Logan E. Turner http://loganeturner.com Reader. Writer. Challenge Accepter. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:11:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 loganeturnerbloghttp://feedburner.google.com Review: Splintered by A. G. Howard http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/VEUWWWitlhw/review-splintered-by-a-g-howard.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/06/review-splintered-by-a-g-howard.html#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 02:11:48 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2616 Alice in Wonderland is one of those tales that is so pervasive you feel like you’ve read it, even if you haven’t. Though I have never read Lewis Carroll’s classic book, I probably watched my old VHS tape of this ridiculously cheesy 1985 TV miniseries about a hundred times. I’ve seen the Disney version and [...]



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]]> Splintered by
Publisher:
Release date: January 1, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 371
Source:
Series: Splintered #1
Genres: ,
Buy the Book ? Goodreads

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl?s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers ? precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll?s Alice?s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother?s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice?s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice?s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Alice in Wonderland is one of those tales that is so pervasive you feel like you’ve read it, even if you haven’t. Though I have never read Lewis Carroll’s classic book, I probably watched my old VHS tape of this ridiculously cheesy 1985 TV miniseries about a hundred times. I’ve seen the Disney version and the Johnny Depp version. And I’ve loved them all.

This modern take on Alice’s story imagines our protagonist, Alyssa, as a descendant of the Alice who lived and inspired Carroll’s stories. Along with a similar name, she is in line to inherit the psychological madness that is passed from female descendant to female descendant. Her mother is locked in an asylum, and Alyssa tries very hard to convince herself that she can’t hear the voices starting to appear in her head. She’s a cool skater girl into art and bugs and other Things That Are Dark And Twisty.

The coolest thing about this book is the brilliant display of imagination on the part of author A. G. Howard. I only wish I could think up stuff this vivid and exciting. When Alyssa goes down the rabbit hole, we get a version of Wonderland that is fresh and new without being unfamiliar. Carroll’s characters pop up, but in different forms than you might expect. I don’t want to spoil the fun of discovery, but I will say that the White Rabbit is not just a rabbit – he’s much creepier than that.

If you’re tired of love triangles, consider yourselves warned. Alyssa is into the boy next door, Jeb, and while in Wonderland starts to fall under the spell of the difficult and dark Morpheus. Morpheus acts as a sort of guide and childhood friend of Alyssa’s on the Wonderland side of things, while Jeb is her friend and protector on the reality side. Morpheus is certainly the more interesting and mysterious of the two, but his sketchy motives later in the story made me not like him as much.

If I had one complaint about this book, it’s that those motives, and the plot, got a little confusing toward the end. I had a hard time following what was happening because the history was so rich and complex. The politics of the Red Queen and White Queen and Morpheus’s place in the middle of all of it overwhelmed me, and I’m still not entirely sure I absorbed it all. I kept having to go back and re-read sections to track who supposedly did what and to what end, and what they really meant when they did them, versus what everyone else thought they were doing.

Did you get that? Yeah. Me either.

Fuzzy plot or not, this was a really enjoyable story. I loved seeing such a cool concept from a debut author, too! I picked this one up at the library because I couldn’t find it at the store, and the cover is absolutely stunning. The text is a beautiful dusty purple color. Normally I’m not a fan of colored print in books, but for some reason this really worked for me. If you’re in the market for a beautiful book for your shelf and want to support a debut author with a fantastic story, I recommend this one.

Rating: 4/5 stars

 

 

 

 

4 Stars



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]]> http://loganeturner.com/2013/06/review-splintered-by-a-g-howard.html/feed 0 http://loganeturner.com/2013/06/review-splintered-by-a-g-howard.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-splintered-by-a-g-howard Review: The Twelve by Justin Cronin http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/elOXhjTL4ds/review-the-twelve-by-justin-cronin-2.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/review-the-twelve-by-justin-cronin-2.html#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:39 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2611 Book: The Twelve Author: Justin Cronin Publisher: Ballantine Books Release date: October 16, 2012 Source: Borrowed from local library Series: The Passage #2   Summary from Goodreads:  At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume [...]



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Book: The Twelve
Author: Justin Cronin
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release date: October 16, 2012
Source: Borrowed from local library
Series: The Passage #2
 
Summary from Goodreads: 

At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume of this epic trilogy, this same group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War.

To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral?but whose side, in the end, is she really on?

I know what you’re thinking. Why would I review the sequel to a book I didn’t like all that much?

Well, the ending to The Passage was exciting enough that I felt The Twelve was worth a try. I wasn’t going to spend money on it, but I’d put a hold on the ebook at the library and see what happened. If it didn’t hook me in the first 50 pages, then I could just accept that this wasn’t the series for me and go on my merry way.

So I put it on hold, and when the hold came through, I started reading.

And it completely hooked me.

THIS was the book I wanted to read when I was promised literary-style vampires. THIS was the book I wanted to read when I was promised post-apocalyptic viral mayhem. THIS was 100 times better than The Passage. 

Though we are, frustratingly, introduced to even MORE new characters in this book, at least these characters didn’t stumble around incoherently through 50 pages of backstory for each one of them. We also get to spend the majority of the book with characters we know from the first book, and they get to do way more interesting things. I’m still not a huge fan of the author’s stylistic choices, but the narrative switches bothered me much less in this book.

Justin Cronin is juggling a large timeline (100 years or so), multiple locations separated by hundreds of miles, and an enormous cast of characters. While I found the scope to be somewhat disjointed in book one, here some of the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. He has certainly earned my trust that all of my investment in his world will pay off.

In this book, we slide one generation back in time to see some important lead-ins to the current action, and we also get to see a new side of Year Zero. This time around we actually experience the viral outbreak and its immediate consequences on the population. I absolutely loved seeing the government side of the story and how they tried to balance their resources in the face of a society-ending plague. How would they try to quarantine large sections of the country? Who would they sacrifice for the greater good? What would happen to the world economy and foreign relations? These are the kinds of questions I enjoy exploring in post-apocalyptic fiction, and Cronin finally delivers.

The mysteries and objectives facing the characters were thrilling. I was swept up in the story, and found myself trusting Cronin to lead us to where we needed to be. My familiarity with the main characters put me at ease while reading, but the new challenges they faced had me on edge. Life is bleak in this world, and just when you think you know where things are going they take a right turn into a new surprise. It’s very much an enjoyable ride.

Action-packed mayhem, deepening plot mysteries, and strong characters make this a book well worth a read. If you can slog your way through the first book, The Twelve will reward you in spades. I will absolutely be reading the final book when it releases next year, and it can’t get here soon enough.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Click the stars for a description of my rating system

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/review-the-twelve-by-justin-cronin-2.html/feed 5 http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/review-the-twelve-by-justin-cronin-2.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-the-twelve-by-justin-cronin-2 Bout of Books 7.0 – Wrap Up http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/l8zS1fQAkDg/bout-of-books-7-0-wrap-up.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-wrap-up.html#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:14 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2591   Bout of Books 7.0 is over! I managed to meet all but one of my goals, which is super exciting for me. I am looking forward to returning to a more leisurely pace, however!   Time devoted to reading: I read both ways on my commute and before bed every weekday. I even managed [...]



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Bout of Books 7.0 is over! I managed to meet all but one of my goals, which is super exciting for me. I am looking forward to returning to a more leisurely pace, however!
 
Time devoted to reading: I read both ways on my commute and before bed every weekday. I even managed to find good chunks of time on the weekend, which is rare for me. I did better on Sunday than Saturday, and still managed to sneak in a trip to the ballet Sunday afternoon.
 
The goals I accomplished:
  • Read five books total
  • Finished the two books I started prior to the readathon
  • Read at least 1,000 pages
  • Updated Twitter at least three times per day – well, I averaged 3/day

Books read:

  • Splintered by A.G. Howard
  • The Twelve by Justin Cronin
  • Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
  • Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
  • Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Total pages read: 1,614

Challenges completed: 0 - ran out of time for these

Thank you Amanda and Kelly and all the challenge hosts for a great Bout of Books 7.0! I had a great time, as always. Looking forward to 8.0!

 



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]]> http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-wrap-up.html/feed 10 http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-wrap-up.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bout-of-books-7-0-wrap-up Bout of Books 7.0 – Goals and Updates http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/2XX9Ww2A69w/bout-of-books-7-0-goals-and-updates.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-goals-and-updates.html#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 22:52:17 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2579 Bout of Books 7.0 is here! I’ll be participating here and on Twitter (@loganturner). For those not in-the-know, here is the official Bout of Books blurb: The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am [...]



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Bout of Books 7.0 is here! I’ll be participating here and on Twitter (@loganturner). For those not in-the-know, here is the official Bout of Books blurb:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

-From the Bout of Books 7.0 team

Time devoted to reading: I want to read at least 2 hours every weekday and 3 hours each weekend day.
My goals for participation:
  • Read at least three books
  • Finish the two books I started prior to the readathon
  • Read at least 1,000 pages
  • Update Twitter at least three times per day – well, I averaged 3/day
  • Participate in a few challenges (view the Official Schedule) – ran out of time

Books to read (subject to change):

  • Splintered by A.G. Howard
  • The Twelve by Justin Cronin
  • Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
  • Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
  • Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Updates:

5/13
Number of pages I?ve read today: 185
Total number of pages I?ve read: 185
Books read today: Phoenix Rising (finished) and The Twelve
Today’s tweet: First book down! Now on to that behemoth I keep pretending I’ll finish: THE TWELVE.

5/14
Number of pages I?ve read today: 106
Total number of pages I?ve read: 291
Books read today: The Twelve
Today’s tweet: I’m falling behind on my #boutofbooks tweet goal! I need to get reading and cover 140 pages to make my daily quota. Gulp.

5/15
Number of pages I?ve read today: 178
Total number of pages I?ve read: 469
Books read today: The Twelve
Today’s tweet: Dang! I missed tonight’s chat! FINE. I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO READ. #boutofbooks

5/16
Number of pages I?ve read today: 272
Total number of pages I?ve read: 741
Books read today: The Twelve and Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Today’s tweet: 2 books down! Hope to finish one per day from here on out. #boutofbooks

5/17
Number of pages I?ve read today: 235
Total number of pages I?ve read: 976
Books read today: Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Today’s tweet: Whee! Done with book three! #boutofbooks

5/18
Number of pages I?ve read today: 128
Total number of pages I?ve read: 1,104
Books read today: Splintered
Today’s tweet: I always overestimate my weekend reading time. #boutofbooks

5/19
Number of pages I?ve read today: 510
Total number of pages I?ve read: 1,614
Books read today: Splintered and Only the Good Spy Young
Today’s tweet: Book 4 done. Can I push it to 5 by midnight? #boutofbooks

Challenges: None this round.

 



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]]> http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-goals-and-updates.html/feed 5 http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-goals-and-updates.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bout-of-books-7-0-goals-and-updates Bout of Books 7.0 Sign Up Post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/WBAx9KlKmr8/bout-of-books-7-0-sign-up-post.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-sign-up-post.html#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 22:58:22 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2574 Bout of Books 7.0 is coming up! Join me here and on Twitter (@loganturner) from May 13-19. For those not in-the-know, here is the official Bout of Books blurb:   The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon [...]



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]]> Bout of Books

Bout of Books 7.0 is coming up! Join me here and on Twitter (@loganturner) from May 13-19. For those not in-the-know, here is the official Bout of Books blurb:
 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. 

-From the Bout of Books 7.0 team

 
Want to join in the fun? Visit the Bout of Books 7.0 sign up page for all the details, create a post, and link up. It’s that easy!
 
C’mon. You know you wanna.
 
 
 
 
 



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]]> http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-sign-up-post.html/feed 4 http://loganeturner.com/2013/05/bout-of-books-7-0-sign-up-post.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bout-of-books-7-0-sign-up-post Weekly Recap (4) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/loganeturnerblog/~3/-hicQG-p0bU/weekly-recap-4.html http://loganeturner.com/2013/04/weekly-recap-4.html#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:00:17 +0000 Logan http://loganeturner.com/?p=2570   Every Friday I post a recap of books I’ve read, am reading, and plan to read, as well as any other tidbits I feel like sharing. The format was inspired by Small Review’s Recap posts and On a Book Bender and 25 Hour Books’ Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge posts. Blogging This week [...]



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Every Friday I post a recap of books I’ve read, am reading, and plan to read, as well as any other tidbits I feel like sharing. The format was inspired by Small Review’s Recap posts and On a Book Bender and 25 Hour Books’ Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge posts.

Blogging

This week on the blog:

Reading

Finished: 

  • Spider’s Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) by Jennifer Estep
    • I was really enjoying this one until the ending dragged on forever. Plus the writing got irritatingly repetitive. Still a great read, though, and I’ll be continuing with the series. 
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • I’m working myself into a fever pitch over the upcoming movie, y’all. I forgot how great this book is.

Acquiring

Borrowed:

  • Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls #2) by Ally Carter
    • Fun and fluffy. Can’t wait to start.

Watching

  • 42 (The Jackie Robinson Story)
    • This was an incredible story to see on the big screen. I just wish the screenplay had been better.

Listening

  • The video of the National Anthem sung at the Boston Bruins game on Wednesday night gave me chills.