As a child, Alexandra Solarin’s father is shot in front of her eyes at a chess tournament in Russia. The mysteries surrounding his death don’t begin to explain themselves until Alexandra is much older. As an apprentice chef, she has now given up on chess, but the game hasn’t abandoned her. Her mother, Cat Velis, throws a birthday party and invites not only Alexandra but several of her irritating neighbors, Alexandra’s aunt Lily Rad, her best friend Nokomis Key, and her last chess opponent, Vartan Azov. The truth behind her parents’ past is revealed to Alexandra bit by bit as the next stage in the game plays itself out against elaborate backdrops with hugely prominent characters holding pivotal roles in the search for the purpose of the Montglane Service.
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of The Eight, the first book in this duology. I knew I wasn’t going to like The Fire and I continued to put it off, but I did agree to review it, so I had to read it eventually. Waiting did not help me to like it any better. My biggest problem with it was that the book was very difficult to follow, particularly for me, since I don’t really like puzzles. The story alternates between two time periods and I had some difficulty figuring out just why. It’s hard to maintain the threads of the story across time and there seems to be little to no purpose for all the famous name dropping. It does give background as to why the chess pieces are where they are, but I’m not sure that was entirely necessary for the story.
I already mentioned it, but I don’t like books that involve puzzles or riddles. It’s always irritating when the characters solve a riddle and say, “Of course!” and proceed to explain the meaning behind it; I’d have never had a clue, so I was happy that they were explaining, but the entire book seemed like a huge complicated mess to me. I dislike puzzles that are impossible for me to solve. (This isn’t confined to books; I also dislike video games with excessive use of puzzles, although somehow straight puzzle games are fine). I think it would have been even worse if I hadn’t read The Eight. I would not recommend starting with this book, it would be too confusing. It’s hard to care about the characters; even Alexandra wasn’t particularly appealing and fell totally flat, which is never good with a main character.
In short, I felt like this book was a disaster for me. I don’t like this type of book and even the historical sections didn’t appeal. They just felt tacked on, especially with the historical characters that are included purely for name dropping, and took away from the more suspenseful plot with Alexandra and her many friends. I have no interest in reading books of this kind. Overall I would say that if you enjoyed The Eight or The Da Vinci Code, give this a shot. If you didn’t, don’t.
I loved The Eight when I first read it ages ago. When I reread it before reading The Fire, it didn’t quite live up to my memory of it. And I found The Fire to be disappointing. Oh, well.
Sorry this didn’t work for you. I learned a new term from your review, though – duology. I hope this is a pre-scheduled post and you’re out having fun.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Mailbox Monday =-.
I started with this one last year and you’re right, it was terribly confusing. After reading how you felt about this series, I don’t think I’ll be going back and reading “The Eight.”
Oh, and I’m with Kathy, I don’t think I’d ever heard the term duology before.
.-= Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..The Midnight Guardian – Book Review =-.
I couldn’t finish The Eight. Yes, if you’re writing one of those “puzzle books”, the reader needs to keep guessing; but you have to give them some clues or something to follow while they work their way through the story. Or that’s what I think, anyway. So, in short, I’ll probably avoid this one.
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Sweet 16 =-.
It was nice of you to agree to review it even though you didn’t like the first book in the series. I enjoy puzzles, so this might be a book for me.
.-= Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie =-.
I’m with Kathy — hope you’re basking in bliss and not reading bad books.
.-= Beth F´s last blog ..Today’s Read: The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman =-.
I, too, am hoping this was pre-scheduled.
I liked The Eight, so I’m planning on giving this a try. Sorry, you didn’t enjoy it.
.-= carol´s last blog ..Movie- Inkheart =-.
I love puzzles, so I should really get my hands on this!
.-= Stacy´s last blog ..Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon =-.
I haven’t yet read The Eight, but I have it on my shelves. I have never really asked myself if I would enjoy reading about puzzles, but I am willing to at least give the first book a shot and see if it’s something I would like to explore further. Sorry this book wasn’t a hit with you, it’s too bad that you had to read it knowing that you would most likely not enjoy it.
.-= zibilee´s last blog ..The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson – 608 pgs =-.