Review: Heaven by Christoph Marzi

Publisher:Mangschou (Norwegian publisher)
Pages: 360
Release: September 2011
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought
Challenge: None this year, read it in 2011
Good to know: This book was first published in Germany in 2009 and last year it came out in Norwegian. The book was published in English February 2nd this year.

The night that Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood... David Pettyfer is taking a shortcut over the dark rooftops of London's brooding houses, when he literally stumbles across Heaven: a strange, beautiful, distraught girl who says that bad men have stolen her heart. Yet she's still alive... And so begins David and Heaven's wild, exciting and mysterious adventure - to find Heaven's heart, and to discover the incredible truth about her origins. Part thriller, part love story and part fairy tale, this brilliantly original novel from a bestselling German author will take your breath away...

A Great Fantasy

Heaven has one of the best storylines I have encountered in a YA - novel. Nothing in this book is predictable, the surprises are many and the suspense is high.

Parts of London is covered with a nightsky without stars. It has been like this a long time and for David Pettyfer, who works in the bookstore The Owl and the Pussycat, this is normal. David's work consists of delivering books, often rare books, to customers in London. He likes to take a shortcut over the rooftops of London's brooding houses whilst on his way with a book. David has had a troubled past, but the job in the bookstore is a new beginning for him. One night, David runs into Heaven on a rooftop ...

Heaven, or Freema Mirrlees as she also is called, is an orphan. She tells David that some bad men have stolen her heart. David does not know what to believe, but he soons finds out that someone is after Heaven. He have to help keep Heaven hidden and at the same time figure out why the men are chasing her.

I have read a lot of YA - novels in the past years, a lot of them have a similar storyline. You know what's going to happen, who will fall in love with whom etc. In Heaven you cannot predict anything. Marzi have created a fantastic and thrilling story with a mystery that is slowly unveiled as you flip the pages. There are a lot of paranormal elements in the story too, like zombies and ghosts.

It is not hard to guess that Marzi loves the victorian era and the writers that lived in this time. Heaven is kind of like a love poem to the city of London and a lot of the characters in the story have been given names from characters in Dickens' stories. The book made me want to read a story by Dickens again.

Marzi is a musiclover and there is a lot of references to songlyrics in the novel. He also got the idea for the novel itself from a song, Chim Chim Cher-ee, as sung by Dick van Duke and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins.

The language in the book is not that consistent. Marzi knows how to write poetically and the book is full of beautiful quotes and observartions. But, at the same time, there are a lot of repetitions and clichees here.

Heaven was an interesting character. It takes some time for the reader to get under her skin, but I liked that. Jeg was constantly wondering what had happened to her in the past, why her parents had died and why the men where out for her heart. Marzi kept me guessing until the final pages in the book.

This book is not a part of a series. Keep in mind that Heaven is not a book for the younger readers. There is a lot of swearing in the book, the characters are thinking abous sex and have dealt with alcohol and drugs.

If you love London, Dickens and Urban Fantasy you should pick up this book. It is great! And if you do not love London and Dickens, pick up the book anyway and read it.

(I do not have any quotes this time since I read this book in Norwegian)

Other reviews:
Lost Among the Shelves
Bloggers Heart Books
A Cupcake and a Latte

The English cover for the book:

Review: Fury, Elizabeth Miles

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Release: August 30th 2011
Source: Arc from Book Expo America
Nice to Know: Fury is Miles' debutnovel.  Miles is author Lauren Oliver's best friend. This book is the first in a planned trilogy.

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems... Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed. In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.

Choices that haunts you

Fury is an original tale with a message that everything you do will have concequences.

Emily Winters lives in Maine, where she spends her days just like any other teen. Problems arise when she gets the hots for her bestfriend's boyfriend. And he seems to be liking her too. Another character in the story, Chase, is struggling to forget something he did to a girl. Something that may have caused her to hurt herself. But soon he forgets all about her when he meets three mysterious girls...

Fury starts off with a dramatic prologue. Then we are cast into Emily Winter's world. Miles is a great storyteller, and the pages in this story seems to turn themselves. Emily did not know what her love for Zach would lead to. She did not imagine that her whole life could be turned completely around just because of one single kiss. But that is excatly what happened. I truly felt for her throughout the book. I also liked the fact that we did not get the explanation behind the prologue until later in the book.

Another thing I liked is the fact that I didn't know what the paranormal element was. I did not know the role the three girls had,maybe because I am not that into Greek mythology

It is a few months since I read this book, so my review therefore is a little sparse. But I remember that I was glued to the pages, unable to put the book down.

The book has an important message. You cannot hurt other people, because there will be concequences. And sometimes love just isn't enough.  I highly recommend the book.


Other reviews:
The Book Smugglers
Wondrous Reads
Overflowing Library


Elizabeth Miles' webpage is here and she can also be found on Goodreads here.

Review: The Iron Witch

Publisher: Flux
Pages: 290
Format: Paperback
Released: January 2011



















When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

An easy read

Not original, an easy read - but holds promise for the next installment.

Donna Underwood has been through tragedy. Her father was killed by a vicious fey when she was a little girl, and her mom went mad. She now lives with her aunt and spends her time with her best friend Navin. He is the only one that likes her - at school she is labeled as a freak. But soon, Donna's life is about to go in a whole new direction. She meets Xan at a party and soon dramatic events unfolds.

The Iron Witch was an easy book to get in to, at first. The writing flows easily and you are a bit curious about Donna and her past. But, there is a but: It takes too much time before there is actually anything happening. You read about Donna's life, her interaction with Navin and her past - but that's just about it. There is nothing here to compel me to go on reading.

I didn't get under Donna's skin and I felt that Navin became to vague. When he is kidnapped, I didn't feel Donna's anxiety for him. It was more like: Ok, so now that he is gone can we please get down to real business and get to know Xan a little bit more pleae? I never really got emotionally involved in the story. It was more like: an easy read - easily forgotten.

I also felt that the book was not that original, but my main problem with this was that it reminded by too much of The Iron King. Here are some examples:

* The first sentence in both books are very much alike:
Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeard.
(Quote from the Iron King)
My father died saving my life when I was seven years old.
(Quote from the Iron Witch)

* In the Iron King, Meghan must enter the fairy world to save her brother Ethan. In order to get to this world, she gets help from Robbie. In the Iron Witch, Donna must enter the realm of the Woodelves to save her best friend Navin. In order to get to this world, she gets help from Xan.

* Both of the covers have ornaments on them. Like this:































And I will not mention the obvious part about the titles of both books being almost a match.

That said, the book also had it's qualities. The language worked well, and when things really started to happen - in the last part of the book - I got more intrigued. I really like the dark world the author has created for the woodelves and I am really looking forward to reading more about that.

So all in all I think this was a book that could have been a little more original. But I will also go on reading the next installment in this series because I believe the author is talented enough to give us something more unique in the next book.

Other reviews:
Wondrous Reads
Book Chick City
Tales of the Ravenous Reader
All Things Urban Fantasy

Karen Mahoney's webpage
Goodreads

Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge 2011

One of the reading challenges I will participate in this year is The Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge, hosted by Book Chick City. I plan to read at least 24 books in these genres.

This is the books I am planning to read ( might change):

1. Laurell K. Hamilton: Burnt Offerings ( Anita Blake 7)
2. Laurell K. Hamilton: Blue Moon ( Anita Blake 8)
3. Laurell K. Hamilton: Obsidian Butterfly ( Anita Blake 9)
4. Laurell K. Hamilton: Narcissus in Chains ( Anita Blake 10)
5. Laurell K. Hamilton: Cerulean Sins ( Anita Blake 11)
6. Laurell K. Hamilton: Incubus Dreams ( Anita Blake 12)
7. Kelley Armstrong: Stolen
8. Kelley Armstrong: Bitten
9. Colleen Gleason: Rises the Night ( Gardella Vampire Chronicles 2)
10. Colleen Gleason: The Bleeding Dusk ( Gardella Vampire Chronicles 3)
11. Colleen Gleason: When Twilight Burns ( Gardella Vampire Chronicles 4)
12. Colleen Gleason: As Shadows Fade ( Gardella Vampire Chronicles 5)
13. Marie Treanor: Blood on Silk
14. Kim Harrison: Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows 1)
15. Kim Harrison: The Good, the Bad and the Undead ( The Hollows 2)
16. Kim Harrison: Every Which Way But Dead ( The Hollows 3)
17. Kim Harrison: A Fistful of Charms ( The Hollows 4)
18. Charlaine Harris: Living Dead in Dallas ( Sookie Stackhouse 2)
19. Charlaine Harris: Club Dead ( Sookie Stackhouse 3)
20. Charlaine Harris: Dead to the World ( Sookie Stackhouse 4)
21. Charlaine Harris: Dead as a Doornail ( Sookie Stackhouse 5)
22. J.R. Ward: Lover Awakened ( BDB 3)
23. J.R. Ward: Lover Revealed ( BDB 4)
24. J.R. Ward: Lover Unbound ( BDB 5)
25. J.R. Ward: Lover Enshrined (BDB 6)
26. J.R. Ward: Lover Avenged (BDB 7)
27. Cassandra Clare: City of Bones
28. Cassandra Clare: City of Ashes
29. Cassandra Clare: City of Glass
30. Lara Adrian: Kiss of Crimson ( The Midnight Breed 2)

As you can see, my main goal in this challenge is to read through a lot of the series I have stacked in my TBR - pile.

Guilty Pleasures, Laurell K. Hamilton

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Source: Bought from Play

"The fantastically addicitive first Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, novel 'I don't date vampires. I kill them.' My name is Anita Blake. Vampires call me the Executioner. What I call them isn't repeatable. Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary folks with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars...But now a serial killer is murdering vampires -- and the most powerful bloodsucker in town wants me to find the killer."
(From BookDepository)

Background:
"Guilty Pleasures" was first released in 1993. Laurell K. Hamilton spent over two years tracking down a publisher that were willing to publish the novel. 17 years have passed, and the books about Anita Blake have become bestsellers. So far six million copies have been sold. That's quite amazing, don't you think?

Story:
Anita Blake has a very exceptional job: She makes the dead rise. She is also a vampire hunter and hates bloodsuckers more than anything in the world. But she is apparently not the only one with an aversion against vampires. A serial killers is bringing fear into the vampire community and Anita Blake is asked to find him.

Main Character:
I simply adore Anita Blake. She is strong, witty, cynical, adorable, funny, good looking, tough and vulnerable. There is so much about her, the readers can't help just loving her.

The Book:
It is not difficult to understand why this series has become so popular. I mean, it literally has everything: romance, suspense, mysteries, great characters, humour and lots of paranormal stuff. I was taken away. I can't wait to read more about Anita and all the other characters.