Posts

Showing posts from 2019

The Fugitive and the Vanishing Man by Rod Duncan

Image
The series is finally over. I looked over my reviews for the entire six books and realized it has been a very bumpy ride. "Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire" was much stronger than "The Map of Unknown Things" to me. The first trilogy was more about adventure and magic. The second trilogy was slogged down in politics. "Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire" occurred in an England torn in two with recurring characters and a unity of purpose. They flowed from one to the other even if I liked one book over another.  That cohesion and unity of world didn't turn up in the second trilogy of Elizabeth Barnabus. In fact, she is the only string tying the three books together. And she wasn't a very good string, unfortunately. Her charm seemed to dwindle the longer things went on. I truly loved the start of Elizabeth Barnabus's journey with its gypsies and daring. The clear tensions gave the story direction and kept the pages turning. Once she left the continent, it b

Wolves and Daggers by Melanie Karsak

Image
During the beta read of Wonderland Academy , Melanie recommended that I read her  "Steampunk Red Riding Hood" series  because I love her "Airship Racing Chronicles" and "Wonderland Academy" series. Not one to ignore a recommendation, I picked up a copy of  Wolves and Daggers .  I had put off reading this series due to my reservations about werewolves, but I'm now glad that I followed the recommendation. The writing of Melanie Karsak is absolutely wonderful, and I was completely entertained by this story. Red Riding Hood has turned into Clemeny, agent of the Red Cape Society, fighter of werewolves in Queen Victoria's England. Her and her partner, Quinn, have become tangled in a nefarious plot that keeps the pages turning. I actually managed to read the entire novel in one binge-worthy day. I have to point out my typical complaint with alternative history pieces, though. I don't like when factual historical characters play roles in fantasy.

Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan

Image
I have recently been watching a group of authors playing D&D on Twitch (the group is called TypecastRPG ) because of Charlie Holmberg. As I have watched, I decided to start reading books by the other authors. I started with Brian McClellan's new book Uncanny Collateral .  The premise is urban fantasy--not my ideal fantasy category, though I do love Buffy so it seemed like a worthy try. A reaper seeks out those who have sold their souls to the underworld. Interesting enough. Add to that the reaper has a mystical ring stuck to his finger that houses a djinn. My interest continued to mount. I take points off for the author basing the book in Cleveland, but add points back for the armpit jokes that only an Ohioan can understand. I didn't appreciate the profanity, but it is an urban fantasy so it wasn't surprising. The actual storytelling more than makes up for it, though. The snarkiness, the characters, the action; all terrifically written. I love the dynamics between

Behind the Dragon's Veil by Christina Jolly

Image
This book greatly confused me.  I felt like I was reading a fantasy sci-fi. (Though in all fairness I selected it based on its qualifier Steampunk Fantasy.) It seemed like I was reading a book with no shelf to call home. Andrandria is a country of kings and queens and knights. The main villain is an evil sorcerer. The landscape is pictorial. And there are dragons! Totally high fantasy.  BUT--those dragons are inter-dimensional beings that travel through space and time. That weaponry? Futuristic and sci-fi for sure. Oh, and let's just throw in some steampunk airships and automatons for the giggles. The thing is--it worked. The elements all managed to jive together harmoniously. All the genres were living in one big, happy world together. I just wish I could say the same for the writing continuity. The first half of the novel was really polished. T he author pulled out all the stops on using antiquated verbs to really capture that intellectual feel. However, the second ha

The Warrior Queen by Emily King

Image
Unfortunately this is a series that has only gotten worse the further I have gotten into it. The start had a ton of promise; interesting magics, strong culture. I should have been more leery when Kalinda and Deven fell in love out the gate. The characters continue to have a vitality all their own, which only makes the rehashed plot lines more obvious. With such unique voices, I wish the world building had been as creative. I'll sum it all up with this is Orpheus's Inferno. This author came highly recommended so I'm going to try and give her new series a chance, but I'm very wary. I see the potential in the great character originality. I am just really hoping that Ms. King has grown in her world building abilities.

A Hero Born by Jin Yong

Image
This has been a hard review to write because it has taken me so long to read.  This is a translation of a Chinese classic. This is the Chinese epic equivalent of J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. It was originally published in 1957. Now we have an English translation for the first time.  And it took me a long time to read because the translation is absolutely top notch. The translator captured the culture perfectly, while still being accessible to an English reader. I may have struggled with the names, but the action and fantasy never made that be an obstacle to my reading. I'll be cliche for a moment and say it was like having Crouching Tiger playing in my head every time I read a fight sequence. But that does not overshadow the life journey that is the heart of this story. I recommend investing the time in reading this classic epic. You will learn a lot about yourself too.

Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Image
This was a fantastic middle grade Slavic folklore fantasy tale. I was enamored through the whole book. The cover was really what drew me to this ARC--and my current love of Slavic folktales. The end result was very worth it. The writing is youthful and whimsical while being sturdy and serious when needed. Anya and Ivan were fantastic characters with the foibles of youth but not the agonizing angst. The intrigue was strong enough to pull me along the story (to the point I finished the entire book in one day, much to the chagrin of all my chores around the house), but not overly complicated to lose the younger reader. I found the balance of this book for entertaining youth and the parents who will read it alongside their children to be top notch and highly recommend this story to all fable lovers. Oh, and there are dragons. Come on, who doesn't love dragons?

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

Image
A happy little side read as I prepare for Book 5 this January. This is a collection of fables that are told to peculiar children, plus some history on peculiardom itself. I really enjoy when authors get invested enough in their worlds they make secondary creations.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Image
Happy Halloween season everyone! A great way to kick it off is with Katherine Arden's Small Spaces that just released last week. This is a story for the middle grade reader, but can be enjoyed by parents as well. This is a creepy book about  death and the bargains we make to overcame our sadness . Young Olivia has to face the sudden, tragic loss of her mother. Instead she decides to find solace in books and ignore reality. But she bit off a little more than she could chew with Small Spaces. This is seriously a great book to be reading during Halloween season. I was appropriately freaked out.   It has that perfect Halloween ick factor that makes your skin crawl while you read it. Yet I couldn't put the book down. The main characters are a little flat and become overshadowed by some truly creepy background characters, like the smiling man and his henchmen. But I was okay with that as the villains seemed to be the most important part of the story. The conclusion is a gre

The Fire Queen and The Rogue Queen by Emily King

Image
I'll just put these two together because I read them right in a row, they kind of blurred together, and I'm really behind on reviews. There are several moments in each book of the series that I find incredibly interesting. There are many more moments that makes this series kind of like a train wreck--you can't help but watch the thing derail.  The Fire Queen  introduces us to a completely new kind of tournament just when Kalinda thought she had put fighting behind her.  The Rogue Queen  is where demons get to battle gods...or bhutas, which are half-gods. Kalinda must now ask all the nations, "Can't we all just get along?"  My interest in the series is significantly waning as trope after trope continues to pile up. The world building feels like a work of Frankenstein.  We have Vanhi (Northern India/China/Nepal), Paljor (Viking), Lestari (Caribbean), and Janardan (Southern  India).  While I am happy for all the diversity in the book, it comes out feeling

Scorpion Dawn by Emma Jane Holloway

Image
I was very excited to get an email from Booksprout that Emma Jane Holloway had returned to the steampunk genre. I really enjoyed her "Baskerville Affair" series and had just recently binged Sherlock on Netflix. The timing was just right for another steampunky read. Scorpion Dawn  is an entirely new series from Holloway. The steampunk elements are all excellently represented with  airships, tea, and aether.  There are some incredibly clever inventions as well. I like the self-assured Kitteridge and want to know more about his secrets, the Conclave and the magic system.  There are plenty of elements that keep the pages turning . However, two items kept me from loving this  book and giving it anything more than 3 1/2 stars.   One, Miranda. There is nothing inherently wrong with Miranda; I'm just a little washed out on the whole oppressed females are smart so their going out to make a name for themselves, dammit, attitude . Two, Unseen. Are they vampires? Are they zom

Tokyo Green by C.D. Wight

Image
"In 2048, AI specialist Tomo is about to lose his job in Silicon Valley, as U.S. unemployment soars past thirty percent. In Tokyo, he reveals a yakuza scheme that amounts to genocide. Tomo fights to defend the independent lifestyle of his grandmother and other elderly Japanese, with help from an upbeat slacker and a rogue AI." Sounds great, right? Japan, AI, future philosophy, independence...count me in. I got an email advertising Tokyo Green  on Netgalley. I most commonly just throw these advertisements in the trash, but every now and again my curiosity is piqued. This time I was drawn by the cover, the "independent lifestyle," and a scheme. I was horrifically disappointed. What I got was an in your face political soapbox drug deal gone wrong. There was little in terms of the AI philosophical pondering that was heavily hinted at in the first chapters we meet Tomo and Sara. What we got instead were some really unsubtle allusions.  Horrible plot points

Siege & Sacrifice by Charlie Holmberg

Image
I am honestly having a difficult time writing a review for the conclusion to the  "Numina" trilogy. I hope I make a coherent argument for the novel. Again, we start exactly where the last book left off, which makes it feel like the series was written as one novel then divided up at strategic heart-wrenching points. This provides a cohesion in the story elements, but hurts it in one big way for me: it felt forced. While the action is amazing and the themes well conceived, the pacing feels absolutely dictated by a need for three novels where one or two would have done more justice to the creation. I love reading Holmberg's writings because she underscores her fantasy with some seriously thought provoking themes. This series has a strong subtext around our instincts and whether we should listen to that still, small voice. Her concept of an eternal plane connected to ours, the history of the numen, her depiction of betrayal and its aftermath, the pains of being mor

Wonderland Academy: Year One by Melanie Karsak

Image
Let's start with some harsh truths. I loved Melanie Karsak's Chasing the Star Garden , but I have struggled with her recent works. I tried the Scottish "Highland" series and was never drawn in. The zombies and werewolf genres I just avoided.  Sub-point--kudos to her for writing multiple genres and not becoming a redundant author. This cover certainly proves the old mantra, "don't judge a book by its cover." I absolutely would not have ever  picked this book off a shelf. It does not do this story justice. At all. I am super leery of fairy tale retellings (especially super overdone ones like Alice in Wonderland) and am super picky about them. Now for why all those points don't matter after reading Wonderland Academy .  I signed up for the author's newsletter with the continual hope that she is going to announce the conclusion of the "Airship Racing Chronicles." I am still really hopeful. Her last newsletter managed to hook

Dragon Called by Ava Richardson

Image
I cannot fathom how this novel has gotten anything above 2 stars. I requested an ARC based on the theme, book cover, and the reviews I had read. Well, somehow the rest of the world is able to slog through an unedited novel written by someone with no grasp of the English language; and I just can't understand why. Have our standards really fallen that low? I gave it the benefit of the doubt, so I pushed myself--the potential of the characters, the world are all just there waiting to be unlocked by a tiny red pencil. I really hoped that just my ARC had all these errors and the published copy had been polished. Sadly, no. I was able to rent a copy to see how it turned out.  Atrocious.   They actually published it to the masses with all the errors. Absolutely atrocious. The deadweed. The magic. The relationships with the dragons. I want to read about those things. This novel has all the makings of really strong fantasy. I just could not read it. I would abruptly be taken out of the

The Hundredth Queen by Emily King

Image
This was a highly charged, heavy emotion book. It is going to make you upset, and you aren't going to like it. You're not supposed to; it is a book about overcoming the things we disagree with.  I read it based on a recommendation from a favorite author, and it was free on Kindle. It is culturally inspired by Sumeria and India, and their mythologies. Orphaned women are raised in convents to be kept secluded unless chosen for marriage or servitude by an elite man. Kalinda simply wants to make it passed her sickness and fade away into solitude, but fate has other plans. She is going to become the hundredth rani. A queen among queens, who will change the very structure of the Tarachand Empire. They just really don't understand how exactly she is supposed to do that. Besides the trope romance, the story is actually crammed pack with emotional moments that kept me coming back to read more each night. I really like the strong sense of sisterhood and empowering each other w

Self-Sufficient Living

Image
      Two things have been going on this summer.  1.) I have been watching some kids on summer break. 2.) I've been reading up on self-sufficient living lately, as it is the true passion of our household. How do these two things combine together to make sense? I have been taking the kids to the library to try and get their noses out of their devices. While they are picking out their books, I discovered an entire shelf dedicated to self-reliance. Book One:  The Good Life-- I had been interested in reading this one for quite some time. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed. First, I didn't realize the Nearings had done their project in the '40s. Second, the book was somewhere in between a memoir and an academic essay. And was successful at neither. I definitely learned a few new tricks, but overall it didn't really explain how to be self-sufficient  today . Book Two: The Resilient Farm --More helpful than The Good Life  by being more modern, but not by much.

Catching up

Hello, everyone!  I have been MIA for awhile again.  Apologies! Most of the last month was spent reading educational books helping my husband prepare for priesthood.  These are highly informative and fascinating books, but many of you probably share little interest.  I'd be happy to answer any questions otherwise. However, I picked up several sustainable living books   from my local library that might be of more interest.  So check back in soon for more on those.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

Image
We are back with the witches in an operatic drama at the mystery dinner theater.  While I'm very glad that Magrat is now gone, I'm not sure if I enjoy the replacement.  I'll need more time with Perdita X. Dream to know for sure--because first impressions are not too strong here. A cheese baron has bought the oft suffering opera house on the cheap.  Probably because it has a phan--hmm, hmm--ghost and all the actors have superstitions and egos the size of Ankh-Morpork.  But what is our ego in the space of our destiny?   The wit is certainly on point in this novel even if the mystery is wide open.   I also appreciate the extra scenes with Death, who happens to be my favorite discworld character (though Rincewind runs a tight race with him), especially when he is interacting with Granny Weatherwax. Nanny Ogg does an exceptionally Ogg job explaining,  “You needed at least three witches for a coven. Two witches was just an argument.” She can't just make Agnes join the c

Unicorn Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle

Image
I was incredibly disappointed in this collection.  When I pick up an anthology, I do not expect to love every story.  I am picking up a mixed bag of authors to expose myself to different works and see if there might be an author I have been missing.   Unicorns are very popular creatures right now, and I know very little of their lore or tales throughout time.  I thought this anthology would be a great way to see where the humble unicorn has been.  Plus, there are some serious powerhouse authors gathered here and i t opens with such a promising introduction.    The first story starts to give me pause into how this anthology is going to turn out.  Story two kept the down slide continuing.  I couldn't even finish reading the third story.   Story four was dark, but I finished it.  The ending sentence made me truly wonder if there was really any hope for this anthology having anything good.   Then I read story five, Ghost Town  by Jack Haldeman II from 1992.  I loved it.  It was t

Rebel Born by Amy Bartol

Image
I was trying to read another ARC and get the review published before its release date but failing miserably.  The book clearly had never seen an editor, and I just could not immerse into the story.  Then a reminder popped up that Rebel Born released this week, and I had not read it yet.  I immediately switched books and could not put down Rebel Born.   I read it in 16 hours. Let me start by saying I loved this book.  It is one of the best books I have ever read.  Though it is sci-fi, the feel of fiction borders so close to the science.  The fiction part of Rebel Born  felt well researched and incredibly plausible in the world today.  (While I love sci-fi like Star Trek, the reality of it is just never there for me.  It will always remain an alien story in the space of make believe.)  The implications of the neurochemistry and quantum mechanics kept this novel from escaping into the world of pure imagination. The evolution of Roselle and the relationships around her are all incredi

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception

Image
Nobody is smarter than Artemis Fowl.  And that might just be a good thing for Holly Short this time.  She is going to need the boy genius to save all of fairy civilization from the ultimate arch nemesis. Another fantastic addition to the Artemis Fowl series.  Quick paced and fun to read, these novels are an excellent selection when I'm looking for lighthearted reads before bed. While I was once leery to continue this series, I will now see them out to the end.  Even when they have their slow moments, they still fill a purpose in my reading schedule.

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Image
There are just times when a middle grade novel is what I need to read.  That is usually after a heavy dose of academic reading.  While Appalachian Reckoning  was fascinating and had the ability to spark some very interesting conversation in the house, it was extremely exhausting to read. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code  was a great way to wind down and relax my brain.  It was entertaining as any other heist story you may come across.  Artemis senior is home and ready to get on the straight and narrow.  This does not sit well with Artemis junior, however.  How are they supposed to keep their vast hordes of gold incoming with legitimate business? In his final scheme, Artemis plans to make enough gold to keep the status quo.  Our favorite boy genius uses stolen fairy tech to entice the head of the competing big shot to set up the Fowls for life.   Unfortunately, Artemis bites off more than he can chew by trying to swindle  one  of the most pompous, greedy villains and almost reveals a

Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy by et al.

Image
I had never heard of Hillbilly Elegy .  (I must have been living under a rock or something.)  When Appalachian Reckoning  showed up on my Netgalley list, I was instantly interested.  The subject matter is incredibly close to my heart.  I looked up Hillbilly Elegy  and read some synopses.  I was aggravated.  My family made the same diaspora from Appalachia to the Rust Belt during the Great Depression.  They moved into the very town Vance worked his way out of.  They lead incredibly similar lives, but we came to very different conclusions on how to handle our situations. I was very interested to read responses from others who live in the same region.  Were others as offended with Vance's representation as I was, or did I stand alone?  Well, honestly, I got a little more than I bargained for in Appalachian Reckoning .  The first half of the book is a collection of response essays of an academic nature.  The second half is more personal responses in all kinds of literary formats. T

Lady Mechanika: La Belle Dame sans Merci by Joe Benitoz

Image
What another wonderful segment in the world of Lady Mechanika.  I have absolutely loved this series.  The steampunk ascetic, the myths, the atmosphere, the great characters.  I could absolutely go on to list a hundred things I enjoy about this series.  It makes me understand why people buy serial comics when the subject is something they enjoy so thoroughly. Volume 4 was becoming a little gruesome and dark as Mr. Lewis confronted his past.  I actually put off reading La Belle Dame sans Merci until it was published as Volume 5 actually. Mr. Lewis's only solace was at the bottom of a bottle until he meets a beautiful and mysterious widow.  Love is certainly in the air.  But what happens when that love turns deadly?  It's old, reliable friend pitted against an irresistible spark of light.  The emotions are running high and deep in Volume 5.  The level of fantasy in La Belle Dame sans Merci is over 9,000.  We are talking fairies, people.  The steampunk was very low key this a

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett

Image
Rincewind saves my Discworld every time.  He is just priceless.  Our satire this time--the Art of War.  The gods are bored and decide to play a game.  Fate is playing Imperial China on the verge of the communist revolution.  The Lady decides to counter with the one pawn Fate will never be able to anticipate, the Great Wizzard Rincewind.  The other pawns on the board are Genghiz Cohen, the barbarian invader from the north; Hex, the super conglomeration made by the Unseen wizards; Lord Hong, the dreamer of empires; the Luggage, and little luggage babies (cute!); and the return of the amazing Twoflower, tourist extraordinaire.  Worlds collide as Cohen tries to civilize up in order to steal the empire, Lord Hong attempts a coup, and Rincewind is magically transported with Unseen University's version of physics.  The amount of fumbling in this novel absolutely restored the humor I had been missing in the last couple novels.  What excited me the most, however, was the ending.  Inst

Myths & Mortals by Charlie Holmberg

Image
We pick up immediately after the face-walloping cliffhanger from  Smoke & Summons .  The emotion is high intensity right from the get go and never lets go of your heartstrings.  The raw emotion of Sandis as she puts together the pieces of her life is very intense and a little overwhelming at times.  There is a lot of angst and sense of betrayal.  While being incredibly vivid and real, I actually felt it was a little too much for enjoyable reading at moments. The action is just as fast-paced and visceral as Smoke & Summons .  Sandis and Rone are on another mad dash around Kolingrad in their ever present struggle against Kazen.  But the game is turned up a notch in Myths & Mortals  as Sandis decides to turn her flight into a pursuit.  She is not going to let Kazen make her decisions any more.  She wants to put an end to the non-stop anxiety and restlessness that is dogging her heels. There are many highs and many lows to be had on the path to her freedom and the world'

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett

Image
I have apparently hit a slump in the Discworld.  The satire has become on the most obvious of topics.  They built this city on music with rocks in it, everyone.  The largest downside to this topic are the references.  I grew up listening to music from bygone days for my age group, but this novel stretched my knowledge of rock history.  It was distracting. The disasters of fame and fortune are the meat of the satire, but I couldn't get passed trying to figure out which rock stars were being used for cultural reference.  This is entirely a personal problem and may not bother many other readers.  I just have to put the imagery together in my mind.  If you don't have to waste your brain on connecting fiction with fact, then this could be a very entertaining book for you.

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Image
Gonnes don't kill people; people kill people.  Well if that isn't the most cliche thing I have ever read.  Except this is Discworld, where the gonnes can do the killing for themselves, thank you very much.  While the story of Men at Arms  is an incredibly fun read from a character development viewpoint, it disappointed after Lords and Ladies .  I guess that is the hazard of reading the series in publication order. Captain Vimes is about to retire from the City Watch and marry one of the richest women in Ankh-Morpork.  He will turn his badge in for gentlemanly leisure.  He is looking down the barrel of -- okay, okay, I won't finish that cliche pun.  He faces the vacuum that every person who has dedicated their lives to their career faces with complete denial.  It helps that the largest crime spree Ankh-Morpork has seen is occurring. There was plenty of humor.  Terry Pratchett has never failed me on that.  I'm just too exhausted of the social satire for this one.  Fir

The Bell Between Worlds by Ian Johnstone

Image
This was recommended by the woman who ran the children's department at the independent bookstore I worked at three years ago.  It got buried in the move, and I'm just now  getting around to reading it.   This book was compared to the "Chronicles of Narnia" and "His Dark Materials" series.  Those are some big footprints to follow behind.   I think the comparison is a bit too lofty for the outcome.   Sylas Tate woke up as a normal boy running errands for an oppressive uncle when he comes across the Shop of Things and his whole world is upended.  He must find his mother.  He enters upon the journey of his life. The novel is a trope and was a little hard to push passed my expectations.  Most of the time I felt like I was reading any number of other middle grade novels where the protagonist flees the evil overlord to come out the other side as a hero.   The story felt forced, but the  concept of the Glimmer Myth kept me from putting this away unfinished. 

Smoke & Summons by Charlie Holmberg

Image
I had stacked up a rather large Netgalley pile again, so despite having pre-ordered this novel, I felt it was only right to plow through my ARCs first.  The only problem was some of them were harder reading than I anticipated, and I was put off from reading this for quite awhile.  I missed the release day I had so hoped to help promote.  Que sera, sera. I pre-ordered this because 1) it was written by Charlie Holmberg and 2) it is about humans being vessels to spirits.  (I feel this could be turned into a really awesome anime.)  Sandis lives in an incredibly sheltered life as the favorite vessel to a criminally insane master.  Rone is a 25 year old parkour ninja.  How could I not pre-order? Sandis's character development as an 18 year old runaway is fantastic.  You can feel her naivety from having been sheltered most of her adolescence, but her street smarts from her childhood lie under the surface.  As she flexes her atrophied skills, the story takes a little bit of a slow star

Immoral Code by Lillian Clark

Image
Today is the release day for Immoral Code  by Lillian Clark.  I have a love-hate relationship with this novel.   I received an e-mail for the advanced copy at the beginning of the year.  I was instantly drawn in by their tagline: " Ocean's 8  meets The Breakfast Club  in this fast-paced, multi-perspective story about five teens determined to hack into one billionaire absentee father's company to steal tuition money."  Should have been suspicious at the 8 instead of 11, but I was completely focused on The Breakfast Club-- easily one of my favorite movies.   I didn't read the synopsis much further than that when I clicked the request button.  It took awhile for the request to be approved, and I mostly forgot what the story was all about by the time the ARC hit my inbox.   I really need to read synopses in much further detail before I request books.  It bites me in the butt when I don't.  Hence the love-hate relationship.   This is a story told from five