The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Title: The Gargoyle

Author: Andrew Davidson

Genre: Romance, Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2008, 465 pages 

Challenge: Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010


From the Cover

On a dark road in the middle of the night, a car plunges down into a ravine. The driver survives the crash, but suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers from hospital, planning his suicide, a strange woman appears at the foot of his bed, insisting she saved his life a century ago. Spanning medieval Germany, Japan, Iceland, and beyond, The Gargoyle is a mesmerising novel of death, history, obsession, and faith..

My Thoughts

Let me just begin with these four little words... I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's been awhile since I've read a novel that is filled with such raw passion and intriguing mystery, and this book definitely has both. Written in the first person, The Gargoyle centers on the narrator (nameless) and a woman called Marianne Engel. When the narrator finds himself scarred for life and hospitalised due to severe burns, a woman by the name of Marianne Engel mysteriously appears in his life. Marianne Engel is an exotic and beautiful woman who claims that she was born in Germany in the year 1300 and has known the narrator for hundreds of years. The narrator is an atheist and pessimist who thinks that his life is no longer worth living due to his grotesquely disformed figure, post car-crash. Whilst he thinks that Marianne is suffering from psychological issues, he can't help but become mesmerised by her countless stories of love, war, courage and history. As the narrator goes through the process of physical healing, Marianne closely becomes an ally in his process of emotional recovery as well.

What's most interesting about this book is that it is dark and twisted, yet invokes passion and beauty all at the same time. I guess this is mainly due to the two main characters above, where one has given up on life, whilst the other breathes life. There were two main things that kept me turning the pages furiously:

1) The constant flits between the past and the present. This is where the reader is taken from the hospital room to the pages of history, and where the mystery of how Marianne came to know the narrator is slowly unraveled.

2) The various stories of undying love and passion (as narrated by Marianne) orginating from Italy, London, Japan and Iceland. My favorite one (and I think this is true for many others who have read the book) would be the tale of the Japanese woman, Sei. 

An extremely commendable debut from Davidson, this is a highly recommended book that should not escape anyone's attention. On a final note, I found this cool book trailer from Doubleday with comments from Davidson himself. Enjoy the show!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

She’s tough.. She’s fearless…. And she’s a survivor…

Katniss Everdeen is no ordinary 16 year-old. She lives in the poor town of Seam under District 12 of Panem. With a dead father, a grief-stricken mother and a helpless younger sister, it is up to Katniss to ensure that food is on the table each day. But life is not all that bad when she goes hunting for food with Gale. At 18, Gale is a skilful hunter who teaches Katniss the way around the forbidden and dangerous woods of Panem. They share many things in common; both with the same adventurous streak and with families that are dependent on them, but the most common thing that they share is their trepidation at being called to participate in the country’s annual Hunger Games…a brutal game of survival where the weak perish and only the fittest survive…

Katniss’ already dysfunctional world suddenly turns for the worse, when her sweet, innocent 12 year-old sister is picked as the female participant for this year’s Hunger Games. In an attempt to protect the only sister she has, Katniss throws herself into the Games as a volunteer to replace her sister. As she steels herself for the inevitable departure from her family and from Gale, she discovers herself falling into an unexpected union with District 12’s male Hunger Games participant, Peeta Mellark….

I first heard about this from Ms Ulat Buku and Beth Fish Reads and saw that so many other people had been raving about it too. I’m so glad I picked this up, as this book is definitely going to the top of my favourite list for this year. In a nutshell, it’s an engaging fast-paced adventure, interlaced with a budding romance between the spunky Katniss and two other prospective suitors; the dependable and trustworthy Gale and the charming and delectable Peeta. If I had to make up my mind now, I would probably be a Team Gale supporter. Why? Well, he doesn’t feature as much as Peeta does in the first of the Hunger Games series, but I like it when a man is depicted as strong and reliable. Though Katniss has pretty much proven how independent she can be, I’d like to think that she ends up with a macho, macho man. Unfortunately, Peeta was too much of a softie for me. He is awfully charming and sweet though….(sigh)…

In any case, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the second and third book, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. It’s true what the critics out there say; this novel will continue to haunt you days after you’ve finished reading it. It’s truly a compelling story, from start to finish.

p/s: I’m psyched to find out that the Hunger Games will be made into a movie soon and equally happy to know that Suzanne Collins will be writing the screenplay herself. (I was extremely disappointed with the Twilight and New Moon movies. I felt that it failed to deliver the intensity of the plot, making it all look pretty cheesy instead). So, who do you think should play Katniss?? Personally, I can’t think of a suitable actress to play Katniss at the moment but I think Saoirse Ronan of The Lovely Bones makes a perfect Prim Everdeen.

Sookie: Books 5, 6 & 7 by Charlaine Harris

I’ve been a bit of a Little Miss Lazybones lately. I actually finished most of the Sookie series available (except for the last 2 books) some time back, and since then have been engrossed in so many other books that I’ve side-lined writing my reviews for Sookie. As a result of my ungodly procrastination, I can’t exactly remember the details of these books, so I’ve decided that the best way to go about it is to list what I liked most from each.

In the 5th book of the Sookie Stackhouse series i.e. Dead as a Doornail, Sookie deals with her brother’s change into a werepanther, after he was bitten by another from the Hotshot community (the bite happened in Book 3). What I love most about this Book was that I finally understood what Claudine’s role in Sookie’s life was. In the first few series, I had been left wondering what a Fairy had anything to do with the world of vampires and werewolves, so the revelation here was liberating. I also like the introduction to Quinn; the tall, hunky and absolutely yummy character, who happens to be a shape-shifter. As usual with Charlaine Harris, there are a few plots brewing at the same time in the Book, but I thought they all blended together quite well.

The 6th installation of the Sookie Stackhouse series is Definitely Dead. In this Book, readers will see a lot more of Quinn and his yumminess, as he gets acquainted with our wry and sexy Sookie. What’s really great about this book is this:

1. Sookie finally tackles a budding relationship in the right way. Instead of falling straight into it (like her previous relationships), she starts things slow and with a sceptical mind.

2. Sookie gains some normality in her life when she discovers a friend in Amelia. Not that Amelia is quite that normal anyway (after all, she is a witch). But the fact that these two, both human girls with abilities, manage to find a common thread in each other was certainly a refreshing point.

In All Together Dead (the 7th Book), Sookie attends the vampire summit as part of the Queen of Louisiana’s entourage. The Queen has been charged for murdering her husband and is set for trial at the summit, and Sookie is needed for her ability. At the summit, she bumps into an old friend, Barry, the boy with telepathic ability just like Sookie, and together they find themselves embroiled in the biggest crisis they have ever encountered. For me, this is by far the most fast-paced and suspense-filled Sookie adventure yet. I really wish I could say more but that would just spoil the entire plot.

 Overall, I think books 5, 6 and 7 have definitely picked-up pace and is more thrilling and engaging than before. If you love mysteries with a mix of supernatural creatures then you would definitely love Sookie. I rate all three books a whopping 5 stars because I just love quirky Sookie!

Broga at Sunrise

I've blogged about Broga a few times before (see here and here) and I think I would not do the place justice if I didn't post up some pictures of the place taken during sunrise. I finally managed to cajole a group of friends who were already planning a hike there, to wakeup at 5am (believe me, it was no easy feat - both the cajoling and forcing myself to wakeup from my very comfortable bed in the wee hours of the morning).

Together we climbed the hill and this is what I caught on camera, at the break of dawn from the hilltops of Broga:

As usual, I enjoyed the short hike and the waking up at 5am was a task well rewarded.

Of Vampires, Werewolves and Immortality…my take on the Twilight Saga

I know I’m pretty outdated on this Twilight Saga phenomenon but the book series has left such a huge impact on me that I simply cannot not blog about it……I practically think, eat, dream and breathe vampire now! (Ok, maybe not literally eat and breathe like a vampire but my husband has complained of seeing me attacking my regular consumption of concentrated cherry juice as if it’s like the vampire’s favourite meal…).

Anyway, some of my equally out-dated friends have yet to finish the series, so I’m not going to spoil it for them by talking too much about the storyline. But as an introduction to those who’ve never heard of the Saga (you’ve got to be an ultimate “katak-under-the coconutshell” to fall under this category), the book is largely based on the romantic relationship between a teenage human girl (Bella Swan) and a vampire who has been stuck at the age of 17 for the past 100 years (Edward Cullen). Their relationship takes on various challenges that threaten their very existence; Edward’s precarious balance between the lust to drain Bella empty of her sweet blood and protecting her with his life, the threat of the wolves and their bond to Bella, and the even bigger danger of the other covens of vampires drawn to the peculiarity of Edward and Bella’s relationship.

If you have heard about how great the Saga is but just haven’t found the time to read it, allow me to share the reasons why you should just grab the first book now and start flipping to Page 1 right away:

1) Once you start, you can’t stop. The book will start holding your attention from page 25 onwards, all the way to page 754 of the 4th book.

2) It’s any easy read…simple prose, yet a storyline so fascinating, you’d never guess it was a Saga meant for young-adult fiction.

3) Edward Cullen is akin to a Greek God…it’s impossible not to fall in love with him (the series will get you fantasising about him 24-7 and wishing he would just bite you already).

4) Despite being a love story, this is no Mills and Boon. There’s enough drama and nail-biting action to keep you in suspense throughout.

5) Bella’s klutzy and nonchalant character will get you in stitches…(she’s rather funny and extremely adorable!)

6) If you’re not into charming, smooth-talking, suave vampires, then you will definitely fall for Jacob, the bad boy-cum-wolf of the Quileute tribe…

and last but not least….

7) Anne Rice is getting old and Lestat is just too self-absorbed….Stephenie Meyer is definitely the new master vampire storyteller you don’t want to miss…


"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn’t know how potent that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him".Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 9, p.195