Alexis' Book Blog

Breathless

Author: Dean Koontz

Year Published: 2009

Stars: 3/5

Synopsis:

There are multiple story lines in Breathless, but in the end each story feeds into one of the two main story lines. In the first tale we meet Grady, his dog Merlin and a veterinarian named Cammie. To make a long story short, they discover magical creatures and are struggling with external and internal forces to decide what to do with them. In the second story line we meet Jim and Henry, twins, who are reunited for the first time in over 10 years. Unfortunately, for one of the twins, the past 10 years hasn’t been so good. A homeless man discovers his true meaning in life in the fourth tale. Two men in Seattle plan to kill a woman and child for no reason in the fifth story and a gambler in Vegas uses chaos theory to save lives in the last story line. While some get more book time than others, these six tales converge into two main story lines leading to one life-altering event…

Why I liked it:

I love Dean Koontz. So while this was not my favorite Koontz novel of all time, there were some great parts of this story. My favorite part was the battle between Henry Rouvroy and himself. Henry is arguably the most evil character in this story and after he kills his brother and his brothers wife, he begins to feel trapped and stalked by an unknown entity. Koontz gives the audience glimpses of what the mind of a killer is like and it is not pretty (in a good way). Most people, I hope, don’t know what it’s like to think like a killer, so reading Henry’s thoughts is extremely uncomfortable and foreign. There is no author, whom I have read, that portrays a killer better than Dean Koontz.

The second reason I liked this novel was because it carries multiple story lines. These multiple story lines connect throughout the novel in a ‘Lost’ kind of way which keeps the reader interested until the last page. Learning about each character in little bits and pieces at first is frustrating because you want more detail, but as the story progresses you find you are attached to multiple characters in different story lines. Again, this book is not my favorite, but Dean Koontz is one of the best authors of our time.  

What I didn’t like:

The reason I gave this story 3/5 stars was not because the story itself was bad, but compared to other novels by Dean Koontz, it was not his best. The Good Guy, Frankenstein and The Taking are just a few of  Koontz’s best novels and Breathless was not on the same level as those novels. I like the multiple story lines in one way because it keeps you wanting to read more; however, I dislike multiple story lines because I feel true character development is never achieved. While the story itself is important, so too are the characters. And in this novel I felt that the story itself took too much away from the character development, leaving me feel a little cheated at the end. The book was very well-written, but I needed more character insight.

Little Known Fact: To date, Dean Koontz has written 58 books, with two more in the works in 2010. YAH!

Fun Fact: Dean Koontz was born in Pennsylvania, which by default makes him awesome!

Betrayed

Book # 2 of the House of Night Series

Authors: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Year Published: 2007

Stars: 4/5

Synopsis:

Zoey has been at the House of Night for about one month when this book begins. This the second book in the series, the first book details how she gets to the House of Nights, what it actually is and we are introduced to her friends. In this novel, Zoey, our protagonist, gets betrayed (hence the title) by someone very close to her. But who? Is it one of her four best friends, Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae or Damien? Or is it one of the three men who are love interests of Zoey, Heath, Loren or Erik? Someone is killing humans outside of the House of Night and all signs point to a vampyre at the House of Night. It is up to Zoey to figure who is doing this, and she must elicit the help of someone she never thought she would.

Why I liked it:

First and foremost this book is a sequel and in the movie world a sequel always means it is worse than the original (with exceptions to Empire Strikes Back, the second Godfather and maybe Terminator 2). Not the case for this book. Although I have not officially reviewed the first book, I have read it, and I enjoyed this book more. Zoey is a likable heroine, much more likable than Bella from Twilight. Zoey makes mistakes, owns them and moves on. Her sidekicks create a fun environment when the action lags, leaving me entertained and not bored or annoyed that there is a lull in the story. Damien is my favorite of her sidekicks and he reminds me of Piggy in Lord of the Flies…he is the voice of reason. Which makes me like the series even more, because (although it is a fantasy/vampire book) it is more believable.

Second, and spoiler alert, one of main characters dies…at least for now. What drives me crazy about most movies and even books is that the main characters could have 100 bullets shot at them from point-blank-range and they just happen to come out of it unscathed….come on people! When a focal character dies, it may be sad, but it makes the story much more interesting.

Third, both Cast’s are good writers. I am not an expert literary critic, but I love that I can pick up the book and read sentences, paragraphs and chapters that flow nicely. It’s like the opposite of Stephen King. I love Stephen King, but when I read his books I have to be 100% awake. It has to be like 1pm, after 2 cups of coffee and then I can read his novels. They are great literary works, but sometimes it is just hard to follow. Anyway, back to Betrayed. The book is well-written, flows nicely, and is interesting… sounds like a triple threat to me .

What I didn’t like:

There is one thing I do not like about the story, and since it is a semi-big piece of the story, I removed a star. I cannot stand Heath. Heath is Zoey’s human exish-boyfriend and he bugs the shit out of me. I understand it’s just a book but whenever he enters the scene I read faster until I reach the next scene…without him. I also understand that some characters are written to be annoying, but I do not think that was the Cast’s goal with Heath’s character…I just hate him. He is a football jock…strike 1. He acts like a total moron in every scene…strike 2. And he is simply not a vampire…strike 3. Sorry Heath, you’re out!

Little Known Fact:

P.C. Cast, the mother, served in the United States Air Force for a few years and attributes her non-procrastination skills to the Air Force’s instillation of discipline.

Fun Fact:

The House of Night has a movie deal. Not sure how many are on the books, but the first is scheduled to come out in 2011.

Dead Until Dark

Book # 1 of the Southern Vampire Series

Author: Charlaine Harris

Year Published: 2001

Stars: 5/5

Synopsis:

When we enter the novel, vampires are already known to the world. The novel takes place two years after vampires went public in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie Stackhouse, the heroine, is a telepath and works at a bar called Merlotte’s. She meets Bill, a vampire, and finds to her delight that she cannot read his mind. They begin to date off and on. Her boss, Sam, confesses his feelings for her and they date as well. The love story follows along with a series of murders that have been occurring in Bon Temps. With three murders committed, the police grow more suspicious of Jason, Sookie’s brother…and we learn Sookie is the next intended target. We meet Eric, Arlene, Pam, Rene and Hoyt in the first novel as well and these characters provide supporting roles for the main characters. Cliffhanger: Who is the murderer and what will happen in Sookie’s love triangle?????

Why I liked it:

I am a huge fan of character development and you have to love Sookie. While sometimes her actions may seem a little out of the ordinary, we have to remember she is a telepath and not a ‘normal’ person. For example (spoiler alert), when Sookie finds her grandmother dead she has a relatively normal conversation with Bill before calling the police. Not sure that would be my reaction? Bud and Andy, the police detectives, are extremely well-developed and even though they act as antagonists throughout the story, you can’t help but love them. P am and Eric add dry humor to almost every situation which leaves me wanting them in more scenes. Basically, this book is well-written, exciting and has awesome character development.

What I didn’t like:

Not enough of Eric. For anyone who has read more than one Sookie book, you know what I mean .

Little Known Fact:

Charlaine Harris has written three other series featuring  heroines Lily Bard, Aurora Teagarden and Harper Connelly. Are they as good as the Sookie Stackhouse series? I have no idea, but since I love Sookie I’ll give the other girls a shot….after  I finish this series.

Fun Fact:

I read this book on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in October 2009. Listening to the ocean and getting bit my mosquitoes I read a pretty darn good book.