to get a more exact view of their future life.

Cover:
Once again I choose this book because of the cover. Therefore it’s clear that I like the cover on account of the coloring and the nice picture as well..

All in all:
A book for everyone who likes to read stories from former times and is interested in the historical background of the vampirism or who wants to get frightened. But only a little bit. .

Rating:
3 of 5 points

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(This book is also available in French and in Spanish.)

Buy French book: »click here«

Buy Spanish book: »click here«

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(© goodreads)

About the author – Nina Blazon:

Born 1969, studies Slavic and German Language. After some career side trips (Assistant lecturer at different Universities and lyricist for an advertising agency) she is now working as a journalist and (since 2003) as an author of young adult books.
Genres: Fantasy, Thriller and historian novel.
(Source: http://www.ninablazon.de/)

Visit her Website »»

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Review: Clockwork Prince (en.)

(© goodreads)

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‘Clockwork Prince’
by
Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices # 2

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Fir.

First Sentence:
‘The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.’

Last Sentence:
‘I have come to be trained as a Shadowhunter.’

Synopsis:
In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
(Source: goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
I have waited desperately for this book and have ordered it already half a year in advance on Amazon, so that I get it as fast as it was possible because I was so crazy about it. Now I have finished and must say that I have mixed feelings about it. Parts of it were magnificent, but other parts I didn’t like that much and which I found rather unnecessary and were just aiming on heartache and despair.

The second part kidnaps us, as well as already the first book, in the Victorian London in which everybody still drives around with carriages through the streets and where ladies have to wear baggy skirts and big hats. In this world lives Tessa, but not among normal people, but in the institute wiht the Shadowhunters.
In this institute are also living the two main men of this story: Will and Jem. Jem is the sensitive, good-natured, honest guy but who is also very ill, and nobody knows for how long he’ll stay alive. Will is the impulsive, passionate and also sometimes mean book-lover who carries a secret which forces him to push everyone away. Tessa is in between these two guys. Although Will is constantly pushing her away and mean to her, she can’t stop herself of feeling for him and thinking about him. On the other side is Jem, who appears not only as a good and trustworthy friend, but also wakes up other passions in her. However, beside her love confusion Tessa must stay focused because the Magister still wants to capture her and use her and her power for his own devil plan and together with the Shadowhunters she tries everything to stop him. She even doesn’t stop at betraying her own brother, which has worked with the Magister, to find answers and there she and the other Shadowhunters get in an extremely dangerous situation …

I’m still thrilled about how unbelievable great Clare is able to describe the sceneries and the characters and the surroundings and furthermore she gives an incredibly great impression how it would be to be in person at the relevant places. One can feel it directly, how the wind blows, hear the rustling of the leaves … indescribably great.

Here at this point I also have to praise the creativity of Clare, which in my opinion knows almost no borders and I find the history about the machines and how everything becomes more and more dangerous and sharpens to one big final great and this is unbelievable brilliant. All along I was thrilled, I never know really what happens to be next and Clare provides so much action, that I had no time to breathe or make a break. Constantly there happens something new, and over and over again new characters get involved in the story which offers again more information that I got even more curious and wanted to know desperately what it is all about, that I couldn’t stop reading. Hence, I can say without bad conscience that I was thrilled and curious from first page up to the last and I wasn’t even a second bored. This is really wonderful, particularly because this doesn’t happen often in my case.
Moreover, I am a gigantic fan of the writing style of Clare who is especially beautiful and becomes never dull or boring. Clare really has a big talent to formulate situations, plots and emotions in the right words and to create incredibly good sentences, as well as dialogues. For this she has my greatest respect, because I haven’t read such great formulation like hers, very often in other books.

Now to the things which I didn’t like so much and which have decreased my appraisal: As I’ve already mentioned further up, the whole love triangle which started slowly in the first book, continued and increased in the second book. I don’t know why Clare tries to sabotage her own great story with this?
I can’t read it any more: a girl, two boys, both in love with her and she can’t decide, although she loves one of them more, but chooses the other one in the middle of the story (from my view for flimsy reasons). Thought we all know that in the end she’ll pick Will!!

SPOILER SPOILER!!
This is in my opinion not hard to predict because of the incredible resemblance of the characters in this book, with those of Mortal Instruments. Here is a small overview: Tessa = Clary, Will = Jace, Jem = mixture of Alec and Simon, Jessie = Isabel, Henry = partly the institute leader from the first book; I don’t know his name any more. Moreover, the love course goes completely the same way like it did in MI. From the beginning it is clear that Clary, mh … sorry, Tessa ^^ will end up with Will/ Jace … (whatever, it’s all the same. And it is no miracle that the first guy has blond hair and the other one has black hair, so that one can recognize them apart).

In the first part she was kissing Will, then he pushed her away and the big guessing game begins where everyone want to know what is wrong with the man and what is his mystery.
In the second part Tessa/Clary draws nearer to the other guy of the book (Jem/Simon), although she languishes for the other (Will/ Jace). And I swear you that here it will be the same at the end, in such a way that Tessa, like Clary, will end up with Will, like Clary did. This hasn’t disturbed me in MI because I didn’t like Simon very much anyhow.
But now here I am already sorry for Jem because he’s really a nice character and isn’t whiny like Simon. I guess the easiest solution for Clare will be that she simply lets him die. Though I think it’s a shame and I find it a pity, but for me it is the only practicable solution without tearing completely Jem’s heart out.
Moreover, and what has even more displeased me concerning this: Even if Tessa is more likeable than Clary because she isn’t self-pitying herself and whining all the time, I don’t understand how she could feel something for Jem and wanted more from him before and then Will told Tessa his feeling for her and his love and explained his bad behavior and suddenly she has to force herself to feel anything for Jem. Hello??! I don’t get it!?

Okay, we already knew that in the whole time she had still feelings for Will but to be in love with two guys at the same time… again?! I’m sorry, but I can’t read it anymore because at some point it just gets hilarious and boring. And in my opinion the whole love story is very conceivable and also annoying in a little way, because it is only aiming for an emotional rollercoaster and heartache. Therefore the book gets only 3,5 points of 5, but besides the love triangle the book is really great and awesome!

Cover:
Once again a wonderful cover which I like very much from the layout and which gets you in the right mood.

All in all:
Apart from the love story it was again a really great book which was very exciting, varied and definitely a page turner.

Rating:
3,5 of 5 points

Quote:

Tessa: I won’t know if I like it until I try it, will I?”
Will: “I’ve never swum naked in the Thames, but I know I wouldn’t like it.”
“But think how entertaining for sightseers,” said Tessa.

Jem: “I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.”

Tessa: “Jem is nothing but goodness. That he struck you last night only shows how capable you are of driving even saints to madness.”

“D’you think he would have thought ahead like that?” said Henry.
“Assuredly,” said Will. “The man’s a strategist.” He tapped his temple. “Like me.”

OP.
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.Succession:

# 1: Cassandra Clare – Clockwork Angel »
# 2: Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Prince »
# 3: Cassandra Clare – Clockwork Princess

copyright: Cassandra Clare

About the author – Cassandra Clare:

Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old. Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates.

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006. (Source: http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/home)

Visit her Website: »»

Review: Guardian Of The Gate (en.)

English Cover

German Cover

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‘Guardian Of The Gate’
by Michelle Zink

The Prophecy of the Sisters # 2
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First Sentence:
“ Sitting at the desk in my chamber, I do not need to read the words of the prophecy to recall them. “

Last Sentence:
” When the prophecy finally ends, one of us will be dead. “

Synopsis:
The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she’ll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister’s role in the prophecy, and that’s not the only thing she wants: There’s also Lia’s boyfriend James.
Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn’t know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing. (Source: Goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
Like in the first book of this trilogy I liked the writing style of Zink because it was appropriate with the dialogs and the phrasings to the plot and it also carried the reader away to long gone time. Unfortunately, this made the reading a little bumpier than usual, especially because it is a YA book and there the writing is generally rather simple. Otherwise I can only complain that I didn’t like the beginning very much because the story started 8 months after the first book and it also took some time to really get into the story. Moreover, the main character Lia was at first a bit too naive, which let here appear unlikeable, and unfortunately I must say that has not particularly improved by the end of the book. For me, Lia is a very contradictory character, because on one hand she is very brave and fighting for the good purpose, but on the other hand, she isn’t able to fight against her sister or even say a bad word against her, even if it’s her fault that their little brother died, and Lia just behaves totally naive, blue-eyed and prudish. Anyhow it seems to me that in a way the author herself does not know exactly the character of Lia and simply inserts her every now and then some ‚brilliant moments‘ where she should appear intelligent or courageous, so that one makes friends with her and still care about her story. But I’m sorry to say that Lia has remained constantly bad, but in return this time the plot and the story had more sense and I also liked the new characters which showed up in this book and which made the book more positive again. Here I want to mention Dimitri Markov, who is a member of the Gregory’s and stands besides Lia with words and deeds and also helps her with her problems.

Dimitri was a positive surprise and in my opinion the most mature character. And although I have liked this book more than the first one, what certainly depended on Dimitri and Luisa, nevertheless, it was not so exciting and thrilling, as the author maybe indented to be. I was not really surprised with the twists in the story or the solution which Zink has presented the readers, because they were a little dull and showed us a ‘everything becomes good‘ scenario, which let my eyes roll. Moreover, I also didn’t like the end very much because there were not really great highlights and it was partially also no surprises and I did see the end coming.

A demerit was also the fact that here were also a love-triangle between Lia, James and Dimitri. I am not a fan of such love confusions and as well as it was presented in this book, I only found it needlessly and unnatural and it occurred to me that Zink only wanted to suck a problem from her fingers. But I also have to admit that it was a light, quick reading pleasure and it didn’t had very serious incisions which have disturbed me terribly. It was a normal book but without bad or good awakenings and hence just a mediocre book which is suitable for readers of this genre, but maybe is not especially suitable for all the others.

Cover:
In my opinion the German cover looks better because the English one is too boring for my taste. But to be honest, both covers are not my favorites and not very appealing and wouldn’t be a reason for me to buy this book.

All in all:
A nice reading but which didn’t touch me and didn’t egg me to think about it. An average book which is only suitable for fantasy or YA book lovers, but nothing for readers with another taste.

Rating:
3 of 5 points

Quotes:

Dimitri: “It does smell lovely. It smells of the forest, icy river water… you.”

Lia: “But we are in this together, aren’t we? Now more than ever.”

Luisa: “You are quite right, Lia.” I can hear her trying to quell the laughter rising yet again. “Dimitri is every bit the gentleman. I only thank God that Rhys is not!”

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Succession:

# 1: Michelle Zink – The Prophecy of the Sisters »
# 2: Michelle Zink – Guardian of the Gate »
# 3: Michelle Zink – Circle of Fire

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(© goodreads)

About the author – Michelle Zink:

Michelle Zink lives in New York with her four children. Prophecy of the Sisters was her first novel, and was chosen as one of Booklist’s Top Ten Debut Novels of 2009 and as one of the Chicago Public Library’s Best Books for Young Readers. It has also been listed on the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age and the Lone Star Reading List.
(Source: http://michellezink.com)

Visit her Website »»

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Review: The Prophecy of the Sisters

(© goodreads)

(© goodreads)

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‘The Prophecy of the Sisters’
by Michelle Zink

The Prophecy of the Sisters # 1
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First Sentence:
“Perhaps because it seems so appropriate, I don‘t notice the rain.“

Last Sentence:
” ‘Only time will tell, Lia’, in the end, I suppose it will.”

Synopsis:
An ancient prophecy divides two sisters: One good…One evil…Who will prevail?
Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents’ deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. Lia and Alice don’t know whom they can trust. They just know they can’t trust each other. (Source: goodreads.com)

My thoughts about the book:
I was hooked up by this book from the first pages on and couldn’t put it away. The writing style of Zink suits greatly the story and the time of the 18th century, in which it was common that girls weren’t allowed to go around alone or meet guys unguarded by chaperons. Zink really got the right point with her syntax and the dialogs could be almost from this former time. Also from the first pages on the plot was thrilling and it wasn’t boring with long description, because the reader has to discover everything together with the main character Lia, who appears a little shy and insecure but generally likeable and authentic. Nonetheless I really hope that she will become more self-assured soon, otherwise she could become annoying and nobody wants that.
What I also liked was that her sister Alice, which is the mean part in this story, appears very authentic and believable and the same is with Lia’s friends Sonia and Luisa. And at this point I have to say that I prefer Luisa of all characters in this book because she is so lovely, so a charming and shining character that the reader almost have to smile while she is mentioned. I’m also curious how the prophecy will turn throughout this series and what will happen to the end because for now I have no foreboding.
Three-quarter of the story I really liked and I was really thinking this would be a 5 points book. But then I read further and my enthusiasm decreased with every chapter. The biggest reason for that change was the existing and the flights in the ‚otherworld‘ (sorry to say that but it just reminds me so much of the series The Immortales or of House of Night, and I didn’t liked it there neither.) Furthermore the otherworld is just bad described and too chaotic, and not quite understandable with all this souls and Samael. That all was too much for me and I fear that there will be much more of this otherworld in the next two books. But we’ll see.
From now on take care because it contains SPOILER !!!
The end was really a shock for me and I don’t know what I should think about it. I don’t like it when a child has to die in a book or in a movie and if it happens like here without any reason and totally pointless, than I have no words for it. I can only guess that the reason for it was that Zink wanted the readers to cry or that we see how evil and bad Lia’s sister Alice had become. BUT it doesn’t explain me why on gods earth Lia is talking and acting like this with Alice again after this tragedy? How could she even stand her side if she was the reason for her little brother’s death? For me that was the point when I thought the book isn’t quite as good as I thought it is at the beginning, because it’s not even in the slightest believable how Lia’s acting. And it was also pathetic how Zink wrote the goodbye scene between Alice and Lia three times: At first at the stairs, then after the supposed murder in Lia’s dream and at last before she went to London after Henry’s death. And also how her aunt Virginia acted after all this and that she even said she has to stay at their home because of Alice? That was just unbelievable and hilarious and totally unauthentic. Additionally I didn’t like it how Lia started to lie to James all the time and didn’t tell him anything although she knew he would stay beside her no matter what. Although I understand that she didn’t want to involve him in this ancient war, but she didn’t have to push him away like this and tell him all lies and no true word because he didn’t deserved that and Lia did it also because she was scared that he would see her in a different light and that was just cowardly of her. And this pathetic letter in the end she wrote for him wasn’t better and I couldn’t believe my eyes as I read that she asked him to wait for him. If I would have been him I would try to forget her as fast as I can and would search my love and happiness somewhere else. Now at the end I have to ask myself if I really like Lia anymore and I don’t have an answer to it. Maybe the time has to show me and I have to read the other books to make a clear decision. And I really hope it’s getting better again.

Cover:
These two covers are very similar but I prefer the German one, though they are both not very appealing. I’ve seen much better covers so far.

All in all:
In the beginning it was a great story about till the end it sucked a little and left my disappointed.

Rating:
3 of 5 points

Quotes:

Lia: “Perhaps because it seems so appropriate, I don’t notice the rain. It falls in sheets, a blanket of silvery thread rushing to the hard almost-winter ground. Still, I stand without moving at the side of the coffin.”

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Succession:

# 1: Michelle Zink – The Prophecy of the Sisters
# 2: Michelle Zink – Guardian of the Gate
# 3: Michelle Zink – Circle of Fire

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(© goodreads)

About the author – Michelle Zink:

Michelle Zink lives in New York with her four children. Prophecy of the Sisters was her first novel, and was chosen as one of Booklist’s Top Ten Debut Novels of 2009 and as one of the Chicago Public Library’s Best Books for Young Readers. It has also been listed on the New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age and the Lone Star Reading List.
(Source: http://michellezink.com)

Visit her Website »»

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