Megan 2 follows on pretty much from the point where the first book ended. Megan having newly given birth to her baby boy and it follows her as she adjusts to life being a teenage mum. I think it was fairly obvious even in the first book that Megan would not give up her baby for adoption so when I realised there was a sequel it was pretty much confirmed for me even without reading the back of the book.
I think the turnaround in attitude from Megan’s mum is a little bit hard to take. In the first book she is so for adoption and so harsh towards Megan that her pretty much being fine when Megan tells her she is keeping the baby doesn’t feel completely believable although I guess seeing the baby would bring forth emotions that she had probably been suppressing.
I also think from the mention of Lorna’s secret in book 1 that it was fairly obvious that somehow Megan was going to find her baby. Regardless of it being so obvious that it was going to happen the ending did seem to be very abrupt and rang a little untrue. I don’t think anyone would give news like that in that way.
I think it is the little things though that really adds to the realism of this book. Like how Megan feels in relation to her friends Claire and Josie and the ways in which her life differs to theirs. The feelings and emotions are once again spot on and what really makes the Megan series of books special. Mary Hooper really does know how to get in to the mind of a teenager.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Megan - Mary Hooper
It’s been years since I last read the Megan books. But for some reason I felt like revisiting them and so I searched them out on my bookcase. I think the first Megan book was one of the first teenage books that I really fell in love with.
I really love the way in which Megan is written. Mary Hooper allows the reader to get inside fifteen year old Megan’s head and to get a genuine idea of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come from being pregnant at such a young age along with everything that happens to her as a result (the reactions of those around her, exclusion and being sent away). At times I felt the reaction from Megan’s mum was rather over the top and too harsh – reading it now as an adult I felt angry towards Megan’s mum and would have liked to have slapped her and given Megan a cuddle. Although as a young teen the reaction probably would have scared me a little which may have been the point. Which could also be detrimental as it may have put some girls off telling their own mums if they were in Megan’s situation.
One thing that I probably would change about the book is to have included the letters written to Megan during the time she spent with her aunt rather than just being able to read the letters Megan sent in response. But that is just a minor quibble. I do think it was a very good way of being able to pass time in the novel.
Another thing that I think the book maybe could have benefitted from is perhaps they could have shown Megan’s reaction to things such as having her first scan (and seeing the baby) along with maybe how she found antenatal classes and the like as the book doesn’t really touch on these aspects of pregnancy.
I really love the way in which Megan is written. Mary Hooper allows the reader to get inside fifteen year old Megan’s head and to get a genuine idea of the thoughts, feelings and emotions that come from being pregnant at such a young age along with everything that happens to her as a result (the reactions of those around her, exclusion and being sent away). At times I felt the reaction from Megan’s mum was rather over the top and too harsh – reading it now as an adult I felt angry towards Megan’s mum and would have liked to have slapped her and given Megan a cuddle. Although as a young teen the reaction probably would have scared me a little which may have been the point. Which could also be detrimental as it may have put some girls off telling their own mums if they were in Megan’s situation.
One thing that I probably would change about the book is to have included the letters written to Megan during the time she spent with her aunt rather than just being able to read the letters Megan sent in response. But that is just a minor quibble. I do think it was a very good way of being able to pass time in the novel.
Another thing that I think the book maybe could have benefitted from is perhaps they could have shown Megan’s reaction to things such as having her first scan (and seeing the baby) along with maybe how she found antenatal classes and the like as the book doesn’t really touch on these aspects of pregnancy.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan
The Percy Jackson series is starting to get exciting. I very much enjoyed this - the third book in the series. It was a little startling that it didn’t carry on directly from the second book which is a shame as I would have liked to have read the immediate reaction to Thalia’s return and how she adjusted to not being a tree. I was also a little disappointed by the ending as I would have liked to have learnt more of Thalia in the future book although I supposed for the prophecy sake the author wanted her out of the way to focus on Percy.
I was a little disappointed that Tyson – Percy’s half brother – didn’t get much of a role in this book as I did like him in the second book. But I did like seeing Percy’s other relationships change and develop. I especially enjoyed the scene between Percy and his dad.
I found this book to be quite emotional particularly Zoe. I couldn’t help but cry. I think it was because the book had been leading up to something big and then when it happened to a character you had grown to care about over such a short space of time it was quite an emotional blow made all the more emotional by Artemis.
I do enjoy the involvements of the gods and the other immortal characters. They add an extra layer of interest to the books and I do like learning a little bit of ancient Greek history and mythology along the way.
I look forward the reading the next two books just to see how things come to pass as well as how the relationship between Annabeth and Percy develops because I do rather like the pair of them together. I also hope Percy manages to sort Nico out because I have a feeling he could be rather dangerous an enemy to have especially given what happened to Bianca.
I was a little disappointed that Tyson – Percy’s half brother – didn’t get much of a role in this book as I did like him in the second book. But I did like seeing Percy’s other relationships change and develop. I especially enjoyed the scene between Percy and his dad.
I found this book to be quite emotional particularly Zoe. I couldn’t help but cry. I think it was because the book had been leading up to something big and then when it happened to a character you had grown to care about over such a short space of time it was quite an emotional blow made all the more emotional by Artemis.
I do enjoy the involvements of the gods and the other immortal characters. They add an extra layer of interest to the books and I do like learning a little bit of ancient Greek history and mythology along the way.
I look forward the reading the next two books just to see how things come to pass as well as how the relationship between Annabeth and Percy develops because I do rather like the pair of them together. I also hope Percy manages to sort Nico out because I have a feeling he could be rather dangerous an enemy to have especially given what happened to Bianca.
CSI: NY Dead of Winter - Stuart M Kaminsky
This is the first book written for the CSI: New York (NY) series as well as being the first CSI book written by Stuart M Kaminsky.
Rather disappointingly, this book could have been brilliant. Both the cases are interesting and keep you guessing as to just what is going on and how things are going to unfold. But sadly this wasn’t enough to save the novel. There were just too many little mistakes which made the novel very jarring and difficult to keep my head in.
Some of the actions of the characters aren’t exactly realistic and would, in the real world, result in evidence being made inadmissible (such as Stella entrusted a regular cab driver to return important evidence to the lab while she stayed at the scene).
Other mistakes come in the form of odd continuity. At one point the characters of Mac Taylor and Aiden Burn are talking on the phone and after disconnecting the call Mac says something else to her which she responds to.
But the thing which annoyed me most and which I found very difficult to get passed is the fact the author muddled up the character Don Flack and Danny Messer at many points in the novel. It gets rather confusing when Don is referred to as Dan and the reader is just meant to be able to work out which character the author actually means.
It’s a shame that these errors appear because without them I would have been able to concentrate a great deal more on the case and just been able to enjoy the novel.
Rather disappointingly, this book could have been brilliant. Both the cases are interesting and keep you guessing as to just what is going on and how things are going to unfold. But sadly this wasn’t enough to save the novel. There were just too many little mistakes which made the novel very jarring and difficult to keep my head in.
Some of the actions of the characters aren’t exactly realistic and would, in the real world, result in evidence being made inadmissible (such as Stella entrusted a regular cab driver to return important evidence to the lab while she stayed at the scene).
Other mistakes come in the form of odd continuity. At one point the characters of Mac Taylor and Aiden Burn are talking on the phone and after disconnecting the call Mac says something else to her which she responds to.
But the thing which annoyed me most and which I found very difficult to get passed is the fact the author muddled up the character Don Flack and Danny Messer at many points in the novel. It gets rather confusing when Don is referred to as Dan and the reader is just meant to be able to work out which character the author actually means.
It’s a shame that these errors appear because without them I would have been able to concentrate a great deal more on the case and just been able to enjoy the novel.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
The Ice Cream Girls - Dorothy Koomson
For the most part I really enjoyed this book. In fact there were just two things that I really didn’t like about it. Firstly the identity of the killer – it was something I worked out about half way through the novel and which I desperately hoped wouldn’t come to pass. It just didn’t really work for me and I was more than a little bit disappointed by it. The second thing that I didn’t like so much was that the novel didn’t really tie everything up. I don’t necessarily want everything to be rosy at the end of a book but there is a part of me that wants to be able to put the characters to rest in my head with a definitive ending and I just didn’t have that here – or at least not with Poppy. I wanted to see what happened with her parents and if she was able to improve that relationship and I didn’t totally believe the reunion with Bella and Logan. It just seemed to perfect and I would have liked to see how it developed not just them walking in together. I suppose with Serena things were a little better. Her ending seemed more definite.
I loved the way the novel was crafted that we slowly learnt more and more about the relationship between Serena and Marcus and Poppy and Marcus and finally the three of them together before that fateful night. I think the relationship between Serena and Poppy is also very interesting – how Serena tried in many ways to protect Poppy.
I also really liked the relationship between Poppy and Alain although it was painfully obvious why he was with her from the moment he met up with her. However, I grew too really like their relationship. I’d love to know what happened with them.
Ultimately I much preferred Poppy to Serena and found her to be far more interesting. It’s not that I was disinterested in Serena I just related more to Poppy and found myself desperately hoping that Poppy would in fact be innocent as she claimed to be.
This was a very gripping story with twists and turns. I enjoyed it just as I have enjoyed other Dorothy Koomson novels. She is a great storyteller.
I loved the way the novel was crafted that we slowly learnt more and more about the relationship between Serena and Marcus and Poppy and Marcus and finally the three of them together before that fateful night. I think the relationship between Serena and Poppy is also very interesting – how Serena tried in many ways to protect Poppy.
I also really liked the relationship between Poppy and Alain although it was painfully obvious why he was with her from the moment he met up with her. However, I grew too really like their relationship. I’d love to know what happened with them.
Ultimately I much preferred Poppy to Serena and found her to be far more interesting. It’s not that I was disinterested in Serena I just related more to Poppy and found myself desperately hoping that Poppy would in fact be innocent as she claimed to be.
This was a very gripping story with twists and turns. I enjoyed it just as I have enjoyed other Dorothy Koomson novels. She is a great storyteller.
CSI: Brass In Pocket - Jeff Mariotte
This is somewhat interesting for a CSI novel. It is a little bit strange for me to read it as I have not actually watched the television show to the point where this novel is set. My viewing is up to the first half of season 8 while this novel is set during the beginning of season 9 – so both Sara and Warrick are no longer a part of the book series. And oh how I missed them. Sara was absent for the last book too so I was a little more used to that but it was still strange not to have both her and Warrick involved. Luckily for me the writer mentions both characters throughout the novel so at least they haven’t been completely forgotten. It also amuses me a little that Sara is still featured in the picture on the back cover while Warrick is replaced by Hodges.
Another strange element to this novel is despite it taking place before Grissom’s exit from the show he doesn’t feature in the book all that much. Instead he is said to be away at a conference leaving Catherine in charge of the graveyard shift. However, one benefit to Grissom being away is that we get to learn a great deal about Catherine. The book explores her character a fair bit and is the first one to properly include a part for her daughter Lindsey. It was interesting how the writer wrote about Catherine’s feelings re. the loss of members of her work family.
The book also features the arrival of Riley. I’ve never seen Riley in the series but it was nice to read about her and discover information about her character. I liked her relationship with Greg and the banter between the two of them.
The cases in this novel are rather complex and it is rather difficult to keep track of them. I don’t quite see why Greg and Riley needed the two cases (aeroplane death and animal grave) rather than just focusing solely on one. Personally I found the animal grave and what followed on from it to be far more interesting.
The main storyline was interesting and gave an insight in the Brass’ history. However, for a novel named after his character, Brass doesn’t exactly feature in the book a great deal. He is largely “off screen” for the book. He doesn’t appear much before the end which is disappointing. Although I did enjoy the relationship between him and Catherine from the point he does appear.
The timeline is a bit out of whack. It supposedly takes place in one night but that doesn’t work at all well. There is no way the characters could have done everything they did in that time. It is impossible that it could have happened in one night.
Another strange element to this novel is despite it taking place before Grissom’s exit from the show he doesn’t feature in the book all that much. Instead he is said to be away at a conference leaving Catherine in charge of the graveyard shift. However, one benefit to Grissom being away is that we get to learn a great deal about Catherine. The book explores her character a fair bit and is the first one to properly include a part for her daughter Lindsey. It was interesting how the writer wrote about Catherine’s feelings re. the loss of members of her work family.
The book also features the arrival of Riley. I’ve never seen Riley in the series but it was nice to read about her and discover information about her character. I liked her relationship with Greg and the banter between the two of them.
The cases in this novel are rather complex and it is rather difficult to keep track of them. I don’t quite see why Greg and Riley needed the two cases (aeroplane death and animal grave) rather than just focusing solely on one. Personally I found the animal grave and what followed on from it to be far more interesting.
The main storyline was interesting and gave an insight in the Brass’ history. However, for a novel named after his character, Brass doesn’t exactly feature in the book a great deal. He is largely “off screen” for the book. He doesn’t appear much before the end which is disappointing. Although I did enjoy the relationship between him and Catherine from the point he does appear.
The timeline is a bit out of whack. It supposedly takes place in one night but that doesn’t work at all well. There is no way the characters could have done everything they did in that time. It is impossible that it could have happened in one night.
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan
My feelings on this book, the second in the Percy Jackson series, are a little bit mixed. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first book in the series and did find myself looking at the page number far more often than I would have liked.
I did like the introduction of Tyson. He was such a sweet likeable character and I did find myself tearing up as the relationship between Tyson and Percy developed throughout the book. I do hope that Tyson will pop up again in the future books in the series. I also very much liked the hippocampus and thought Tyson and Rainbow were nice together.
I missed Grover though. I missed the relationship between him and Percy. I suppose the reason Tyson was introduced was to sort of cover that gap but it wasn’t quite the same. However, I did like how Percy fought the rescue his friend.
The storyline with Luke is building up with I liked. That is obviously something which is going to climax in the last book. He is such a good villain. I did like the scene between Percy and Luke’s father because that seemed to say a lot about families in general and not just the unusual families (being the children of gods) in the books.
The ending was interesting with the cliffhanger of Thalia and her return. I think it was a little bit obvious that it was going to happen given the powers of the fleece was mentioned a lot but I am interested to see what happens now she is back. Especially how it changes the prophecy.
I did like the introduction of Tyson. He was such a sweet likeable character and I did find myself tearing up as the relationship between Tyson and Percy developed throughout the book. I do hope that Tyson will pop up again in the future books in the series. I also very much liked the hippocampus and thought Tyson and Rainbow were nice together.
I missed Grover though. I missed the relationship between him and Percy. I suppose the reason Tyson was introduced was to sort of cover that gap but it wasn’t quite the same. However, I did like how Percy fought the rescue his friend.
The storyline with Luke is building up with I liked. That is obviously something which is going to climax in the last book. He is such a good villain. I did like the scene between Percy and Luke’s father because that seemed to say a lot about families in general and not just the unusual families (being the children of gods) in the books.
The ending was interesting with the cliffhanger of Thalia and her return. I think it was a little bit obvious that it was going to happen given the powers of the fleece was mentioned a lot but I am interested to see what happens now she is back. Especially how it changes the prophecy.
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