"Silkworm" by Robert Galbraith

This is the second novel in J.K. Rowling's crime series. I reviewed the first one last year (you can it read it here). Cormoran Strike is great as ever at solving a twisted murder mystery. This novel is a great read, very well written. My only problem with the book is that some sections towards the end seemed unnecessarily slow. I also had a couple of problems with the final scene when the killer is revealed. Specifically, in the beginning when the murder case just began, Strike unequivocally states that the killer needed to have some anatomical/medical training in order to execute the murder. However, once the killer was revealed nothing was said about the person's medical/anatomical background. Perhaps I missed it, and if so then it was not emphasized enough. I did not go back looking for the information, so it might have been mentioned at some point. However, since we do not know who the killer is until very end, I feel like this point should have been explained. Overall, I enjoyed the book very much and am looking forward to more Cormoran Strike stories.

"The Walls Around Us" by Nova Ren Suma

This was another novel that I got for review. It is coming out March 24, 2015. This was also the first novel I've read by Nova Ren Suma. This book is amazing. I read it in two days and highly recommend it to all readers.

There is no simple way to describe this book. Even though I read the synopsis on goodreads prior to starting it, I still went into it pretty much blind. The story is narrated from two points of view: a 16-year old girl named Amber, who is an inmate of a juvenile correctional facility; and an 18-year old ballerina (Vee) who has great prospects for a spectacular ballet career. The story is also moving along two different time lines: Vee's narration is in the present and Amber's voice relates the events of three years prior. The story also has a supernatural aspect to it so if you are not a fan of magical realism, you should probably know beforehand that this is coming.

To me, this book is all about being trapped and looking for ways to escape that entrapment. The walls around us are not just the walls of a detention center that keep the girls imprisoned. In many ways, these girls, just as many other people in real life, are prisoners of everyday circumstances and events. What pushes a 13-year old girl to commit a murder? How does one land in prison at 14? The novel also looks at the issue of justice. Do the guilty always end up in prison? How does one get justice? I do not want to say anything more for fear of revealing too much of the plot. If this sounds even remotely interesting, do pick up this book and ask your teenage daughters and nieces to read it. It will also make a great pick for book club discussions.

"Shadow Scale" by Rachel Hartman

Shadow Scale is a highly anticipated sequel to Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. The novel was released on March 10, 2015. I was fortunate enough to get an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. It is always hard to review sequels without giving any spoilers but I will do my best to make this as spoiler free as possible.

In Shadow Scale we get to see the world outside of Goredd. The narrative picks up right where the first novel left off.  Dragons are embroiled in a civil war and humans and half-dragons find themselves caught in between. Seraphina travels to neighboring countries to gather the rest of half-dragons since they appear to have a unique ability to fight dragons. Seraphina's objective is to bring them to Goredd to ensure protection of peaceful populace. She also secretly hopes to befriend others like herself who share both dragon and human heritage.

I really enjoyed the quest aspect of this book. Hartman is an amazing story-teller and her depictions of various fantastical places and cultures are vivid and rich. We also get to know some new fascinating characters - most of them were only briefly mentioned in the first book. Abdo plays a much more prominent role in this story and we also finally learn more about the mysterious Jannoula. She was mentioned in the first book several times, but all we knew about her was that Seraphina feared her and had some unpleasant experience with her in the past.

I did have a couple of problems with the plot. Seraphina's uncle Orma does not play much of a role in this book at all. Even though Seraphina spends quite a bit of time searching for him, he only makes a brief appearance at the very end of the story. Kiggs' character was a bit disappointing to me also. As the main protagonist's love interest, I expected him to be more interesting.  His character does not undergo any development at all. He mostly stays in the background and does not play much of a role in the main story line. Also, I did not like how the romantic relationship was tied off at the end. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say I think Seraphina deserves more.

Despite these issues which other readers might or might not agree with, the book is a great read. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is over 600 pages in length but I literally flew through it and enjoyed it immensely. If you liked Seraphina and are wondering whether to pick up the sequel, I would definitely say; go for it. Hartman has built an amazing world and I thoroughly enjoyed this installment.

"The Rosie Effect" by Graeme Simsion

This is a sequel to the popular The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. I have a review of the first novel here. The sequel was available at my local library so I decided to check it out. The Rosie Effect is a definite step down from the first novel which was not great but did have its moments. In the sequel, we follow Don and Rosie as they get ready to become parents. The novel does have quite a few funny moments, but I was really disappointed in the characters. Don, who by all accounts is smitten with Rosie, acts quite aloof and spends most of his time on his own or with his buddies. He also gets into a ridiculous situation that leads to trouble with police which I found completely unbelievable. Rosie who was really level-headed and mature in the first novel makes decisions which I found quite atypical of her character. It was also annoying that the two basically stop communicating right after Rosie gets pregnant and do not resolve accumulated misunderstandings until the very end. So the bottom line for me is I would not buy this book, and even though some parts of the story were quite entertaining, overall I thought the book was just trying to capitalize on the success of the first novel. I rated it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

"Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman

I must admit this book was a total surprise to me. I had seen it in bookstores but never really considered picking it up. Since it is usually displayed with children's books, I thought it was just another dragon story written for middle graders. Boy, was I wrong! What finally prompted me to read the book is the fact that I received an advanced reader copy of the sequel called Shadow Scale. I read the synopsis and it sparked my interest. The rest, as they say, is history.

Seraphina is an amazing high fantasy novel. The writing is beautiful and the characters are interesting and complex. I also really liked the world building in this book. It reads more like a fairy tale or an epic ballad. Perhaps it also felt this way because of all the musical references (which I really enjoyed). In this world, dragons can take the shape of humans and the two races live side by side trying to learn from one another but also never completely trusting each other since in the past, dragons and humans were at war. The main heroine - Seraphina - has a secret that she hides from everyone: she is half dragon, an abomination feared and detested by both dragons and humans alike. We follow her on her journey from self-loathing to self-discovery and finally acceptance of who she is. Along the way, she makes friends, falls in love and discovers unexpected gifts in herself that might just save both humans and dragons from plunging into another war.

I enjoyed every second of reading this book. The writing is magical and the story is unique and captivating. I cannot wait to start on the sequel, and that review will be coming up very soon. The sequel is coming out on March 10, 2015, so I will try to have a review up soon after that date. Seraphina is now available for $1.99 in an e-book version (I just checked today), so now is a good time to get it if you are curious about it.

"Avalon" by Mindee Arnett

I saw mixed reviews of this novel on goodreads.com and decided to read it so I could judge it for myself. This is a sci-fi novel where the entire story takes place in space in distant future. Humans have colonized numerous planets and built space stations throughout the known universe. They are able to cover huge distances in a matter of minutes. But despite such great technological advances, the world is a bleak place. The entire known world is ruled by a corrupt monopoly whose only competition are ruthless crime lords. The main protagonist - Jeth Seagrave - is the head of a gang of thieves. He works for a powerful crime lord and steals spacecraft and other valuables for a living. Jeth hopes that one day he'll be able to save enough money to buy back Avalon, the spaceship that used to belong to his now dead parents. What he truly wishes for is freedom.

The plot has lots of unexpected turns, and I could never predict which way the story will go. The bad guys in this book have no redeeming qualities whatsoever and you can't help but hate them. The main protagonist - Jeth - feels trapped and at the mercy of someone else's wishes for most of the book. Arnett did a great job describing what it feels like to be desperate with no way out. Despite the difficulties that her characters face, they never give up and fight to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It does have quite a bit of violence and torture. As I said, the bad guys are truly horrible and seemingly have no humanity left in them. In that sense perhaps her characters lack complexity. In addition, even the main protagonist is mostly moved by personal attachments and pursuits. Nobody in the story has a bigger goal of, so to speak, saving the world. Survival and protection of loved ones are the only things that move the characters. Perhaps given their situation, basic needs are the only things one can think of. Nonetheless, I do think it is a good choice if you are looking for a space novel. A sequel to Avalon called Polaris was released in January of this year. I will be picking it up sometime soon to see how the story ends.

"Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return" by Marjane Satrapi

In January of this year, I reviewed Persepolis, a graphic novel by Marjane Satrape in which she describes growing up in Iran during the tumultuous time of the Islamic Revolution. I loved Persepolis and naturally decided to read the sequel. The first volume ends with Marjane's departure from Iran: her parents decided to send her to Austria. Persepolis 2 picks up right after. Marjane arrives in Austria speaking no German and knowing very little about the life in the West. Her desire to fit in is exacerbated by her foreign accent, looks and distance from loved ones. She misses her family, feels lonely and never totally accepted. She makes friends with other marginalized students and experiments with marijuana. She also experiences first infatuations and heartbreak. In the end, Marjane travels back to Iran just to discover that time in the West did have an impact on her and she now struggles to fit in at home. I think Satrape does a wonderful job describing what it's like to be different no matter where you go. Her story is sincere and raw. I really enjoyed this second installment and highly recommend it.

After reading Persepolis 2, I read Satrape's Embroideries, a humorous collection of stories that Marjane's female relatives like to swap when they get together at her grandmother's house. They discuss marriage, love, sex, men, careers and everything in between. Underneath it all, there is a simple desire to be happy and loved. All of the women have various problems and struggles. and sharing their experiences, comforting each other and laughing together makes life's struggles much more bearable. The entire book is filled with warmth and love. I highly recommend checking it out.