Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Julie M. (JujuGirl) - Reviews

1 to 20 of 89 - Page:
Akhenaten : Dweller in Truth
Akhenaten : Dweller in Truth
Author: Naguib Mahfouz, Tagreid Abu-Hassabo (Translator)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
 14
Review Date: 6/5/2006
Helpful Score: 1


Well written, straight-forward prose makes this an easy read.


All Mortal Flesh (Rev. Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne, Bk 5)
Review Date: 3/5/2008


I did not expect to like this book, but the ending was good. And the more I've thought about how the book ended, the more I like the book.

I have not liked the developing relationship between Clare and Russ throughout this series. Without giving away the ending, I'll only say that the book ended in such a way that I felt satisfied.


Angel on the Square
Angel on the Square
Author: Gloria Whelan
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 3/17/2007


A well-written, young adult novel about the events, including World War I, which lead to the revolutions in Russia. It's told from the point of view of a young girl of the Russian aristocracy.


Antarktos Rising (Origins, Bk 4)
Antarktos Rising (Origins, Bk 4)
Author: Jeremy Robinson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 17
Review Date: 5/25/2010
Helpful Score: 1


This is a very captivating story and well researched by the author. I liked all the characters and they are fairly well developed. This book was way too short for all the concepts and possibilities that the author opened up in the story. As a result, I was disappointed by the ending. There just weren't enough loose ends tied off for me.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book. I read Robinson's "Raising the Past" and thought it was so-so. "Antarktos Rising" is a much better book. I'm a huge fan of James Rollins, and this book is very similar to the types of stories Rollins writes.


Arthur (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 3)
Arthur (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 3)
Author: Stephen R. Lawhead
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 87
Review Date: 8/15/2008


Ho hum.

The King Arthur tale has been told so many times over the centuries that perhaps there's nothing left to say. Certainly this book adds nothing the to the King Arthur legend.


Avalon: The Return of King Arthur (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 6)
Avalon: The Return of King Arthur (Pendragon Cycle, Bk 6)
Author: Stephen R. Lawhead
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 42
Review Date: 8/15/2008
Helpful Score: 3


Most King Arthur stories end when Arthur dies, but Lawhead takes the legend through to its conclusion in this book that details the rebirth of Arthur in the 21st Century. This is a good, must-read book.


The Blind Knight (Ace Fantasy  No 3)
The Blind Knight (Ace Fantasy No 3)
Author: Gail Van Asten
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 9/11/2009


Though the language can be flowery sometimes, this book is a nice branch off the King Arthur story. It takes place during the reign of King Henry II and Thomas Becket. Be aware that this is a romance as much as a fantasy.


Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3)
Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3)
Author: Terry Goodkind
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 512
Review Date: 12/4/2005
Helpful Score: 2


Richard takes his role as Master Rahl and must save all the Midlands from the Dream Walker -- even if it means usurping the Mother Confessor as ruler. Much better than book 2 of the series!


Bloodstream
Bloodstream
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 10/29/2005


The typical fast-paced medical thriller you'd expect from Tess Gerritsen! A good read!


Blowback (Scot Harvath, Bk 4)
Blowback (Scot Harvath, Bk 4)
Author: Brad Thor
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 165
Review Date: 6/6/2007


The only thing more unbelievable than the characters is that I actually finished this book.


Burning Road (Plague Tales, Bk 2)
Burning Road (Plague Tales, Bk 2)
Author: Ann Benson
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 39
Review Date: 11/29/2006
Helpful Score: 1


As in the first book, "The Plague Tales", the 14th Century characters and storyline are more interesting and developed than the 21st Century portion of this book.

This is a must read if you enjoyed The Plague Tales, but the ending is not complete. Two characters just drop out of the story towards the end, leaving their storylines dangling. I wonder if the author just got tired of the book or if this was a very poor cliffhanger tactic to lead into a third book?


The Burning Times
The Burning Times
Author: Jeanne Kalogridis
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 22
Review Date: 8/8/2006
Helpful Score: 2


Very light, fluffy story considering the subject is witch burnings. It's a fast, easy read. Not much historical "meat" to the book--the author didn't spend much time with historical descriptions and scene settings.


Caledon of the Mists (Caledon, Bk 1)
Caledon of the Mists (Caledon, Bk 1)
Author: Deborah Turner Harris
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 12
Review Date: 1/20/2006


from back cover: For decades, the last scions of the Dunladry have languished in luxurious exile, growing soft and weak in the comforts of the Feyan court. Now their highland home cries out for its rulers--Duncan, with his virgin blade, and Mhairi, his sister--to lead the clans in a struggle for freedom from the usurping tyrant. But their battle is no ordinary one of sword and steel. For the priest-servants of the usurper have the very forces of darkness at their command. In the first test of his sword against a shape-shifting demon, the young king falls...

And the fate of the emprie lies in the hands of Mhairi, who must answer the call of her blood... as woman, as warrior, and as queen!


The Candlemass Road
The Candlemass Road
Author: George MacDonald Fraser
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 3/5/2007
Helpful Score: 1


If you like real, factual history in your fiction, The Candlemass Road has it. Taking place in the late 1500s, the book captures approximately two days of life in the lawless border lands between England and Scotland.

Though only 156 pages, I still found the book slow reading because the author, wanting to represent the time as accurately as possible, wrote it in the language used at that time. The story is mostly told by the narrator, an educated priest -- so most of the book is easily readable, though stilted in terms of how we use English today. But I sometimes got bogged down in the colloquial dialogue:
"Tarry on me, ye bastard, and ye'll roast on your own fire! Come oot, and your clowns with ye! Hobbie -- see's a brand frae the fire yonder, and we'll light the bastard afoot wi' his own thatch!"

Still, it was an enjoyable book and an unexpected history lesson.


The Castle on the Mountain
The Castle on the Mountain
Author: Julie Wellsley
Book Type: Paperback
  ?
Review Date: 3/17/2006


gothic romance published in 1972


The Chalice and the Blade (Chalice Trilogy, Bk 1)
The Chalice and the Blade (Chalice Trilogy, Bk 1)
Author: Glenna McReynolds
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 57
Review Date: 6/21/2007
Helpful Score: 5


I read this book for its fantasy and historical aspects. I rarely read romances, so I was unprepared for the sex scenes in this book. Once I got over my initial shock, I enjoyed the relationship between Ceri and Dain. All the characters were well developed, and they pulled me through this book faster than I expected.


Chasing Eden (Eden Trilogy, Bk 1)
Chasing Eden (Eden Trilogy, Bk 1)
Author: S. L. Linnea
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.2/5 Stars.
 50
Review Date: 7/30/2011


This book gets great reviews on Amazon, but it was one of the poorest written books I've read in a long time. The plot is contrived, the events are coincidental, and the characters are just flat.

I read it to the end. It's a great idea for a book, but these 2 authors, Linnea and Sherer, don't have the writing skills to pull it off.


The Club Dumas
The Club Dumas
Author: Arturo Perez-Reverte, Sonia Soto (Translator)
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 110
Review Date: 2/15/2006
Helpful Score: 3


What is the connection between "The Three Musketeers" and a demonic book that got the printer burned alive in 1666?

I couldn't figure out what one book had to do with other. Read "The Club Dumas" and then you'll know. It's an entertaining read.


The Curse of Chalion (Curse of Chalion, Bk 1)
The Curse of Chalion (Curse of Chalion, Bk 1)
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 129
Review Date: 5/13/2006
Helpful Score: 2


If you like well-developed characters, this book has them. The first 175 pages is spent solely on character development and providing history on Cazaril, the unlikely hero of the story. It makes for very slow reading, but the book does pick up by page 200.

This is a non-traditional fantasy. There is no magic; instead, Cazaril's world has a very dominant, active religion, where miracles happen.

The book's ending is happy but predictable.


The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2)
The Dark Is Rising (Dark is Rising, Bk 2)
Author: Susan Cooper
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 100
Review Date: 11/16/2005
Helpful Score: 4


This is the very first fantasy I read--some 25 years ago. As a teenager I thoroughly enjoyed it and it hooked me on fantasy. As an adult, I still pull out my old copy of this book on occasion. It is a classic story of good vs. evil with imagery, history and a british feel. Besides Tolkien's books, The Dark is Rising series is the best there is in fantasy. Check out http://www.thelostland.com/darkbook.htm


1 to 20 of 89 - Page: