Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on October 27, 2018 33 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.
Received for Review
In an effort to be more organized, I’m still in the process of cataloging all my new arrivals but I’m slowly but surely catching up. Here’s a batch of review copies that arrived in the first half of the month! Big thanks to the publishers and authors for the following books received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
First off, my thanks to Ace Books for sending me an ARC of The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but from the perspective of the Beast himself. Off the top of my head I can’t remember if I’ve ever read a similar concept, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it has been done many times before. Still, I can never resist a B&tB retelling and this book has been on my watch list for a while.
Thanks also to the amazing team at Simon Pulse for The Devil’s Thief by Lisa Maxwell. I was immediately gobsmacked by the gorgeous cover, but was a little disappointed to discover later that this one is actually a sequel. Why? Well, because I haven’t read the first book yet! Still, glad to have the second book on hand if I ever get a chance to start her Last Magician series.
With thanks to Orbit, I also received Cold Iron by Miles Cameron. I totally missed out on the author’s Traitor’s Son Cycle, and that’s not a mistake I’m going to repeat. I hope to start this first book of his new Masters and Mages series later this month, and I can’t wait.
Also a big thank you to the kind folks at Wunderkind and Tor for sending me Game of the Gods by Jay Schiffman, described as a sci-fi thriller of political intrigue. It appears to be an adult novel but the blurb is full of comparisons to all the big dystopian YA franchises, so it’s hard to pin down knowing so little about it at this point. Due to some shipping issues, this one took a while to get to me, but hopefully I’ll have a chance to get to it this fall. From Tor also came this finished copy of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. I have already read it, and while I didn’t think it was as good as the first one, I still had fun. My review went up earlier in the week and I go into more specifics there, so be sure to have a look if you you’re curious about my full thoughts.
And my thanks also to Titan Books for Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse, the second book in the Holmes brothers series created by the former NBA All-Star. I’ve been super curious about these books ever since I heard about them, and apparently this adventure can be read as a standalone, so this one’s going straight onto my reading list for later this fall.
And a heartfelt thanks to the generous Nightshade Books/Talos team for this next big haul of surprise arrivals! A Rival from the Grave by Seabury Quinn is the fourth volume in The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin, a series of stories featuring the titular occult detective made famous by the pulp magazine Weird Tales. Next up, a finished copy of Trial by Treason by Dave Duncan, book two in the Enchanter General historical fantasy series featuring Saxon sorcerers and demons. I still haven’t gotten the chance to check out the first book, so this might have to wait a bit. This next one though, looks totally awesome: Pinnacle City by Matt Carter and Fiona J.R. Titchenell is described as “a superhero noir”, featuring an all-star powered team called the Pinnacle City Guardians. This feels very much like a throwback to the superhero comics of yesteryear, and I’ve had past experience with Matt Carter’s work to know this has a lot of potential. Hopefully I can fit it into my reading schedule before the end of the year.
I’m also intrigued by this ARC of Darksoul by Anna Stephens, the sequel to last year’s Godblind, an unbelievably violent and brutal grimdark debut. My feelings were a bit mixed on the first book, but I also admit I’m curious to see where the author will take the series, so I’ll likely give this one a read if I have time. Gotta love these covers, though! And for anthology lovers, Tomorrow Factory: Collected Fiction by Rich Larson is a collection of twenty-three stories of sci-fi mystery and adventure, featuring everything from cyberpunk to future-noir. Last but not least, The Silver Scar by Betsy Dornbusch is a new book from the author taking place in a rough post-apocalyptic future world where populations of different faiths are driven to feud against each other out of desperation and hopelessness. I had wondered what the author’s next project would be after her Books of the Seven Eyes trilogy and I guess I have my answer!
And finally, a quick shout out to the awesome folks at Simon Teen who surprised me big time earlier this week with a mystery package containing all kinds of wonderful goodies. As part of their #ShelfQueens hashtag celebrating tales of literary ladies who rule, I received a couple of cool buttons and the following ARCs: Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young, The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale, Slayer by Kiersten White, Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto, and Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody. A bunch of these books were already on my wishlist with a couple that I’m feeling beyond excited for, and so you better believe I’ll be reading all of them come the new year which is when they’re due out.
It’s been a relatively quiet week in the digital pile, and all audiobooks. My thanks to Macmillan Audio for a listening copy of I Am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which is now officially released in the US. Thanks also to Serial Box for a review copy of the complete Season One of Dead Air by Gwenda Bond, Rachel Caine, and Carrie Ryan, the publisher’s first mystery-thriller serial presented with the intrigue of a true crime drama TV show. I mean, if that’s not enough to entice you, just look at that all-star creative team. And finally, with thanks to Hachette Audio, I downloaded an early listening copy of Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, an Asian-inspired YA fantasy which I’ve been meaning to check out.
Reviews
A list of reviews I posted since the last update:
The Winters by Lisa Gabriele (4 of 5 stars)
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep (4 of 5 stars)
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (4 of 5 stars)
Lies by T.M. Logan (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams (3.5 of 5 stars)
Mystic Dragon by Jason Denzel (3.5 of 5 stars)
Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch (3 of 5 stars)
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi (3 of 5 stars)
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. More reviews coming soon.
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: Halloween
Posted on October 26, 2018 29 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:
“Trick or treat!”
~ a cover inspired by HALLOWEEN
Mogsy’s Pick:
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
This book and I did not get along at all, but as I recall, Halloween plays a big part at the end of the story and that’s good enough for me to use it for this week’s topic. Admittedly, I had a hard time coming up with anything else that was more representative of Halloween, and anyway, there’s nothing like a witchy book to get you in the mood for this holiday.
There are a lot of covers for this novel, here’s a bunch of them:
From left to right:
Viking (2011) – Headline (2011) – Headline eBook (2011)
French Edition (2011) – Portuguese Edition (2011) – Chinese Edition (2011) – Croatian Edition (2011)
Greek Edition (2012) – Norwegian Edition (2011) – German Edition (2011)
Hebrew Edition (2012) – Latvian Edition (2014) – Slovak Edition (2011) – Romanian Edition (2011)
Serbian Edition (2011) – Italian Edition (2011) – Bulgarian Edition (2011)
And normally I would not include the covers for editions that are divided for publications, but these Vietnamese language Alphabooks editions are just too pretty not to show:
1A and 1B
Winner:
You’ve probably guessed already, but I had to do it. I just love this one!
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
Posted on October 25, 2018 28 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 Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 of The Interdependency
Publisher: Tor Book (October 16, 2018)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
In my review of The Collapsing Empire, I wrote that while it marked a strong return for John Scalzi to the realm of space opera, ultimately it is the next book that will determine whether The Interdependency series will sink or swim. So now that I’ve read the sequel, what did I think? Well, I’ll be honest—I was hot and cold on it. There were moments where I felt the novel floundered, but others where things really soared to new heights. I’m going to say that, for the time being, we seem to be in a holding pattern.
The Consuming Fire picks up where the previous book left off, with the future of humanity cast in doubt as it is revealed that the extra-dimensional conduit known as the Flow—our species’ primary mode of travel between the stars, and the only system linking human colonies across the galaxy—is on the verge of collapse. Once it goes down, billions will be cut off and left to die, leading to the complete destruction of the Interdependency, the network of human hubs making up the interstellar empire.
The Emperox Grayland II, formerly Cardenia Wu-Patrick, is trying her best to prepare for the coming disaster, but unfortunately, distractions caused by bitter infighting with the other noble houses aren’t helping. House Nohamapetan, longtime rivals of the Wus, is up to its old tricks, conspiring with the Emperox’s enemies in the government to try and seize the throne. But Grayland, determined to convey the dire news of what’s happening to the Flow, has some tricks of her own. As head of the Church of the Interdependency, she reveals she has been having religious visions, styling herself after the first Emperox who was famously known to have been something of a prophet.
I feel so conflicted about this book. On the one hand, the world-building is compelling, and the majority of the characters are interesting to follow, but there were also times where I found myself almost dying of boredom, which is not something I thought I would ever say about a Scalzi novel. I love his work. I always have. But a knot of dread had been forming in my belly ever since I read in an interview that his Interdependency series would be paralleling the climate change debate, and I worry that my fears have come to pass. As a general rule, I could care less what an author’s political and social leanings are, as long as they can write and tell a good story, and above all keep the blatant preachiness about real-world issues out of their books. Speaking as someone who reads SFF for the escapism, it’s always disheartening to watch a novel all but become a thinly veiled opportunity for an author to stand on their soapbox. While I’m no stranger to message fiction, things tend to get dicey whenever ideas are elevated above story elements, such as plot and characters.
Some of which I suspect was happening here, because things certainly felt a little…off. Characters, which are normally Scalzi’s forte, unexpectedly came across as flat and uninspired. A couple of them have been transformed into instruments of polemic, where their dialogue feels forced and scripted, almost in a grandiose and melodramatic “now, how do I turn this into a mic drop moment?” kind of way. Kudos to Scalzi for also trying his hand at something more cerebral, but his mistake might have been to force his usual snark onto this series, which reveals he has only one mode of humor. Nothing wrong with that on the surface—heck, some of the books that have made me laugh the hardest have been Scalzi’s. But again, it didn’t seem to work as well here. It felt like every time the moment called for some comic relief, inevitably it would involve Kiva Lagos walking in dropping a few F-bombs, because haha, that’s one sure fire way to get a laugh, right? Apart from Cardenia/Grayland, who has become almost as unmemorable as Marce, Kiva’s character was perhaps the biggest letdown in this sequel.
Still, credit where credit’s due, when the story gets good, it gets amazing. It’s probably no surprise that my favorite sections were all related to the parts about government conspiracies, assassination attempts, jailbreaks, and old Countess Nohamapetan being up to her usual wicked self. There was also plenty of intrigue as our characters are faced with significant questions following a meeting with an isolated remnant of a previously cut-off population, and I think this thread can lead to some consequential developments.
All told, The Consuming Fire suffers from an obvious agenda and a little of second-book syndrome, but I love John Scalzi too much to be writing The Interdependency off just yet. Everything now rests on the shoulders of the next book, which I hope will step up the storytelling and the character development, because in the end, those elements will be the key to this series’ success.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Collapsing Empire (Book 1)
Waiting on Wednesday 10/24/18
Posted on October 24, 2018 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
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (May 2, 2019 by Harper Voyager)
After the amazing debut that was The Poppy War, this sequel has shot up to the top of my list of most anticipated releases of 2019. I can’t wait to continue Rin’s saga.
“In the aftermath of the Third Poppy War, shaman and warrior Rin is on the run: haunted by the atrocity she committed to end the war, addicted to opium, and hiding from the murderous commands of her vengeful god, the fiery Phoenix. Her only reason for living is to get revenge on the traitorous Empress who sold out Nikan to their enemies.
With no other options, Rin joins forces with the powerful Dragon Warlord, who has a plan to conquer Nikan, unseat the Empress, and create a new Republic. Rin throws herself into his war. After all, making war is all she knows how to do.
But the Empress is a more powerful foe than she appears, and the Dragon Warlord’s motivations are not as democratic as they seem. The more Rin learns, the more she fears her love for Nikan will drive her away from every ally and lead her to rely more and more on the Phoenix’s deadly power. Because there is nothing she won’t sacrifice for her country and her vengeance.
The sequel to R.F. Kuang’s acclaimed debut THE POPPY WAR, THE DRAGON REPUBLIC combines the history of 20th-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating effect.”
Book Review: The Winters by Lisa Gabriele
Posted on October 23, 2018 14 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: Thriller, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Viking (October 16, 2018)
Length: 320 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Winters has been described as an updated, modern retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Not having read the original novel, I can’t speak to how successful Lisa Gabriele was at nailing down the tone or atmosphere of the classic Gothic novel, but knowing the overall gist of the story, as far as I can tell, many of the plot, setting, and character elements have remained the same but are given a new twist.
Like its 1938 inspiration, The Winters stars an unnamed narrator, but many of the similarities to the original character end there. Our protagonist is a 20-something-year-old American woman from the Cayman Islands, where she works at a boat charter company that caters to clients from many of the elite local clubs. That is how she meets Max Winter, a charming and wealthy state senator from New York, who has come to the Caribbean for work and holiday. He is also a widower, his wife having died in fiery car crash about two years ago. In spite of this recent loss, Max and our protagonist fall into a whirlwind romance, and within a month of their meeting, he asks her to marry him.
Before she knows it, our narrator is whisked away to the Hamptons, where Max’s family owns a lavish seaside estate called Asherley. Needless to say, life in New York takes some adjusting to for our protagonist, who often finds herself alone at the mansion while her fiancé travels for his work in politics. It also doesn’t help that the house is filled with reminders of Max’s first wife Rebekah, the rich and beautiful socialite whose commanding presence can be felt strongly, even in death. Further complicating the issue is the couple’s glamorous teenage daughter, the wild and undisciplined Dani Winter, who was fiercely attached to her mother and is now clearly unhappy with her father’s decision to remarry. As determined as our protagonist is to get through to the girl, it seems Dani is hell bent on making her life at Asherley difficult, driving a constant wedge between her and Max. But when Dani reveals some disturbing details about the night her mother died, a seed of doubt is planted in our narrator’s mind. Was there a darker side to Max and Rebekah’s marriage, or is this just another attempt by their daughter to drive her away?
Like all retellings, The Winters takes a particular slant on a familiar story, and therein lies plenty of opportunities for fun fresh spins but also the possibility for some difficulties. Even though I really enjoyed this book, I’m going to start with a small list of negatives I encountered, with pacing issues being the chief among them. Between the narrator and Max’s courtship in the Cayman Islands and the point where we finally get some inkling of the dark secrets in Asherley’s past, there was a major lull in the first half of the book which I think hurt the overall momentum of the story. Not having read Rebecca, I’m also sure that I was missing a lot of the subtext and failed to appreciate many of the nuances Gabriele included in the novel. While I have no idea how this book would be received by those familiar with the original classic, I suspect we’ll see the general pattern of responses when it comes to retellings.
Still, from what I can gather, there are some major differences in the plot, particularly towards the end, allowing The Winters to stand proudly on its own. The characters are also very well drawn, especially our protagonist, whom despite being infuriatingly naïve is also exactly the kind of personality you would expect from someone who has lived the life she has, only to have her world turned upside down. I also loved Dani, as vicious and conniving as she was. Her flighty nature and mood swings made it incredibly difficult to pin her down, which added to the many compelling questions that piled up over the course of the story. Is Dani the antagonist orchestrating our narrator’s downfall? Or is she just as much of a victim, caught in a web of secrets and obfuscation? I found myself bounced back and forth between theories, guessing character motives at every turn. After the halfway point, it was like a rollercoaster ride of thrills and twists to the finish.
In the end, I can only speak for my own experience, but I really enjoyed The Winters. Fans of Rebecca will probably want to read this, with the added caveat that while it pays homage to the Daphne du Maurier novel by drawing heavily from some of its plot elements and themes, Lisa Gabriele’s retelling also brings a lot of her own voice and originality to the table. More generally, fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful family dramas may also want to check it out. It’s tough to say much more about the story without risking spoilers, but suffice it to say, the delicious tension of not knowing what will happen made the slow build-up of the first half worth it.
Novella Review: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Posted on October 22, 2018 37 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: Science Fiction
Series: Book 4 of The Murderbot Diaries
Publisher: Tor.com (October 2, 2018)
Length: 176 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Exit Strategy closes out the Murderbot Diaries quartet of novellas, and while it’s a bit on the tame side compared to all that came before, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to tie everything together. For those who have been on this crazy ride since the beginning, you will also be delighted to know this book takes us back to the beginning, to the event and people who started it all.
At the end of the last book, Murderbot had just made a significant breakthrough in its investigation of the shadowy corporation GrayCris and has decided the time has finally come to seek out Dr. Mensah, the lead researcher we first met in All Systems Red. But there’s only one problem: it appears Mensah has been kidnapped in a preemptive move by GrayCris to prevent a lawsuit from being brought against them. Murderbot now has no choice but to take it upon itself to rescue Mensah, but first it must take care of another predicament. Word is out that a rogue SecUnit is on the loose, and the authorities are out in force looking for Murderbot, threatening to end its mission before it even begins.
After making its way to the space station where Dr. Mensah is believed to be held, it’s a heartfelt reunion as Murderbot is reconnected with the other scientists from the original exploration team. But none of it is going to compare to the moment when our protagonist finally comes face to face again with the person who had always known Murderbot’s true nature, treating it as an individual and a friend. Needless to say, the idea is a bombshell for an A.I. who has always had difficulty coming to grips with its emotions. In one of the most compassionate and revealing moments of this entire series, the famously snarky and misanthropic Murderbot must consider how these feelings will affect its perceptions of humans, as well as what this might mean for the future.
Like all the Murderbot Diaries novellas that have come before, this final one really packed a punch. But while action and intrigue have thus far been major elements in the previous volumes, perhaps it is no surprise where Exit Strategy hit the hardest was in the emotional department. I felt it was an appropriate and natural next step following the intensity and energy of Rogue Protocol, and the more reflective tone of this book allowed for the attention to shine on everything going on in Murderbot’s mind. We’ve seen how each installment has built upon the previous one, forming a larger narrative while always increasing the stakes. Having recognized this trend, I expected a lot from Exit Strategy and in the end I was not disappointed. We have now witnessed the nearly complete transformation of Murderbot. It has gone to great lengths to augment itself to look and act human, and the final step was learning how to feel human.
For those of a mind that a person alone with no community, friends, or family can ever truly grasp the full human experience, you will probably appreciate the themes in this series. Murderbot began as an artificial intelligence freed from its programming. Hilariously though, before Dr. Mensah’s team came along, it was content to simply use its newfound freedom to enjoy the limitless offerings of TV shows available from the human entertainment networks. From the beginning, that part of Murderbot’s personality set the stage for the type of humor and charm you would find throughout this series, but it goes deeper than that. I’d really like to think that the soaps was what set our protagonist on its path to empathize with and relate to humans, ultimately discovering the importance of meaningful relationships and value of friends and other people who will have your back—no matter what.
All told, the Murderbot Diaries series has been an absolute delight. All four novellas have been quick and easy reads, but nevertheless, they’ll be hard to forget. I’m very excited for the upcoming full-length novel, because like many others, I have not had enough of Murderbot yet, not even close. I’ll be looking forward to see where Martha Wells will take the character next.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of All Systems Red (Book 1)
Review of Artificial Condition (Book 2)
Review of Rogue Protocol (Book 3)
YA Weekend: Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch
Posted on October 21, 2018 17 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Hometown Antihero
Publisher: Tor Teen (September 4, 2018)
Length: 351 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Dare You to Lie is the story of Kylene Danners, a teenager with a lot on her plate. Two years after her departure from Jasperville, Ohio, she is forced to move back into the hostile and bitter environment of her hometown that she thought she had escaped. However, Ky is not going to take these new changes lying down. Living with her grandfather because her dad is in prison and her mom has run off with a new lover to California, Ky is here to settle two scores. The first is to prove that her father, a former FBI agent, did not in fact commit the crime for which he was convicted. The second is an even more personal matter, involving a drunken party during freshman year in which Kylene was photographed topless without her knowledge, and the pictures were leaked online. The suspects were all guys on the football team, and one was her boyfriend at the time. In the end, all of them got off scot-free, protected by powerful parties keen on defending the school’s football record, and Kylene’s reputation was destroyed.
That event was what drove her from Jasperville. But now Kylene is back, and she’s on a mission. With the help of her best friend Garrett and the new girl in school named Tabby, Ky is determined to dig into both cases and find out the truth, no matter what the townspeople may think about her and her disgraced dad. What she didn’t count on, however, was the depth of corruption she would encounter, sending her and her friends down a nightmarish path littered with violence and threats against their lives. Someone is going to great lengths to stop her investigations, but instead of making her back off, the pushback only confirms she is getting close to finding the answers, and she is not going to be intimidated.
I confess, this book probably deserves a higher rating, had not been a few major issues that really grated on my nerves. Annoying thing #1 was probably Kylene’s character herself. This girl comes charging in, full of piss and vinegar, ready to tear the world a new asshole. Normally, I would say, “You go, Kylene!” and God knows with the hand life dealt her, she has every right to have a chip on her shoulder. My problem, however, was the condescending way she immediately casts judgment on everyone, from the moment she steps foot back in her hometown and in her old school. She’s also aggressive and has no self-control, deliberately goading fellow students and even some teachers into altercation, not to mention she has an irritating tendency to get up on her soapbox to pontificate on some social issue or another, usually unnecessarily and at the most inappropriate times. Worse, it felt as if the author inserted many of the school-related conflicts to indulge her protagonist’s savior complex. I really wanted to like and sympathize with Kylene, especially given what happened to her, but she made that hard by coming across as my least favorite kind of character—the ones who are hypocritical and lacking in self-awareness, clearly being propped up by forced scenarios to seem more noble than they really are.
I also enjoyed the mystery, though I did feel the plot was spread a bit thin at times, tackling two cases at once so that it was impossible for the story to give enough time or attention to either one. While there’s a light hint that the two threads could be related, in the end one gets resolved while the other doesn’t, so be prepared for an incomplete ending that includes some groundwork that will set the stage for the next book in the series. Given the circumstances, I think the author did the best she could to balance all the different parts of her story, but it didn’t change the fact that the focus was scattered in multiple directions and pacing was often interrupted by too many distractions.
Speaking of which, it didn’t help that the issue was exacerbated by “guy drama”, between the best friend who has carried a secret torch for Kylene after all these years, and the ex-boyfriend who’s still in love with her who may or may not have been involved in her naked photo scandal. And as if that wasn’t enough, also throw in the rookie FBI agent who is a total hottie but also a major douche canoe (Kylene can’t seem to decide which detail is more important) which gave me all sorts of weird vibes. Because seriously, what kind of mid-20-something would bet to invite himself to an 11th grader’s homecoming dance as her date?
Still, to the book’s credit, the mystery went far deeper than I had expected, even though I was able to guess the person behind all of it before we got anywhere close to the end. It didn’t make following the story’s events any less interesting. A part of me still wants to know the outcome of the larger series arc and to see how our characters’ investigations will pan out, but I think I’ll be keeping a close and wary eye on reviews of the next book before making my decision on whether to continue. If we see growth in Kylene’s character, I just might be persuaded.
Book Review: Lies by T.M. Logan
Posted on October 20, 2018 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.
Lies by T.M. Logan
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (September 11, 2018)
Length: 418 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Unassuming Joe Lynch might not be the most successful or most ambitious among his circle of friends, but he’s happy—he’s got a good job teaching at a prestigious school, he’s married to a woman he loves with all his heart, and together they have a beautiful young son. Like most people, Joe has sometimes wondered if life could be more, but for the most part, he feels fulfilled. Things are as perfect as they can be.
Until one day, while driving home from work after picking up his son William from school, he spots his wife Mel’s car on the road and decides to follow her and surprise her on a whim. To his surprise though, Mel pulls up to a hotel and Joe watches her meet up with Ben, a family friend, to engage in what looks to be a serious argument. Concerned, Joe decides to privately confront Ben in the hotel parking garage afterwards to find out what was going on. What he didn’t expect was for the other man to get violent, forcing Joe to defend himself against the physical attack. In the scuffle, Ben is accidently pushed hard to the ground, knocked unconscious. William, who witnesses the entire fight, is shocked into an asthma attack, leaving Joe no choice but to leave the scene in order to get his son some medical attention.
After taking care of William though, Joe makes sure to follow up on Ben, only to find that the other man has disappeared without a trace. At around the same time, Joe discovers that his Facebook account has been hacked, when messages that he did not write begin appearing on his personal feed. When asked about her meeting with Ben, Mel denies everything at first, only to spill the whole truth once she realizes how much Joe actually knows. These new revelations threaten to tear our protagonist’s whole world apart, but things only get worse as the police start investigating him in connection to Ben’s disappearance.
Lies was a solidly entertaining thriller, though I did have to check not long after I started the book to confirm a sneaking suspicion: yes, it was a debut novel for author T.M. Logan. On the whole, this story was well-written and tightly plotted, though once in a while a few minor irritants would worm their way into my mind and interfere with the immersion. Many of these complaints had to do with pacing, and just an overall sense that something with regards to the premise’s logic feels…off. For one thing, it all just felt a tad implausible, requiring a number of coincidences and improbable events and oversights to occur for it to all make sense. Some of the explanations also felt superfluous and repetitive, an issue which might even be worse for readers who are technologically-minded. It made the story feel somewhat messy and disjointed.
I also had difficulty relating to the protagonist. That being said, Joe wasn’t an unlikeable character—far from it, in fact. A hard worker, a loving husband, a kind and dedicated father, he’s everything a standup guy should be. I very much wanted to like him and root for him, but the problem was, he made it so damned hard. For one thing, he’s incredibly naïve. It’s hard to believe this is a man who makes his living teaching and yet fails to realize when the answers are staring him in the face. He’s also prone to emotional manipulation and is way too trusting and forgiving. At times he would seem like a whiz at technology, knowing exactly how to cover his tracks; at others he would seem completely ignorant of the ins-and-outs of social media. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Joe because he was so out of his league and being played so hard, not to mention there’s nothing like watching a man being framed for murder to bring out that righteous indignation. At the same time though, I just plain didn’t get him.
Still, criticisms aside, throughout the reading of this novel, I can honestly say I was never bored. Yes, some of its individual parts need work—but in spite of this, I can see how it has everything to be a successful thriller, including the elements of suspense, secrets and lies. While I took issue with some of the characterization and found the story to be a little on the unbelievable and implausible side, it doesn’t really pay to overthink these flaws. Lies is a book best experienced by letting yourself go with the flow, and to its credit, there’s plenty to make up for the feelings of skepticism and frustrations that might stem from the plot’s predictability or the naivete of the protagonist.
Sometimes you have to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy yourself, and ultimately this was how I approached Lies. Like a lot of debuts, this novel could have used a bit of polish, but nevertheless it delivered quality entertainment.
Friday Face-Off: Horror
Posted on October 19, 2018 34 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:
“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear”
~ a cover for a HORROR novel
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Troop by Nick Cutter
For today’s topic, I chose…THE TROOP! A scoutmaster and his troop of five scouts being abandoned on a small deserted island to fend for themselves against an unknown infection. This book kept me on pins and needles right up to the end.
Let’s take a look at the covers:
From left to right:
Gallery Hardcover (2014) – Gallery Paperback (2016) – Headline (2014)
Czech Edition (2014) – Turkish Edition (2017) – German Edition (2014)
French Edition Denoël (2016) – French Edition Alto (2016) – Hungarian Edition (2016)
Winner:
There’s something about the idea of being lost in an isolated place that strikes a primal fear in my heart. Knowing that no one can help you, or even hear you scream. That this book takes place in a sleepy little town off the coast of Prince Edward Island–a Canadian province known for its lush landscapes and gorgeous coastlines–is simply the icing on the cake. No contest, I just love the Headline edition for juxtaposing the bucolic setting with the horror of being trapped on and island surrounded by the stuff of nightmares. I love how this cover is both beautiful and frightening.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
Posted on October 18, 2018 28 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Crown of Shards
Publisher: Harper Voyager (October 2, 2018)
Length: 416 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I’d never read Jennifer Estep before Kill the Queen, though I’ve often seen her name spoken of highly among readers in urban fantasy and paranormal romance circles. As a result, I’d long been curious about her work, so when I first learned that she was venturing into epic fantasy with a new book described as a royal revenge story about a female gladiator, I was instantly intrigued.
Kill the Queen follows Everleigh (who prefers going by Evie), a minor member of the Bellona royal family. Seventeenth in line for the throne, she mostly passes through the halls of the palace as an afterthought or ignored all together, especially ever since she and her cousin the crown princess Vasilia fell out. People are also dismissive towards Evie because she doesn’t have much in the way of magical power, though secretly, she is glad for the lack of attention—the better to hide her true talent, which is an immunity to magic.
But then one day during a foreign dignitary event, the power-hungry Vasilia finally shows her hand and together with her co-schemers, they unleash a coup on the unsuspecting court. The queen is killed, along with all those in attendance so there would be no living witnesses to Vasilia’s treachery. Thanks to her secret power though, Evie manages to survive her cousin’s magical attack. She flees to a gladiator school, taking refuge with the troupe there after they agree to take her in and train her in the ways of fighting. Not knowing whom to trust, Evie decides to lay low, until it becomes clear she must stop Vasilia from using her stolen crown to plunge the kingdom into war.
While trope-laden and not terribly original, this book nonetheless provided plenty of enjoyment. I think it says a lot about Estep that she was able to carry the story using the strength of her writing skills alone, giving me such a good time that I was willing to overlook all the glaring clichés. Much of it was due to Evie, whose charming personality and voice hooked me right from the start. An unlikely heroine, she’s a forgotten royal orphan with a special hidden talent that just conveniently happens to be the key to saving an entire kingdom—in other words, her character is as stereotypical and formulaic as you could get. And yet, it did not bother me as much as I thought it would. Like I always say though, tropes are popular for a reason and they only become a problem if not written well, and thanks to the author’s natural and flowing prose, her protagonist was immediately granted a high “likeability factor” which kept me reading.
I also thought world-building was on the sparser side, due in part to the lack of fine detail and description one would usually find in an epic fantasy. The book felt very streamlined in that regard, keeping background information to a bare minimum. There’s both a positive and negative to this approach. Of course, I would have delighted in getting more detail about the magic systems or the history behind the setting, but in doing away with lengthy explanations, the story was able to move along at a good clip. There’s also the book’s audience to consider, as Estep was probably aiming for an epic fantasy with enough crossover appeal to her urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans. Subsequently, you have a very readable book told in an easy and sassy style, with just a light touch of romance that did not feel too overbearing.
If Estep’s goal was to write a highly accessible and entertaining high fantasy, I would say she succeeded. At the end of the day, Kill the Queen was a surprisingly good read, despite the story’s overall predictability and heavy reliance on well-worn tropes. While hardcore epic fantasy readers will likely find the plot too simplistic, the world too shallow, and the characters too paint-by-the-numbers for this novel to be truly engaging, for those of us who do not mind something a little lighter and fluffier—or just want to kick back with something fun—this will do the trick nicely. Highly recommended for gladiatorial action and palace intrigue, with potential for the series to grow over time.
The BiblioSanctum 