Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
"As a boy, William Bellman commits one small cruel act that appears to have unforeseen and terrible consequences. The killing of a rook with his catapult is soon forgotten amidst the riot of boyhood games. And by the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, he seems indeed, to be a man blessed by fortune. Until tragedy strikes, and the stranger in black comes, and William Bellman starts to wonder if all his happiness is about to be eclipsed. Desperate to save the one precious thing he has left, he enters into a bargain. A rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner, to found a decidedly macabre business. And Bellman & Black is born."

Rating

      

Review
Well, that was a really slow read. And I am feeling quite apathetic after reading those almost four hundred pages, to be honest. There's only three words I can think about when trying to put an order what I've just been reading for the past month, and these words are: rooks, death and black.

Maybe it's me, maybe I'm not used to the drama but jeez that went beyond drama.   
I'll try to be as positive as I can, although it's not what this book has inspired me at all.

The story of William Bellman's life, a peculiar man that grows up in full Victorian era doomed by an unfair mistake he made as a child. In general, the plot is somehow a very simple story with one single detail that makes it just... Weird. I liked the idea of it all, but I didn't like the way it was put into words or the way the author developed it. I felt like Setterfield was a little bit like Mr. Bellman: they both have got so many good ideas, they work so hard on them and in the end, it didn't work out the way they planned it. 

Of course, that's just my humble opinion. But I know it could have been so much better because the raw idea was so good, but again, there was something missing or rather there was too much of something. And that is detail.

Too much description, too much unnecessary detail. For the majority of the time I spent reading this book I was just thinking: "Well, I could have skipped the next twenty pages and I wouldn't have learned anything new about the main story or the main character, would I?". 
At the beginning, I kept on reading because I thought I would get there, I would get to the point when the "real" stuff was going to happen and I would feel like I wasn't wasting my time anymore. 
When I reached the first hundred pages, that positivity changed into something like "Okay, if I reach the middle of the book and nothing interesting has happened, then I quit".
Somehow I got to keep my faith and yes, finally something happened. A new character appeared —actually, Black appeared—, and things were starting to get interesting at last.
Kept on reading. Finished the book. My immediate reaction: What on Earth have I been reading all this time?

Not only the end itself but the chapters near it. I had only around ten pages left to read and I felt like I was still at the beginning which actually made me think that something really unexpected and sudden was going to happen and it would just be worth it reading the entire book because of the end. But it wasn't like that. In fact, it wasn't like that at all. The end was just as plain and weird and dark as the rest of the book.

About the characters there's only one you should care about and that is William Bellman. He's the main character and he's very well drawn —more psychologically than physically— and although I couldn't stick to him and understand him the whole time (it was more of a frustrating "why are you doing this?" kind of character to me), it is a very good character for a dark novel as this one.

But yeah, no more complaining. At the end of the day, I rate Bellman & Black with 2/5 for a reason. And that is the writing style.
I have to give some credit to Diane Setterfield and her writing —I have to say— is exquisite. Delicate, well-polished, perfectly adjusted to the situation and the times, dark but very therapeutic at the same time.

So to end it with positive words —as I like to do, I'll say that the Bellman & Black is just a deliciously written Halloween tale.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
"Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn't take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers' behaviour."

Rating

      

Review
Plot
Let's put it this way: a book for nerds written by a nerd. Without knowing much about Robin Sloan's life, you can see signs of what he knows best by reading the book. I'm not saying that a no-nerd wouldn't be able to understand the book but there's some inner jokes that make it really enjoyable for nerdy, geeky people. Hilarious jokes, by the way.
I won't be able to find the exact words to describe the plot of this novel, but it is certainly very entertaining from beggining to end. It all happens in a world we all know of —because it's basically the world we are living in right now, at this moment in time—: a world where technology surpasses the capacity of the human brain, a world were books are read on a screen, losing all the meanings of a good old binding, etc.

The twist in this story is that even though we're in 2012, a huge and strange block of the past has striken Clay Jannon and has got him involved without him noticing. And that strike awakes him from a boring, meaningless life, giving him a purpose.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore is one of those stories that we really want to be real, we want that to happen to us and we are pretty sure we would act the same way that the main character does.
There's no drama whatsoever so it won't leave you weeping for hours, it's a very full of spirit plot with moments of intrigue and suspicion as well as excitement and accomplishment.
However, there's one tiny little detail I found a bit disappointing. I say tiny because even though it's part of the whole thing, it wouldn't make a big difference if it would have been more "complete", and that is the puzzle. Without giving any spoilers, I can say the puzzle didn't make the perfect sense that I expected. I mean, is obviously no Da-Vinci-Code(ish). But still, it's alright because you can still enjoy the book regardless and I even dare to say that I prefer it like this.

Characters
I strangely find myself loving all the characters in this novel, they're all very unique and they feel very real. Also, Sloan doesn't offer really long and detailed physical descriptions but you can still picture them no problem. 
The trio of Clay, Kat and Neel —or as Clay refers as to them: the rogue, the wizard and the warrior— are this kind of Harry-Ron-Hermione trio, very likeable, very smart and they complement eachother as each one of them has different talents.
What to say about Mr. Penumbra, such a lovely old man. When you start to read you know he's clearly hiding something but you know it can't be anything too mischievous, as the way he's described... He's just like a grandpa, I loved this character.
For the rest, as I said before, they're all very unique and classic at the same time. Even though there's loads of old people in this novel, you won't get confused, believe me. 

Writing
The writing surprised me a lot. I'm one of those people that doubts the effect of the introduction of new technology in a good story, as the majority of classics are set before the 1950's, so at the beggining —when I realized this novel was set on the 2010s— I thought I would feel really awkward reading about mobile phones, text messages, e-mails, laptops, Google, Kindles, Macs, etc. Turns out, I was wrong. 
To be honest, this a very comfortable and enjoyable book to read, it's not one of those novels that you have to pay attention to every detail or otherwise you will miss the meaning of the ending, which is good. Full of real funny jokes that us, youngsters, use on an everyday basis (apart from the nerdy ones, of course). 

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
"A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey, Alex's story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears. And it might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read. Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life. He knows that growing up with a single mother won't endear him to the local bullies. He also knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it. What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend. Someone who tells him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make the best possible choices."

Rating

 

Review
Plot
Okay. First of all I have to say that my boyfriend bought this book because he liked the cover and I ended up reading it before him while I was waiting for The Night Circus to ship. And it's really hard for me to say that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
Don't get me wrong, the story is great, but I feel it was too vague and dull for the kind of lessons/matters the author deals with. And there are some parts of the plot that look a little bit out of the blue, you know. Believable and possibly real, but out of the blue. *spoilers

It also has got a very strong end but a not-so-clear beginning, you do know when everything starts but it takes too long for you to realize that it has started and when it ends you still have the feeling of "you could have done so much more". Generally speaking, the plot is good, but the author didn't seem to take much advantage of it. He had an orange and he only squeezed half of it.

*The meteorite in the bathroom story, seriously, I just can't... It's too much to take. You can't pretend that the reader will take it seriously. And if that was his intention then good for him, but I just felt it was too much out of the blue compared to the rest of the story. And it's something sweet and funny but I just think it should have been replaced for something maybe more believable.

Characters
Apart from the two main characters of the book, I can barely remember the rest. I know that they might not be as important, but I always like to remember the sidekicks or the "friends of" because sometimes you can make your favourite character out of those. 
The descriptions of the characters are okay —not too much detail, not too little either—, but it doesn't make them shine or stand out as much as it would have to. They blend with the background and you know they're the main characters because they're the ones appearing the most, but that's it. 
Mr. Peterson is the best character in my opinion. Such a great man, he's just like the grumpy grandfather or great-grandfather that we always remember with tenderness and his evolution throughout the book makes you weep for him in the end. 
Alex, on the other hand, he's a really nice guy too but... I'm sorry, he's not the nerdy, bullied type of youngster that makes you think of it as real. I didn't identify with him and I didn't feel the special connection between him and me either and he is definitely not the "I've-been-through-so-much" guy, even though he genuinely has something to tell. 

Writing
The writing is surprisingly inspiring. It's full of quotes about life and death and the possibilities around you, and all those things you can do and you must do before you pass away. To be honest, the writing makes it a 3 out of 5. Very revealing and quite clever, too.
It's got a quite good balance between the hilarious and the dramatic. I remember laughing a lot with Mr. Peterson, a lot. He's bonkers. I am smiling now just thinking about him. His swearing words, specially, they are priceless. With Alex, on the other side, he just looks a bit drama queen to me, but that made me laugh as well. As for the sad part, I cried just once and I cried for around fifteen minutes after turning the last page and finding out what had happened. So as for the writing, you got it right Mr. Extence. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between a young gentlemand and a young lady, Celia and Marco, Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which the circus is the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will."

Rating
  

Review
It might be soon to say it, but this is for now my favourite book (out of series' books, of course). The plot is amazingly proposed: unpredictable even though it lasts for the whole lifetime of both the main characters, and very intuitive at the same time but only with certain things. As a whole, I would say the story has absolutely everything you can expect in a novel. 

You can't classify it either, I wouldn't dare to say it's a romantic novel although the love story  is undoubtely beautiful and —despite the "magic" factor— very real.

The Night Circus has something I absolutely need when reading a good novel: questions. Throughout the first pages you are continuously asking yourself the whats, the whens, the whys, the wheres and you can't wait until you know the answer to those questions. And that's what keeps you reading until you turn the last page and you feel that emptiness inside you that you usually feel when a really good book is over. 

Perfectly drawn, the characters of The Night Circus have very clear and recognizable faces and personalities. The descriptions on the book are quite remarkable, but you can still imagine them in your mind without having to change features every now and then. Same happens with their personalities. Both Celia and Marco (main characters) have very different and unique personalities and you won't find confusion when reading about other characters such as Isobel, Penelope, Mr. A.H. or Hector Bowen.

It is so amazing how Morgenstern shapes both Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair's characters since such an early age. The relationship between Celia and her father, Hector, and the one between Marco and his master Alexander is key when they grow up as they train them hard and use them as a magic weapon so that makes them become strong, competitive and cold-hearted couple. I absolutely adore the fact that Marco and Celia are enemies in the game but meant to be together as lovers at the same time. Favourite characters ever, both, don't make me choose.

It's fair to say that is the writing that makes it a 5 out of 5 novel. Because you can always have a good plot but very poor writing destroys a good book (and we all know that). 
Erin Morgenstern has dared to do something very, very difficult which is jumps in time. You go back and forth throughout the whole book but I have to say that doesn't make it difficult to follow at all. It's something admirable as well because I tried to walk in her shoes and damn, she must have had the story very clear in her mind because otherwise, even if you write the whole thing in order and then randomize it or re-order it as you please, it must be hella hard to write such a good novel using time-jumping.
So, even though there are gaps in between the time ordered plot, you feel as there's nothing left to say once you finished the book. Everything makes perfect sense, from beginning to end.