The Martian, a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir in shifting perspectives, keeps the reader laughing and on the edge of their seats with the intense plot and humorous narration. With half of the novel being written as a journal in first person point of view and the other half being written in third person point of view, the story was innovative and realistic, although there was room for improvement in regards to the characterization.

Summary from goodreads: Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Red Rising was...interesting. With a rocky start, the book served to be an immensely entertaining sci-fi dystopian novel with a diverse cast and a decent amount of bloodshed (considering the plot).

The beginning of Red Rising certainly did not give the book the kick beginnings are supposed to give. It threw information about the difficult-to-grasp world the character was living in at the reader and it didn't really explain what most things were or how certain things worked. But with common sense and context clues as tools, the reader is more than capable of working out what's what.

Time and time again, there are great books with great plots and great scenery etc, etc. However, the characters in about eighty percents of these books are just...boring. Whatever the reason may be, whether it's because the character is static or predictable, the character just makes the read a disappointing one. Red Rising is not one of these books. As the reader delves deeper into the story, the plot gets more intense and more characters are introduced at a steady pace. Which is great, because just about every single one of the characters has an interesting storyline and a personality that keeps the reader hooked - even if the character wasn't likable or brought about destruction to other characters the reader was rooting for. That's probably because they were well written, and that's probably what made this book.

The plot and setting of the book were unique. Many compare it to The Hunger Games because it has some parallels: dystopian novel, teenagers put in a game to find the strongest, but that's where the similarities end. The story of Red Rising is fast paced. Something is always happening, but the deeper we go into the story, the more the overall plot and purpose is ignored. There are mentions here and there of what drives Darrow, the main character. But the mentions were few and far between, and they almost seemed like an afterthought.

Aside from the plot, there was an abundance of imagery. Sometimes, it was overwhelming since it took place on Mars, so there had to be a lot of imagination on the reader's part. But for the most part, the imagery was well placed and fully appreciated.

If Red Rising succeeded in anything, it was in thoroughly entertaining its readers. But it is not for the faint hearted. If you easily get attached and will cry buckets of tears for a character you loved and lost, then Red Rising is not the book for you. However, if you are a fan of sci-fi dystopian novels and appreciate character development and a well thought out plot, then this might be your cup of tea.

Afterthought: This book had a lot of "Don't cry like a girl" and "He screamed like a girl" or "He  giggled like a girl", so if you're not willing to overlook those lines, steer clear of Red Rising.

Summary from goodreads: I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.
That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine - and I will do anything, anything to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.
He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France - an Allied Invasion of Two.
We are a sensational team.

Summary from goodreads: Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernise the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs... In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a 'perfect' crime committed many years before. 

Rating: 4/5 stars


Sleeping Murder has sealed my impression of Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie is known for her mystery novels, and of her most famous novels is And Then There Were None. Personally, I believe Sleeping Murder should hold that title instead. If anything, Sleeping Murder is a satisfying read. It has a unique voice, thoroughly consistent characterization, just enough imagery, and a plot that will keep the reader engaged.

Firstly: the voice of the novel. The novel is written in a way so that it keeps the reader skeptical, but still leads them to draw their own deductions. The way this is done is interesting. Sleeping Murder is written in third person omniscient, meaning it follows all the characters in the story. So it follows Miss Marple, the renowned detective; Mr and Mrs Reed, the characters who brought a murder to Miss Marple's attention; and the side characters who play the roles of suspects and assistants. When the narrator is exposing Mr and Mrs. Reed's actions and thoughts, the prose is generally more straight forward. It clearly states who they think is guilty and why. However, when it comes to Miss Marple, the writing is more vague. The sections that narrate her thoughts are filled with ellipses galore and usually end with mini cliff hangers (in a sense). Because of the different ways Miss Marple and Mr and Mrs. Reed tackle the mystery, and because the reader reads both of their accounts, the reader ends up tackling the case in the same ways. They are, in a way, conditioned by the narrator to think the same way the characters think, which is why there is both skepticism (from Miss Marple) and rash deductions (from Mr and Mrs. Reed). With that being said, it should be noted that the writing style may not be to everyone's taste given that it's sometimes choppy.

As for the characterization, its consistency is something to be admired. The personalities are represented through both their speech and actions. Granted the fact that there is no development in regards to any of the characters, one has to keep in mind the fact that Sleeping Murder is a mystery novel, so the consistency of characterization is a more valuable asset than the development.

Sleeping Murder is not heavy with imagery. It does not go on to describe every little detail of the weather or the plants. Most of the imagery that is found in the story somehow contributes to the actual crime, making every detail in the novel significant to the case. If not for the purpose of assisting in the deduction of the crime, minimal imagery was given in order for the reader to have a general idea of what the scenes look like. But aside from that, Sleeping Murder does not spend time on things that are not essential to the plot.

All in all, Agatha Christie's Sleeping Murder is definitely a book I'd recommend if you are a fan mystery novels and looking for a short, satisfying read.

The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights - by John Steinbeck

Synopsis from goodreads: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. 
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. 

Rating: 4.5/5

The Name of the Wind is nothing short of a legend in the making.

The Casual Vacancy is slow. The main plot of the story revolves around a feud between two towns, so you would expect as much. But on top of it being slow, there really isn't much to keep you engaged in the story. None of the characters are likable, the plot is somewhat dry, and the writing doesn't really have a voice that keeps you interested. 

Summary from goodreads: When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked. Her note had explained she was dying. How can she wait? A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write again; only this time she must tell Harold everything. In confessing to secrets she has hidden for twenty years, she will find atonement for the past. As the volunteer points out, 'Even though you've done your travelling, you're starting a new journey too.' Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story. She was wrong. It was the beginning.

Rating: 3.8/5
*The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the first installment of the Harold Fry series.*
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy are both novels that require a bit more motivation to read than a dramatic or action filled novel. If you are a reader who is more inclined to fast paced novels, then chances are you won't be a very big fan of this series.
With that being said, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is written with so much expertise and intricacy that any reader who is interested will find themselves in awe once they pick up on the smaller details. It may take some time for the reader to adjust their mentality to that of one which focuses not so much on the plot but on the writing, but it is well worth the read once they are in that state of mind. This novel has an abundance of diverse characters, a great deal of parallelism, consistency while shifting between one place and time to another, and a unique writing style.
First and foremost, the characterization in this novel has to be commended. There are so many side characters that one would assume that they were all just supporting characters thrown in the story to keep it moving. But that is not the case. As one reads, it is near impossible for the complexity of each and every single one of the side characters to go unnoticed. They are given so much attention and care that a reader could almost yearn for books dedicated to their backstories. There were characters that were clearly and obviously round while others were more subtly written and there were characters who went through an admirable amount of development while others developments had to be deciphered. In addition, they were all so different. There were not two characters from the two installments combined that had similar personalities. 
Moving on to a more particular writing trait: parallelism. As to not give too much away, the parts of the story that could have been perceived as parallel will not be mentioned, but it could be expected that there is almost more parallelism than you know what to do with between Harold and his wife as a single story line and Queenie's storyline. While on the topic of specific writing traits, one could also expect imagery (a lot of it, but not as much as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry).
An interesting feature about this novel is that it is constantly shifting between Queenie's modern day perspective and her backstory. Normally, a reader would find themselves confused and it would be hard to keep track, but the first line of each transition every time the story shifts is usually enough for the reader to understand. At the same time, the storyline was consistent yet progressive. The reader has to keep in mind that the main character is dying, so her deteriorating condition is portrayed through her writing (since it is written in first person) while still keeping a consistent voice throughout.

In both the first and second novels in this series there was a clear goal. This is very refreshing because the characters don't get sidetracked and neither do the readers. In the first novel, Harold Fry's goal was to walk to Queenie, and in the second novel, Queenie's goal was to write a letter to Harold. In a way, this builds suspense and makes anything and everything that happens so much more impactful than it would have been if there were a fast paced plot. The writing style as a whole was very smooth and had a strong voice that fit well with the main character. There were varying sentence structures and adjectives galore. If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, then you should definitely give this novel a read.

Summary from goodreads:
 How do you want to feel today? In 2041, the choice is yours. San Francisco is deserted, the Bay Bridge bombed, and the BART subway trains grounded. The Guardians, members of an elite and mysterious government-appointed military police force, are maintaining order at all costs—thanks to emotion-altering drugs like Emovere that suppress fear and anxiety. Lex Knightley, daughter of a prominent forensic psychiatrist, risks entering the devastated city to partner with the Resistance, a group of rebels intent upon exposing the dangers of Emovere. As she uncovers the secrets of the Guardian Force and confronts the truth about her family, Lex begins to realize that even those closest to her are not quite who they seem.