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.

Review: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is an author that people may never forget.  When you read a book by her, your initial instinct is probably along the lines of, "Oh my God,"  or "I can't believe that just happened."   Written in the poetic style of free verse, Hopkins seems to make you want to laugh, cringe, and most of all, cry.

Impulse has been my all time favorite book by Hopkins since I read it.  The story follows three teenagers:  Conner, an egotistical guy who tried to kill himself with a gun to the chest;  Vanessa, a young bipolar victim who has suffered many losses and takes her negative emotions to the touch of a blade; and Tony, a drug-addicted homosexual male who overdoses on some pills.  Three lives, all connected together once they meet in Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for the mentally ill.

This book was not what I expected.  I knew it was about suicide, which was partially why I wanted to read it, but I wanted to cry all throughout the book.  Each character's lives were so detailed and so full of heartache.

Conner attempted suicide after getting caught having a relationship with one of his teachers.  As you discover very early on, his family is not very supportive of him and only care about their reputation.  No wonder he would have looked elsewhere for the love that his own parents wouldn't even give him.  So with one almost fatal decision, he managed to survive and finds solace in Vanessa.

Vanessa's mother was bipolar, causing her a lot more pain than most children should receive.  When she finally had enough, she tried to end it by cutting herself and leaving herself to die in the tub, only for her brother to find her.

And then Tony, who spent a lot of time in jail, having sex with men and doing drugs.  One day, it almost came to an end when he overdosed.

I honestly believe these characters went through a lot of things that no child should ever have to go through alone.  They had no one in their lives until they found each other, and it led them to make the choice they had made:  to end it all.

I recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt alone before.  To anyone who ever felt like their life was not worth living.  To anyone looking to see if their the only ones in the world, because the truth is, you aren't.  And this book taught me that.  I give this book 5 stars all the way.

Review: The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

 Because I read these books so long ago, I decided to do a whole series review.  This series has 12 books so far, and I have yet to read The Undead Pool, although I did start it about a month ago.

The Hollows revolves around a young woman named Rachel Morgan who works as an Inderlander, catching all of the bad paranormal creatures in town.  The series takes place 50 years after an infected tomato begins killing people, and the paranormal creatures had to expose themselves to save humanity.  Now they all live together in peace.

Well, sort of.

Most of the creatures live in The Hollows, the home of vampires, weres, pixies, faeries, witches, and more.  Elves have gone extinct after the disaster, and Rachel Morgan finds herself tied into a crazier mess than she needs to be.  Her not-so-friend Trent is a major drug lord, and Rachel has to find a way to catch him.  As the series progresses, she discovers more about herself, her friends, and the very world she lives in.

This is one of my favorite series of all times.  I love the setting, including the church Rachel and her friends, Ivy the vampire and Jenks the pixie, reside in.  Rachel is a witch, and has an interesting back story with Trent.

This is an adult series and has some mature content when it comes to sex.  Other than that, it is age appropriate for teenagers as well, depending on maturity level.

Dead Witch Walking:  5 stars.
The Good, the Bad, and the Undead:  5 stars.
Every Which Way But Dead:  4 stars.
A Fistful of Charms:  4 stars.
For a Few Demons More:  5 stars.
The Outlaw Demon Wails:  5 stars.
White Witch, Black Curse:  4 stars.
Black Magic Sanction:  5 stars.
Pale Demon:  4 stars.
A Perfect Blood:  5 stars.
Ever After:  5 stars.

Review: Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

New Forever Odd Cover

When I bought this book with Odd Thomas, I had no idea what to expect.  I read the first book in two days, and when I picked up Forever Odd, I had to admit, I was slightly disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, this book was amazing--amazingly slow, that is.  Nothing really interesting started happening until about 100 pages into the book, but I was fairly glad I finished this book.

Forever Odd take place seven months after the events in Odd Thomas.  If you have no read the first book, I do not recommend continuing on with this review, as there is a minor spoiler from the first book.  This second installment to the series begins with Odd waking from a dream that he is going to die.  He is mourning the loss of his lover, Stormy, after she died in Odd Thomas.

The main conflict of this book is fairly simple, but that was one of my many complaints.  There was no twist, just some crazy psycho-chick that no one even knows who is trying to use Odd's best friend, Danny, to get to him.  She's obsessed with ghosts and the like, and wants to use Odd's gift to try and see ghosts, even though Odd can't help her.

When I say she is crazy, she's really crazy.  And Odd remains almost entirely calm during the entire book, which I think has more to do with the fact that he is not afraid to die, because then he'll finally get to see Stormy again.

Because this is a sequel, I feel as though Dean Koontz was trying to hard to make something different, but instead made it kind of annoying.  I do love the philosophical subplot in the book, and that's for the reader to find out.  The end also shocked me, and I can't wait to find out exactly how that happened.  Overall, I recommend Forever Odd to anyone who wants to continue the series.  If you wish to have Odd Thomas be the end, do stop there, as it was originally meant to be a standalone.  I will be continuing this series all the way, and you can expect more reviews to come.

Forever Odd:   5 Stars.

Review: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

New Odd Thomas Cover

When I first picked up this book at Barnes and Noble, I was really excited to start reading it.  My mother had watched the movie and told me it was fantastic, so instead of watching the movie first, I went to buy this book.  I bought both Odd Thomas and Forever Odd at the same time, anticipating this series.  Then, for some reason unknown, I put this book away and didn't start it for a couple of months.  

Every time I picked up this book to start reading, I immediately put it down and used boredom as an excuse.  At the time I didn't realize what the problem was.  As a teenager myself, I was so used to reading YA (and two adult series, The Hollows by Kim Harrison and Weather Wardens by Rachel Caine) that when I started this book, I was not used to the style of writing.  So one day I decided enough was enough, and that I was going to push through the first book to see if I liked it.

Like is a bit of an understatement.

Odd Thomas had a blend of everything that I loved in a series:  suspense, thrills, mystery, a sprinkle of horror, maturity, and romance.  Odd is an extremely likable character, and yes, that is his real name given to him by his parents (though his mother claims it was meant to be Todd).  He is a very simple person.  He doesn't by name brand clothes.  He works as a fry-cook at the Grille.  Has a girlfriend who likes to be called Stormy, who definitely was my favorite character.  And with all of that, his life is still not considered normal.

He can see that dead.  And creatures that he likes to call bodachs.

These creatures were extremely interesting to me.  According to Odd, they only come when extreme violence is about to happen, but not just murders.  It has to be big, bold, and crazy.  Odd believes that they are some sort of demons from Hell that feed off of violence and evil, though he has no evidence of this.  In order to keep himself safe, he pretends not to notice them.

In the book, there are only a few people who know of his abilities, including his girlfriend Stormy.  In this first installment of the series, that was originally supposed to be a standalone novel, a strange man shows up at the Grille one day while Odd is working.  This is who they call Fungus Man, particularly because he was a strange spot on his head that looks almost like fungus.  While in the Grille, it becomes infested with bodachs, more than Odd had ever seen before, and believes that something big is going to happen in their town.

Odd Thomas takes place in less than a 24 hours time period, and the amount of stuff that happens really blew me away.  With a likable character, a good plot, and a twist ending sure to come, I recommend Odd Thomas and grant it 5 stars.  This book couldn't be anything less than perfect.