August Review Round Up

August sure has flown by. The end of the month snuck up on me almost before I was prepared for it.

Anyway, here's my round-up of my reviews for the past month:

The most recent book read and reviewed was Curse of the Tahiera by Wendy Gillissen.

A snippet from my review:

The characters grew on me quickly and I had to know what was happening to them next. I still haven't quite shaken them out of my head yet.

The book starts out as a typical fantasy/journey, but takes on it's own dimensions and character quickly, growing into it's own storyline.

Hunting Ground, by Patricia Briggs was a book I've been looking forward to since I finished Bone Crossed back in March. It's the latest book set in her Urban Fantasy world, the sequel to Cry Wolf.

A quote from my review:

One thing I like about all the books set in this world, and Hunting Ground is no exception here, is the way the author sets up her mysteries so you think the bad guy is one character, and then throws in a twist or two, to fool the reader. So far, every single time, the villain has proven to be someone else at the end of the book.

Defenders of the Faith by James Reston Jr.
This was the first book I've been offered to review, which makes it a bit special. It examines the years between 1520 and 1536 in both Europe/The Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Definitely an interesting read.

A snippet from my review:

Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I feel like I learned a bit more about history, and about this period in our history especially. I'd recommend this as a good overview/introductory book about the years between 1520 and 1536. Defenders of the Faith is going to stay on my shelves as part of my "permanent" collection of books.

Stargate SG1 The Barque Of Heaven by Suzanne Woods is my current favorite of the Stargate SG1 novels I've read to date. This was definitely a five star book, and I think I'm going to have to implement that kind of rating on All Booked Up soon.

A snippet from my review:

The story is non-stop, and I found that I didn't need to have seen any of the later episodes in order to understand it (still haven't gotten past episode nine of season one). I just couldn't put it down. The characters seemed true to the series as well, and there were several points where I could "hear" the dialogue in the voices from the series.

Stargate SG1 City Of The Gods by Sonny Whitelaw. Another of the Stargate SG1 novels. A nice, quick read for a change of pace.

A snippet from my review:

City of the Gods is set within the Aztec/Mayan cultures of Mexico/Central America, which I found quite interesting. The story links with the little I know about the region/period well, although I'm sure that the story would drive anyone who really knows the cultures crazy (as have some stories set in the periods and areas I'm more familiar with).

Stargate SG1 the First Amendment by Ashley McConnell. The first Stargate novel I read.

A snippet from my review:

Ashley McConnell seems to have the character "voices" and attitudes matching the show as far as I can tell. Looking at the list of her other novels, novelizations for TV shows seems to be her particular niche. I saw a Highlander novel, Quantum Leap and several other Stargate novels listed under her name as well.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran was a very good novel, and a good introduction to her books. I'm now reading The Heretic Queen, and I'm looking forward to reading her new book Cleopatra's Daughter as well.

A snippet from my review:

With a rich and detailed landscape, Nefertiti paints a wonderfully fascinating picture of Egyptian life during the time of Nefertiti and Akhenaten. Nearly as much as King Tut, Nefertiti has captured the imagination of the world, and Michelle Moran has created a captivating picture of this powerful woman and the events of the time. Nefertiti is told from the perspective of Mutnodjmet, her sister, and a figure I hadn't heard of before I read this book.

Order in Chaos by Jack Whyte is another book I'd been looking forward to for a while. Ever since Standard of Honor came out, to be honest.

A snippet from my review:

Jack Whyte writes incredibly vivid and exciting books. On the other hand, I found that I still couldn't quite picture any of the characters in my head.

Anyway, Order in Chaos was well worth the read, and if you like historical fiction, I recommend it strongly.

Standard of Honor by Jack Whyte is one of the books I bought when it first came out, and never got around to reading. That was a mistake! The book was really good. On the other hand, waiting until now meant that I didn't have to wait for the next book to come out for very long.

A snippet from my review:

Running through all three of the books, Knights of the Black and White, Standard of Honor and the newest one, Order in Chaos is a thread that seems as though it were straight from the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Jack Whyte is playing with the idea of an inner order that pre-dates the Templars in this series. Overall, I'd have to say it works too. The "Friendly Families", as he terms this, certainly do seem to add an extra air of mystery to the story. Perhaps it lessens the historical accuracy, but that's why its termed "historical fiction", after all.