Comic Stack 04/05/2016 – Hexed: The Harlot & The Thief Vol. 2 by Michael Alan Nelson, Dan Mora (Illustrations)
Posted on April 5, 2016 5 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by Boom! Studios in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Hexed: The Harlot & The Thief Volume 2 by Michael Alan Nelson
Genre: Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Leading Ladies
Series: Hexed
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Tiara’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Last year, Mogsy and I did a double review of Michael Alan Nelson’s Hexed novel and the first graphic novel. I’ve since gone on to read Hexed: The Harlot & The Thief Vol 1, and when the opportunity presented itself to review this book, I jumped on it without hesitation.
Following the destruction of her mentor’s galley and some of the city, Lucifer (Luci Jennifer Inagcio Das Neves), supernatural thief extraordinaire, finds herself the target of Cymbaline, the last remaining sister from the sibling fight that resulted in the aforementioned destruction. Cymbaline wants Lucifer to join her and promises her the one thing she wants the most. Lucifer must decide which decision is the lesser of two evils, and deal with the fallout of her choices.
I don’t think I can praise this series enough. Nelson continues to deliver a story that’s engaging. It’s gritty, funny, dark, and action packed. I love this type of supernatural fiction that incorporates theistic elements, and this book continues to use that theme in ways that keep me wanting more. Just when you think Lucifer can’t get any more awesome she’s pushed to a new limit in each installment, and we really get a taste of what she’s capable of in this. Sometimes, I talk about how I enjoy heroines who don’t become overpowered in stories such as these. It can kill the story when they suddenly have all these godlike (or should I say demon-like in this case?) powers, but I have to admit that it is so much fun reading about Lucifer kicking all kinds of ass and using magic that she probably shouldn’t be messing with. It’s such a rush, and I can’t begrudge this series for that. However, I think it’s the way that these feats are tempered that make me accept this as well. Lucifer isn’t suddenly devouring everything in her path with strong magic. There are consequences for her decisions; there are dire consequences for using such strong magic.
Another thing I love about this book is the relationship between the women. This book touched so beautifully on Val and Lucifer’s relationship. They are employer and employee, but they don’t even try to keep that façade up. I remarked in my first review that this relationship is a beautiful portrayal of two women who love each other and would do anything for one another. These books have continued to build on that love they have for one another while showing that a love this strong can endure even the pain it sometimes bring. Their relationship, their commitment to doing whatever needs to be done to keep the other safe, continues to be one of my favorite parts of this book. I love when writers do more with female relationships aside from showing how catty and rude they believe women are to one another–not that there isn’t some of that in this book, too. It’s especially beautiful to see it in visual media where emotions can be conveyed through the art. On that note, I also enjoy Lucifer’s sisterly relationship with the young necromancer, Raina. It may fall in the typical category of being a relationship that’s lovingly scathing, but toward the end of the novel, it is very clear that these two women care for each other deeply, as well. It may not quite have the strength of Val and Lucifer’s relationship, but it’s showing potential to be a great friendship.
I’ve enjoyed the art in these past two volumes a bit more than in Hexed, but all the books have been visual candy. I loved Emma Rios’ work for the original book (she did the beautiful cover for this book too), but Dan Mora’s style really fits the story so perfectly. The sleekness of the art moves from panel to panel and really captures both the action and the more poignant panels well. Emma Rios’ angel wings panel left me breathless in Hexed, but Dan Mora’s action scenes leave me equally in awe, especially toward the end of the comic. And my goodness, that ending paired with Mora’s art? I’m floored.
This series continues to amaze me. When I think I have the story all figured out, Nelson throws in something that I wasn’t expecting. He’s set up so many interesting threads and after the events in this volume, which had such devastating consequences, I can’t wait to see where Lucifer’s story goes.
Audiobook Review: Arkwright by Allen Steele
Posted on April 5, 2016 17 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Audiobook Publisher: Audible Studios (March 1, 2016)
Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
Author Information: Website
Narrator: Stephen Bel Davies
First thing I did after finishing this book was go to YouTube and pump my fists to the main theme of Star Trek Enterprise. I know that opening sequence has long been divisive among Trek fans, but personally? I love it. The feelings that song stirs–that glowing hope and belief in humanity’s ability to venture forth into the great unknown through their own tenacity and sheer determination–is perfectly suited to the show’s themes and, as it happens, this book as well. Arkwright is the story of how one man’s dream became a reality, a truly inspirational saga spanning generations amidst familial crises, political roadblocks, technological limitations and many other seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Throughout it all, one family’s conviction endures, its members steadfastly facing down every single kind of challenge in the course of the many centuries it takes to achieve their goal. It’s been a long road getting from there to here indeed.
Interestingly, Arkwright opens with its eponymous character dying. Considered along with Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke to be one of the twentieth century’s most seminal science fiction authors, Nathan Arkwright passes away quietly in his New England home where he’d spent most of the last two decades living as a relative recluse. His death, however, is just the beginning. His granddaughter Kate, who’d never gotten the chance to know her famous grandfather when he was alive, decides to attend the funeral and pay her respects. This is how she ends up meeting three of Nathan’s oldest friends and finding out all about her grandfather’s secret project: The Arkwright Foundation.
Concerned about humanity’s future in the event of any extinction-level threats to the world, Nathan had decided many years ago that building a starship for long-distance space travel and colonization is the only hope our species has for survival. Not trusting to the bureaucracy of government agencies to make this happen, he had established his own non-profit organization to do the research and work required, and left the foundation his entire fortune plus all future royalties earned from his books. Now that he is gone, it is up to his family and friends to carry on his vision.
One might find it a little strange, that the death of your most crucial character happens in the book’s very first scene. But in truth, it makes perfect sense. Nathan may be the father of the Arkwright Foundation, but his idea is much bigger than any one person. He never expected to live to see his dream come true, and in fact, not even his granddaughter Kate or Kate’s own grandchildren would see it come to fruition. This is a project generations in the making, and Allen Steele brings us back to the past and forward to the future to show how all the characters in Nathan’s family line are united in this one goal through time and distance. The narrative explores Nathan’s own youth and then moves forward through the decades as each generation grows up, gets married, has children. With so many changes in perspective, no sooner had I gotten to know one set of characters than we were jumping forward to time again to follow another. I should have found this format frustrating, but to my surprise, I didn’t. Once I saw Nathan Arkwright’s legacy as a “character” in its own right, I started to understand why Steele decided to write the story this way.
I was also surprised at what an uplifting book this ended up being. Let’s face it; generation ship stories are seldom happy stories, a fact that’s even pointed out by one of the book’s characters. But Arkwright is a very different kind of generation ship story, and one can even argue it’s not even a generation ship story at all, since so much of it takes place on earth following the work of Nathan’s descendants. Oh sure, the scientists and researchers of the Arkwright Foundation end up coming up with solutions to some of the technological challenges posed by long-distance space travel, but at its heart, Arkwright is also a story about the personal lives of the individual characters. In every section, we see how each person is affected by the weight of Nathan’s legacy, making this one a very heartfelt human story.
While I reviewed the audiobook, I can see Arkwright working well in both print and audio formats. Because this is a generations-spanning story featuring multiple characters with their own sections though, I was surprised they went with only one narrator. It just felt like such a missed opportunity, since having a couple more readers on board might have made this even a fuller experience. Nonetheless, narrator Stephen Bel Davies held his own, bringing a diverse cast of characters to life. This audiobook ended up being a very fast listen because I was just so addicted to the story.
All told, I was so glad I decided to give Arkwright a try. The cover and description didn’t initially grab me, and I almost gave it a pass until some of the fascinating reviews convinced me to give it a shot after all. And now, I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being on my list of favorite books for 2016. The ending even left me a bit teary-eyed. What a total gem of a sci-fi novel, an incredibly touching and inspirational story about humankind’s journey to reach for the stars.
Story: 
| Performance: 
| Overall:
Into the Arena: An Interview with Holly Jennings + GIVEAWAY!
Posted on April 4, 2016 6 Comments
***The giveaway is now over, thanks to everyone who entered!***
In case you missed it, last week I reviewed the fast-paced virtual gaming sci-fi action novel Arena. That is why today, I am psyched to present to you a BiblioSanctum interview with author Holly Jennings! Holly was kind enough to stop by and chat about her book, her writing process, as well as her lifelong love of gaming. We’re also very excited to host a giveaway where one lucky winner will have a chance to score a copy of her thrilling debut. So get your game on, and enjoy!
Hi Holly, and welcome to the BiblioSanctum! Thank you so much for joining us today.
Holly Jennings: I’m thrilled to be here!
First things first: Huge congrats on your debut novel Arena! To kick us off, can you please tell us what the book is about?
Holly Jennings: Arena is set in a future where Matrix-level virtual reality has converged with eSports, turning gamers into the hottest celebrity-athletes in the world. Kali Ling is a rising star of the RAGE tournaments, the Virtual Gaming League’s most brutal fighting event – where nothing is off-limits because nothing is real. But when Kali becomes captain and her teammate overdoses after a particularly grueling matchup, she begins to question what’s really important: fame or her friends.
What was the inspiration behind Arena? Why was it a story you wanted to tell?
Holly Jennings: Arena is what happened when I watched a documentary about competitive gaming while reading the book Neuromancer. Once I started thinking about these two concepts in combination with each other, I came up with the idea of combining immersive virtual reality with competitive gaming in the future.
I feel that video games, by extension gamers themselves, have been poorly portrayed in the media as lazy, unfit, and anti-social. So, it was important to me to break these stereotypes and show gamers as popular and fit, as well as being from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
As you know, we’re pretty big fans of gaming here at the BiblioSanctum. We love video games because they are fun and exciting. However, there’s also a dark side to the gaming world. You touch upon some of the issues like sexism and discrimination in your book, as well as the matter of gaming addiction. Have any of your own experiences with gaming, good or bad, influenced the themes of the book?
Holly Jennings: Personally, I haven’t had experiences with discrimination while gaming, but there have been times when I was younger where I was playing video games a little too much. Spending time on a hobby is great, but it took me a while to realize that moderation is important.
What is it about eSports that fascinates you, and do you think it’ll ever reach the popularity as seen in your book? In general, where do you see the future of gaming, and are there any trends that you think are taking off?
Holly Jennings: I’ve always enjoyed watching others play video games as much as I love playing them myself. I also like hearing about people striving for greatness or achieving some incredible goal. So, when teens strive to become the best and win competitions because they’re that dedicated to the game and accomplishing their dreams is something I find deeply admirable.
I think eSports is already more popular than most people realize, and I hope that it continues to become even more into the future. I’d love to see it become as big as it is in Arena, but hopefully without the corruption or society’s obsession with physical appearances and celebrity gossip.
In Arena, your main character Kali Ling sees herself as a warrior, an archetype that she embraces. When you play games, what is your own preferred role and why?
Holly Jennings: I prefer ranged DPS, especially with a pet. I’m not entirely sure why this is, but when I started a hunter character in World of Warcraft, I fell in love. At times, I try a different style, like melee, but I always seem to come back to ranged fighting.
Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? What was it like working on your debut novel, and did it turn out anything like you expected? What was the greatest challenge writing Arena?
Holly Jennings: I’m a night owl, so I tend to write the most at night and usually in silence. Also, I’m an advocate of Joss Whedon’s advice to “write the fun stuff first” and usually work on whatever scenes I’m most excited about at the time. I find that if I try to force myself to get a particular scene or chapter finished, my progress is very slow. But if I work on whatever scene I feel like that day, sometimes I crank out thousands of words in a single night.
Honestly, I didn’t plan anything with Arena and am still in shock that people are actually reading it. The greatest challenge was the main character’s growth and change through the book. I like reading stories where the character has significantly changed by the end and is a different person than when the book started. However, I’d never tried this myself in my writing before. It was a much bigger feat than I anticipated, but I think it helped to improve my understanding of characters and novel writing as a whole.
There’s a great mix of action and romance in Arena. As a writer, what do you prefer writing, fight scenes or love scenes?
Holly Jennings: Fight scenes, hands down. I love them. Surprisingly, I’m not big on romance. I can probably count the number of romance novels I’ve read on one hand. But including a romantic arc in Arena was a way to get the main character, Kali Ling, to form a different kind of bond with a teammate. When we first meet Kali in the book, she cares more about herself and her career than anyone else. Thankfully, she goes through a substantial change, and the romance was another way for her to grow.
To encourage team bonding, Kali gets the members of Defiance together to play some “classic” video games. Are those some of your own personal favorites growing up? With your writing career, do you still find much time to play games, or are there other hobbies you enjoy when you want to relax?
Holly Jennings: I played a lot of Mario Kart as a kid, while some of the other games mentioned were favorites of my friends growing up. I tried to mention a variety of games that were important to my generation when we were kids, so hopefully anyone could relate and say, hey, I love that one too. There are plenty of games I loved that weren’t mentioned in the book, like Perfect Dark or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Yes, as my writing career has been taking off, I’ve definitely had scale back my gaming time, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Games are great fun and I think I’ll always love them, but writing novels and creating new worlds is so tremendously fulfilling that it’s worth the trade.
I know you’re currently hard at work on the next Arena novel. How many books are planned for the series? Is there anything about the sequel you can share with us at this point?
Holly Jennings: Currently, only the sequel is planned. Without giving away too many spoilers, it’s about an international gaming tournament against the best teams in the world, and the new challenges Kali faces as the team’s owner.
Wrapping up, are there any other projects you’re working on right now or have planned for the future, either writing or non-writing related, that you’d like to tell readers about?
Holly Jennings: Besides Arena 2, I have two other series I’m developing. One is noir fantasy full of mystery, supernatural politics, and a heavy dose of bromance. It’s very different from what I usually write, but I love it and find that working on a variety of stories helps me to combat writer’s block. The other series is a fairly new idea I had about a biological-engineered young woman in a solar-powered future. It’s most likely to be my follow up to Arena, because it should appeal to the same group of readers.
Looking forward to it! On behalf of The BiblioSanctum, I’d like to thank you again for stopping by! It was nice chatting with you, Holly!
Holly Jennings: Thanks so much for having me!
*** For more information about Holly and Arena, please be sure to visit her website at www.authorhollyjennings.com or follow her on Twitter @HollyN_Jennings! ***
Arena Giveaway
Interested in winning a copy of this book? The publisher has very generously offered The BiblioSanctum an opportunity to host a giveaway for one print copy of Arena! This giveaway is open to residents in the US only. To enter, all you have to do is send an email to bibliosanctum@gmail.com with your Name and valid Mailing Address using the subject line “ARENA” by 11:59pm Eastern time on Thursday, April 14, 2016.
Only one entry per household, please. The winner will be randomly selected when the giveaway ends and then be notified by email. All information will only be used for the purposes of contacting the winner and sending them their prize. Once the giveaway ends all entry emails will be deleted.
So what are you waiting for? Enter to win! Good luck!
Book Review: Dark Debts by Karen Hall
Posted on April 3, 2016 11 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Suspense
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Revised Edition: March 15, 2016)
Length: 416 pages
Author Information: Website
Several weeks ago I received a book that I was unfamiliar with, a gorgeous hardcover with its page edges stained an ominous red. The title was Dark Debts by Karen Hall, which I quickly looked up to find out more. Turns out, what I held in my hands was a revised, new edition of an old cult classic theological horror/thriller, published again now by Simon & Schuster for its 20th anniversary.
According to an article I read though, this is not just a simple reissue, as some of the changes are pretty significant and extensive. Among them are a new major character as well as a reworked ending. The reason for these rewrites, the author explained, had much to do with how she has changed as a person in the last two decades, as well as updates to her knowledge on the Catholic faith. Since I’ve not read the original, there’s no way for me to compare the two editions, but knowing all this new information did make me even more curious. It’s a rare opportunity whenever an author gets to rework a previously published novel, and I was drawn to the themes and subjects of this book.
Gothic horror. Theological questions. Demon possession and exorcism. Mystery. Romance. Dark Debts is all of this and more. The story begins with a Jesuit priest named Father Michael Kinney testifying as a witness to a horrific crime involving a teenage boy and his two parents, appearing in court against the wishes of the church. In response, Father Michael’s superiors transfer him to rural Georgia immediately after the trial, forcing him to leave his old parish in Manhattan. Believing his exile to be a result of church politics, Father Michael is stricken when he discovers the truth about the dark, terrible secrets in his family’s past and that his transfer might in fact be no accident at all.
Meanwhile, a journalist in California receives some shocking news. Randa is informed that her friend and former lover Cam Landry, a man she had always known to be a kind and mild-mannered pacifist, is dead by suicide after robbing a liquor store and killing an employee. After promising to return Cam’s belongings to his brother in Georgia, Randa ends up meeting Jack Landry, the last surviving member of their notorious family. Everyone in town is familiar with the name Landry—the father Will was an abusive alcoholic who took out his awful anger on his wife and sons; youngest brother Ethan’s death was a suicide, though rumor has it that his father killed him; oldest brother Tallen went on a murder spree at a church during Christmas services and was then convicted and executed by the state; and their mother took her own life one year later. Now Cam is gone too, and friends close to him told Randa that he was acting strange and having bad dreams before he snapped. Jack is the only one left, and he is terrified of growing close to anyone, convinced that the Landry curse will claim him next and make him lose control.
If you enjoy experiencing the disturbing feelings of unease or creeping dread brought on by the atmosphere of old-school horror movies, then Dark Debts is for you. It is a very subtle novel, and those looking for more of the in-your-face horror elements will probably have to look elsewhere. There is a supernatural aspect to the story involving satanic cults and demonic possession, but at its heart this book reads a lot more like a slow-burn mystery-suspense rather than a straight up horror novel. There’s also a thread of romance woven in as a spark ignites between Randa and Jack, despite the latter’s reticence and fear to let anyone new into his life.
In particular, I really liked reading about the characters in this book. They are all wonderfully flawed and complicated, as evidenced by the prime example of Father Michael Kinney, a Catholic priest whose devotion to his faith often clashes with his progressive views. He has even broken his vow of chastity and is secretly carrying on a relationship with a woman in New York, and every day he fights an internal battle that challenges his relationship with God. This undoubtedly is the cause of some conflict as he is called upon to perform an exorcism, for how is he to vanquish others’ demons when he is still clearly dealing with his own?
If I had any complaints about this book at all, it would have to do with the story’s pacing. I gave a nod to the slow-burn effect, but I still felt the narrative took an inordinate amount of time to establish the two storylines (one featuring Father Michael, the other focusing on Randa and Jack) and the question of how they are related was not answered until much later. Also, I’d expected this book to be a lot more chilling and disturbing from its cover and the blurbs. While I certainly don’t mind that Dark Debts turned out to be more of a supernatural mystery with a greater emphasis on suspense than actual horror, I still can’t help the twinge of disappointment that this was not as scary as I had hoped.
I spent a lot of time thinking about this book after I was finished though, and realized that even in light of the pacing issues, Dark Debts kept me engaged from cover to cover. The research that went into it must have been tremendous. I didn’t even know until later that the downtown Atlanta fire at the Winecoff Hotel, which was central to Father Michael’s story, was in fact a real event, the deadliest hotel fire in US history claiming 119 victims back in 1946. I looked it up after finishing Dark Debts, and reading the details of the disaster sent shivers up my spine. It makes me wonder what else I might have missed.
Whether you’re new to this book, an old fan interested in seeing some of the updated changes, or just an avid reader of horror/mystery/suspense in general, I definitely recommend checking out this edition of Dark Debts if the story intrigues you. An impressive novel featuring great atmosphere, multilayered characters, and a number of complex themes surrounding the conflict of good versus evil.
Book Review: The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells
Posted on April 3, 2016 8 Comments
The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Books of the Raksura #4
Publisher: Night Shade Books (April 5, 2016)
Author Info: marthawells.com
Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
With thanks to Night Shade Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth book in the Raksura series and I’m going to be honest, what actually happens in the story, plotwise, wasn’t all that interesting to me as our favourite Raksura join up with the perpetually curious and undaunted Delin and a group of groundlings and sealings intent on discovering the secrets of another ancient city. After their experiences in The Siren Depths, the Raksura are nervous about anything that could be related to their forerunners, but if this city was built by the foundation builders, there could be so much to learn. But no matter the results of their discover, the ever present Fell are on their tails, seeking the same city for reasons of their own. How this all comes together, from the Raksura’s shared dream of the Fell, to expeditions on flying boats, to a very long walk up stairs, gets a bit tedious, logistically.
Like this, but with a whole lot more stairs.
And yet I was totally into it the whole way. Why? Because I love the Raksura of Indigo Cloud. I’ve spent four books with them now and can’t get enough of their intricate and intimate lives. I’ve come to know them so well that I have renamed the books to be more reflective of my journey with them:
Book 1: A Raksura and a Fell Walk Into a Groundling Bar
Book 2: Moon Teaches Everyone How to Groundling
Book 3: Moon Still Doesn’t Know How to Raksura
Book 4: Stone is Too Old For This Shit But He Does It Anyway for Shits and Giggles
I fell in love with Wells’ worldbuilding and her unique creatures from the beginning, and now I am happy to see them continue their misadventures just so I can get more of their amusing interactions. I still enjoy learning about the ways of the Raksura. Initially, this came through Moon, who, after 40 turns spent not knowing he was one, has only just settled into his role as a Raksuran consort and is finally being accepted by everyone such that his trouble adhering to the rules at times is overlooked. In the fourth book, time is spent with creatures who fear or look down on the Raksura because of their ignorance of the reclusive race that happens to resemble the deadly Fell. These new creatures, who have their own unique ways that Wells deftly incorporates into her world, get to learn about Raskuran views on nudity and sex, their pecking order, from consort to warrior to queen, and the importance of nap time.
Like this, but sometimes with more scales.
I especially love Moon and line-grandfather Stone who is older than everyone and does what he wants and also can hulk out so he just doesn’t give a damn about all the Raksuran rules and etiquette that’s required of everyone else. Stone was the one who recognized Moon for what he was and brought him back to Indigo Cloud’s court. Now that Moon is more comfortable in his role and his place within the court and has more than proven himself in everyone’s eyes, including Stone’s, their relationship has settled into a loving rivalry of sarcasm and mutual (dis)respect.
Like this, but with wings.
Stone shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen one before. And somebody has to stay down here and keep an eye on the boat.”
“So you’re just tired?” Moon said.
Stone pushed him off the railing.
What I really need is more books about Moon and Stone hanging out, trading barbs and sharing donuts and Stone hulking out to kick ass or scare people if it amuses him to do so. But back to the actual story for a moment. This book was a bit unusual in that the stories have always been told from Moon’s perspective. That is still true here, but Wells interrupts with a few other characters, including ones from another court. This is all well and good if more is to come from these characters, especially with some of them following days behind our group of Raksura. But instead of everyone coming together, I found myself coming to the end of the book and wondering why any time had been spent with the other characters at all. Save for providing me with a bit more insight into the consort’s life through Ember, for example (I bet Stone has an awesome tea set):
“Ember led the way to the steps down to the passage that led through to the queens’ hall, and he and Shade made what Ember considered to be a very decorous and correct entrance. Ember liked and admired Moon a great deal, but he wasn’t very good at entrances. He entered formal meetings looking either like a captive dragged there against his will or like he was coming to murder someone.”
But the other perspectives didn’t add anything to the story that couldn’t have been filled in with a few lines of dialogue when everyone *finally* got together. Moreover, this book is described as a good place for new readers to step into the Raksura series. While you do get to learn a lot about them through their interactions with the other people on their expedition, a new reader would miss out on the nuance behind all the interactions and relationships that can’t simply be explained away with a few lines of dialogue or description.
Still, this is a worthy entry into the series if only because it lets me sit back and have more fun with Stone and Moon.
Read more about the Raksura here!
YA Audiobook Weekend: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Posted on April 2, 2016 10 Comments
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Fantasy
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Publisher: ROC (September 18, 2012)
Information: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Tiara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Narrator: Will Patton | Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Scholastic Audio (September 18, 2012) | Whispersync Ready: Yes
After much hemming and hawing and promises of getting around to it, I am the last one here at the BiblioSanctum to finally get started on this series. Its availability on Kindle Unlimited was the final push that I needed to try the series.
Each year, Blue Sargent spends St. Mark’s Eve at a ruined church helping her clairvoyant mother record the names of people who will die in the next twelve months. Blue is unable to see the ghosts herself, but she amplifies the powers of people who have psychic abilities. This year, however, is different for two reasons. It’s the first year that Blue has spent St. Mark’s Eve with someone other than her mother, and it is the first year that she has seen a spirit of one of the soon-to-be dead. The spirit’s name is Gansey, and he’s a student at a local pre-Ivy League boys school, Aglionby. To Blue, boys are trouble enough, but Aglionby boys are bastards. But Blue finds herself drawn into the world of Gansey and his friends–Adam, Noah, and Ronan. Compounding to her problems, Blue is also burdened by a warning from every psychic in her life. She’ll kill her true love with a first kiss, and as she was told the night she saw Gansey’s spirit:
| “There are only two reasons a nonseer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love… or you killed him.” |
This is my first outing with a Maggie Stiefvater book, and after reading some synopses on her other books, I think this was my best introduction to her writing. Stiefvater excels in many areas with this book. The story takes a little time to jumpstart itself. However, it is never dull, and it certainly lays the groundwork for a thoughtful story. Her handling of the supernatural elements are done in a way that could make them almost believable if placed in a real world setting while retaining that magical allure. She’s taken typical genre tropes, such as the “rich boy meets poor girl” and the “tormented bad boy,”and weaved into these familiar stories a complexity and nuance that both young adults and adults can appreciate. While I would’ve enjoyed just a little more depth of character for some of her characters, she does a fair job of presenting characters that you care about, characters that have their flaws and strengths. You love them. You cheer them. You get angry with them. One thing that kind of irked with me with the story, as far as character is concerned, is that the main antagonist felt so weak in the grand scheme of the story. This person had weak motivations, weak intentions, and no substance. I dislike antagonists that I can only feel apathetic toward at best. Antagonists should pull emotions from me I didn’t even know I had. Finally, as a history nerd and supernatural buff, the coupling of history and the supernatural kept my interest. This was almost Arthurian in a way without being about King Arthur.
As for the narration, I have a bit of mixed feelings about Will Patton’s narration. I feel his voice is both perfect and imperfect for this book. I enjoyed the almost hushed tone he used for the overall book However, parts of the book are narrated so brilliantly and other parts of the book, his narration felt jarring, a clash of tone and words. Funny thing is I can’t say whether there were more brilliant parts or more clashing parts, but it doesn’t turn me off to the narration. This is probably just another case of a narrator that I need to spend much more time with before I decide if I truly like them or not. One high praise I have for him is that I enjoyed his Southern accents, which I can be really finicky about as a Southerner myself. In fact, I enjoyed most of the voices he did for the characters in this book.
This book was quite a pleasant surprise, I didn’t expect to get as involved with as I did, especially since I wasn’t drawn to this book. However, the books I don’t feel any particular way about are usually the ones that manage to really capture my interest and imagination. Stiefvater has created something amazing with this story, and that ending certainly prods readers to seek out the next book.
Story
Performance
Overall
More Reviews of This Series
The Raven Boys (Book #1, Wendy’s Review)
The Raven Boys (Book #1, Mogsy’s Review)
The Dream Thieves (Book #2, Wendy’s Review)
Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Book #3, Wendy’s Review)
YA Weekend: Alight by Scott Sigler
Posted on April 2, 2016 8 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 of The Generations Trilogy
Publisher: Del Rey (April 5, 2016)
Length: 448 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Oh Scott Sigler, you have to stop writing books where the amazing parts are all spoilers! The things I want to praise and gush about in here would lead to too many plot reveals, so nope nope nope I’m not going to do it. Suffice to say, much like the first book Alive, the less you know going into Alight the better.
And that’s not all this sequel has in common with its predecessor. Alight carries on the horror-mystery tradition established in Alive, and even adopts a similar story structure. Our main character “Em” and dozens of others like her, known as the “Birthday children”, woke up in coffins with no memories of who they were before they went to sleep. Now they have more answers, but that hasn’t stopped the danger or their fight for survival.
In fact, their situation has only gotten worse. We know some things about our characters’ origins now, but we still don’t have the full picture, and the strange place Em finds herself in Alight plunges us back into the dark. New questions arise when what she thought was going to be a sanctuary turns out to be a death trap, with no food or safe shelter. What’s the story behind this alien jungle, with its peculiar ruins and exotic creatures and plants? The kids have also traded one monster for another, escaping their old enemies to end up deep in the territory of unknown and potentially hostile race. Worst of all, Em’s authority is still being challenged by her biggest detractor, who is relentless in trying to turn everyone against her by sowing doubt and fear. Em is trying her best to hold everything together but her grip on control is slowly slipping, and all the while she is struggling to remember her past and come to terms with the truth of who she is.
First things first: I definitely enjoyed this one more than Alive. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to continue the series, until I got to the end of the first book and the potential for the sequel was too much to resist. Even though book one works perfectly fine as a stand alone, Sigler finished it up by dangling all these tasty possibilities in front of my face and so I just had to know what would happen to Em and her friends. Alight satisfied that curiosity and gave me a lot more than that besides, and I’m very glad I picked it up.
Still, because this sequel is the beginning of another journey, there is again a fair bit of setup and the reveals are slow in coming. Like Alive, some patience is required to get to the good parts in Alight. About a third of the way through though, it feels like the story finally hits its stride, and even the writing style smooths out, becoming less stilted and distracting. As readers of the first book would recall, Em has the mind of a twelve-year-old inside a body that is in her late teens. The way she spoke, thought, and acted was probably the most grating aspect in Alive because Em was a petulant, naïve girl who only seemed to care about being “the leader”. Alight was much better because simply put, Em grew up. As the story progressed and our main protagonist started remembering more about herself, her mental maturity ended up catching up as well.
The second half of this novel therefore reads a lot more smoothly than the first half, not to mention all the action that goes down in the ramp up to the climax and finale. Alight is also better in other areas, including having a greater sense of urgency and much more at stake. The conflict in this sequel is fantastic, but of course this is all up to the reader to find out! That said, there were still a few issues that chafed at me, namely the strained love triangle (considering how I feel this book would have been even better with no romance arc at all) and Em’s awkward interactions with the two boys. But overall, the edge definitely goes to Alight. Picking up the next book was already a foregone conclusion even before I finished the book, but after that unbelievable tease in the epilogue, I’m now more intrigued than ever for the trilogy conclusion, Alone!
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Alive (Book 1)
Book Review: Arena by Holly Jennings
Posted on April 1, 2016 19 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of Arena
Publisher: Ace (April 5, 2016)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
As soon as I heard about Arena, I knew I had to read it – especially after finding out its premise and learning about how the idea was conceived. As a lifelong gamer, author Holly Jennings was inspired by eSports and its role in the future of video games, as well as the current issues making waves in the industry today. Needless to say, my own fascination and love for gaming naturally led me to her debut novel, but I was also curious and excited to see some of these social themes would be handled in the book.
Turns out, Arena is about a lot more than its blurb promises. One part science fiction drama, one part action-packed suspense, and one part steamy romance, the book follows the trials and tribulations of protagonist Kali Ling, professional gamer and the first female captain in the Virtual Gaming League. The year is 2054, and major technological advancements in virtual reality have vaulted video gamers into the spotlight. Once hooked into the system, players essentially become their avatars, participating in encounters that look and feel real. Player-versus-player arena battles to the digital death are broadcast live to the delight of millions of fans who see this as a harmless way to enjoy the brutality and bloodshed. The VGL Championship game has become the new Super Bowl, and its players are the world’s new celebrities.
Kali is living the life she’s always dreamed of, competing for her shot at the finals when suddenly her team, Defiance, is hit by two major setbacks. First, they lose badly in the opening round to InvictUS, a talented new team that has seemingly come out of nowhere to take the league by storm. Second, that very same night, Defiance loses their member Nathan to a fatal drug overdose. Traumatized, Kali is haunted by scenarios where she could have saved Nathan, if only she had seen the problem or done something differently. The guilt eats away at her, throwing her off her game. It also doesn’t help that Nathan’s replacement, Rooke, is proving extremely difficult to work with. Defiance now only has one more chance to win the championship, and no mistakes can be made. In order to get her team back on track, Kali will have to find her balance before she spirals further out of control, destroyed by the very thing she loves.
On the surface, Arena would appear to be every gamer’s private fantasy. Games feel more realistic and immersive than ever before. Players are able to literally step into their characters’ shoes, competing for higher stakes and greater rewards. Gaming, which once was a hobby ridiculed and looked down upon in the past as a frivolous waste of time, is now the most popular sport on the planet. There’s no longer a stigma associated with being a “gamer geek”; if you are good at the games you play, you actually have the opportunity to go pro and be worshiped by a legion of adoring fans. Holly Jennings plays up the intensity of the action, both on and offline. Every weekend, teams of five meet in the arena and battle each other for victory, but the rest of the time, they’re either training rigorously to maintain peak physical condition, or out there hitting the media circuit and club scene to maintain their image. Just because gaming has reached a whole new level, it doesn’t mean that the players have stopped roleplaying. The scope of it has simply expanded, with the RP happening in front of cameras for the entire world.
At the same time, the dark side of gaming rears its ugly head. In a lot of ways, Arena can be seen as an allegory for some of the problems we see in gaming today, like sexism and the stereotypes that gamers face. Kali’s gender and half-Chinese heritage is a point that comes up a lot in the course of this novel, sometimes as a barrier and at other times as a selling point to be used by Defiance’s team owner. The book’s narrative also encompasses the cutthroat world of professional sports, exploring the physical and mental stresses of trying to stay relevant in a world where fandom is fluid and heroes are disposable as yesterday’s leftovers. The VGL only wants to show its viewers the glamorous side of the sport, covering up scandals like drug use. Gaming addiction, which is an issue the gaming industry faces today, is addressed as well. Where does the fun end and the obsession begin? And when a favorite hobby starts leading to unwanted obligations, does that also take away some of the joy?
I really enjoyed this novel, precisely because it asks some of these important questions. However, I was also a little surprised by the Young Adult vibes I got from it. Some concessions were made, sacrificing the complexity of the plot as well as the depth of world-building. We get little about the world outside the limited sphere of the VGL that we see through Kali’s eyes, and the story is also on the relatively simplistic side with a predictable ending that ties things together a little too neatly. There were some inconsistencies in the plot and character motivations, such as the team owner’s insistence that the team going out to party instead of staying in and training, when training is the clearer path to success and victory. Staying visible for the sake of the sponsors is important, but I imagine it would matter even more to the sponsors to have their teams win. I also wondered at lack of media coverage for InvictUS. They are the rising stars killing the competition, and should have been the ones dominating the magazine covers instead of Kali and Rooke’s love life, yet no one seems to know who they are or where they came from because details like that are overshadowed by the heavier emphasis on the story’s romance. In some respects, I feel this novel might appeal more to a teen/YA audience, despite its more serious concepts and older protagonists. This isn’t necessarily a criticism though, since I can see Arena as a book with great adult and YA crossover appeal, and I also frequently delve into the YA genre. In the end, despite some minor bumps along the road, I did have an excellent time with this story.
All told, this was a lot of fun. Arena is a powerful and dynamic multilayered experience: pure excellent popcorn entertainment for the win, with some deeper themes to chew on for the bonus round. If you’re a gamer or a reader with a passion for fiction about video games, you have to do yourself a favor and check this one out. Holly Jennings’ debut is a fast-paced, gripping read that will keep you turning the pages.
Book Review: The Lost Boys Symphony by Mark Andrew Ferguson
Posted on March 31, 2016 13 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Lost Boys Symphony by Mark Andrew Ferguson
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction, Literature
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (Paperback: March 8, 2016)
Length: 352 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I knew before starting The Lost Boys Symphony that it would not an easy book to review, and now that I have read it, I find I am no closer to figuring out how to put my thoughts into words. What I do know is that when it comes to the prevalent theme of time traveling in sci-fi, few books these days can still make me see the subject in a different light—but this one did. Making a home for itself in that narrow niche between the literary and the speculative, this book probably isn’t going to be for everyone, but I personally enjoyed it a lot.
Time travel stories, by their nature, are not easy to describe. The Lost Boys Symphony presents an even greater challenge because it is unlike any time travel story I have ever read before. On the surface, the focus is on the lives of three friends: Henry, Gabe, and Val. Henry and Gabe have known each other since they were children. In high school they meet Val, and Henry starts dating her. The three have been inseparable ever since.
Partway through college, however, Val suddenly decides to break up with Henry and transfers to another school. Understandably heartbroken, Henry immerses himself in his other passion, music, while Gabe stands by and offers whatever support he can. But then Henry gets sick. Very sick. And his illness is manifesting in very strange ways, making him hear things and see things that he knows should be impossible. Searching for answers, Henry follows Val to New York City, but then ends up passing out on the George Washington Bridge. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a room with two strangers—but in truth, they aren’t strangers at all. They are him, Henry, at 41 and 80. His future selves have kidnapped the 19-year-old him to give him a message, placing several lifetimes of responsibility on his troubled young shoulders.
Rather than summarizing the book though, it might actually be more helpful to describe its themes, like the disillusionment of youth, the lasting regrets for the paths taken and not taken, not to mention the devastating effects of mental illness—for those who suffer from it as well as for their loved ones. At first, I was intrigued by the ambiguity surrounding Henry’s time traveling. Was he in fact seeing his future selves, and as an extension to that, capable of revisiting the past? Or was he simply experiencing an elaborate hallucination, as a symptom of his deteriorating sanity? Associating time travel with a person’s mental state is also interesting, and likewise the mode of it, linking Henry’s ability to travel through time by becoming one with the music and rhythm of the universe.
However, time travel is not the point of this story. It’s not even a big part of it. At its heart, The Lost Boys Symphony is about relationships, growing up, and coming to terms with the decisions you make in life. Henry’s character along with all the versions of him at various ages show how a person can change over a lifetime, and his efforts to go back and alter his future don’t always work out the way he wants them to. Val is another example of a character feeling lost and untethered, after leaving everything behind (her old home, her old school, her old boyfriend) to remake herself and start completely fresh. But it’s unclear that she even knows what it is she wants, and her life does not turn out the way she expected either. Unquestionably, the most melancholic parts of the book are the moments where the “what ifs” and the “what could have beens” come to the surface. If you were offered the choice to find out what your life could have become if you did things differently, would you want to know? For Henry, Gabe, and Val, not knowing might be less painful.
Needless to say, fans of time travel fiction will definitely want to check this book out, though be wary, for this is far from your typical time travel story. It’s easy to get confused if you don’t follow along closely, keeping track of all the different Henrys and the branching paths his life takes as well as how those paths intersect with those of his friends, Gabe and Val. Still, the way the time traveling was handled was one of this book’s most compelling aspects.
In the end, it’s probably safe to say The Lost Boys Symphony is one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. This is a very different book than what I’m typically used to, but the relationship dynamics and mix of emotions really spoke to me. Mark Andrew Ferguson’s novel is a very human tale about life and love, exploring a young man’s grief for lost dreams and hope for a better future. A fascinating read.
Tiara’s 1st Quarter Update
Posted on March 31, 2016 14 Comments
I learned last year that I am too busy (and lazy, probably lazy, as well) for monthly update posts, even when I do want to share what I’ve read/listened to. I can get quarterly update put the way. There’s always a solution to a problem. Four update posts a year shouldn’t be a huge hurdle for me to overcome. The only challenge that will be missing from this list is my audiobooks update since I’ll do a quarterly update with Mogsy and Wendy, but the books are on the list.
There is plenty of overlap here as I expcted there would be since I’m trying to consolidate and not overwhelm myself. Also, I’ve decided to add all books that I read that fit a challenge to that challenge, even if it wasn’t on my original list. I’ve also shuffled my original lists around a bit as I looked through my TBR piles. My psychologist friend dropped me various books to read, as well, so that’s mixed in here with the rest of the books. I finally read my first Gillian Flynn novel, and no, it’s still not Gone Girl. I’m trying to be the last woman standing who hasn’t read that.
Goodreads Challenge Update
I only made a 52 book goal for Goodreads this year, even though I’ll likely read more than that. I’ve decided that I’m probably going to keep that as my goal this year rather than upping it throughout the year as I did last year.
2016 Star Wars Reading Challenge
2016 Speculative Fiction by Authors of Color Reading Challenge
2016 Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge
Read the Sequel 2016 Challenge
The Year of Sanderson Reading Challenge
I am trying really hard with Sanderson. I made an ambitious goal to read like 7 of his books this year, which isn’t a ton of books given how fast I typically read. However… I’m having a hard time getting into his books. I’ve started two–Warbreaker and Mistborn. Both books have pretty much went on my “on-hiatus” pile. I said I was going to go back to Warbreaker because I’m more interested in that story than Mistborn‘s right now, but I’m afraid this is going to become my first DNF challenge of 2016.
TIE-In Fighter Reading Challenge
Popsugar 2016 Reading Challenge Update
In Order: A Book Based on a Fairy Tale, A Book Translated to English, A Book At Least 100 Years Older than You, A YA Bestseller, A book with a Blue Cover, A NYT Bestseller (surprise Star Wars comic!), A Science Fiction Novel, A Book You Can Finish in One Day, A Murder Mystery, A Graphic Novel, A Book You Haven’t Read Since High School, A Book More Than 600 pages, A Book from Oprah’s Book Club, A Book That Is Published in 2016, A Book That Is Becoming A Movie This Year, An Autobiography
Miscellaneous Reading
Upcoming Reads
Discussions:
The Road to Civil War: Whose Side Are You On?
The Road to Civil War: The Road is Dark and Full of Terror
The Road to Civil War: The Fame Game
(Unfortunately, I’m going to have to discontinue the Civil War discussion because I have become a bit too busy between work and my kids’ softball/baseball season.)
Read-Along Posts
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #1)
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.1
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.2
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.3
Rosemary and Rue Read-Along Week No.4
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (October Daye #2)
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.1
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.2
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.3
A Local Habitation Read-Along Week No.4
Reviews:
Drown by Esther Dalseno
Casting Shadows by Jeanne Cavelos
Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo
Alpha & Omega (Alpha & Omega #0.5) by Patricia Briggs
Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs, narrated by Holter Graham
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, narrated by Robin Miles
Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) by Stacia Kane, narrated by Bahni Turpin
Blood Follows (The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach #1) by Steven Erikson
The Serpent Sea (Books of the Raksura #2) by Martha Wells, narrated by Christopher Kipiniak
Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop, narrated by Alexandra Harris
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson (The Malazan Book of the Fallan #1), narrated by Ralph Lister
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page (Dorothy Must Die #1), narrated by Devon Sovari
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, narrated by Ralph Cosham
The Day Boy and the Night Girl by George MacDonald, narrated by Paul Eggington
Should We Down In Feathered Sleep, narrated by Cris Dukehart
Star Wars: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp (Star Wars: The Old Republic #2), narrated by Marc Thompson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster (Star Wars Canon)
Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron (Star Wars Canon)
Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon by Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars Canon), narrated by Jennifer LaVoy
The BiblioSanctum 