The Prisoner of Heaven: 4 Stars

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I could have sworn I had written this review months ago but I can't seem to find it. So better late than never!

The Prisoner of Heaven is the final book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy. The first book, The Shadow of the Wind, immediately became one of my all time favorite books. The story is captivating.  The characters are brilliantly written. And the author shows a mastery for the written language, especially considering that I read a translated version. I was so in love with this book.  Then I read the second book, The Angels Game, and I was terribly disappointed. It wasn't a horrible book, but when compared to the first, it just couldn't stand up. So I was very very reluctant to even attempt the final book. But I finally bit the bullet and read it.

Taking place after The Shadow of the Wind, The Prisoner of Heaven opens us to a world where Daniel and Bea are happily married with their young son Julian. Fermin is preparing for his own wedding when the past comes back to haunt him. No stranger to the mysteries that surround Fermin, Daniel immediately begins to help his friend in a dangerous game that opens us up to Fermin's past. 

After The Angels Game, which was confusing and a little too supernatural, The Prisoner of Heaven was a breathe of fresh air. It helped explain all that took place in the second book (which is chronologically first in the series). The book also dove head first into my favorite character, Fermin. He was mysterious and illusive in the first book, and it was fun to see where he came from and what happened to him to make him so quirky. I really enjoyed being able to embrace the characters I loved so much once again.

The book was not nearly as strong as The Shadow of the Wind, which is by far the best book in the trilogy. But it did bring me make to my love of Zafon and his mastery of the written language.


Rating: PG-13

Recommended for those who enjoy: bookstores, mysteries, and suspense.

Gray Mountain: 3 Stars

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

I finally got around to reading the new novel by John Grisham.  And by finally, I mean it was released about two months ago and I have had a hold on it at the library and I finally got to the top of the list. Grisham is one of my favorite authors. His characters are in-depth and imperfect and he knows how to capture your attention.

Samantha Kofer is three years out of law school and working her way up the corporate ladder at her law firm when the economy dips. Like many lawyers at her firm and others, she is left jobless. With little chance of finding another job like the one she had, Samantha accepts the year long furlough from her employer and begins to seek out a non-profit lawyer gig. But considering every other law firm in New York has done the same to a thousand others, the non-profit jobs in New York have all disappeared. Samantha begins her search outside of the city she loves.

In the Appalachian mountains, there is a small legal aid clinic where Samantha tries her hand.  On the way to the interview, she is arrested for exceeding the speed limit by a southern, backwoods deputy who clearly is on a power trip. Frustrated and confused, she is rescued by local lawyer, Donavon Gray. Now the place that looked the worst, suddenly has a bright spot, and Samantha eventually agrees to work at the clinic, conveniently owned by Donavon's aunt. If you think you know where this story is headed, you are wrong.

Unlike most of his novels, Gray Mountain has a female protagonist (I have heard Pelican Brief does as well, but I have yet to read that one so I can't say one way or the other). My biggest complaint with this is that she was rather unlikable. She was self absorbed and, even in the wake of tragedy, finds ways to make it all about her. The stories outside of her were compelling and interesting enough without adding the drama of an attention hog.

My other complaint about her character was that so much of her character revolved around her romantic relationships. I felt like her every move in life revolved around men, even men who she barely knew and never had a romantic relationship with.  An indication of a possible relationship was enough to make her change her life plans. This is not so with Grisham's other lead characters in books, and I wonder if he did that simply because she was a woman. While I am not calling the author sexist is any way, the description of her was too sterotypical and obnoxious.

Aside from my complaints about the main character, I loved the story. Just when I thought I knew exactly where the story was headed, everything I knew was shattered and the story took a completely different approach. The side characters were well developed and engaging. He kept me completely intrigued all the way to the end.

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy: Legal drama, female leads, and mysteries.

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line: 4 Stars

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

The TV show Veronica Mars is one of my favorites of all time. Veronica (played by Kristen Bell) has such spunk and sass, while still being vulnerable and sweet.

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Then there was Logan; the brutty bad boy with a soft spot for the sassy girl.  ***swoon*** Yeah, I have a soft spot for this guy.  He won me over long before he won Veronica over. (Puka shells and all!)

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The first season was beyond brilliant/amazing and I couldn't get enough of it!  The second season was pretty great, although it wasn't nearly as good as the first.  The third season was very disappointing...and then it ended....crappily. (Ok, so crappily isn't a word, but if you saw the show, you know it's the perfect way to describe it.)

So when they announced that through Kickstarter they had funded a movie, I was beyond excited and took the opportunity to re-watch the entire series (adding a couple of sisters to my obsession).

The movie was excellent and righted all the wrongs in season three.  And there was this....

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Anyhow, the movie ended and I thought "Sad day...no more Veronica Mars".  And then, like some miracle blessing, they decided to start a book series!  This was one world/group of characters I was not ready to let go of, and thanks to Rob Thomas, I don't have to!

The book picks up right where the movie left off and didn't miss a beat. Veronica is now a private detective in Neptune...again. When a young girl goes missing during spring break, she is hired to find her and save the tourist industry. But this is easier said then done when another girl goes missing, and this time, it's a little more personal.

I loved this book! Seriously, it was awesome and didn't miss a beat. The characters we knew and loved from the series were in the book and were the same as we remember them. The author doesn't change the past at all and even brings up several plot points from the TV series and movie in the book, since they play a role in Veronica's life now. Excellent job!

I will note that this book is probably best read by fans of the show and movie. If you have seen neither, you may get a little lost/bored/not nearly as excited as me.

Rating: PG

Recommended for those who enjoy mysteries, sassy female protagonists, and humor.