Review: The Fury by Alexander Gordon Smith

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Series: The Fury #1
Pages: 688

Received: Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

Release Date: July 23, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the creator of the Escape from Furnace series, a ferocious epic of supernatural terror, perfect for Stephen King fans

Imagine if one day, without warning, the entire human race turns against you, if every person you know, every person you meet becomes a bloodthirsty, mindless savage . . . That’s the horrifying reality for Cal, Brick, and Daisy. Friends, family, even moms and dads, are out to get them. Their world has the Fury. It will not rest until they are dead.

In Alexander Gordon Smith’s adrenaline-fueled saga, Cal and the others must uncover the truth about what is happening before it destroys them all. But survival comes at a cost. In their search for answers, what they discover will launch them into battle with an enemy of unimaginable power.

My Review:

Oh my gosh, I do not know what I was expecting from this book, but it was definitely not what I got, and I mean that in a very good way. This book is huge, it clocks in at almost 700 pages, but this book is hard to stop reading. Just looking at the cover I knew this was going to be a creepy book, but what I got was chilling and different. It will be difficult writing this review without giving away too much because I find this will be an easy book to be spoiled.

The story opens up with one person noticing that his family has turned on him, and from there they attempt to kill him. It is creepy to think that these people that you know so well are doing everything to kill you and no matter what you do they keep coming after you. The story is told from many different perspectives, as we meet more characters, their view is also included in the story. Cal, Brick and Daisy are the main protagonists but you do get to see how "The Fury" affects others as well and how it changes them all in different ways.

Everything that happens in this book was so surprising, I wasn't really sure what to think of why "The Fury" comes out in people and what these kids have inside them that make them so special, but I can definitely say I didn't see it coming at all. It's a very slow process for the characters to realize what is so special about them, and they all handle it so differently, some become closer while it tears others apart and makes them turn on one another.

This book gets very disturbing at times with some of the character's actions, and I found myself wanting to put the book down, and yet at the same time I wanted to know what the purpose of these character's were. They are there for a reason, and it accumulates to some very large battle scenes which were very well done. What I really enjoyed was how the characters interacted with one another, you can see that some of them trust easily and begin to bond, while others are very wary and keep back. I have to say that I loved Daisy the most, she is young but she is a very quick learner and becomes the one that knows what is happening even if she can't understand why.

I can see this book being a great gateway into Stephen King books, and even one that fans would enjoy. I am interested to see where the story will go from here. If you are a fan of creepy and supernatural books this one will definitely be for you!

Review: The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan

Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 400

Received: Received a copy from the Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: June 11, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the New York Times best-selling author of Commencement and Maine comes a gorgeous, sprawling novel about marriage—about those who marry in a white heat of passion, those who marry for partnership and comfort, and those who live together, love each other, and have absolutely no intention of ruining it all with a wedding.

Evelyn has been married to her husband for forty years—forty years since he slipped off her first wedding ring and put his own in its place. Delphine has seen both sides of love—the ecstatic, glorious highs of seduction, and the bitter, spiteful fury that descends when it’s over. James, a paramedic who works the night shift, knows his wife’s family thinks she could have done better; while Kate, partnered with Dan for a decade, has seen every kind of wedding—beach weddings, backyard weddings, castle weddings—and has vowed never, ever, to have one of her own.

As these lives and marriages unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and she needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything.

A rich, layered, exhilarating novel spanning nearly a hundred years, The Engagements captures four wholly unique marriages, while tracing the story of diamonds in America, and the way—for better or for worse—these glittering stones have come to symbolize our deepest hopes for everlasting love.

My Review:

I had heard Lindsey talking about this book at one point and it sounded really adorable and I was really interested in how an author could take the history of a diamond ad campaign and turn it into a story. I was pleasantly surprised with what J. Courtney Sullivan did with this story.

What was really intriguing for me in this story is how Sullivan told five different stories over the course of almost 100 years and really seeing how marriage and the idea of a diamond changes over time. When I got this book, I was actually surprised at how large it was, but I kept turning the pages, I wanted to know more about each of these characters and how they view relationships (theirs and those around them). I loved that each section began with a time in Frances Gerety's career as she comes up with the famous "Diamond's are forever" and watches as ads change and grow (like the idea of marriage and diamonds) with the different times.

I really enjoyed seeing how over time, relationships change for people, up to the present where same-sex marriages are now legalized and many people live as common-law instead of getting married. Each of these characters have different issues in their relationship, and readers see how each person struggles through the different aspects of this. Readers are taken throughout time, and view these different people all in such different situations.

What was really cute, was how these couples were all connected. As I followed these four people over the course of the novel, I just assumed that Sullivan was showing us different relationships through time, but in the very end she connects them all in a very interesting way (in my opinion). This book captures the evolving view of diamonds and marriage perfectly.

The only thing I would have liked was seeing a little more depth to some of the characters, I felt like there were a few scenarios like that of Kate and Dan that just seemed to be missing a little something. All in all though I enjoyed this book and thought it was interesting to see how J. Courtney Sullivan wrapped this story around Frances Gerety and her signature line "A Diamond is Forever". Honestly, this book was adorable and emotional at times, and everything worked so well. I want to go back and read more of Sullivan's work.

Canadian Historical Fiction Review: Muse by Mary Novik

Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 321

Received: Received an ARC from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: August 13, 2013
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Richly engaging historical adventure in the vein of The Winter Palace and The Malice of Fortune.

Muse is the story of the charismatic woman who was the inspiration behind Petrarch's sublime love poetry. Solange LeBlanc begins life in the tempestuous streets of 14th century Avignon, a city of men dominated by the Pope and his palace. When her mother, a harlot, dies in childbirth, Solange is raised by Benedictines who believe she has the gift of clairvoyance. Trained as a scribe, but troubled by disturbing visions and tempted by a more carnal life, she escapes to Avignon, where she becomes entangled in a love triangle with the poet Petrarch, becoming not only his muse but also his lover.

Later, when her gift for prophecy catches the Pope's ear, Solange becomes Pope Clement VI's mistress and confidante in the most celebrated court in Europe. When the plague kills a third of Avignon's population, Solange is accused of sorcery and is forced once again to reinvent herself and fight against a final, mortal conspiracy.

Muse is a sweeping historical epic that magically evokes the Renaissance, capturing a time and place caught between the shadows of the past and the promise of a new cultural awakening.

My Review:

I had this book on my Waiting on Wednesday post a few weeks ago, I had just finished reading CONCEIT by Mary Novik and I knew I wanted to read more from her. Lucky for me I ended up getting this in the mail a little while ago, it was a great surprise and I'm so happy to be able to feature a review for this book for Canadian Historical Fiction Month!

This book is very different from CONCEIT, and yet I loved it just as much (if not even more). This book is about Solange's journey growing up with the gift of clairvoyance and all the danger she is in throughout her life. Solange moves around a lot, but what I love about her is that she does things for herself, in a world that is dominated by men, Solange is the woman who tries to change things and be her own person.

The one thing that I absolutely love about Mary Novik's writing is that she brings her characters to life. She also really shows the dark and gritty parts of history. I love that she doesn't shy away from making her stories dark. Solange has good fortune every so often, but much of her life is difficult.

The book is intriguing, and readers are kept wondering about what Solange will deal with next. I definitely loved the love story between Solange and Petrarch and how it grows and changes over time. She finds herself in love with this man, who continually betrays her, Novik writes this love story beautifully and really makes readers feel for Solange (yet I also wanted to yell at her many times over as well).

I really enjoyed how this story is split into different sections, depending on where Solange is in her life. Solange becomes stronger and she continually fights for herself and what she believes she deserves. I believe that this book gives female readers a hero that they can root for. Solange picks herself up again and again, and continually fights.

I think it's great to see writers picking up female figures in historical fiction and bringing them to the forefront more often. I have fallen in love with Mary Novik's writing style and I hope she doesn't wait as long in between her stories!