Waiting on Wednesday 06/29/16
Posted on June 29, 2016 13 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
Chasing Embers by James Bennet (September 6, 2016 by Orbit)
My pick this week is another book inspired by myth and legend. The description is teasingly vague, but the “Not all stories are made up” tagline gives a nice hint of what’s to come!
“Behind every myth, there’s a spark of truth…
There’s nothing special about Ben Garston. He’s just a guy with an attitude in a beat-up leather jacket, drowning his sorrows in a downtown bar. Or so he’d have you believe.
What Ben Garston can’t let you know is that he was once known as Red Ben. That the world of myth and legend isn’t just a fantasy, as we’ve been led to believe. And he certainly can’t let you know the secret of what’s hiding just beneath his skin…
But not even Ben knows what kind of hell is about to break loose. A centuries-old rivalry has just resurfaced, and the delicate balance between his world and ours is about to be shattered.”
Book Review: Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley
Posted on June 28, 2016 21 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Series: Book 2 of The Checquy Files
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (June 14, 2016)
Length: 583 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I must confess, I only finished The Rook last month when the surprise arrival of a Stiletto ARC prompted me to do some quick catching up with the series, so I can’t claim to have waited for this sequel for as long as others. That said though, I was no less excited to jump right in! I loved the first book, and practically dove into this next one straight away.
The first thing you should know about Stiletto is that even though it picks up where The Rook left off, it’s also not your typical conventional follow-up. For one thing, Myfanwy Thomas is no longer the main protagonist. Instead, we get two new leading ladies: a Checquy Pawn named Felicity Clements, and a Grafter surgeon named Odette Leliefeld. After centuries of being on opposite sides, the two young women are suddenly thrown together when their respective organizations are forced to make peace in a new alliance. However, putting aside their differences is easier said than done. The enmity between the two groups runs deep, and not everyone is happy about the new partnership. Almost immediately after arriving in Great Britain with the Grafter delegation, Odette becomes targeted by an angry and bitter Checquy agent, and in order to avert diplomatic disaster, a new bodyguard is swiftly assigned to her in the form of Pawn Clements.
Meanwhile, bizarre paranormal attacks continue to plague London, keeping the Checquy busy running around putting out fires. It’s all just business as usual…or is it? Do the Grafters in the delegation know more than they let on? What kind of secrets are they hiding from their hosts? Who can they trust? Both factions are on edge, with a fragile peace hanging between them. Surrounded by paranormal dangers, threats of sabotage, and deep-seated hatreds, just about anything can shatter this delicate young alliance.
Not going to lie; I was initially surprised when I started this book and discovered that we’d shifted away from Myfanwy Thomas as the main protagonist, since the publisher description makes no mention to the contrary. At the same time though, I wasn’t especially jarred by the change. Perhaps it had something to do with the short time I had between reading The Rook and Stiletto, but I found the new voices pleasantly refreshing. Don’t get me wrong; I loved Myfanwy and was delighted to see her make a return in the sequel (albeit in a supporting capacity) but clearly the Checquy-Grafter alliance is the key focus here, and there’s no better way to portray all the consequences and challenges of the fledgling partnership than to give us a new character from each side. Myfanwy might be the Rook in charge of brokering this deal, but in order to get right down to the nitty-gritty details, we had to go to the straight to the frontlines with a Pawn.
Enter Felicity. She’s a warrior, meticulous and determined. She is also completely loyal to the Checquy, aspiring one day to join the Barghests, their most elite combat force. Trained to fight and protect, Felicity won’t flinch from doing what needs to be done either, making her the perfect bodyguard to assign to Odette. Myfanway Thomas knows she can count on the Pawn to lay down her life for her charge, but given the order, Felicity also won’t hesitate to put a bullet in Odette’s head if it turns out the young Grafter woman can’t be trusted.
This makes the relationship between Felicity and Odette very interesting. For almost the entirety of the first book, we got to hear all about how the Grafters were evil, insane, and brutal enemies of the Checquy. But in this one we get Odette, a mild-mannered and well-balanced young woman who is completely overwhelmed by her visit to London and just wants to make it through the day without starting a war. I loved seeing the Grafter perspective through her eyes. She and Felicity come from two very different worlds, making the early friction between them no surprise, but as the story progresses, a precarious link begins to form between them, making this part one of the more rewarding aspects of Stiletto. Whereas in The Rook we got to read about Myfanwy Thomas having a relationship with her own pre-amnesiac self, here we actually get to see an incredible example of true female friendship. O’Malley did a great job developing Felicity and Odette’s connection.
The fresh focus on the two women also means that technically, Stiletto can be read on its own without having to read The Rook first, but I wouldn’t recommend it. For one thing, although the author does a great job recapping and explaining the important details you need to know (which also helps to refresh memories after four years, I imagine), there are various references and other ties to the first book which will feel a lot more rewarding if you can spot and recognize them. More importantly, the first book was so much fun, you definitely won’t want to rob yourself of the experience.
My one and only complaint is that the novel is weighed down here and there by some bloat, but this could simply be a stylistic choice by O’Malley. Huge chunks of history and background information are sometimes injected into the narrative, which was also the case in The Rook. Over time, this has evolved to become a part of the series’ unique charm, but every now and then it still gets very distracting, taking attention away from the characters and main conflict.
When all is said and done though, I had a great time with Stiletto. I don’t love it any less than I love The Rook—I just love it differently. While the protagonists may have changed, all the ingredients that made the first book great are still there: laugh-out-loud humor, compelling characters, a wonderfully twisty plot, detailed world-building, and amazing super-powers! The Grafter perspective is a welcome addition to this series, and I’m surprised how much I enjoyed reading about the Checquy’s former enemies. I’m certainly curious to see how these two organizations will continue moving forward, and I await the next book in the series with much excitement.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Rook (Book 1)
Week 4: Any Other Name Read-Along
Posted on June 27, 2016 8 Comments
Our thanks to Hisham for the read-along banner!
We’re gaining steam on our read-along of the The Split Worlds series this month, continuing with the second book Any Other Name! If you’re interested in joining this Read-Along, visit the SF/F Read-Along group for more information and to join the discussion.
Cathy has been reluctantly married into the Iris family and moves to Londinium, the magical Nether reflection of London, setting her on a collision course with the restrictive, high-pressure social circles that demand propriety and obedience, things the vocal and free-spirited Cathy cannot abide. Will, meanwhile, is trying to find a compromise for his new bride, but whispers in his ear are urging him towards dark deeds…
Sam, determined to dive back into the world of Exilium to rescue innocents, crosses paths with Cathy and Max once again as Max and the gargoyle uncover more information about the mysterious Agency and the chain of events that wiped out the Bath Chapter. Sacrifices, terrible deals, and dreadful revelations mark this second installment of Emma Newman’s wondrous Split Worlds series.
Week 1: Monday 6th June, Chapters 1-6, hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Monday 13th June, Chapters 7-13, hosted by x + 1
Week 3: Monday 20th June, Chapters 14-20, hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 4: Monday 27th June, Chapters 21-End, hosted by The Illustrated Page
1. After her meeting with Miss Rainer, Cathy is determined to tackle the Agency and bring feminism to the Nether. What are her odds of success? Is Lucy a trustworthy ally?
Mogsy: I was actually very pleased when Lucy opened Cathy’s eyes to the possibility that there were other women out there who want to see change in the Nether. Not only did it take Cathy’s self-righteousness down a notch or two, it made her focus her attention on something more worthwhile than to mope around trying to come up with more futile escape plans. I’m almost positive that Lucy can be trusted; while it’s certainly possible that she planted the idea in Cathy’s mind in order to manipulate her, I find that highly unlikely. I think Lucy truly loves Tom, and Tom apparently being the only decent person in Cathy’s family, I’m pretty sure they will all end up on being the same side. As for Cathy’s chances, I think she would have better luck gaining support in Londinium rather than in Aquae Sulis–that is, if Will hasn’t just fucked everything up for all of them.
Tiara: I feel like Cathy could be very successful. She’s not alone, and while it may not be many, it only takes a few people to start a murmur that builds into a revolution, right? I think Lucy is trustworthy, but this is probably my bias talking since I like her character. She feels very genuine, but those are the ones who always break my heart in the end in books.
2. Will wants another chance at a happy ending for him and Cathy. Thoughts?
Mogsy: Okay, I admire his tenacity, I really do. In spite of all the crap things he pulled in this book, it’s also touching to see him go rushing to Cathy’s side and seeing his worry for her. But still, maybe he could like, use his tiny pea brain a little before storming off to avenge her half-cocked? Oh, Will Will Will, you are so gullible.
Tiara: *sigh* I guess she’s stuck with him now, so… I don’t know. One one hand, I was glad to see them making some progress there, but I’ve spent so much time loathing him that it’s going to take some time for him to truly warm up to him. I want them to have a happy ending, but right now I am still having all kinds of feelings about this.
3. Do you think Lord Iron is to be trusted? Is Sam making the right move by joining CoFerrum? Any thoughts on his wife’s death?
Mogsy: I’m not sure anyone in this book with “Lord” as their title can be trusted, to be honest. I still find it iffy that he’s supposedly this really powerful figure in the elemental court, but can’t keep tabs on the people who supposedly work for him? But seeing as he’s the one who came to Sam, expressing his displeasure at what Neugent has done, maybe we can hear him out for now. It saddens me to admit this, but whether Sam is making the right move or not by joining up has become a moot point now. He doesn’t have anything to lose anymore, poor guy. Personally, I was completely shocked at the news of Leeane’s death. I thought for sure Sam would get his chance to save her and their marriage, and I’m even more heartbroken knowing that she died thinking the worst of him, without knowing the truth.
Tiara: I’m with Mogsy on this one. I don’t think anyone with the title Lord can be truly trusted, even if it seems their intentions are good at the moment. I also agree that Sam really has nothing to lose by joining, and it’d probably be in his best interest (for lack of better wording) if he does.
4. Do you think Mercia is behind the deaths of the Sorcerers? If so, what sort of deal do you think he struck with Lady Rose?
Mogsy: I have no idea. I’m actually a little taken aback that such a huge development was dropped on us so late in the book, but then, maybe I shouldn’t be. The same thing happened with Max and the Sorcerer in the last book, right? It’s becoming a pattern with this particular story line.
Tiara: I’ll reserve judgement on that because, yeah, that really blind-sided me, too. However, I haven’t had as much time to contemplate this book as I’d like, so maybe if I’d been in conspiracy theorist mode like I sometimes can be with books.
5. What are your predictions for the next book?
Mogsy: Once more, I’m not going to start with predictions but rather with my hopes for the next book. I want answers! First of all: Sophia, Sophia, Sophia! We didn’t have too many discussions involving her this month, but I’m curious to see the significance of her character. I’m almost sure now that she’s the illegitimate daughter of Will’s mother and his uncle, and that’s the huge Iris secret, but what that has to do with the overall series arc, I have no idea. I also want to see Sam get his revenge. There’s still this tiny spark of hope that maybe Leeane can be saved, but I doubt it since he saw her body and everything. The ensuing shitstorm in Londinium will probably be a big part of the next book too. I’m still so mad at Will, for killing an innocent guy. And for Cathy, once she heals up, I hope she’ll get to start her work on bringing feminism to the Nether, if she still has any allies left after her idiot husband just made everyone hate them. I want to see Amelia and Cornelius get their comeuppance too, since so much of what is happening now can be attributed to their scheming. And I also hope that the investigation will pick up, since once again Max and the gargoyle were kind of “blah” to me in this book. There are probably a few more minor things I’d like to see, but I think that’s all the big predictions/hopes for now. Hmm, that’s quite a lot of things happening, isn’t it? I can’t believe we’re only two books in.
Tiara: I’m expecting this…
Audiobook Review Bites
Posted on June 27, 2016 7 Comments
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels #1
Publisher: Ace (April 1, 2007)
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Atlanta has become a city that lives at the mercy of magic. Technology advanced to a point that caused magic to push back violently and topple many of the cities grandest buildings and technologies. When magic is up, technology doesn’t work. Guns don’t fire. Cars don’t start. When the magic is done, spells don’t work. Protection wards fail. Magic loses its power. It’s a precarious situation for Kate Daniels, a magic-based bounty hunter, to live through because you never know when the magic is going to fall. When Kate’s guardian is murdered, she takes on the task of finding his killer, a decision that takes her into the lairs of the shifters and the necromancers who live in the city. Both factions blame the other for the mysterious deaths of their own that accompany her guardian’s death. These murders threaten to throw the two into a supernatural war, putting pressure on Kate to find the killer before the two explode.
This has been sitting on my TBR list forever, so during a book buying ban in April, I checked this audiobook out from the library. Kate Daniels herself is typical for what you’d find in Urban Fantasy. She kicks butt, and there’s always a quip on the edge of her tongue, even when she should probably stay silent. My only real complaint with Kate is that the authors (because this is a husband and wife duo writing this series) went a bit overkill in the scathing wit department to the point that it became downright frustrating and childish in some scenes. There was one particular exchange between Curran (king of the shifters) and Kate near the end that just made me roll my eyes until I thought my eyes were going to roll right out my head. In that respect, I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry that was supposed to be there between Kate and Curran, but maybe it’ll feel more natural as the series goes forward.
The thought of a magical apocalypse is an intriguing one, and I wished we’d been given more glimpses of how far Atlanta has fallen. However, given the descriptions that Kate does provide of parts of the city, you can definitely picture the ruin that magic has brought about for once great buildings and districts. (I don’t live far from Atlanta, so I could picture the different areas quite a bit.) One thing I was a little unclear on is if the whole country is suffering after this magic apocalypse or if it’s just Atlanta. This is probably a tidbit of information that I missed in my reading. While the shifters aren’t anything new and exciting, I liked the direction the authors took with the vampires. There’s nothing pretty or seductive about them. Instead they’re mindless, blood-obsessed creatures piloted by the city’s necromancers. I mostly enjoyed this book, but it could be a bit cumbersome in places, as most first books can be as the world is being established. Renée Raudman’s narration made this bearable at least until getting back to the good parts of the story. Here’s another series that I’ve found in 2016 that I want to continue. Too many series, not enough time.
Narrator: Renée Raudman | Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Tantor Audio (January 12, 2009) | Whispersync Ready: Yes
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Innkeeper Chronicles #1
Publisher: NYLA (December 2, 2013)
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Dina Demille owns a bed and breakfast in a small Texas town, and that’s about as normal as her life gets. Dina is an Innkeeper, a neutral person who provides sanctuary and rest to the various beings populating the galaxy. Dina’s parents were Innkeepers, but Dina only recently became an Innkeeper, which means she is trying to establish her inn as a place that otherworldly travelers can trust. She finds herself dealing with more than she intended when strange attacks start occurring in her neighbor, bringing the local alpha werewolf and the vampires to her door. Clean Sweep is different than normal Urban Fantasy for the fact that it relies heavily on science fiction as well as fantasy elements. While the story takes place in Texas, space travel and distant planets are part of the backbone of this story. There are alien races, and even familiar creatures, such as wolves and vampires, are products of their home planets and science rather than magic. However, don’t think that the magic is curbed in favor of this angle. Dina’s abilities are magical in nature. Her magical strength is largely tied into her inn. The inn itself is “aware” in a way, and it is dependent on guests coming to the inn to thrive and become stronger magically.
I think this has probably been my favorite book I’ve read (listened to) by Ilona Andrews. Dina is a little softer, a little sweeter, than the normal UF heroine, which is a refreshing change of pace. Given her role as an Innkeeper, being soft and sweet are traits she has to have to provide hospitality. She’s endearing and has a much more down-to-earth quality about her. Don’t get me wrong she kicks ass in her own right, but that’s not her defining trait like so many UF heroines. This was a fun melding of science and fantasy, but there were instances where I found the rules of this new world a little murky. It also felt like they info-dumped at times to get certain information out about this world rather than allowing it to blend naturally into the story. I’ve noticed a little bit of a trend in these books where the authors have the characters, usually the female character and a potential love interest (and just like with Magic Bites, I am not feeling the chemistry between Dina and the love interests right now), have a pissing contest between them at the most inopportune time. Each time it’s happened, it has really jarred me from the story because it’s usually so petty, stupid, and nonsensical. Renée Raudman seems to be the voice of all their series. She’s a great narrator, but I don’t know how I felt about the voice she used for Dina. Another series that I’ll be sure to follow.
Narrator: Renée Raudman | Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Ilona Andrews, Inc. (March 19, 2014) | Whispersync Ready: Yes
YA Weekend: And I Darken by Kiersten White
Posted on June 26, 2016 17 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of The Conquerors Saga
Publisher: Delacorte Press (June 28, 2016)
Length: 496 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Prince Vlad III of Wallachia, known in his day as Dracula, also later received the sobriquet of Vlad the Impaler for his cunning cruelty and fondness for brutally punishing his enemies. But what if Prince Vlad had been Princess Ladislav…a girl? What choices would she have made? How would others have regarded her? How would the world have been different? These questions and more are explored in Kiersten White’s young adult alternate history novel, whose premise to actively subvert the archetypical princess trope immediately drew me in.
Indeed, Lada is not your average princess. Imagine spending your childhood and your formative teenage years as a political hostage far from home, your fate in the hands of your cold-hearted father who gave you up as a promise to remain loyal to the Ottoman empire. After that, Lada knew she could count no one but herself. For the longest time, there were only two constants in her life: her love for Wallachia, the country she vows she will one day return to, as well as her love for her younger brother Radu who, along with Lada, was also handed over to Sultan Murad to ensure their father’s obedience. Radu may not be a fighter, but he’s also the only family Lada cares about now, after her father has proven weak in her eyes.
Keeping her hatred for the Ottomans burning in her heart, Lada nonetheless goes through the motions, learning the culture, philosophy, and religion of her captors—though she fights her tutors every step of the way and refuses to forget her roots. She also learns the art of combat from elite Janissaries, who allow her to train with them after she impresses them with her ferocity and determination.
Against her judgment though, Lada ends up caring for another. Almost from the moment she and her brother meet Prince Mehmed, the young son and heir of Murad, the three of them have become virtually inseparable. As the children age, Mehmed becomes more than just a friend to both Lada and Radu. Lada, however, has never forgotten her promise to Wallachia, and even though she is still the same fierce princess, there’s also no denying that her years in the Ottoman court have changed her in other ways.
As promised, Lada is a brutal and violent princess, even as a child (perhaps a preview of the adult she will one day become). Initially, I was a little disappointed that we had to spend so much of the book focused on her early life, but then the story evolved into a very interesting coming-of-age tale. When she still lived in Wallachia, Lada worshipped her father, wanting nothing more than to make him proud. Sadly, Vlad II didn’t really have much respect for girls, and later on Lada realizes to her anger and disappointment just how little he cared about his family. Her character remained unbowed after her arrival at the Ottoman courts, however, and she certainly didn’t take too kindly to being a political prisoner either, breaking a tutor’s nose when the man dared to offend her. I really enjoyed Lada’s character, because for all her recklessness and impotent raging, she’s definitely someone who can take care of herself.
Despite Lada being the main protagonist though, all my heart and sympathies actually ended up going to Radu, who became my favorite character. While Lada’s life was heartbreaking, Radu’s story utterly destroyed me. For all this book is centered on the brutal princess, I could probably go on forever about the gentle prince. Radu may be timid and weak, but he shows his strengths in other ways, opting for deep thinking and subterfuge in situations where his big sister would probably go in guns blazing. Unlike Lada, Radu actually manages to thrive in the Ottoman court, embracing all its ways. However, the most gut-wrenching part is when he falls in love with Mehmed, even knowing that his feelings will never be reciprocated. As if that’s not enough, he then has to watch the object of his affections fall for his sister. Poor Radu. I’ve never wanted so badly to reach into a book and give a character a hug. This book also portrayed the topic of sexuality wonderfully, capturing Radu’s internal struggle with much compassion and humanity.
It’s the relationships that make this novel. The description touts a love triangle, but as you can see, it’s like nothing you’d expect. There are so many complicated emotions between the two siblings, with love and loyalty sometimes giving in to resentment and jealousy. Lada and Radu are polar opposites of each other, with one having a fiery personality while the other is more soft and sweet-tempered. One also despises the Ottomans with all her heart, while the other has all but adopted their prison as his home. The one thing they do have in common is their love for Mehmed, but that relationship is also the cause of so much explosive friction in this book.
It probably comes as no surprise that I really enjoyed this. And I Darken is a character-oriented novel, the kind I love, where the bonds between people form the very essence of the story. The complex relationship between Lada, Radu, and Mehmed was so all-consuming that it made overlooking some of the book’s weaknesses a little easier. There were some minor annoyances, like mildly purple prose or some plot pacing issues, but I think one of my key regrets is that this story wasn’t as dark as the blurb teased. While Lada is modeled after the real Vlad the Impaler, who is known for his sadism and cruelty, the author probably pulled some punches on Lada’s ruthlessness in order to make the character more likeable (not to mention the book more age appropriate, but even by YA standards this is pretty tame…and so is Lada). To be fair, I know this is the story of her early life, but somehow I think I’ll still find it hard to reconcile the person she is now to the bloodthirsty ruler she’ll no doubt become if the rest of the series seeks to continue to echo Vlad’s reputation.
I’m looking forward to finding out how it’ll all play out, though. The scene is now set for the next book of The Conquerors Saga and I’m fantastically excited to see what will happen next in Lada’s journey.
Book Review: The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman
Posted on June 25, 2016 12 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Berkley (June 7, 2016)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Suicide Motor Club by Christopher Buehlman was actually pretty awesome. Know that the only reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because I’m very picky about vampire books, owing to their particular abundance in fantasy and horror fiction. In truth, as much as I enjoyed this, I think there are better vampire titles out there, including Buehlman’s own vampire novel that was published a couple years ago, The Lesser Dead. I still remember how I felt when I read that book, the sense of fear and dread that filled me when I first encountered the novel’s group of creepy vampire children roaming and hunting in the subways. I wanted badly to experience that again with The Suicide Motor Club, but in the end it just didn’t compare.
The Suicide Motor Club opens in 1967, following a family of three as they drive down a lonely stretch of highway. All of a sudden, another car comes speeding up towards them out of nowhere, overtaking the family, making a snatch at the little boy sitting in the back with his arm hanging out the open window. Just like that, Judith Lamb’s son Glendon was gone, yanked into the other vehicle, a hot rod Camaro occupied by its gleaming-eyed driver and his pale companion. However, before Judith and her husband Robert could catch up and rescue their boy, another car comes up behind them and rams them off the road, causing them to crash.
Robert Lamb dies in the hospital soon after, but Judith survives, heartbroken knowing that Glendon is also lost to her forever. She ends up joining a convent, but two years later when she is still a novice nun, a stranger named Wicklow comes seeking her, claiming to be the leader of a group called the Bereaved. They are hunters, and the targets they hunt are the creatures in those cars that took Judith’s son, killed her husband, and almost killed Judith herself: Vampires. Wicklow tells her about a band of them known as the Suicide Motor Club, who prey on their victims by targeting them on the road, deliberately causing deadly accidents so they can swoop in and feed on the survivors. Because of her past experiences and unique position as a nun, Wicklow believes that Judith can help them. Ultimately he convinces her to join the Bereaved, appealing as well to her intense desire for vengeance.
There are a couple reason why I didn’t think this one was as good as The Lesser Dead. First of all, it’s pretty hard to out-creep creepy vampire children. Creepy vampire children are like the pinnacle of creepiness. Even the sadistic founder of the Suicide Motor Club and his ilk could hardly match that. Second, I felt a distinct aversion for the kind of…unsubtlety that made up the action in this story, like scenes of car chases, horrific crashes, and deadly explosions, etc. To be fair, this is something I should have anticipated, considering that fast cars and highways are the central focus of this novel. If that kind of action strikes your fancy, then chances are you’ll love the hell out of this book. Personally I’m just not that into this kind of bombast, so for me many of the more “exciting” sequences fell flat.
I also enjoyed the characters, even given limited opportunity to really get to know any of them. There are a lot of characters involved, including minor appearances from incidental names and faces whose presence is mainly used to illustrate the destructiveness of the vampires as they make their deadly rampage along the country’s highways. It’s a common enough device (especially in many horror and thriller-suspense novels) but to me it felt like it was slightly overdone here, overshadowing the more important primary characters. I liked Judith, but at the same time I also felt a detachment to her cause. When you consider the main story without all its tangents, the plot is actually quite simple; and at the end of the day, Judith didn’t seem to have much control over her circumstances, nor did she have the means to really influence the direction of the story and the fate of all involved. Still, I don’t deny that I generally prefer more character-driven stories, so this is most likely just a matter of taste.
Lest I start to sound too negative though, I want to emphasize again that this is not a bad book, and I actually liked it a lot! Admittedly I have high expectations when it comes to Buehlman, since I loved the two other books I’ve read by him. It’s just hard not to make comparisons to them, especially since like The Lesser Dead, this newest novel also features vampires, and I’ve even heard somewhere that The Suicide Motor Club was meant to be a quasi-prequel. Knowing that he was tackling vampires as a subject again, I’d merely hoped that the story would be more original, or that there would be something more unique about these vampires. Everything ended up being fairly standard and predictable, but I definitely wouldn’t say I was disappointed either.
Frankly, when it comes down to the enjoyment factor, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. It might not be perfect, nor do I consider it Buehlman’s best, but he does some pretty neat things with the premise. The Suicide Motor Club also hasn’t changed my opinion of him as a talented author, who writes with such a bold, evocative style. Plus, it’s fast-paced, action-oriented, and it’ll keep you turning the pages. When you’re looking to escape with a thrilling horror novel, sometimes you just can’t ask for more.
Backlist Burndown: Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman
Posted on June 24, 2016 13 Comments
As book bloggers, sometimes we get so caught up reading review titles and new releases that we end up missing out on a lot previously published books. As a result, one of my goals this year is to take more time to catch up with my backlist, especially in my personal reading pile. And it seems I’m not the only one. Backlist Burndown is a new meme started by Lisa of Tenacious Reader. Every last Friday of the month, she’ll be posting a review of a backlist book and is inviting anyone interested to do the same. Of course, you can also review backlist books any day you want, as often you want, but be sure to watch for her post at the end of the month to link up!
This month, I’m reviewing…
Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Split Worlds
Publisher: Diversion Books (March 20, 2016)
Length: 323 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I had the wonderful pleasure of reading this book with all the good folks of the SF/F Read Along group, and I do recall being so glad when I saw Between Two Thorns on the docket since this a novel that has been on my to-read shelf for years now. With book four set to come out later this summer, it’s time to get caught up with the series.
The book follows four characters, but they’re introduced at different times and it’s not immediately clear how they’re all related. First the story opens with an introduction to Sam, just your average guy stumbling home drunk from night with the boys at the bar. In a classic case of wrong-place-wrong-time, he slips into an alleyway hoping to relieve himself, but instead winds up interrupting a paranormal crime in progress. Next up is Cathy, a young woman living a literal double life in our world (called Mundanus) while trying to escape her family and the strict old-fashioned society of her home world, the Nether. However, her time in hiding comes to an end when she is discovered by a high Fae named Lord Poppy, forcing Cathy to return home to face the music.
Unhappy to be back in the Nether, Cathy is further horrified when she learns that her parents had negotiated a marriage contract for her in her absence. The man she is betrothed to turns out to be a young lord from another noble house named Will, recently returned from his own expedition into Mundanus. Meanwhile, a supernatural police force called the Arbiters of the Split Worlds Treaty is busy investigating the high profile disappearance of the Master of Ceremonies—who also happens to be Cathy’s uncle. With the help of a powerful sorcerer, an Arbiter agent named Max follows the leads to uncover an even greater conspiracy.
Between Cathy, Max, Sam, and Will, there are a lot of story threads here and it does take a while for everything to come together. Reading this one by weeks and sections almost exacerbated the issue for me in some ways, because it made the disjointedness even more pronounced. For instance, Sam disappears after the introduction and is absent for a large section until his POV gets picked up again around the three-quarters mark, and there are a lot of other connections that don’t happen until closer to the end of the book. That said, I enjoyed the air of mystery surrounding all of the novel’s events, and while the plot could have been tighter and better paced, I thought the story was entertaining and engaging.
The characters were clearly the highlights. At the center of the book is Cathy, the glue who holds it all together. Her reasons for leaving home were immediately apparent, making it easy to relate and sympathize with her. Through her eyes, I could understand why she became fascinated with Mundanus, and even fell in love with a Mundane. While Cathy’s behavior grated on me at times, it’s also true that she’s in a bad spot. I felt for her, watching all her freedom disappear the moment she was dragged back to Nether and being forced to marry someone against her will while her heart still belonged to another.
Max, Sam, and Will were also interesting characters, though perhaps under-utilized in different ways. Will for one really grew on me, despite being a late arrival to the story. It took me a while to figure him out, but then again, I do love characters that keep me guessing. Sam, who was neglected for much of the story, ended up playing a rather big role, and even added some humor to the plot. I just wished we could have seen more of his home life between all the chapters set in the Nether, and a lot about his background is still a big question mark. Still, I think I was most disappointed with Max, a character whose soul has been severed from his body as per the Arbiter policies to ensure incorruptible agents. I was so excited when his section was first introduced with all the mystery and world-building behind the Arbiters, but I feel Max’s part in the story ultimately became overshadowed by the other characters.
Still, I have a feeling that the sequel will provide a lot more answers, and the characters who played a smaller role in this one will get their chance to shine. As a series opener, Between Two Thorns does a really good job setting up the scene for us. It does take a while for the story to gain momentum and have all the plot threads come together, but a little patience will pay off big time. I’m definitely intrigued by this world and its characters, and I’m glad I finally got to read this book.
Sanctum Sanctorum: Audiobooks
Posted on June 23, 2016 22 Comments
Audiobook Month is currently in full swing, and we here at The BiblioSanctum are really enjoying talking about everything and anything audio! Naturally, it also behooves us to do a round table discussion on the topic. Listening to audiobooks is something we all do a lot, but why do we like them and how did our audiobook addictions start? Join us this month as we chat about our experiences with audiobooks, and feel free to chime in about your own! Tell us, do you listen to audiobooks? And what do you enjoy about them?
How did you first get into audiobooks?
Mogsy: Believe it or not, my first few experiences with audiobooks were disasters. I either kept zoning out while listening, or I would find so few opportunities to listen that it would take weeks to finish an audiobook, long enough sometimes that I just plain forgot I even had one. It’s tough if you’ve never tried the format, to go from reading physical books to an auditory experience. There may be some adjustments in routine, which I had to learn.
But in the end, I realized the key for me was the audiobook itself. It matters what kind of story you’re listening to, or who’s narrating–especially for your first listen. I suppose I just wasn’t choosing the right books for my earliest experiences. What eventually got me hooked was the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, narrated by the awesome Lorelei King. While I was listening to Moon Called it finally clicked, and I didn’t have any of the issues anymore. It was a great book and a great reader that helped turn me into a “non-audiobook person” to diehard audiophile.
Tiara: I would say that I’ve only become a big fan of audiobooks in the last three years. I listened to them from time to time before then, but that’s around the time I started listening more often. It was Jim Butcher’s Fool Moon that sort of shepherded the way for me to be open to more audiobooks. I listened to that book during a particularly busy time when I was making a two hour commute one way for work. However, the credit can’t go to that alone. Around that time my son starting showing an interest in audiobooks. I had no idea he was paying attention to Fool Moon–which I was still listening to even after my commute returned to normal–when I listened to it in the car on our drives to his school. In a quest to find something more kid friendly for us to listen to when we were riding around together, we started listening to the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians together. Soon, my daughter joined in on the fun. Since that year, I’ve started to consume more and more of my books in the audiobook format.
Wendy: My brother and brother-in-law finally convinced me. One with his talk about the convenience of being able to read on his long drives to work, and the other with his gushing over a particular narrator. When I finally got myself a device that allowed me to more easily and conveniently access audiobooks, I tried it out and have been hooked ever since. My first book was Shantaram, narrated by Humphrey Bower, who utterly blew me away.
How have audiobooks changed your reading habits?
Mogsy: Well, I “read” a lot more now thanks to audiobooks. While I may read at a pretty steady pace, finishing a 300-page book in about 3-4 days or so, the time it takes me to finish an audiobook can be a lot more variable. Ironically, this means I finish more books during busier times. Listening on 2x speed, a full day of working in the backyard might actually see me finishing that same 300-page book in audio in the 4-5 hours it takes to get my unruly garden all sorted, for example. The best times to enjoy an audiobook is when I’m doing something that keeps my hands busy or requires me moving around, but my brain is on “automatic mode”, so things like walking the dog, mowing the lawn, crocheting, working on art, farming in an online game, vacuuming the house, working out, etc. ProTip: Listening to audiobooks make crappy chores more pleasant and go by more quickly!
Tiara: I can do many mundane things and still listen to an audiobook at the same time. That has really been an asset as I work through a backlog of books that I want to read. Having so many of them available in the audiobook format means I can fit way more of them in than I could if I sat down and tried to read them. One of the first things I try to find out about new books I may be interested in is if it will have an audiobook release. I’m also a fan of immersive reading, which is reading the book along with the narration. Audiobooks have really been helpful for tackling books that I might not have read for various reasons. I find I’m much more open to them if there’s an audiobook version because a good narration might just make me stick around for the story, even if I don’t care for story.
Wendy: There is so little time in my day now and it breaks my heart when I can’t dedicate any of that time to books because I’m too busy or too brain dead from being busy. I love that audiobooks allow me to fulfill reading challenges and chew up books that I likely would not pick up now because they are just too intimidatingly big for the time I have available to me (looking at you, Brandon Sanderson). And as Mogsy and Tiara have noted above, it’s great to be able to read while doing other things. Because I have so much to do, listening to audiobooks while working on something else, whether it be chores or some mundane work task, fulfills my multitasking needs.
What makes a great audiobook?
Mogsy: A good story helps, but for me it’s definitely the narration. Before listening to audiobooks, I had no idea how much it mattered, I just thought it was the same thing as listening to someone read out loud. But a good voice actor can really enhance a book’s story, and likewise, poor narration can ruin the experience completely.
Tiara: Narration, narration, naration. Why listen to an audiobook if you don’t enjoy the narration? As Mogsy said, a good narration can make or break a story.
Wendy: I always do voices when I read to my daughters and now my heart swells to hear them reading to each other, doing the same. They’ve said that they like when I read because of that, and I am so proud that they continue that legacy. Not that I think I’m particularly good at narrating their books. But I do enjoy it and it gives me a huge appreciation and respect for the narrators I have listened to who do such an incredible job with far more material.
What are some tips you would give to new audiobook listeners?
Mogsy: A good audiobook player/app can make a huge difference. If you’re just starting to try audiobooks, things get easier if you make them adapt to you rather than the other way around. For example, I typically find a book’s narration speed to be way too slow. Seriously, if I had to listen to an audiobook on normal speed, I’d fall asleep. I find anywhere from 1.75-2.25x speed sounds closer to “normal talking”. I love the app I use now that allows me to make these find adjustments, and the more features/options the better.
Also, listening to audiobooks doesn’t have to break the bank. Especially if you’re new to audiobooks and don’t know if they’ll be for you, the best place to start is your local library, or their online Overdrive collections. Most have tons of audio titles to borrow!
Tiara: First, always listen to a sample, if one is available, and ask yourself if you can listen to that same narrator for hours. Second, it’s okay to start with shorter stories. There are plenty of novellas, short stories, and short story/novella collections available to listen to. That could lead to listening to longer stories, or you may find that you’re the type of listener who only wants to listen to shorter productions. Third, it’s no big deal if you abandon the audiobook in favor of reading the book for whatever reason.
Wendy: Consider what moments in your day might work well with a verbal soundtrack 🙂 Got a long drive to work? Shake up your radio/ iTunes/podcast listens with the addition of an audiobook. Spending the morning cleaning? Let the dulcet tones of Simon Vance drown out the drone of the vacuum.
Also, ask yourself if there’s a book that you really want to read, but just don’t have the time for. An audiobook might be the solution.
Book Review: Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan
Posted on June 23, 2016 29 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Legends of the First Empire
Publisher: Del Rey (June 28, 2016)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Any new Michael J. Sullivan novel automatically becomes a must-read for me, and Age of Myth was certainly no exception. It hardly mattered that this story actually takes place thousands of years before the Riyria Revelations and the Riyria Chronicles, well before the beloved characters of Hadrian and Royce even existed; I just couldn’t wait to revisit the world of Elan again.
For readers new to Sullivan’s work, this would also be an excellent starting point. Age of Myth is the first novel of new series of five books called The Legends of the First Empire, set in the same world of Riyria, but you need no prior knowledge of any of Sullivan’s books to jump right in. In fact, this world has a fresh and young vibe to it, exuding a sense new beginnings. Humans, known as Rhunes, live in tribal clans scattered across the wild landscape, primitive compared to the Fhrey, a race of long-lived beings that are more technologically advanced and capable of the Art, or magic. The vast differences between them have led humans to regard Fhrey as gods—powerful creatures that can call down lightning or control the elements, and it is a known fact that they do not age and cannot be killed.
That all changes one day, when a young human named Raithe and his father encounter a Fhrey with his slaves while hunting in a forbidden part of the forest. The ensuing dispute ends with Raithe’s father dead, and Raithe avenging him by slaying the Fhrey, thus disproving everything the Rhunes thought they knew about their “gods”—that they can be killed after all. Raithe is forced to go on the run with one of the Fhrey’s escaped slaves named Malcolm, and together they end up at Dahl Rhen, home to a chieftain’s widow named Persephone. In the wake of her husband’s recent death, Persephone has been trying to keep her clan together through the confusion of changing leadership. Already, news of a human killing a god has also reached their dahl, and fear of the Fhrey’s retaliation is making everyone feel on edge. Imagine Persephone’s surprise then, when the “God Killer” himself shows up on her doorstep, followed right behind by a Fhrey warrior contingent.
Age of Myth was a real treat. Sullivan’s novels always are. If you want fun, action-filled adventures, you really can’t go wrong with his books. While not always groundbreaking, they do frequently offer fresh twists on the old-school heroic fantasy tradition. They have this straightforward and down-to-earth feel to them, much like comfort food. And like comfort food, I also find these kinds of stories incredibly satisfying.
That said, I won’t pretend I didn’t have any reservations going into this. When I first met the characters, for instance, I couldn’t help but wonder if Raithe and Malcolm were simply about to turn into another Royce and Hadrian, or that Persephone would be another Aristia Essendon but in a new form. As much as I adore Riyria, it obviously wouldn’t do for this new series to be a rehash of some of the same ideas and people, and I had a brief moment where I worried this would be the case. Turns out, I should have trusted in Sullivan. As the story unfolded, it became clear that Age of Myth had everything it needed to stand out on its own, and the characters are all delightfully exceptional. Persephone became a quick favorite, as did the young mystic Suri and her wolf companion Minna. There’s no doubt about it; the strong and capable women of this novel helped make it great.
As well, the world-building was fantastic. New readers will love taking it all in, and for Riyria fans, I think it will feel doubly rewarding. This was an extraordinary opportunity to step back into history of one of my favorite series and relive what really happened. I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. Millennia before humans started building castles and forging steel, they lived in the wilderness worshiping nature spirits. They feared the Fhrey, who will one day be known and reviled as the elves, but right now they are a powerful race that regarded the Rhune as nothing more than animals. Already, the Fhrey have driven the Dherg (the precursor to dwarves) underground after literally crushing them in a great war. It’s a completely different atmosphere and way of life. But at the same time, there were elements that I immediately recognized, like the names and places that I’ve always associated with being old or in the past, but are actually considered contemporary in this book. Two examples that immediately come to mind are Nyphron and Avempartha. Even without the help of the handy glossary at the end of this book though, it was so easy to just slip into this world and become fully immersed in its beauty and magic.
From the very beginning, this book had my full attention. It follows at least three threads, moving along at a quick pace until they converge to result in an unforgettable finale. No one builds a story like Sullivan, who loves to drop plenty of clues along the way, teasing that moment when everything finally falls into place. This has become his signature touch, which can also be seen in Age of Myth. The scene of the final showdown was unquestionably the crowning glory of this marvelously entertaining novel.
If you enjoy epic fantasy, and are perhaps hungering for something with timeless appeal, then I highly recommend picking up Age of Myth. Newcomers to Michael J. Sullivan’s work will find this to be a perfect place to jump on board, and if you’re already a fan, there’s absolutely no excuse—you must read this book! It’s exciting to know that the entire series has already been written, but also vexing that I can’t get my hands on the sequel until next year. I’m just so thrilled and delighted by this promising new adventure.
Book Review: The Big Sheep by Robert Kroese
Posted on June 22, 2016 17 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Big Sheep by Robert Kroese
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (June 28, 2016)
Length: 320 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I had a feeling I was really going to enjoy this book. A light, breezy read with a wildly entertaining premise, The Big Sheep deserves high marks for humor and excellent characterization, plus major bonus points for creativity. This was a truly unexpected but enjoyable sci-fi mystery which reminded me very strongly of Sherlock Holmes, with shades of Philip K. Dick and a nice heavy injection of bizarre twists.
It is the year 2039, and our story takes place in Los Angeles, opening with our main character Blake Fowler and his business partner, the great detective—er, I mean, the great “phenomenological inquisitor”—Erasmus Keane, investigating into a case about a missing sheep. But this sheep isn’t any ordinary sheep. Mary, as the wooly ruminant is called, stands about as tall as a grown man, weighs 300 pounds, and was specifically bioengineered by a genetic research company for an uncanny purpose. And now she has been stolen, presumably by a rival company for her secrets.
But Keane and Fowler aren’t so sure, especially when it’s clear that the company isn’t telling them the whole truth. The waters are further muddied when another case shows up on their office doorstep in the form of Priya Mistry, the hottest TV star in the country, who has come to hire the duo because she suspects someone is trying to kill her. Her evidence is a mysterious note sent to warn her, signed “Noogus”, the name of her childhood teddy bear. At first, Fowler is skeptical, thinking that the beautiful young celebrity has come unhinged or is just being paranoid, mistaking the usual attention for something more sinister. However, it soon becomes clear that something much stranger is going on, when Priya starts exhibiting troubling behavior like memory loss and confusion. Fowler and Keane do their best to protect her while also juggling the case of the stolen sheep, eventually coming to the realization that the two cases might have more to do with each other than they thought.
I’m so glad that I went into this book without knowing much more beyond the publisher’s description. It was a lot of fun discovering all of its unique charms and merits. As sci-fi novels go, The Big Sheep was very readable, and at first glance, it might even seem like your typical light and fluffy fare (I swear, no pun intended) but ultimately a number of deeper themes started emerging. Not to give away too much, but as with many of the works that inspired this book, you can expect to see some existentialist questions explored in here, as well as thought-provoking discussions of ethics in science and technology. Definitely not something I expected when I first picked up this book, which I thought would be a pretty standard detective story, about the hunt for a missing giant sheep no less.
The world-building is also fantastic. Though we don’t get to venture much outside Los Angeles where the bulk of this story takes place, what Robert Kroese does show us of the setting is extraordinary and well-constructed. His world of 2039 Los Angeles is a surreal place, a city still trying to recover from a catastrophic event called the Collapse which happened a little more than ten years ago. The disaster caused a big section of LA to be cordoned off, creating an area called the Disincorporated Zone where law, order, and infrastructure swiftly degenerated. After a while it became clear to government that the only way forward was to cut its losses, so the DZ was officially disowned by the city, creating a district that is separate from any other jurisdiction. In spite of this, the people who were inside the DZ before the Collapse managed to survive, living under crime bosses who are constantly vying for power.
I had a good time with the characters as well, enjoying Fowler’s personality and snarky narration. He is essentially the Watson to Erasmus Keane’s Sherlock Holmes, hired on by investigator to be his tether to reality. Keane is portrayed as something of a savant, but virtually hopeless in social interactions or any situation requiring a gunfight, which is why Fowler also provides security services and protection. The two of them have a very interesting relationship, which makes for great dialogue as well as a number of downright hilarious scenes.
Of course, at the heart of this novel is a mystery, and the duo intrigues of the missing sheep and paranoid TV star cases were what kept me reading. Even as the investigation went from ordinary to insane, I enjoyed following the clues and watching the brilliant Keane piece the whole puzzle together. I do appreciate a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, touching briefly upon heavy topics while still endeavoring to be entertaining. Comedic elements are also handled deftly, so that the humor never became too campy.
All in all, The Big Sheep was a pleasure to read. I picked it up expecting a straightforward sci-fi detective story, but instead I got pulled into this genuinely fun and bizarre tale filled with humor and wild twists, which nonetheless tackled some deeper themes. Given the way the final chapter ended, there’s a good chance this is intended to be the first book of a series, and from what I’ve seen of the creative world-building and excellent characters, I can already see the potential for more great sequels.
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