The Waters of Mars by Phil Ford REVIEW

Summary:

November 21st 2059, and Bowie Base One - the first human colony on Mars - is destined for destruction in a nuclear explosion. This tragedy is a fixed point in history. The Laws of Time dictate that it cannot - must never - be changed.

The Doctor arrives just as a viral life-form escapes from the Martian ice into the base's water supply. A single drop can transform a human into a terrifying monster with the power to infect others. History records that the threat is destroyed along with the base and every human in it. But as his darkest hour comes calling, the Doctor resolves to break the rules as he never has before . . .

My Thoughts:

I remember watching this episode for the first time when I was in middle school and being scared out of my mind - I refused to touch water for about a week. As an adult though, this has become one of my favorites.

I love the look into the Doctor's inner thoughts and feelings that we never see in the episode itself. The book reveals that his reason for going to Mars is to be alone and contemplate Ood Sigma's words of his song ending soon. But the TARDIS had other plans.

I also love that we get to know more about Adelaide Brooke. We learn more about her family, and her thoughts and feelings. We also get a look into the thoughts of those infected, which we don't get in the episode at all.

I'm really glad I chose to pick up this novelization, as it definitely made me appreciate the episode even more than I already do.

My Rating: 5 stars

The Great & The Small by A.T. Balsara REVIEW

 Summary:

Ananda is a troubled teen who feels like a misfit at home and at her new school, and her unusual ability to connect with animals makes her feel like even more of an outsider. Still raw from the death of her grandmother, Ananda's dreams are haunted by a long-buried memory that causes her to push people away.

Fin is a Tunnel rat who lives in the passages beneath the city, in the dark places humans overlook or despise. Orphaned as a pup, he is the nephew of the Tunnel's charismatic leader, the Beloved Chairman, and is willing to do anything to please his uncle, including becoming his lead henchman.

The worlds of humans and rats suddenly collide when Ananda protects Fin during a chance encounter in the market. Neither can foresee how their lives will forever be inextricably linked, but as the Chairman launches a plague war against the humans, both Fin and Ananda wrestle with secrets so terrible that they threaten their very existence.

My Thoughts:

The chapters go back and forth between Fin and Ananda's stories. Fin is a very likeable character. He cares about the other rats, and generally has a positive outlook on life. However, he does hate humans because of what they have done to his kind, and wants the torture and killing of rats by humans to stop. Fin will do anything to help his uncle save the rats of the world, so he is ecstatic when his uncle comes up with a plan to bring back the plague, letting rats live in peace. But things change when he meets Ananda for the second time and he sees the potential good in humans. He can't tell his uncle though, as Wreckers (traitors) are disappearing.

Ananda is an introverted teen who was forced to move with her family for her father's job. On top of that, she had recently lost her grandmother, who she was very close with. Her relationship with her parents is strained, and she can't help but feel alone. Ananda loves animals, and can telepathically communicate with them somehow.

This book was really interesting. I loved the look into the politics of the Tunnel rats and Fin the most. While I liked Ananda, it seemed like she was less developed character-wise than the rats, and it made me feel less connected to her. The "secret" Ananda has buried never really comes to light at all, which felt like a let-down considering it was supposed to be a big part of the plot.

Overall, the book was good, but it wasn't really my cup of tea.

My Rating:3 stars 

A Lesson In Vengeance by Victoria Lee REVIEW

 Summary:

Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School - the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus that was her home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the Dalloway Five - a group of students who all died mysteriously. Some say the girls were witches.

It's Ellis Haley's first year at Dalloway. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, she's eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can't shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity to help her research the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can't say no.

But Felicity knows better than anyone how dangerous ghost stories can be. And when history begins to repeat itself, she will have to face that there's a darkness in Dalloway - and in herself.

My Thoughts:

The book starts off a little slow, describing the atmosphere of the setting, but then it gets really good. Felicity isn't sure that going back to Dalloway was a good idea, and she keeps thinking her dead girlfriend, Alex, is haunting her in Godwin House. She has a hard time making new friends at first, as all her previous ones graduated last year, but eventually begrudgingly befriends Ellis and a few other girls.

Felicity believes in magic - why wouldn't she, when she and Alex tried communicating with the Dalloway Five - and she thinks she unleased the spirit of one of them. Ellis is the complete opposite, and she tries to convince Felicity that magic doesn't exist, and that the deaths of the Dalloway Five could have been of non-magical means. The closer they get, the more Felicity falls for Ellis, and the more she remembers the trauma that happened the previous year.

I love the character development in this book. Not only do you get to know Felicity and Ellis, but some of the side characters as well. The element of does magic exist/does it not was done very well in a believable way. The ending was a rollercoaster, and I had to sit for about ten minutes in silence to wrap my head around it. I can't remember the last time a book did that to me.

I would definitely recommend giving this book a read.

My Rating: 5 stars

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides REVIEW

 Summary:

Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. Until one night, when her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word.

Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into a mystery that captures the public imagination. And she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London.

Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia's story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband will take him down a path more unexpected and more terrifying than he ever imagined.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. The story is from the point of view of Theo, a therapist who recently took a job at the Grove. He is fascinated by the unknown story of Alicia's crime, and does everything he can to get her to trust him, so that she can hopefully tell him her story. However, he is the only one at the Grove who thinks he can do it . . . and possibly the only one who even thinks it is worth it. Theo's boss begrudgingly lets him try, but even he is skeptical.

Most of the book takes place in the Grove, with alternate chapters being snippets from Alicia's diary, and we also get a small glimpse at Theo's personal life. For most of it, the pacing is well done and builds up to the end, but the ending does feel very rushed. I think the book should have been slightly longer, because the rushed ending messes up the great pacing that the majority of the book had.

Overall, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.

My Rating: 4 stars