Book Review Archive

December Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

This is an amazing book. It is the story of OZ, but it is the Wicked Witch's side of the story. Elphaba (the Witches real name) grew up in Munchkinland, and went to school at the university in Shiz (where she is room mates with Glinda). Gregory Maguire is a wonderful author. He created a very believable world, although it is very much a fantasy story. Some familiar characters (if you have seen The Wizard of Oz) are Glinda, Dorothy, the tinman, lion and scarecrow, and the Wizard (who in this book is the villan). It was wonderful to finally see Elphaba's side of the story. I highly recomend this book.

October Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice

Well, I had to read this before the movie comes out. I'm so glad I did. Like all of Anne Rice's books, this is a masterpiece.  It starts where The Vampire Lestat left off.  It explains how the first vampires are made. I don't want to tell you too much, it will spoil the wonderful story.  I will say that all of the characters who appeared in the first two books (and are still alive) are there. It was long, but very detailed (which I like). If you love Lestat, you will love this.

September Pocahantas- Princess of the Old Dominion by Margaret Denny Dixon

I had to read this book for history class. It is the story of how Pocahantas saved the James Fort settlers. When I found out I had to read it I thought it would be about her life, like a biography, but it is more about her relationship with the settlers. I didn't like it very much. I would normally love a book with a setting so close to home (I live in VA), but this book was very boring. It was not very detailed or in depth and it was not really about Pocahantas' life. If you have to read a book about Pocahantas, do not read this one. Choose a biography or a more in depth novel.

August The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

I have just finished reading The Vampire Lestat and have to say that this is one of the best works in the Vampire Chronicals.  Anne Rice did a wonderful job of describing Lestat and his adventures.  Through Lestat's eyes, we see how he him go from a boy in Pre-Revolutionary France in the 1700s to a glamorous American rock star in the band The Vampire Lestat the 1980s.   Her style is lush and beautiful, yet very dark and disturbing at times.  It isn't hard to be sucked (no pun intended) into Lestat's world.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read and loved Interview with the Vampire, or who enjoys a beautifully written vampire fiction.

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