YA Weekend Audio: Warcross by Marie Lu
Posted on September 17, 2017 18 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: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of Warcross
Publisher: Listening Library (September 12, 2017)
Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Nancy Wu
Although it didn’t take me long to realize I probably wasn’t going to enjoy Warcross *as much* as most of the rave reviews, I still had a really good time with this one. The book’s greatest strength was definitely its fast-paced action and its ability to entertain for hours, which almost makes up for the story’s predictability and derivative premise.
Warcross stars Emika Chen, an eighteen-year-old hacker struggling to make ends meet. Despite doing everything she can to scrape together a living—including moonlighting as a bounty hunter and selling illicitly acquired gaming power ups on the black market—she’s still thousands of dollars in debt and in danger of being evicted because she’s months behind on her rental payment. Like many others, Emika’s only form of escape is her neural link that allows her to immerse herself in a virtual reality world where she can forget all about the troubles of real life—at least for a little while. These days, everyone is talking about Warcross, a competitive game which has taken the world by storm. Originally developed a decade ago by the then thirteen-year-old prodigy named Hideo Tanaka (who also created the technology to make the neural net possible), Warcross has exploded in popularity in the years since its launch, spawning professional teams and even an international competition that hundreds of millions tune in each year to watch.
So on the eve of the Warcross Championships games, Emika links in along with the rest of the world to watch the opening ceremonies, but inside her mind she is hatching up an insane plan. In her hours of studying the Warcross code, she has discovered a glitch which would enable her to swipe a power-up from right under the players’ noses, and the money she could get from selling a prize like that would be the end of all her financial troubles. However, something goes terribly wrong during her hack, and suddenly, Emika’s identity is revealed to the world. Strangely though, instead of being arrested immediately, Emika has become a celebrity overnight and even receives a call from the billionaire Hideo Tanaka himself, making her an offer she can’t refuse. It appears someone is trying to ruin his company by targeting this year’s Warcross Championships, and Hideo strongly suspects an inside job. Now he needs a spy with Emika’s talents to infiltrate the games and live among the players to find out who the culprit is.
I’ll admit, it took me a while to get into Warcross, mainly because it also took me a long time to warm up to the protagonist, and not least because I think gamers who use hacks and cheats are the scum of the earth. The entire basis of the plot pretty much hinged upon Emika making some catastrophically dumb decisions at the beginning, and I found it hard to believe that such an otherwise savvy young woman would behave so irrationally and impulsively after years of being able to maintain a low profile. I dislike ham-handed plot developments, especially those that go against a character’s nature and are done solely to push the story along.
Fortunately, things looked up after this introductory phase. To her credit, Marie Lu does know how to keep a reader entertained, though from past experience with her work, I’ve noticed how she seems unable to help herself when it comes to loading up her stories with YA tropes and clichés. Warcross comes complete with characters that play to conventions, from a down-on-her-luck but exceptionally talented protagonist who can somehow outsmart the world’s best programmers, to the angsty love interest who reads like a “YA book boyfriend” checklist (Fabulously wealthy? Piercing eyes? Swoony accent? Hideo’s got you covered!) There’s nothing at all groundbreaking about the world either, being your rather typical dystopian-flavored future with hints of Ready Player One. The story was also predictable and I saw the “twist” ending coming a mile away.
But like I said, I still had a good time. Despite its heavy reliance on genre tropes, the book’s high octane action and thrills help compensate for the story’s predictability and shortfalls in the innovation department. I’m also a sucker for books that have a gaming angle, and I was fascinated by the dynamic descriptions of the championship matches as well as the darker side of the Warcross world. The atmosphere is just so intense and hectic that it’s not hard to get sucked in and cheer for Emika’s team even when you know exactly how things are going to play out.
Bottom line, Warcross didn’t really blow me away, but I can recognize a fun book when I see one. Readers of YA fiction and fans of Marie Lu should be happy with it at least, and it’s also a perfectly fine escape if you’re looking for an exciting adventure.
Audiobook Comments: The Warcross audiobook is narrated by Nancy Wu, whose performance was decent enough, though I thought she sounded a little too mature to be an ideal Emika. She was also inconsistent with her voices, especially for Hideo (who didn’t really sound British like he was supposed to) and her accents would occasionally flip on and off. Other than those quibbles, however, it was a good listen and the inconsistencies didn’t affect my enjoyment overly much.
YA Weekend: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
Posted on September 16, 2017 29 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: 2 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of The Nyxia Triad
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (September 12, 2017)
Length: 384 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I won’t belabor all the reasons why I didn’t enjoy Nyxia, especially since it’s a debut and a mostly adequate one at that, but I will touch upon the major points where this book fell short of my expectations. Admittedly, I am to blame for some of my own disappointment. I was led by the publisher description to believe this would be a book about space, containing all the adventure and excitement about arrival on a new planet. But instead, it turned out to be a more pedestrian tale about a competition, one that lasts the entire duration of the novel, so I didn’t even get the satisfaction of gaining answers to some of my pressing questions.
Anyway, here’s the gist of the story: Ten marginalized teens from all over the world are selected by a rich and powerful corporation called Babel Communications to travel to a newly discovered habitable planet called Eden. Their goal is to harvest and extract a volatile but valuable substance called Nyxia from deep within its mines. Why would a multi-bajillionaire company go with a bunch of kids for a highly sensitive, highly dangerous mission, when they could have easily opted for the more logical choice of a group of experienced, far better-trained and emotionally well-adjusted adults, you ask? Well, the explanation we get is that Eden is already populated, by a race of hostile aliens called the Adamites. Understandably, they’re ticked off about the humans trying to colonize their planet, but Babel has uncovered a weakness in their behavior: the Adamites appear to have a soft spot for children and won’t harm juveniles and youngsters. Babel’s hope is that by sending in a group of human teenagers, they’ll be able to slide under the aliens’ radars to get at their precious Nyxia.
Emmett Atwater is the name of our protagonist who has agreed to Babel’s contract, signing on as a potential recruit. Not only is he leaving Earth to make something more of his life, Emmett is also doing it for his sick mother. If he succeeds, the money he receives will be more than enough to pay for her treatments, as well as set himself and his family up for life. However, Emmett’s path to Eden is nowhere close to being a done deal. While Babel has chosen ten candidates, they only need two less than that for the actual mission. To determine who will continue on and who will go home, they’ve devised a series of challenges in which the contestants will try to earn the most points and beat each other out for the coveted eight spots.
And therein lies my main issue with the plot. There doesn’t appear to be a valid, persuasive reason for a competition, other than the prospect of capitalizing on the success of hit books like The Hunger Games or Red Rising. In what universe would it make sense for a lucrative company to throw untold amounts of money away just to watch a bunch of hormonal teenagers beat the crap out of each other, when those resources could be put to better use on a legitimate training regimen to give those kids—and by extension, their own company interests—the best chance of success on Eden? I even tried giving this novel the benefit of the doubt, thinking perhaps Babel would soon reveal a grand plan that would explain for all their questionable methods, but it was a long wait that led to no satisfying answers.
Still, I might have been more forgiving had it not been for the second half of the novel. The story gave me hope when Emmett and the others finally arrived at their destination, but instead of making it down to Eden so that I could get my fix of exploring a new planet, there came a surprising twist—and not one that made me happy either. By this point, I was already feeling the burnout from all the competitions, and I was looking forward to a nice change of pace. But instead, the story gave us even more competition-ing! Even worse, what follows is a romance with that had me gritting my teeth and fighting the urge not to hurl my e-reader across the room. In the end, I just settled for grumbling to myself about insta-love and other pesky clichés.
There were a few other quibbles I had about the world-building and characterization, but like I said, I won’t be dwelling on the little things. I think I’ve covered the main issues why this book wasn’t my cup of tea, and despite the cliffhanger way it ended I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel, because I’m just not feeling the characters or the story enough to want to continue. Clearly though, I’m in the minority in my feelings for many others have had a positive experience with Nyxia, so hopefully if you’re looking forward to the book, you’ll have a better time with it than I did.
Friday Face-Off: Black & White
Posted on September 15, 2017 24 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:
“Checkmate”
~ a cover featuring a BLACK & WHITE DESIGN
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
Interesting that today’s theme is accompanied by a chess-related quote, because appropriately, my pick for this week also has a chess-related title and cover(s). The book’s protagonist is Myfanwy Thomas, who begins this story with no memory of who she is, but thanks to a letter she finds clutched in her hand, she is able to piece together enough of her identity to work out what to do next. Thomas (the name she has taken to calling her pre-amnesic self) was something called a Rook, a high-ranking member of a clandestine government organization known as the Checquy—kind of like MI5 except they are charged with protecting the United Kingdom against all kinds of supernatural threats. Many of the Checquy’s agents are super-powered as well, including Myfanwy, who eventually discovers that she is endowed with a rare but potentially dangerous talent of her own. Soon, she learns that someone in the Checquy had betrayed her, and in order to find out who the traitor is, she must reintegrate herself in the organization and hope that no one would suspect her memory loss.
So that’s the story, now let’s take a look at the covers:
First row, from left to right: Little, Brown and Company (2012) – Head of Zeus (2012) – Back Bay Books (2012)
Portuguese (2016) – French (2014) – French (2015)
Czech (2012) – Chinese (2014) – Turkish (2015)
Winner:
For such an entertaining and eccentric novel, I was rather disappointed to find that most of its covers were pretty standard and unvarying. Most of the designs I found played on the same two themes of either the rook piece or the checkered motif. So after some waffling, I decided to go with Head of Zeus as my winner, followed closely by the 2015 French edition. In my eyes, those are the only two that come closest to capturing the tone of the story, but ultimately, I think the eye-catching splashes of red give the HoZ version the edge.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Novella Review: The Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford
Posted on September 14, 2017 20 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 Twilight Pariah by Jeffrey Ford
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Tor.com (September 12, 2017)
Length: 176 pages
Author Information: Website
An innocent summer project undertaken by a trio of college students quickly turns into a nightmare in The Twilight Pariah, a novella which drew me in with the promise of history and horror. But while the premise itself held plenty of potential, the end result did not pack quite the punch I expected, due to the slightly underwhelming execution of the story.
Maggie, Russell, and Henry are childhood friends who have all returned to their hometown for college vacation. Having recently switched her major to Archaeology, Maggie is suddenly struck with the inspiration to dig up the old outhouse pit behind the notorious Prewitt Mansion, a property that has been abandoned for decades. With a little bit of cajoling, the two others are recruited to help her out on this amateur excavation, and together the three of them head out into the night armed with a bunch of lanterns, shovels, and buckets.
While the first couple of their dig sessions proved uneventful, one night our protagonist Henry discovers something terrifying at the bottom of the pit: an infant’s skeleton, with bony horns on its skull and the evidence of a tail. Disturbed by the find, the three of them decide to keep the baby’s remains a secret, conducting their own research into who the child might be and the reasons behind its particular deformities. At around the same time, however, there have been a string of fatal attacks reported, with the victims’ bodies looking like they have been mutilated by a wild animal. None of the three friends believe this could be a coincidence; without realizing it, they may have awakened something evil that would stop at nothing to retrieve what it lost.
Have you ever read a book that has great ideas, but no soul? This was how I felt for the most part while reading The Twilight Pariah. The writing may have played a big part in it, since I found Jeffrey Ford’s style to be a little too restricting and stilted. As a result, very few scenes of terror came across as impactful as they could have been, with even the important bits like the climax imparting virtually no suspense or emotion. I don’t know if there were supposed to be any twists or surprises in the plot, because none of them really came off feeling that way at all.
Being a novella, the disadvantage of its shorter length could also be felt when it came to character development. Henry and his friends Maggie and Russell were all lightly sketched, with very rudimentary personalities. There was also too much telling and not showing, so subsequently their relationships to each other and their loved ones (Henry with his father, Russell with Luther, etc.) felt very flat. I wish the story would have spent more time developing those deeper connections, rather than squandering precious paragraphs describing the three friends sitting around the pool smoking pot and drinking themselves into a stupor.
And yet, for all my complaints, I didn’t entirely dislike the book. I think it accomplished what it set out to do, which is to provide a quick and simple tale of creepy entertainment. It could have been a lot more though, which is where most of my disappointment stems from. While the supernatural angle was fun and the eventual explanations for what happened at the Prewitt Mansion were interesting, the horror elements—which, as I said, were some of the key reasons I was originally drawn to this book—were rather muted and didn’t do it for me. All told, The Twilight Pariah was a perfectly good treat to indulge in for an afternoon of escape, but it didn’t make much of a lasting impression.
Waiting on Wednesday 09/13/17
Posted on September 13, 2017 11 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
From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris (April 3, 2018 by DAW Books)
From Unseen Fire is the first book of the Aven Cycle, a historical fantasy series set in an alternate Ancient Rome. It also features a strong female lead and is a debut novel to boot. I think I need this book in my life!
“The Dictator is dead; long live the Republic.
But whose Republic will it be? Senators, generals, and elemental mages vie for the power to shape the future of the city of Aven. One such mage, Latona of the Vitelliae, must rediscover her incredible powers of Fire and Spirit—which she suppressed for years at the Dictator’s court—in order to protect her family and the city she loves.
Her siblings—a widow who conceals a canny political mind in the guise of a frivolous socialite, a young prophetess torn from the sanctuary of her temple, and a military tribune leading a dangerous expedition in the province of Iberia—will be her allies as she builds a place for herself in this new world, against the objections of their father, her husband, and the strictures of Aventan society.
Their paths intersect with that of Sempronius Tarren, a rising politician who dreams of a vast and harmonious empire growing from the nexus of their beloved city. He believes the gods have thrown down a personal challenge, and equipped him with the skills to steer Aven towards this glorious future—but in order to realize his goals, he will have to break the Republic’s most sacred law. Although centuries-old custom dictates that no mage may hold the highest political offices, Sempronius, a Shadow mage who has kept his abilities a life-long secret, intends to do just that.
As rebellion brews in Iberia, Sempronius must outwit the ruthless leader of the opposing Senate faction to claim the political and military power he needs to achieve his—and Aven’s—destiny. As Latona unleashes her magical potential, she discovers that Sempronius’s extraordinary vision for their nation aligns with her desires to protect its people—but their burgeoning relationship may jeopardize the very future they seek to build in Aven.”
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Books From the Year I Started Reviewing
Posted on September 12, 2017 28 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow book lovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Top Ten Favorite Books From the Year I Started Reviewing
Mogsy’s Picks
I’m always fascinated by how my tastes change over time, so with today’s theme being a Throwback Freebie, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my favorite books in the first year I started reviewing. It’s important to note this is actually before this blog existed. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but it wasn’t until 2010 or 2011 that I started getting into the habit of taking notes while reading, which was also around the time I started my Goodreads account and became more active in that community. It began with random notes here and there, and soon these little snippets gradually evolved into longer paragraphs until it led to me writing these full-blown reviews. And because all this is still on GR, I was able to take a look back at the kind of books I was reading at this time and see which 2010-2011 releases had me raving with excitement. What I find interesting is how some of these are still among my favorites even now, while others have lost a bit of their appeal over time. I’ve read approximately 1150 more books since then, and it’s amazing to see how those years and experiences have altered my opinions.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “I … loved how Ernest Cline described the relationships between the characters in the book. A lot of us online gamers can probably relate to the experience of making long-lasting friendships over the internet, the excitement and nervousness of meeting your online friends for the first time in real life but ending up connecting like you’ve known each other for years even though you’ve never met face-to-face until that moment, etc. I think [Cline] nailed that part perfectly.”
What I think now: Yep, still love this book. I remember first hearing about Ready Player One in the early weeks of its release because it was making big waves among my friends in the MMO gaming community, so that was how I came to pick it up. Awesome to see how its popularity has exploded since publication, and with the movie coming out soon.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Year: 2010
What I thought then: “[Sanderson]’s a good storyteller, and his writing, while not too terribly elegant, is straightforward and undisguised without being too simplistic. I mean all that as a compliment; sometimes you just want to get to the meat of the story without poring over a page multiple times to contemplate all its artsy-ness or symbolic meanings. That stuff is for another time, another book. But when all I want to do is sit back and relax to enjoy an epic fantasy with a good story, The Way of Kings delivers.”
What I think now: Another book I still love to pieces. In fact, even now it sits at the top of my favorites-of-all-time list. The Way of Kings was only my second venture into Brandon Sanderson’s work after Mistborn, I had no idea then that he would become one of my favorite authors.
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “This was simply a beautiful novel. While not exactly a heart-thumping page turner, it nonetheless had me enraptured with its story and characters every step of the way. At the heart of it, Lily of the Nile is a coming-of-age story, and it’s a unique one at that. It’s labeled as historical fiction, but I was surprised to find a thread of fantasy laced through the novel in the form of old magic, which sets it apart from other books I’ve read in the past.”
What I think now: I have fond memories of this book, and every time I see that gorgeous cover it still gives me the feels. This is still one of the best stories I’ve ever read about Cleopatra Selene and Ancient Rome, and I wish I had more time to read historical fiction these days.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “Themes in this book will be familiar to fans of fantasy. A boy on his journey to manhood. A lost prince fighting for his birthright. A tale of revenge. And so on. All wrapped up in this nice little package which probably won’t take you more than a few days to read. And yet, all these themes are laced with a twist. Prince of Thorns will probably be unlike any fantasy novel you’ve ever read. Like other reviewers have warned, this book is dark, and it is violent. You’ll likely be disgusted and repulsed by the main character, Jorg … The story, however, I found riveting. I love the style of the narration, and the author’s refreshing take on dark fantasy. If the book had been a little longer, I wonder if more of the world and the characters could have been explored.”
What I think now: This was Lawrence’s debut, and he certainly has become a force to be reckoned with ever since. I’ve read all his subsequent novels, and he’s just getting better and better.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
Year: 2010
What I thought then: “If you read the second book, the third one is a must. It. Is. Good. Again, perhaps not as strong as the first novel, but definitely in my opinion better than the second while providing it with a satisfying conclusion which answers all the questions and ties everything up beautifully as well. For the ending of this book alone, I feel both are worth reading. What a shame it is that the late Stieg Larsson will no longer bring us more adventures of Blomkvist and Salander. After finishing this book, I was actually overcome with a little sadness.”
What I think now: I guess this book made less of an impression than I thought, because I don’t actually remember all that much from it now. In truth, I don’t have much desire to check out the continuation novels by David Lagercrantz either, despite my past comments about more Blomkvist and Salander adventures.
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Year: 2010
What I thought then: “A historical fantasy set in far-away Kitai, a land inspired by Tang Dynasty China. One of my favorite books of all time is The Lions of Al-Rassan by Kay, so this fact along with my interest in imperial Chinese history made this book a must-read … As always, I appreciate the immense detail Kay puts into his books, which makes the world of Kitai come to life. The characters are believable — not perfect but definitely “human”. Anyway, I don’t want to spoil too much of it, just know I highly recommend this.”
What I think now: I still have a lot of love for this book, but I thought River of Stars (its companion novel set in the same world) that came out a couple years later was even better. In that sense, Under Heaven has become overshadowed somewhat.
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Year: 2010
What I thought then: “This was a total impulse buy that caught my eye as I was browsing through the bestsellers in the Kindle store. Told in the first-person point of view of a dog looking for his purpose, and has to be reborn several times to find it, one moment this book was making me laugh, and the next I was bawling my eyes out. It’s cute, funny, touching, and perfect if you’re looking for a casual and easy read. Dog lovers will enjoy it, and while I’m not big on the anthropomorphizing of animals, I still have to admit Cameron does a pretty good job of delving into a dog’s mind … You don’t have to own a dog to love A Dog’s Purpose, but for someone who does, it definitely makes you consider your role in your dog’s life and vice versa.”
What I think now: Not a lot has stayed with me from this book, but I do remember all the best scenes, especially those that made me cry tears of joy or sadness. Yes, it’s a fluffy read, but I still think it’s very cute.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “…I finished this 850 page monster in a little more than 4 days. Sure, the book had its ups and downs and there were some slow sections that really could have been cut out or filed down, but I plowed on through anyway. Perhaps the biggest surprise — and the biggest treat — for me was the love story in 11/22/63. You wouldn’t think romance was Stephen King’s forte, but wow, the depth of emotion and feeling he achieved here was very impressive. The last pages had me in tears. YES, A STEPHEN KING BOOK MADE ME CRY!”
What I think now: Probably one of my favorite Stephen King novels EVER, and I still rave about it to anyone who would listen. So good.
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “Let me just say how much more I appreciated Kvothe as a character when he’s out in the world doing much more interesting things and not constantly worrying about making money. Here, I finally got a taste of the adventure I was looking for. And Kvothe, who was the arrogant, juvenile, slightly annoying character that I barely tolerated in [The Name of the Wind] finally began his change into the admirable protagonist I knew he would become. His actions and motivations became a lot more “real” to me in this book, making me like him more than I ever did in the previous one.”
What I think now: Sadly, the longer this series goes without news of the third novel, the more it’s fading from my mind and memory. I’d still be happy to read the next one, but I’m probably not as enthusiastic about it as I was back then.
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Year: 2011
What I thought then: “I had a lot of fun reading this book. I would say it is better than the average debut novel, but it is not without its problems. At times, Atticus can be a bit too smug for my taste, and some of the dialogue and references feel forced. It’s almost like the author is overcompensating in trying to make the readers buy that the protagonist is 2,100 years old successfully disguising himself by sounding like a 21-year-old college frat boy … I’m interested in seeing how things will turn out though. Like I said, it was a fun read, and it’s always refreshing to read a new urban fantasy novel that doesn’t suck. I will definitely be picking up the second book as well as the third.”
What I think now: I ended up fulfilling the last part of that statement, finishing up books two and three, but after that I took a break. Kevin Hearne is another author who has come a long way since this debut, and his Iron Druid Chronicles has become much beloved among UF fans, but like I said, the humor in the series can be too much sometimes and I found that I could only take Atticus in small doses.
Book Review: Age of Assassins by R.J. Barker
Posted on September 11, 2017 27 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Age of Assassins by R.J. Barker
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Wounded Kingdom
Publisher: Orbit (August 1, 2017)
Length: 408 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Okay, I’m seriously impressed. Orbit is really killing it with the 2017 debuts (no pun intended), releasing yet another winner in Age of Assassins by R.J. Barker. Though this book had caught my attention earlier this year with its Assassin vs. Assassin premise, I still found myself unprepared for just how enjoyable and addictive it was.
“To catch an assassin, use an assassin…” This is the situation Queen Adran has found herself in when she discovers a plot to murder her son, the royal heir Prince Aydor. But rather than showing her hand, the queen has decided to handle the matter quietly, privately seeking out the services of an expert in the field. Setting a trap, the queen lures her old friend the accomplished killer-for-hire Merela Karn to Castle Maniyadoc, tasking her to root out the would-be assassin and report any conspiracies she finds directly to Adran.
Enter our protagonist Girton Clubfoot, who is Merela’s young apprentice. Pretending to be a squire while his master dons the guise of a traveling jester, Girton is put through combat training with the other castle boys to maintain the deception. Hiding behind a mask of clumsiness and ineptitude, he begins to ingratiate himself with the other noble sons, when all the while he is actually keeping his eyes and ears open, discreetly gathering information that would help them discover who might want Prince Aydor dead.
The answer, as it turns out, is a lot of people. The heir is a contemptible and loathsome creature who will be a terrible ruler one day when he takes the throne, and it seems like everyone has a reason to want him gone. To make matters worse, Girton’s mission is further complicated by castle politics and scandal, even as his and Merela’s list of suspects grows and grows.
From the start, I was drawn to the fantastic premise of Age of Assassins, and that was even before I learned all about the secrets hidden behind the walls of Castle Maniyadoc. Needless to say, I loved the element of mystery and the way our protagonist conducted his investigation, sniffing around the palace trying to shake loose even the slightest clue. While it’s true that the scope of the setting is somewhat limited and self-contained, the good news is, not once did I feel that it restricted the story or made it feel dull. A rich cast of characters helped with this, each keeping their own agenda tightly under wraps. Plots within plots ensured that that the drama and the tensions always remained high, and often I found myself barely able to put the book down because I was so desperate to find out what would happen next.
But without a doubt, the highlight of this novel for me was the bond between Girton and Merela. Certainly, there’s no lack of examples when it comes to masters and apprentice relationships in fantasy fiction, and yet there was something about this particular one that warmed my heart. Merela is almost as much a mother to Girton as she is his teacher, encouraging him to see past the disability for which he is named in order to reach his full potential. And like any young man coming of age, Girton can sometimes be blinded by his naïve idealism (not to mention an infatuation for a pretty stable girl), which causes him to clash with Merela. Still, the two clearly have something very special between then, and it’s really quite rare to come across a master-apprentice relationship that feels so genuine and developed. Plus, speaking as someone who generally dislikes flashbacks and other such devices, the scenes going back to Girton and Merela’s early days together actually turned out to be some of my favorites in the entire book.
Like I said, Age of Assassins is an exceptional debut, so well written and put together that I am shocked that this is the author’s first novel. R.J. Barker will be going places, that’s for damn sure! If you’re looking for a compelling mix of fantasy and mystery along with a bit of wisdom and heart to go with your deadly intrigue, then I strongly urge you to pick up this book as soon as you can. I had an immensely good time with it, and I can’t wait to continue with the next book in the Wounded Kingdom series.
Book Review: At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon
Posted on September 10, 2017 14 Comments
At the Table of Wolves by Kay Kenyon
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Paranormal, Historical Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Dark Talents
Publisher: Saga Press (July 11, 2017)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
At the Table of Wolves is the first book I’ve ever read by Kay Kenyon. It’s also the beginning of a new historical paranormal fantasy series set in the prelude to World War II, starring an extraordinary woman who uses her superpower to go undercover to spy for the British. Following the “bloom” in the aftermath of the Great War which resulted in the appearance of psychic talents in about one in a thousand people, Kim Tavistock has manifested the “spill” ability to compel others to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets to her. Not wanting to alienate her friends who might shy away from her if they ever find out, she has always kept her true nature close to her heart. After all, few people find themselves comfortable around a spill—for obvious reasons—though as an intelligence agent, Kim’s unique power would make her a formidable weapon indeed.
Upon her return to England in 1936 to visit her father after an unsuccessful journalism career in America, Kim is troubled by the political upheaval in Germany and the headway the Nazis have made on the research involving military uses for those affected by the bloom. Inspired to help the British, she decides to report to a facility to have her power tested, and is promptly recruited by her caseworker for a dangerous mission to expose a possible German spy. Eager to lend a support, Kim agrees to infiltrate the estate of an aristocratic family during a weekend where she will get meet some of England’s most prominent fascist sympathizers and even a visiting Nazi officer, the seductive and enigmatic Erich von Ritter.
It’s no secret that alternate history fiction set around the time of World War II has always been popular, but believe it or not, the theme of paranormal superpowers versus Nazis has become a growing trend in the subgenre too. Thus, the big question I asked as I sat down to read this novel was, what does it bring to the table? We have a protagonist who has no experience in espionage who unsurprisingly ends up committing a number of mistakes and falling into a bunch traps, always appearing to be outsmarted, outclassed, and outgunned at every turn. As such, the book doesn’t quite meet the typical requirements of a spy novel, and neither is it a satire, so we are presented with none of the humor despite Kim’s bumbling incompetence. Nor does At the Table of Wolves read much like a thriller, for that matter; the majority of the story has little action or suspense, not to mention the pacing was on the slower, plodding side. So, what is it that makes this one stand out? What makes it special?
In truth, I had a rough time getting a bead on this novel, which made answering these questions difficult. The story is pretty decent, light and fluffy enough to provide some entertainment, but now that I’m finished with it, I just can’t help thinking it could have been more. A good example is Kim, who would have been an admirable protagonist, except her character was constantly being undermined by her own poor decisions and inconsistencies. To her credit, she is strong-willed and brave—though I find it hard to truly admire someone who charges headlong into danger while disregarding orders and advice from more experienced agents, and then is shocked when everything blows up in her face. I was also somewhat let down by how little her spill came into play. The effects of that particular power was supposed to give Kim a strong advantage in her spying, but even in this area she underperformed and became overshadowed.
I should mentioned too that the story is told via two main POVs: Kim, as well as her father, Julian. Kenyon attempts to build tension by injecting potential friction between her two main characters, making Kim suspect that her father may be a Nazi sympathizer, when in truth he is actually working on the same side—as one of Britain’s most senior intelligence agents, no less—a development that the reader discovers very early on. For the entire novel though, we are kept in suspense for the epiphany in which estranged father and daughter will finally learn the truth, but alas, the moment never comes. While I understand this is the first of a new series, and that the priority is the resolution of the book’s main story line, still, the situation left unresolved between Kim and Julian felt to me like a glaring loose end. This robbed the conclusion of its emotional impact, which was something the book desperately needed, so hopefully the sequel will take big steps to address this.
Speaking of which, I’ve decided I may continue with the series, despite my issues with this one. For all its flaws, At the Table of Wolves is not a bad book, mainly because the entertainment value is there along with room for the premise to grow beyond what it is now. I didn’t see anything to get really excited about, but given the direction of the last couple of chapters, I have a feeling that may soon change with the next installment.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recently Read
Posted on September 9, 2017 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.
Received for Review
Thank you to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received. For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages!
My thanks to Jo Fletcher Books for this one for sending me a finished copy of The Curious Affair of the Witch at Wayside Cross by Lisa Tuttle! This is the follow-up to The Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief which I’d actually tried reading last year but didn’t get far because there was a lot going on at the time, not because I didn’t like the book. I’ll probably give it another shot one of these days, now that I have the sequel handy.
I’m also very excited about The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones, a dystopian described as being in the spirit of Station Eleven. I’m going to be starting this soon, if I haven’t already made a dent in this by the time this post goes live! With thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the review copy.
Call of Fire by Beth Cato is the sequel to last year’s Breath of Earth which I have to admit I have not read (but really want to!) I’m told that I can start here without getting too lost though, so maybe I will do just that. With thanks to Harper Voyager.
Courtesy of Thomas Dunne Books, I also received a finished hardcover of Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham which I’m really thrilled about, because it sounds like a very fun book! It’s become a must-read for this fall.
Next up comes a couple of ARCs from the kind folks at Subterranean Press: Hellraiser: The Toll by Mark Alan Miller and The Father of Lies by K.J. Parker. For the life of me I couldn’t find much info on either of these yet, but hopefully more will be revealed soon! What I do know is that Mark Alan Miller is the VP of Clive Barker’s production company with a few other Hellraiser franchise-related credits under his belt, and of course any new K.J. Parker is cause for excitement.
On to the digital haul, my thanks to Harper Voyager for providing e-galleys of Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra and The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. Both caught my eye when I tuned in to their Blogger Preview Event last month.
The Fifth Empire of Man by Rob J. Hayes is book two of Best Laid Plans, a grimdark fantasy series about pirates. I’d just recently reviewed the first book so when the author contacted me to see if I would like an eARC of the sequel as well, I immediately said yes. Thanks so much, Rob!
I also couldn’t resist grabbing The Stone in the Skull by Elizabeth Bear from NetGalley when I saw it offered by Tor last week. I’ve been looking forward to reading more of Bear’s books, and this start of a new series set in the same world as her Eternal Sky trilogy seemed like it would be a good place to start.
Described as an oral history of the apocalypse for fans of books like World War Z, Sleep Over by H.G. Bells is a novel that’s been on my radar for a while, and my interest hasn’t waned despite the publication delays. I’m just glad to hear that it’s finally coming out in the winter, and I immediately snagged an eARC which was “Read Now” from NetGalley as soon as I saw that it was available. With thanks to Talos.
Thanks also to Tor.com for sending me an e-galley of The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander. Now that is some cover! The description sounds pretty wild too.
It’s been a lighter week for audiobooks, but I did take on a few review copies from Penguin Random House Audio. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson, and Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray are all books that I’m really looking forward to and are on my audio listening plans for September.
Reviews
A quick summary of the reviews I’ve posted since the last update:
An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors (4.5 of 5 stars)
Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik (4 of 5 stars)
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor (4 of 5 stars)
Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks (4 of 5 stars)
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff (4 of 5 stars)
The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente (3 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve “unstacked” from the TBR since my last roundup post. This being the first week back to school, my schedule was really hectic and I didn’t get as much reading done as I usually do, but hopefully things will stabilize in good time. I’ve already posted reviews for a couple of these, and the rest are 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: City
Posted on September 8, 2017 32 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:
“That great condenser of moral chaos, The City”
~ a cover featuring a CITY
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
My pick for this week is a brutal dystopian set in 23rd century Thailand, in a world devastated by ecological disasters and economic collapse. Humanity is now almost entirely dependent on biotechnology for food production, and megacorporations control the market using their own genetically modified seeds, which have all but replaced the natural order. The capital city of Bangkok only survives due to technology, but its future is always hanging by a thread.
The titular character of the novel is Emiko, a “Windup Girl” genetically engineered to be a docile slave. After being abandoned by her master, Emiko is forced to endure abuse and humiliation at the club where she works in exchange for a measure of protection against the Thai government. If they find out she exists, she would be destroyed.
The covers for this book are many and varied, so let’s take a look at some of them now:
First row, from left to right: Night Shade Books (2009) – Subterranean Press (2011) – French Edition (2013)
Italian Edition (2013) – Polish Edition (2013) – Serbian Edition (2014) – Russian Edition (2012)
Chinese Edition (2012) – Romanian Edition (2013) – Czech Edition (2011)
Winner:
This week is a really mixed bag, with some excellent covers along with some not-so-great ones (e.g. the monstrosities that are the Serbian and Czech editions that seem to have confused this for a horror novel). There are a couple that I love so much though, I think I’m going to have to go with a tie. My choices for the winners are the Night Shade Books (2009) and Chinese Edition (2012) covers, and I’m just gonna go ahead and leave the original artwork pieces here to speak for themselves.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite?
The BiblioSanctum 