Review of “Stjärndamm” by Lars Wilderäng

Posted on Sunday, 11 December 2016, 0:11 by Alexandra

Title: Stjärnfall (~ “Stardust”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #3
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 296
Published: 2016, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 shiny vampires

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

The civilization which was slowly but steadily rebuilt, 10 years after the Shutdown, has been completely shredded. No bullets in the world can protect them against the enemy which was close to exterminate them all. And who proved way worse than the most horrific nightmare.

Some of the few survivors have once again gathered at Carlsten’s fortress, trapped like rats surrounded by threathingly black eyes. There has to be a way to stop this threat, even if it is the last thing they will do. The question is how will they get out of captivity, and if there are more survivors out there?

MY REVIEW

As always when I finish a series I feel sad. Especially when it is such a great series as this one. I am satisfied with the ending, it was extremely unexpected. Or maybe I have been too stressed while reading this, about school stuff that I just read it without thinking about what could possibly happen next? In either case, I found this last book in the amazing trilogy very unexpected (it was hard to guess what would come next in the first two as well). Lars Wilderäng really makes you sit on the edge of whatever you are sitting on and he totally makes it impossible to put down the book unless you fall asleep with it in your hand (yes, that has happened almost every night).

The finale was shorter than the other two and it was noticeble, but it was still full of action as the second, until the very very end.

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone and since I am new at writing reviews, I haven’t really learned how to write reviews further along the road of a book series. But, I loved this book, I loved the series, I loved all the excitment, and most of all; I loved the realism of the story. Like I said in my previous reviews, this feels feasible, this is how the world could end one day and I wouldn’t be surprised.

I want to thank Lars Wilderäng for this experience I got, reading the Stjärnklart series for the past three weeks. I hope I will be able to enjoy other books after this, haha! I also hope that Wilderäng wants to continue writing in this universe, I see great potential for more books! (I also can’t wait for the TV show!) Anyway, easy five out of five! Everyone should read these three books! I MEAN IT! READ! IT!

Review of “Stjärnfall” by Lars Wilderäng

Posted on Monday, 5 December 2016, 11:57 by Alexandra

Title: Stjärnfall (~ “Shooting Star”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 395
Published: 2015, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 gas masks

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

Ten years have passed since the doom of modern civilization, when all electronics were wiped out by a high technological attack. Slowly, life has started to stabilize, but is the danger really over? The Shutdown, as the period when all electricity disappeared is called, was probably only the beginning. Now, humanity faces an even bigger threat.

Jocke, the military man is finally back in Sweden after a long assignment in the Middle East and is hoping for a calm life. The farmer Filip Stenvik is under the protection of Västra Götaland Federation but is worried about new attacks. Maximiliam is a grown man and is doing his best to break free from his childhood home and to create his own path. At Carlsten’s Fortress, Bohuslän’s governor Gustaf Silverbane, is collecting his forces, while the head of research Anna Ljungberg is trying to analyze the opponent they don’t know anything about. But what if the enemy is already among them? Maybe closer than anyone could imagine…

MY REVIEW

If I had several emotions while reading Stjärnklart, I pretty much only had one while reading the sequel Stjärnfall: hopelessness. I thought that the first one was dark and depressing, but this one was worse. It was impossible to see how it could end in a good way. I am not gonna say if it did or not.

The first 150 pages or so were very similar to the first book. Some chapters described what happened during the Shutdown, some chapters described what happened during the first few years, and then, the last two thirds of the book was only what happened 10 years after the Shutdown. And it was filled to the top with action. Horrible thing after horrible thing happened and I couldn’t put down the book. Last night I had about 100 pages left, it was late, but I couldn’t stop reading so I finished it at 3am and am surprised that I managed to fall asleep right after. Honestly, I had a nightmare two nights ago.

Like I said, the first part of the book was very similar to the first one, it was realistic and scary because it felt like this could happen to us any day. The second part was very different from the first, because now, the science fiction of it all surfaced. It was still very realisticly written and even though I don’t have too much science fiction novels to compare it to, it felt like a different type of sci-fi book. A realistic type of sci-fi and nothing at all like Star Wars for example. I am not going to spoil anything so I will leave it at that, but it is really scary.

Despite the feeling of hopelessness being my companion throughout this book, I still loved it and recommend everyone to read it now (or patiently wait for the English translation)! Start with the first one, Stjärnklart, obviously. No question about it, 5 out of 5!!

Review of “Stjärnklart” by Lars Wilderäng

Posted on Monday, 28 November 2016, 15:44 by Alexandra

Title: Stjärnklart (~ “Starlit”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #1
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 403
Published: 2014, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 dust particles

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

Electronics does not have an immune system…

Johan works in a store chain for mobile phone reparations. Something is not right with more and more broken phones which have been turned in lately. They are stone dead, but filled with dust which quickly spreads and irritate airways. In the idyllic suburbs south of Gothenburg, Magnus Svensson is fighting to get his life puzzle together. When the car out of nowhere stops working, he gets stranded together with many others. The car companies are powerless, and he puts his fate to public transit. But where is the train? Food stores are empited of food and no new deliveries are in sight. Filip Stenvik has survivalism and prepping as hobbies on the side of his job as a barista on Söder, but is he really prepared to let his hobbies become a reality? The Policeman Peter Ragnhell sees an opportunity to expand his unconventional methods of crime fighting. At Karlsborg’s airport, elite soldier Gustaf Silverbane stands ready for a tour abroad when a firelight fills the sky and everything suddenly falls apart. At the same time, the programmer Anna Ljungberg makes a discovery, which threathens to change the conditions for all human life on earth. Or is it already too late?

After yet another power failure, everything changes. The dark fall enters a starlit winter where chaos rules and few survives.

MY REVIEW

In the past 8 days that it took for me to read this book, I have had a flood of different emotions. Most if it was anger towards the ugly human-without-tech behavior. There were some happy moments as well, relief here and there, but also fear. Is this what would happen if all electronics in today’s society would fall apart? Would humans really turn against each other in a matter of days to ensure their own survival? It is scary to think about how badly prepared I am in case of an emergency. It has made me think about my situation and how I could be better prepared if anything happened. Especially since there are posters here and there every now and then in Gothenburg asking if I could survive 72h without anyone or anything else than what I have at home. I would most likely be one of those 80% who died in the first few months of this book.

The first thing that I really liked about it was that it mostly took place here in Gothenburg, my hometown. I rarely read any Swedish books and they all take place in imaginary places. But now, as I was on the commute train to work in Kungsbacka, the guy in the book was also on the commute train to Kungsbacka! With the names of street and landmarks here in Gothenburg it was super easy to see how all this took place right in front of me. They were shooting and killing each other at Liseberg, on Gustaf Adolf’s square right in downtown a market slash massacre took place. I think that was a huge contributor to why I liked this book so much. It felt so real to me, and especially since it was so realistically written. It felt like a feasible scenario and I can imagine that this is how it would all go down.

It was a scary book, but what scared me the most were the people. After reading the first chapter about Peter the policeman (all the chapters were from different people’s point of view and most characters were recurring), I was so angry! He is the biggest douchebag ever. There are rarely any authors who make me hate a character as much as I hate that guy. So, I guess, I want to give credits to Lars Wilderäng for creating such livid characters.

As a teacher in the subject “teknik” (=technology) at a high school I think I am going to suggest to a teacher in Swedish, that for next school year make a collaboration with the two courses. The students should read this book, do all the linguistic parts about writing analyses of books and whatever. But also use that knowledge when working with technological development in the technology class. There is one very big part of the final grade, and that is to understand the interaction between society, humans and technology. That could be an interesting assignment.

Anyway, this book gets a star clear 5 rating and I will start on the second “Stjärnfall” right now. Some bad news for my English-speaking readers. This book is not yet translated. I really wish it would be, so not only Swedish-speaking people can enjoy it. But until then, keep your eyes and ears out, hopefully it will happen soon.

Review of “Metro 2033” by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Posted on Friday, 11 November 2016, 19:14 by Alexandra

Title: Metro 2033
Author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
Translator (English): Natasha Randall
Series: Metro #1
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 458
Published: 2007 (translated 2009), Gollancz
My Grade: 5 out of 5 rats

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

The civilization most northern outpost, a lonely metro station, attacked by mysterious creatures that somehow have awoken in the recent war. The world lies in ruins, the surface is contaminated, and a prey to the sun’s deadly rays. One last human remnant have sought protection in the Metro, the world’s largest nuclear bomb secure bunker, where stations have been transformed into small city states with their own ideologies and governments.

Everywhere there is a constant struggle for living space, water filters, electric heaters and fungal cultures, all while darkness and terror reigns in the tunnels.

A young man is forced out on a dangerous journey through the subterranean maze of tunnels, shafts and sidings, where nobody knows what to expect around the next corner.

MY REVIEW

Last night when I finished this, I was both speechless and couldn’t stop saying what the fudge at the same time. Even just a few chapters in I knew I would give this a five out of five, but after reading the last four pages, I want to give it more.

I don’t really have anything to compare to (since I don’t speak Russian), but I am satisfied with the translation. As always when reading a new book, by a new author, of a different style, it takes some pages to get used to the language. And something I really really liked about this book was that the conversations between people felt so real. Usually the author gives the ability to ‘always say the right and smart thing at the right time’ to all of his or her characters. It is sometimes too perfect. But these dialogues felt real. The descriptions of the environment also were incredible. It was so easy to picture myself in the metro of Moscow, living under the horrible circumstances that Artyom and all his travel companions did.

I don’t really know what to write to make you understand the greatness of this book. It was easily one of the best ones I have ever read! And the ending just made it perfect. I am not sure I am happy with it and it was indeed a very very surprising ending. But it fit so well with the rest of this kind of miserable story.

If you haven’t read it yet, but are into post-apocalyptic stories, you have truly missed something! If you haven’t read it and don’t really like dystopian stories, read it anyway. I kinda got the feeling that Metro 2033 is this time’s 1984. I undoubtedly give it the highest grade, and I even want to give it one more rat for being so sickly awesome!!

Review of “The Fever Code” by James Dashner

Posted on Friday, 14 October 2016, 15:22 by Alexandra

Title: The Fever Code
Author: James Dashner
Series: The Maze Runner #0.6
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Pages: 347
Published: 2016, Delacorte Press
My Grade: 5 out of 5 subjects

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Once there was a world’s end.
The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.
Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.
Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.
Now there are secrets.
There are lies.
And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.
This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.

All will be revealed.

MY REVIEW

Yes, everything was definitely revealed. And it was shocking! One sentence on the second to last page made me see the whole Maze Runner trilogy completely different. When I finished this in the middle of the night last night, I couldn’t fall asleep until I had grasped what the three original books was about. And how all that changed with just that one sentence. It is crazy! It is klunking crazy!

I loved the Maze Runner series. It is up there with The Hunger Games and Divergent. Dystopian adventures for young adults. I guess Silo is the same but for older people. Anyway, the Maze Runner is amazing, loved all four books (The Kill Order, Maze Runner, Scorch Trials and the Death Cure), though the Death Cure was not as good as the rest. When the first prequel came out I was so excited to finally find out why the Maze Trials was a thing. But it didn’t really cover why WICKED did what they did, the Kill Order just described what happened during the flare and up until WICKED. The Fever Code takes place right after the Kill order and explains exactly everything that happened between the Kill Order and Maze Runner. Everything is now clear and it is more understandable why Thomas acted the way he did in the last parts of the series, even though he never recovered his lost memories, which is basically this book.

This bookis very similar to the rest in the series, which describes itself. They are really really really really good. So I recommend everyone who is into this genre, to read it, but only after the other four are read. It would not be as fun to read the original series and knowing what is revealed on the second to last page in this book. It is an easy five out of five!

Review of “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas

Posted on Wednesday, 5 October 2016, 18:50 by Alexandra

Title: Empire of Storms
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #5
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 704
Published: 2016, Bloomsbury Publishing
My Grade: 5 out of 5 embers

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin’s journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

MY REVIEW

I don’t want to wait until September next year to find out how this amazing series ends! This book’s cliffhanger at the end was the worst yet. I would lie if I said I didn’t cry. I am sure Sarah J. Maas is no George R. R. Martin so the ending most likely will be a happy one. But it is hard to see right now after that horrible and shocking ending.

Anyway, this is one of the best series I have ever read and the books just get better and better, this one is the best so far! The first one, Throne of Glass, was an incredible introduction to the series which sort of had its own story and style while the next three books kind of all blend together now that I try to think back on them. It was a while ago I read them and many books have been read since. But those three right now feels like traveling books, each focusing on an important part of Aelin’s road to regaining her kingdom though, leading up to this one. I remember the fourth one was a bit confusing because a big part was focusing on new characters and I had no idea what role they would play, but in this book, all the puzzle pieces fell into place. And not just that part, but everything else so far. You read the books, love them, feel confused but eager to find out why, and this book finally has all the answers. I love that feeling and this one was full of it!

One thing that bothered me a little was the new parts Sarah added. The sex. Sure, it is entertaining to read, but this story is so amazing in itself, that it only made it feel like she wanted to try something new. I mean, the scenes were well-written and around a hundred times better than Fifty Shades of Grey. But those scenes weren’t really needed and it felt too much when the same thing happened to all of the immortal characters who have lived forever and ever and all of them experienced the best sex they had ever had at the same time, in the same group of people. It was too much.

But except for that minor thing, this book is still one of the absolute best ones I have ever read! I want to give it a grade 6, but I can’t be that silly so I will have to stick to a 5. Everyone, if you haven’t read this series, please read it now. Or wait until next summer and read all six of them right after each other, because this year-long-waiting between every book is killing me.

Review of “1984” by George Orwell

Posted on Tuesday, 13 September 2016, 19:28 by Alexandra

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Series: –
Genre: Science Fiction, Political Fiction, Dystopian
Pages: 328
Published: 1949, Penguin Books
My Grade: 5 out of 5 posters

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell’s prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of “negative utopia” -a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions -a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

MY REVIEW

Wow! Just wow. It has truly been a delight to read this extremely dark dystopian novel. After about ten pages I felt connection to this book because of the way it was written. It has now been 67 years since this book was first published, it came out right after WWII, it’s forever ago!! But you couldn’t tell (like with Lord of the Flies). I don’t know how to describe it, but the words Orwell used, the sentence structure, it just made so much sense and I felt the flow when I was reading it like I have never done before.

And then comes the story on top of that. Wow again! It is not a story in a way that the characters move around and do stuff all the time, not like Lord of the Rings for example, or Maze Runner. This is just simply about a man in a big-brother society who questions big brother. You get to follow his line of thought, you get to see him fall in love, and seemingly getting away with it all. I can’t really say anything that won’t spoil, but most of the book was just a long way towards the end where everything happened. I still don’t really understand how or why it ended like it did. The last page and what happened there, I totally get, but not the part before that. It was really a mindfuck-read. I didn’t expect it to be, but it really was. This book kind of reminded me of the movie Shutter Island (I haven’t read the book yet, Patient 97, but it is on my list).

It’s scary to think about really. I know it is a made-up story, but how can a country (or empire maybe? I don’t know what they called it) just so easily buy everything that Big Brother says? One day the news sadly announced that the chocolate ratio had gone down from 30g per week to 20g. And literally the next day the news announced that the chocolate ratio had increased to 20g and everyone is super happy about it. No questions whatsoever about the news the day before! It is the same with everything Big Brother tells them. Winston (the main character) understands how, but not the why. The end of the book explains why, and it is scary because that is probably true in reality too.

It is hard to write reviews without spoiling. To sum it up, it is an easy and very enjoyable read, you kind of have to be focused while reading it to not miss something, lots of things happen in the end and after it is all done, you can’t stop yourself from asking “what the fuck?” Definitely one of the best books I have ever read, so I strongly recommend everyone to read it, especially people who love dystopian future novels. Crystal clear five!

Review of “Magic in North America” by J. K. Rowling

Posted on Sunday, 4 September 2016, 0:54 by Alexandra

Title: “History of Magic in North America” + “Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: –
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 16 + 32
Published: 2016 (on http://www.pottermore.com)
My Grade: 5 out of 5 snakes

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

—

MY REVIEW

I recently rediscovered pottermore.com and I am not dissappointed. I did not know that Rowling wrote stuff on there related to the Harry Potter universe, but she does, and it is so great! Short stories about everything. So far I have only read two of the things posted there (two bigger writings) and they are both about the wizardry world over in America. History of Magic in North America is a short description of, well, the history of magic in North America. It was too short in my opinion, it seems like a very interesting history and I would love to know some more! Maybe Rowling eventually will write a series that takes place at Ilvermorny? Because that sounds like a really cool place. That would be the greatest thing ever.

The second thing I read was the history of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Longer than the first text and written like a short story. I haven’t really read Rowling’s original writing (since I read all the Harry Potter books in Swedish) before, but after reading this, I really really want to read the original series in English. Is that a project I will take upon myself next? Probably.

These are short texts, but if you love Harry Potter, you should most definitely check them out. On pottermore.com there are also writings on the other schools. 5 out of 5, since, well.. it is J. K. Rowling.

Review of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” by J. K. Rowling

Posted on Sunday, 21 August 2016, 22:17 by Alexandra

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two
Author: J. K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne
Series: Harry Potter #8 (of 8)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 343
Published: 2016
My Grade: 5 out of 5 love potions

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

MY REVIEW

A new Harry Potter story? I was ecstatic when I learned about this fantastic piece of news a while ago. I had no idea what this new book was about before though, I like having no expectations on.., anything really. I did know that it was about Harry’s son, 19 years after the Deathly Hallows, but nothing more than that. So after reading four pages of this book I had to open up Google in the dark of our bedroom and look up if I really had the right version of this book (since I am reading it on my eReader – a Kobo GLO HD if anyone is wondering, the best thing I have ever bought). Turns out, this book is the script for the play. That was a surprise I did not enjoy. I was expecting a new amazing story written by J. K. Rowling, like the old books were written. So I was hugely disappointed at first. But once I got into the story I enjoyed it very much and finished it in two days. The story is amazing and very easy to read, the pages just fly by in that format. And I think that the reason I could get so into the story is because I have read the previous books and know the environments and could picture it all while reading the short environment descriptions and dialogues. My plan was to reread the seven books before this one since I haven’t read them in English and I read them when they came out many years ago. But I got impatient and it worked out well anyway. But now on the other hand, I really really want to reread the original seven.

If you have read the previous Harry Potter books, you will love this story where Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy (who is my favorite character by the way, he makes the book even better) tries to do something heroic but it obviously doesn’t go that way. Even though I was disappointed at first, it won’t take the grade down from a crystal clear 5.