BOOK REVIEW: Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly #2) by Charlaine Harris

Grave Surprise is the second book in the Harper Connelly series written by Charlaine Harris. It was published on September 26th, 2006 by Berkley Hardcover its ISBN for lookup is 0425212033. I purchased this book.

WHY I BOUGHT IT

I have been making my way through the Charlaine Harris’ back catalogue after True Blood finished up. I started with Aurora Teagarden and really loved the series so this was the logical next step.

WHAT I THOUGHT

This book started slow, I mean really slow something that is a symptom of being first in the series and often suffered by books that have huge stories to build like your epic fantasies and Sci-Fi. However this book is set in the Southern States in a world pretty similar to our own so I wondered why it dragged in the beginning.

Keep going though and you are rewarded with an interesting story about a couple of damaged people who have formed an incredibly strong bond. The supernatural element (or is it) is just an incredibly unique premise for a murder mystery series. Harper herself is very clear that she is not a psychic or clairvoyant.

She is also a member of a very unique group – people who have survived a lightning strike. You learn a lot about the phenomenon in the series like for instance that there is pretty much no walking away from a direct lightning strike and that survivors generally are hit after the initial strike. The rest of the things I will leave you to learn as you read or you could do hit Google.

Once the mystery got going the book became markedly easier to read. You can see the Charlaine Harris style in this book just like I enjoyed in Aurora Teagarden and Sookie Stackhouse. I best describe it talking about all the little things that a lot of books miss out and a lot of social interaction. The style makes you feel like you’re really involved in things rather than just watching on from a distance it makes a lot of difference.

This isn’t a lot like Sookie Stackhouse which is an adult mystery paranormal mystery it is probably closer to the Aurora Teagarden series though it is definitely a little darker in tone. I think as I work my way through the series I will see more similarities that line up with the themes in Harris’ work, small Southern communities with lots of secrets.

If you like murder mysteries check this out the twist of the Harper’s unique abilities makes things even more interesting. If you’re a fan of the way Charlaine Harris writes then I think you’ll be engrossed by this book too.

ANIME REVIEW: Hyouka

Hyouka is a 22 episode anime based on the book series of the same name. 

This is a spoiler free review.

Plot

Hōtarō Oreki doesn't like to do things that he considers a waste of energy. However, things start to change when he enters high school because even though he does not want to join any non-compulsory school activities, his older sister requested that he join the deserted Classics Club so that it won't be disbanded. Unknown to him, another student Eru Chitanda already planned to join; but instead of being free from club obligations, Hōtarō eventually joined as he is strangely unable to refuse nor to escape from Eru's passionate gaze of curiosity. Together with his friends Satoshi and Mayaka, they began to discuss a variety of mysteries in school that only Hōtarō seems to be able to solve; including the mystery that lingered on from Eru's childhood memory.

Why I Chose It

I had heard a lot of things about Hyouka and read some reviews, eventually decided to take the plunge after wanting to learn more about the mystery solving nature of the show. I should also mention that the screenshots I saw showed artwork that was some of the best I had seen and that definitely helped tip me towards giving the show a chance.

What I thought

I really didn’t know what to expect with this series but I had heard so many good things about it and really wanted to take the plunge with a series after finishing up Accel World.

This couldn’t be more different from Accel World with the only common thread being that they are both set in and around high school. The theme of mystery solving and amateur detective work instantly got me hooked in making me watch multiple episodes at a time.

One major point going for this show is the protagonist, maybe it is just because I came to this from watching Accel World but it is so nice to have a lead with a strong sense of self even if he can get talked into all manner of things by a curious girl.

Going off topic for a second I find a problem with a lot of anime shows is protagonists that are almost blank slates with seemingly no thoughts of their own, you could never mistake Hotaro as someone without his own thoughts on life and while throughout the series his mind slowly changes you can see why he makes the choices he does.

I can’t talk about Hyouka without mentioning the mysteries that they gang solve, I found them interesting and engaging as well as very well laid out. You don’t get the TV murder mystery effect where we the detective announces some previously unknown fact that reveals the murderer in an instant, mysteries in Hyouka are solved by deduction which is impressive but believable.

High school politics Japanese style always keep me interested, the after school clubs that seem to mirror the traditional social groups of Goths, jocks et al in an American setting. I probably just wish that my high school was more like that (especially that whole co-ed thing but I digress) but I get that it is an idealised version of what most Japanese High Schools are nice but it serves as an interesting glimpse into a different culture.

In closing I can definitely recommend Hyouka but be prepared to spend a few hours watching those episodes in bulk. This anime showcases well that not every title is about energy attacks and intense action scenes sometimes it is just about friends coming together and helping each other out.