Dinara Tengri

June has been a busy month. I attended my very first book release here in Malmö. I changed the design of my blog, a project so troublesome, I wrote a whole essay about it. And I wrote a total of six reviews: Full Fathom Five , by Max Gladstone - 4 stars A heart-wrenching story set in the most fantastic world. Dawn of Rebellion , by Michelle Lynn - 3 stars This book was exciting and had a lot of potential, but fell short when it came to characters and writing. Lords of the Sith , by Paul S. Kemp - 3 stars Barely any Darth Vader in this action-packed space adventure. A very disappointing read. Demon Eyes , by Scott Tracey - 5 stars One of the strongest sequels I have read. The Best of All Possible Worlds , by Karen Lord - 3,5 stars A great love story, but I expected more, considering all the praise this book got. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows  - 5/10 stars Mindless popcorn entertainment. I wouldn't ha...

Title: The Best of All Possible Worlds Author: Karen Lord Year of publishing:  2014 Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books Source: library A proud and reserved alien society (the Sadiri) finds its homeland destroyed in an unprovoked act of aggression, and the survivors have no choice but to reach out to the indigenous humanoids of their adopted world (Cygnus Beta), to whom they are distantly related. They wish to preserve their cherished way of life but come to discover that in order to preserve their culture, they may have to change it forever. Now a man and a woman from these two clashing societies must work together to save this vanishing race—and end up uncovering ancient mysteries with far-reaching ramifications. As their mission hangs in the balance, this unlikely team—one cool and cerebral, the other fiery and impulsive—just may find in each other their own destinies . . . and a force that transcends all. I think that if there's anything that I'm going to take awa...

Click here for my review of Witch Eyes, #1 Title: Demon Eyes (Witch Eyes, #2) Author: Scott Tracey Year or publishing: 2012 Publisher: Flux Source: library Demons don't die without a fight... After destroying the demon Lucien, Braden—son of Belle Dam’s most powerful warlock, Jason Thorpe—doesn’t need the power of his witch eyes to see that everything in his life is turning against him: friends, family, and even his visions. When disturbing nightmares of Lucien’s return haunt him, Braden discovers that the simmering feud between the city’s two witch dynasties is fast approaching its explosive boiling point. While struggling to come to terms with his attraction to Trey, Catherine Lansing’s son who should be his mortal enemy, a diabolical plan starts to unveil before Braden’s eyes. Young women are disappearing from Belle Dam, and as he investigates, Braden is forced to explore the dangerous unknown power within himself. But when the truth about his family is revealed, Brade...

Title: Lords of the Sith (Star Wars Canon) Author: Paul S. Kemp Year of publishing: 2015 Publisher: Del Rey Source: I bought it A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . . When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail. “It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.” Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now. On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance m...

Title: Dawn of Rebellion (Dawn of Rebellion #1) Author: Michelle Lynn Year of publishing: 2013 Self-published I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion about the book, and the events in it. Teenage sisters Gabby and Dawn live in Great Britain, a country ruled with an iron fist by its government. After their father dies, and their mother abandons them, the girls must fend for themselves..   When Gabby is caught stealing a bracelet for her sister's birthday, she is sent off to the "colonies", a dreaded place from which there is no coming back. Twist: the colonies are built on what used to be the United States of America, and what is now a post-apocalyptic wasteland inhabited by bands of survivors who are trying to make ends meet. Nobody is sure exactly how and why the United States fell apart, but most agree that global warming had a lot to do with it. As Gabby is trying to survive in a new ...

Thirty short stories. Thirty authors. Yesterday, I got to meet five of them. Malmö is a wonderful city. It's a very cultured city, and if you're looking for some culture, for some inspiration and for some foodstuff for the mind, you don't have to look far. There is always something going on in this city. Just yesterday, I attended the book release of a Swedish anthology, called Trettio nyanser av saknad or, translated roughly into English, "Thirty shades of want". Published by Ordberoende Förlag (or Word addict publishing), this anthology contains thirty short stories that won the third annual #älskanoveller short story contest . This year's theme was "want". Want, as in regret of not having something, that feeling you have when some important part of your life is missing. This is the red thread that runs through all these stories. Thirty short stories, by thirty authors. Thirty women from all over the country. Five of whom reside in the...

Hello again, my fellow book lovers! Have you noticed anything different about this page? Of course, you have. How can you not notice the new menu bar when it sticks out of the background like a cheap romance novel in a classic sci fi bookshelf? It's weird, it's awkward and it looks like it's been put there by accident. You may also have noticed that I keep my blog design very simple. I have a very basic template and no art work. And that is because when it comes to the technical side of blogging - to all the behind-the-scenes stuff - I have a few... let's call them "challenges". I have never been good at things like HTML, CSS or even Photoshop.   Claiming technical ignorance, however, is not an excuse to avoid doing the technical tasks that come with running your own blog. And if the truth is to come out, I have been avoiding it. HTML and CSS don't looks so difficult to learn, and surely, I can at least learn how to tweak p...

Yesterday, I got to see the new Ninja Turtles movie with one of my students a nd I thought I'd share my thoughts on it. I wasn't the most die hard fan of the franchise, but I loved the original movie from 1990 (still do), and I enjoyed the animated series as a child. When the franchise was rebooted with Michael Bay at the helm, I was one of the those people who looked at the whole thing with horror and contempt. I opposed the CGI turtles, Megan Fox as April O'Neil, and the direction in which the makers were taking this franchise. But since the non-profit organisation that my student and I are a part of gave us free movie passes, and since we're both fans of Stephen Amell (who stars in this film), I thought oh, what the hell, let's go see the Turtles . In this sequel to the 2014 TMNT, Shredder has partnered up with another, more villainous villain in a grand plan of destruction and domination. So now the turtles have to stop them,...

Title: Full Fathom Five (Craft Sequence #3) Author: Max Gladstone Genre: fantasy Year of publishing: 2014 Publisher: Tor Books Source: library On the island of Kavekana, Kai builds gods to order, then hands them to others to maintain. Her creations aren’t conscious and lack their own wills and voices, but they accept sacrifices, and protect their worshippers from other gods—perfect vehicles for Craftsmen and Craftswomen operating in the divinely controlled Old World. When Kai sees one of her creations dying and tries to save her, she’s grievously injured—then sidelined from the business entirely, her near-suicidal rescue attempt offered up as proof of her instability. But when Kai gets tired of hearing her boss, her coworkers, and her ex-boyfriend call her crazy, and starts digging into the reasons her creations die, she uncovers a conspiracy of silence and fear—which will crush her, if Kai can’t stop it first. Choosing books at random in the library without any prior knowle...