Mr. Murder: Book Review

This is the copy I read, but it has multiple covers.

Three words.

What.  The.  Hell.

When I first bought this book, I was really excited to read it and found the concept interesting, but I have to say this was the worst--and most painfully boring and long--Dean Koontz book I've ever read.  This man serious must have made it his goal to drag out the plot as long as humanly possible to read the 415 page-mark, and for some God-forbidden reason, it was published.  Even after all of the edits, it still was published and even became a TV movie.

The book is about a man named Martin Stillwater, and author who apparently became labeled as "Mr. Murder" due to the crime settings he has in his books.  Congratulations, Mr. Murder.  Very creative.  At the same time as this, there is a killer out there with major amnesia who just so happens to look exactly like Martin.  The entire time I really wanted it to be about a guy with a split personality, but it was only about 50 pages in that I realized this book was not about anything fun. It was clones.

So let me get this straight:  a killer who happens to look exactly like Martin Stillwater is never found.  Which means that everyone has to be completely stupid.  And if they did see him, someone would recognize the killer as Martin, but no.  Martin never gets accused of these murders.  The title Mr. Murder doesn't even have a big part to do with the book.

So through some psychic magnetism, that Dean Koontz later uses in the Odd Thomas series (which I love), the killer finds Martin's house and thinks that he's Martin and that Martin stole his life. 

And that's it.

The whole other 300 pages are them running from this guy and nothing wonderful or exciting even happens.  Then at the end, there isn't a really good explanation as to who this killer is, other than that his name is Alfie, he was programmed to not know anything or have any emotion, yet he somehow miraculously does.  The end.

Dean Koontz, I must say, this is the worst book I have read by you so far.  One star?  How about no stars?  That would be a better suited rating for this book.

Brother Odd: Book Review

New Brother Odd  Cover

 

There are some books in life that change the way you view the world.  Brother Odd happens to be one of those books for me.

This is the third installment of the ongoing Odd Thomas series, which currently has six books, with the final one coming soon.  For me, Odd has been a likeable character from the start (and I have a not-so-secret crush on this character for no good reason whatsoever).  For those of you who do not know who Odd is, looking back to my posts from May will be useful.

When the book begins, Odd is hiding away in a church because he is having trouble coping with all of the death surrounding him on the outside, but soon trouble follows him there.  And it's heading for the children this time.

There were also plenty of religious talks in this novel, and at the end, there is one thing that may change your mind about God, whether you're an atheist or not, and make you question everything you've ever believed.  While this is a work of fiction, I do believe that what happened in this book could very well happen, and if it does, we're all in trouble.

Odd has changed so much from the first two books, and soon I will begin reading the fourth book, Odd Hours, which is most people's least favorite, so we can see if it changes my mind.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.  If anyone is looking for a character who sees the dead and a plot that blows you away, the Odd Thomas series is the right series for you.

The Fault in Our Stars: Book Review

When I first bought this book, I was hesitant and unsure if I was going to like it.  Many people preached that this book had made them feel so many emotions--joy, happiness, sadness, and more--and so due to my love of emotional roller coasters in books, I decided to pick up this book.

The Fault in Our Stars is about a young girl, named Hazel, with thyroid cancer, only giving her so much time to live.  While at a support group, Hazel comes across hottie Augustus, often called Gus.  Gus had his leg amputated due to a previous cancer, and becomes a major support system for Hazel as she struggles with her terminal illness.

This novel, while being amazingly written, is not about anything that a person would want to have happen to them.  The end, which had me crying my eyes out, left me feeling kind of empty, and I hated that.  And while I knew there was going to be a sad ending, I was hoping that things would get better.

And like sometimes in life, it just doesn't.

I give this book a 4.5 star, mostly due to the fact that I didn't like the end, although I do think it's a book every person should read.  If you're in for a quick read, then head on over to your nearest bookstore, because The Fault in Our Stars is totally worth it.