Book Review: Darksoul by Anna Stephens
Posted on January 7, 2019 26 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Godblind Trilogy
Publisher: Talos (January 2, 2019)
Length: 401 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
So, Anna Stephen’s debut Godblind was a book I had mixed feelings about. I wasn’t even sure I was going to be continuing with the series, but when the publisher unexpectedly sent me the sequel Darksoul, I decided to go for it. After all, despite my issues with the first book, I also felt it was solidly written and the trilogy showed immense potential to develop into something more. I didn’t want to write it off completely.
And well, now that I’ve come out on the other side of this book, I’m really I glad I didn’t. I enjoyed Darksoul much more than I expected, and not only because it improved upon many of the weaknesses I found with its predecessor. I also felt more invested in the story this time around, which might seem a little strange, considering how most of it takes place during a siege—and a long and drawn-out one at that. But perhaps it was because we got to concentrate all the action in one place that we were also able to better explore the intricacies of the characters’ lives. In the middle of this intense conflict, the real human emotions finally emerged, and thus these new developments enabled us to truly grasp just how much everyone has at stake.
The story catches us up with many of the characters from Godblind—or at least the ones that have managed to survive the bloodbath that was the first book. Now the capital of Rilpor is surrounded on all sides by the invading army of Mireces. Spurred on by the Dark Lady, whose boundless influence now lies unchecked thanks to the shattered veil that used to keep the enemy’s bloodthirsty Red Gods at bay, the Mireces forces have already killed most of the Wolves along with many of Rilpor’s soldiers. Rillirin is on the run, heartsick at what has become of her lover Dom, whose seer abilities had made him vulnerable to the corrupting powers of the Red Gods. Now he stands by the Dark Lady, his will broken and completely under her control. Meanwhile, Commander Durdil orders the city to keep fighting, and a captain named Crys also falls into an unexpected role as fate apparently has bigger plans for him.
Like the first book, Darksoul is extremely heavy on the brutality and gore, even by the grimmest of grimdark standards. But unlike the first book, the violence seemed less gratuitous somehow, and less tacked on. This was just one of the many improvements over Godblind. Part of this is due to the deeper characterizations I mentioned before. In this area, the sequel surpassed the original by leaps and bounds. Because the scope of the plot is much smaller this time, focused around the siege, all the different character perspectives were also less spread out. This made for a more streamlined narrative, with fewer POVs and less frequent transitions between them. I think this was why I felt more engaged with the characters this time, as I found their voices also more memorable and their plot arcs more interesting to read about.
Darksoul was also much better paced, and I was impressed at the way Stephens kept up momentum and interest, despite the limitations of a siege story. Covering it across multiple fronts, she managed to convey the full horror of the situation, as well as the desperation and despair. The twists and turns in the plot had more impact because I cared more about what happened, whereas I didn’t feel the same with Godblind because in a way that book felt like it was more shock factor than substance. In contrast, Darksoul was better at bringing out the emotion that I expect from a good story, and it was also an overall more immersive experience.
Bottom line, I was really glad I decided to give this series another chance. While I had my issues with Godblind, I felt Anna Stephens delivered a rock-solid sequel in Darksoul, fixing a lot of the flaws from the first book. She also appears to have learned from some of the missteps she made in her debut, and as a reader, nothing makes me more excited than to watch an author’s skills develop over time. I look forward to what the conclusion of this trilogy will bring.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Godblind (Book 1)
YA Weekend Audio: The Wicked King by Holly Black
Posted on January 6, 2019 23 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Wicked King by Holly Black
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 2 of The Folk of the Air
Publisher: Hachette Audio (January 8, 2019)
Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Caitlin Kelly
Last year I read Holly Black for the very first time with The Cruel Prince and discovered why she is so beloved among YA fiction fans. I also understand now why so many call her the Queen of Fae. I was aware she made her name with stories set in Faerie, writing about the Fae folk—who tend not to be very nice people in her depictions. Her portrayals of Faerie are also dark places filled with treacherous politics, where one wrong move can end you. In this sense, her new series is so far living up to all the standards she’s already established, and I was really pleased that The Wicked King was in every way as good as its predecessor.
As always, my reviews are spoiler-free, though it would be impossible not to talk about this book without referring to some of the people and events from the previous one, so I highly recommend finishing The Cruel Prince first before proceeding. It has been about five months since we last saw Jude Duarte, who managed to pull off the greatest coup in the history of Faerie by putting Carden on the throne, making him High King. However, his path to ascendancy also came with a catch: he has to obey every order Jude gives him. Only by secretly controlling Cardan is she able to keep her younger brother Oak safe.
But of course, no one enjoys being under someone else’s thumb, least of all Cardan, who uses all his Fae trickery to try and thwart Jude’s commands, attempting to weaken her position any chance he gets. Yet at the same time, their attraction to each other cannot be denied. Now they must put aside their hostilities, at least for a time, until they can uncover the identity of a traitor who has been revealed to be close to Jude, working with the court’s enemies to bring down everything she holds dear. Already, the Queen of the Undersea is eying the change in succession as an opportunity to break the longstanding treaty between their two peoples, using her daughter in a plot to steal the throne.
Pretty much the entire story revolves around the various characters scheming, trying to get the upper hand. Everyone wants power, even if they say they don’t. You can never trust what anyone says, or take their words at face value; Fae are experts at double-speak and bending truth, even if they can’t tell an outright lie. This is what I love about Holly Black’s faeries: they’re nasty, manipulative, and absolutely merciless. If you enjoy reading about royal court intrigue and power plays, then this is the series for you. There are no clear lines between the sides, which makes it extremely difficult to tell an enemy from an ally.
Speaking of which, nothing illustrates this better than the complicated relationship between Jude and Cardan. There’s undeniable chemistry between these two, even though the romance plot itself is understated compared to everything else happening around them. In fact, what we get is more of a game than an actual romance; the story does a good job feeding into the electrifying tensions between our two main characters, teasing the reader’s interest and curiosity to keep reading to find out just what the hell is going on.
Jude herself is a force to be reckoned with. For someone hiding so many secrets and juggling so many plots, not to mention whose loyalties are pulled in so many directions, she sure conducts herself with excellent poise and careful control, even though she is up against some of the Fae realm’s best manipulators. She’s also not too proud to admit she’s gotten a taste for power while ruling on behalf of Cardan, though she is also willing to make sacrifices for the sake of her family—whether their goals are aligned with hers or not. She has become a different person than she was in the first book—stronger, shrewder, and more ambitious—but loyalty still means a lot to her, and that’s why I still hold her in high regard.
And by the way, Holly Black may be the Queen of Fae, but now I know she’s also the queen of torturous endings. If you thought the ending to The Cruel Prince was a bombshell, wait until you finish The Wicked King. And that’s all I’ll say about that.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable sequel. Full of twists and turns, The Wicked King is a wild ride from start to finish. Everything that Jude goes through in this one—her first experience with real power, the huge leaps she makes in her relationship with Cardan, and her realization that she likes it all—has major implications on the growth of her character and the future of this series, considering how this book ended. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Audibook Comments: Holly Black truly hit the jackpot when it comes to the narrator for the audiobooks of her Folk of the Air series. Caitlin Kelly’s narration meshes with the book’s writing style perfectly, and her voice is also a good match for Jude. Overall, Ms. Kelly delivered an impressive performance and the audio version of The Wicked King was another quality listen, just like the first book.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Cruel Prince (Book 1)
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on January 5, 2019 36 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Happy new year, everyone! This is going to be a light roundup due to the holidays, but on the bright side, this was the first time in years that we didn’t have to travel anywhere so I managed to get a lot of reading done during our staycation. I’ll have a lot of review writing to catch up on, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of things.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
Last month from the kind folks at Berkley, I received an ARC of The War Within by Stephen R. Donaldson. I didn’t even know that he’ll have a new book out, but a little bit of digging showed this will be the sequel to Seventh Decimate, which–oops!–I still need to catch up on.
Also thanks to Simon Pulse for a finished copy of Slayer by Kiersten White! This is one I’m hoping to read for January.
With thanks also to Tor for a finished copy of Terran Tomorrow by Nancy Kress, the third and final book in the Yesterday’s Kin trilogy. Looks like I still have to read book two before I can get to this one, but I was planning on it anyway, since I enjoyed the first one.
And from the amazing team at Subterranean Press, I received this incredible haul of ARCs: Death & Honey by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson and Chuck Wendig is a collection containing three novellas, one by each of the authors. These stories also feature their characters from their respective series: Atticus and Oberon, Rhett Walker, and Miriam Black. At Home in the Dark edited by Lawrence Block is an anthology collecting a number of dark speculative fiction stories written by genre favorites including Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, and Joyce Carol Oates. Then there’s Cruel Fate by Kelley Armstrong, which looks to be the follow up to Rough Justice. Both are part of the author’s Cainsville world, which I’ve not had the chance to check out yet, but I’d love to read these two books at some point.
And a belated thanks to Wunderkind PR and Top Shelf Productions for The Jekyll Island Chronicles Vol. 1: A Machine Age War and Vol. 2: A Devil’s Reach by Steve Nedvidek, Ed Crowell, Jack Lowe, and Moses Nester. These beautiful graphic novels came to me in early December, but I haven’t had time to take a look yet. I’m going to try to get to them because I want to read more comics/graphic novels this year, and these stories exploring an alternate history between the two World Wars look to be an interesting place to start.
Finally, from Tor comes this trio of paperbacks, The Magic of Recluce, The Towers of the Sunset, and The Magic Engineer by L.E. Modesitt Jr, the first three books in his Saga of Recluce. I’ve never read the series, but I guess it’s getting reissued because these look to be brand new covers, and they are gorgeous. My thanks to the publisher for this amazing surprise.
On to the digital haul, I made some Netgalley requests before the holidays and a couple came in this week. As an extra bonus, I was even auto-approved by Random House Children’s when I got the email granting me access to Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, a Chinese-inspired YA fantasy that has been compared to Mulan. I also grabbed Inspection by Josh Malerman, with thanks to Del Rey. And try as I might, I could not resist the call of Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan, so big thanks to Wednesday Books for approving my request.
Just a couple of new audiobooks in the haul this week. From Listening Library, I received an audio review copy of Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. I wasn’t crazy about the author’s adult sci-fi series and never made it past Ninefox Gambit, but I was intrigued by this Middle Grade space-opera-and-fantasy mix featuring mythological fox spirits as well as space pirates and gamblers. And from Penguin Audio, I snagged a listening copy of The Au Pair by Emma Rous, the first of many mystery-thrillers I’m looking forward to this year.
Reviews
Here’s a quick summary of reviews posted since my last update. Yes, I actually managed a few between all the year-end lists!
King of the Road by R.S. Belcher (5 of 5 stars)
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden (4 of 5 stars)
The Outsider by Stephen King (4 of 5 stars)
City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender (2.5 of 5 stars)
Limetown created by Zack Akers & Skip Bronkie with Cote Smith (2 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. December was my catch-up month and I was able to finish a few more 2018 books before the end of the year, and even got a jump on several 2019 releases. A ton of reviews on the way!
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: Fresh
Posted on January 4, 2019 22 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“New beginnings for a New Year”
~ a cover that is FRESH
Mogsy’s Pick:
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
The book I’ve chosen this week is Flame in the Mist, a young adult fantasy inspired by Japanese mythology and history. Its protagonist Mariko is the daughter of a samurai, fated to be a bartered off in a political marriage to the son of the emperor’s favorite consort. On the way to the imperial city, however, her wagon train is attacked by a notorious gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, and only by sheer luck does Mariko manage to escape the bloody massacre. With everyone thinking she is dead, for the first time in her life, Mariko can finally take control of her own destiny. Donning the disguise of a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan to find out who hired the bandits to try and kill her.
So what is fresh? Surely, a phoenix (or a peacock on fire, whatever!) as a symbol of rebirth and renewal would serve well for today’s theme of new beginnings. And if nothing else, lots of fresh flowers should suffice. Regrettably, I didn’t end up enjoying this book as much as some of its covers. A couple of which I think are actually quite pretty.
From left to right:
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (2017) – Hodder (2018)
German Edition (2018) – Portuguese Edition (2018)
Winner:
Here’s how I would rank these covers, in order from favorite to least favorite: German edition, G.P. Putnam’s Sons edition, Hodder edition, and finally the Portuguese edition.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Posted on January 3, 2019 34 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Series: Book 3 of The Winternight Trilogy
Publisher: Del Rey (January 9, 2019)
Length: 384 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Reaching the end of a beloved series is always bittersweet, and sometimes you even put off reading the last book because you don’t want to say goodbye. But in the case of the Winternight trilogy, I was actually really looking forward to The Winter of the Witch because as we all know, endings can be hopeful too—a promise to the reader that the journey was worth it all.
The story finds Vasya in the aftermath of the great fire in Moscow—a fire she accidentally started when she unleashed a firebird to save the life of the Grand Prince. Now an angry mob has descended upon the home of her sister, led by the zealot Konstantin Nikonvich, a priest who has been obsessed with bringing down Vasya since the very beginning. Grieving for a lost friend and distraught over what she has done, our protagonist ends up being captured and is headed for the pyre to be burned as a witch when suddenly, fate intervenes in the form of the Bear demon Medved, who makes Vasya a tempting offer.
However, Vasya is her own woman and refuses to owe the demon any favors. Escaping on her own, she finds herself in the dreamlike realm known as Midnight, where she encounters all kinds of mystical creatures and figures, including her own great-grandmother Baba Yaga. After learning about herfamily history and magical bloodline, Vasya realizes just how much responsibility rests upon her shoulders, especially once she discovers what has become of Morozko, the Winter King, following his sacrifice on her behalf. The Bear has also found a way to create chaos, manipulating Konstantin to do his bidding. To save Moscow, as well as those she loves, Vasya must come to terms with who she is, and embrace her power in all its glory and dangers.
In this satisfying conclusion, we get to meet some familiar faces like Vasya’s sister Olga, who is dealing with her own grief, as well as her brother Sasha, who has come a long way since leaving home for the monastery—though he is still my favorite character. Vasya’s cousin Dmitrii, the Grand Prince, also has a part to play, as he begins to gather allies and prepare for the oncoming threat of invasion. In essence, we are pulling all the threads together in the lead-up to the Battle of Kulikovo, which marked a victory for Rus forces over the Tatars and is considered one of the major steps in formation of what is modern Russia. Katherine Arden blends history with fantasy, entwining medieval Russian politics with fairy tale and folklore to create something amazing here. For while the tensions simmer in the real world, an invisible war also rages among the supernatural beings of the enchanted lands, as Morozko and his brother Medved are locked in their own fierce battle.
This novel sees Vasya caught in the middle, in more ways than one. For one thing, she spends a good part of the story in the realm of Midnight, which should delight fans of the more fantastical elements of this series. This, however, was probably why I liked this volume a little less than the two previous ones; as much as I enjoy the magical aspects of Vasya’s journey, I always preferred it better when she was dealing with mortal conflicts. The one exception to this is her complex romance with Morozko. As Vasya struggles with her place between two worlds, she is also trying to work out her complicated feelings for the Winter King, whose purposes are often hidden but quite vast. As always, I love how the author treated their relationship with a subtle touch, so that it becomes neatly integrated into the novel’s larger themes of choices, sacrifice, and unity.
Like the two books that came before, this one had some slow-moving sections. However, Arden keeps things interesting with all the new things Vasya encounters in the spirit world. I confess some of these parts felt like filler, but there were also revelations that paved the way for bigger developments later on. The prose, too, is beautiful—Arden has clearly been honing her skills over the years, and her writing is now better than ever. Midnight would not have come to life the way it did had she not described the world and its denizens in such luscious detail.
All told, The Winter of the Witch is a worthy conclusion to a beautiful trilogy about changing times and growing up. It is not my favorite of the books, considering how strong the first two volumes were, but it did end with an epic climax and an emotional denouement which is sure to resonate with readers who have been with Vasya since the beginning. Katherine Arden has created something genuinely incredible here: an atmospheric and memorable saga full of imagination and heart.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Bear and the Nightingale (Book 1)
Review of The Girl in the Tower (Book 2)
Waiting on Wednesday 01/02/19
Posted on January 2, 2019 27 Comments
Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Protect The Prince by Jennifer Estep (July 2nd, 2019 by HarperVoyager)
I discovered quite a few favorite new-to-me authors in 2018 (there will be a top ten list coming very soon), and one of them was Jennifer Estep. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Kill The Queen, which was a highly enjoyable read despite the story’s heavy reliance on well-worn fantasy tropes. It was the perfect book to kick back and relax with, and I’m looking for more of that light entertaining good fun with the sequel.
“Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.
Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.
First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.
Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.
But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie’s immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.
But Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s . . . well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.
Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…”
2019 Audiobook Challenge
Posted on January 1, 2019 25 Comments
Here we go again! We love audiobooks here at The Bibliosanctum for a variety of reasons, from distraction while doing chores to just enjoying a good story being read by an awesome narrator. We also love to undertake a good challenge, especially when it coincides with our love of reading.
Hot Listens and the Caffeinated Book Reviewer are once again hosting the annual Audiobook Challenge, which is now in its seventh year of running. This will be The Bibliosanctum’s sixth year participating in the event, and we’re excited to see where 2019’s challenge will take us! If you want to take part, make sure to check out the sign-up page for this year’s challenge, and also head on over to the Goodreads group. We hope you’ll join us!
Challenge Details
- Runs January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. You can join at any time.
- The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2019 than you did in 2018.
- Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
- ANY genres count.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
- If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
- Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be June 30, 2019, and the last update will take place on December 15, 2019.
Levels
- Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
- Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
- Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
- Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
- My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
- Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+
Mogsy’s Goals
I slacked off a bit with the 2018 challenge so outdoing myself this year shouldn’t be too hard. I’m going to do what I always do when it comes to goal-setting though: set a short term goal of My Precious, with the long term goal of going for broke with Marathoner. My total for last year was 43, so this year I’m aiming for at least as many as that.
Do you listen to audiobooks? Will you try doing the audiobook challenge this year? Let us know your thoughts!
Book Review: City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender
Posted on December 31, 2018 19 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Chronicles of Amicae
Publisher: Tor (November 20, 2018)
Length: 393 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Five hundred years ago, a magical weapon was created in the form of an infestation that ate magic, but it quickly got out of hand and became impossible to control. This power burrowed itself into amulets and would grow and devour everything in its path if not contained. Only individuals with talent and specialized training, called Sweepers, can defuse and dispose of these magical ticking time bombs.
Enter Laura, an apprentice Sweeper who works with her boss Clae to rid the city of these dangerous threats. The problem though, is that the local politicians have been deceiving their people into believing that infestations aren’t really a problem anymore. As a result, Clae’s office is severely underfunded, and no one takes the profession as seriously as they should. All it will take is one mistake—or one act of malice—for a massive infestation to level the entire city.
This wasn’t a terrible book, but it very clearly could have been improved. For one thing, it’s always unfortunate when a publisher description oversells the story. When I read “bomb squad that defuses magic weapons”, I immediately pictured elite armored special teams and lots of suspense and excitement. Too bad this book had none of these things. I was expecting something more akin to a fast-paced thriller, but instead what I got was a somewhat dry and meandering plot that seemed to lack even a main conflict for the first half of the novel. As a result, the early part of the story felt like it had no direction, a problem also exacerbated by too much info-dumping. While the world-building may have been able to capture the reader’s imagination (at least initially), having no immediate hook meant that any interest I had in the plot rapidly faded.
The other problem I had was with the characters. It’s one thing to be progressive and proud to work in a profession not conventionally held by women, but Laura goes through life with an air of superiority I didn’t much care for. Often, she had this attitude of dismissal or contempt for subjects that she doesn’t understand or things that don’t interest her, which drove me crazy. And God forbid we ever forget she’s bucking gender norms and society’s expectations of her, because she never fails to remind us every chance she gets. Then there was Clae, her boss and head Sweeper. He’s tactless, brusque, and incredibly antagonistic towards everyone, reminding me of a more annoying and less lovable version of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. In fact, I feel like that was exactly what the author was trying for, attempting to channel BBC’s 21st-century portrayal of the famous literary detective, except Clae comes across just plain unlikeable, and Laura is no Martin Freeman’s Watson to pull off the part in this double act.
There were a few things I did enjoy. One was the world-building. It wasn’t as well developed as I would have liked, but I was intrigued by the notion of magical amulets that held infestations that could grow into monsters capable of destroying cities. I also loved the concept of Sweepers. In truth, taken individually, all the ideas in this book are great, but as a whole, they feel like pieces of a puzzle that don’t fit together quite right. Perhaps if the plot been clearer and more cogent, the world-building might have reached its full potential.
Overall, I think it was a combination of a vague synopsis and disorganized storytelling that made City of Broken Magic a miss for me. It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this one, as there were many ideas in here that I liked. Sadly, they were unable to carry the plot, which struggled to get off the ground, or make me overcome my initial distaste for the characters. Since this is Mirah Bolender’s debut, I chalk most of these up to new-author problems, and if this is to become a series, hopefully the next book will have many of the issues ironed out.
Book Review: The Outsider by Stephen King
Posted on December 30, 2018 34 Comments
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Scriber (May 22, 2018)
Length: 561 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Hard to believe, but the last book I read by Stephen King was 11/22/63 (which was one of the most amazing pieces of literature I’ve ever read), but it’s true I’m probably not as keen to jump on every new release of his as I used to be. And quite honestly, I haven’t been all that interested in picking any of his recent stuff. But something about The Outsider caught my attention. There was some of that old-school King flavor about it that looked promising.
The book opens by laying out the details of a horrific crime, setting the scene for a detective story. In Flint City, Oklahoma, a little boy named Frank Peterson has been murdered, his violated body found in a town park. Based on the mountain of evidence available, including multiple eyewitness accounts and DNA and fingerprint samples, Detective Ralph Anderson arrests Little League coach Terry Maitland at a baseball game in front of the whole town. Everyone is shocked that the well-respected husband and father of two could be capable of such an unspeakable act, but it just goes to show, you can never know what’s going on in someone’s heart or mind, no matter how normal they seem.
The problem though, is that Terry Maitland insists on his innocence. And despite everything the police have on him, he also has an airtight alibi. It seems that at the time of the murder, Terry was out of town attending a conference with his fellow teachers, who all confirm he was with them the entire time. There’s even security and TV footage to back up his story. So what gives? How is it possible that a man can be in two places at the same time? Detective Anderson sure isn’t buying it, and is convinced that Terry killed the Peterson boy, but he just doesn’t know the why and the how. But before he can dig any further, disaster strikes, altering the course of his investigation as well as the fates of everyone involved.
The Outsider is one of those books only Stephen King can write. No one else can tease the reader for a third of the book, without providing any real answers or progress, and still have you eating out of his hands, begging for more. The first two hundred pages or so are filled with an outrageous amount of background information, a lot of back and forth conversations and going over what we already know again and again. Any other author would have me cursing their name, but King somehow manages to make it work. After all, long introductions are kind of his thing, and I put up with them for the most part because I trust he’s building up to something big, and besides, no one can create such an intense atmosphere of anticipation quite the way he does.
In truth, we don’t get to the meat of the story until the second part. Enter Holly Gibney of the Bill Hodges trilogy fame, a series a confess I never really got into, but she was fantastic in this book, despite being a supporting character. She gets involved when Flint City gets in touch with her to see if she can follow up on a few leads in Dayton, Ohio, and thanks to her tenacity and smarts, the team gets a huge break in their investigation. From there onwards, it’s a thrilling and unputdownable hunt for a supernatural predator who feeds on violence, pain and misery. Like many of King’s novels, the story seeks to explore the idea of evil in the world that goes far beyond the understanding of mere mortals. It is here that we begin our transition from murder mystery into pure horror territory.
Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. The plot meanders and languishes close to the end of the second act as we ramp up towards the finale, and the ending felt like it came on and was over and done with way too soon. I also liked the supernatural element, but it seemed to try too hard to be convincing and cover all its bases, when a little ambiguity might have served it better. Trying to over-explain the situation and in general making things more complicated than necessary was why I felt the pacing lagged a bit in the second half, but happily, the conclusion made up for it. While it may have been a little rushed, the scene of the final showdown was dramatic, suspenseful and most importantly satisfying when it was all over.
In the end, The Outsider is a Stephen King novel through and through. Even with its warts and all, that’s a good thing. It’s not the best book I’ve read by him, but it’s definitely up there in terms of readability and how much fun I had with it. If you’re a King fan, it’s well worth your time.
Audiobook Challenge 2018: 4th Quarter Update
Posted on December 29, 2018 21 Comments
It’s our final update for the 2018 Audiobook Challenge! Thank you to the challenge hosts and here’s to another year of great listens. Let’s see how everyone did.
Challenge Details
- Runs January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. You can join at anytime.
- The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2018 than you did in 2017.
- Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
- ANY genres count.
- Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
- You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
- If you’re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you’re not a blogger you can help by posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
Levels
- Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
- Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
- Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
- Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
- My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
- Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+
This quarter I listened to 6 audiobooks (counting only those I listened to from start to finish, i.e. not titles where I tag-teamed both formats) for a total of 43 for the year total. I didn’t quite make Marathoner, but that’s okay, as my goal was My Precious and I blew that level away! And of course, 2019 is another year and you better believe we’ll be doing this again. I hope everyone is did well on their challenges this year!
The BiblioSanctum