Book Review: Swords and Scoundrels by Julia Knight
Posted on October 2, 2015 16 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Swords and Scoundrels by Julia Knight
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Duelist’s Trilogy
Publisher: Orbit (10/6/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Julia Knight is also Francis Knight, an author whose name has been on my radar since her Rojan Dizon trilogy, though this is the first time I’ve read her work. As soon as I found out about Swords and Scoundrels I knew it was going to be just right for me. As it happens, I’m a super mega fan of anything to do with swashbuckling duelists, and I could always use more scoundrels in my life. That and the cover is stunning too, not to mention the tagline made me chuckle.
Plus, a brother-sister team? Count me in. Older sister Kacha has devoted a lifetime to the training and mastery of sword fighting while growing up in the Duelist’s Guild, but she’s not content with being just good – she wants to be the best. Problem is, so does Vocho, whose whole life spent in his big sister’s shadow grates on him something fierce. Neither skill nor reputation would come to much use though, when both of them get thrown out of the guild for an infraction, and the siblings are forced to turn to banditry in order to make a living.
One day, a routine stick-up of a carriage goes wrong when their target turns out to be protected by a group of heavily armed men, including a powerful magician as well as Petri Egimont, Kacha’s former lover. The siblings manage to escape the scene with their lives and a mysterious locked chest. What it ends up containing though, is something much more valuable and dangerous than mere treasure, and Kacha and Vocho are about to discover just how far their enemies will go to get it back.
For readers who are looking for a fast and fun read, Swords and Scoundrels is perfect. There are a lot of things I liked about it: the smooth flow of the writing, the quick pacing, the witty dialogue, and plenty of adventurous action. But by far the novel’s greatest strength is its characters, and the complex sibling relationship between Kacha and Vocho, which Knight deftly conveys.
The focus on the brother and sister team was what immediately stood out for me when I read the description for this book, so it was no surprise when I also felt that was one of the most developed aspects of the story. As anyone with a sibling can attest, sometimes getting along with your brother or sister can be hard. Growing up, I probably spent as much time fighting with my own little brother as we did doing fun stuff together. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was also definitely the overachiever and the more responsible one, so for many reasons Kacha and Vocho’s rivalry struck me on a personal level. After all, siblings can drive you crazy sometimes, but they’re still family. Despite their differences, Kacha and Vocho stick together. They look out for one another. Arsehole or not, no one better lay a finger on Vocho, because if anyone’s going to kick his ass, it’s going to be Kacha herself. No one kills my brother but ME, damn it. Yep, I can sympathize with that sentiment.
We also find out more about the characters through a series of interlude chapters woven through the narrative. These begin in the past, chronicling the siblings’ admission into the Duelist’s Guild and their subsequent rise in their ranks, before gradually moving forward to present day where we find out why the two of them were kicked out. Sure, there were a few times where the placing of these interludes confused me and also disrupted the flow of the story, but generally these flashbacks helped by adding depth to character development and plot.
Like many first books of a series though, Swords and Scoundrels also had its weaknesses, mainly when it comes to the world-building and secondary characters. For the first half of the book, whenever the focus wasn’t on the protagonists, my attention would flag. I understood why Petri Egimont’s perspective needed to be there in order to show the other side of the situation, but understandably his sections simply lacked the draw and energy compared to Kacha’s or Vocho’s. Fortunately, towards the end of the book Egimont’s role became bigger so this became less of an issue, and I can see this improving in the sequel as well. The next book will probably also expand on the world-building, hopefully filling some holes left by this one. There’s magic in this world, but most of what we know about it is that magic and those who use it are bad and dangerous. Plus there’s also an insanely cool society and religion revolving around clockwork that I would really like to know more about.
Ultimately, the most important thing is that Swords and Scoundrels is great entertainment, and there’s more where that came from, too. All three books in this trilogy will be released in relatively quick succession, with book one releasing on October 6, 2015, book two Legends and Liars due on November 10, 2015, and book three Warlords and Wastrels on December 15, 2015. That’s great news for me, because I’m definitely on board for another duelist adventure.
Book Review: Bat Out of Hell by Alan Gold
Posted on October 1, 2015 18 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Bat Out of Hell: An Eco-Thriller by Alan Gold
Genre: Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Yucca (9/1/15)
Author Information: Website
Bat out of Hell was pretty scary, though not in the way I expected. Going in, I don’t know what exactly I was hoping for. An apocalyptic-type thriller novel, perhaps? Or a science fiction with a horror spin?
The story ended up being neither of those. I attribute my first impressions to the somewhat misleading book description, which I think overplays the urgency of the premise. I expected a nightmare scenario in which humanity was dying by the millions to a new Black Death. In truth, the book isn’t so much about the plague than the social and political games that surround it. It’s also not really a sci-fi or techno-thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton or Douglas Preston. Even though the tagline says “Eco-Thriller”, I wouldn’t say suspense and excitement are the book’s main elements.
Oh but there are plenty of cool things about it, all right. Like I said, the premise is pretty frightening. All around the world, outbreaks of infectious diseases are happening all at once, and not just in third world countries or rural areas either. London gets hit. Then a built up neighborhood in New Jersey. The UN quickly puts together a first-response team and dispatches them all around the world to find out what’s going on. The diseases have to be spreading through a vector, and scientists narrow it down to bats. (Or birds. A stunning amount of time is actually spent by characters in the book hotly debating whether or not it’s one or the other.) The point is though, infectious diseases are scary as hell, and they make great topics for Horror/Thriller novels. That’s the reason I was originally drawn to Bat Out of Hell and why I wanted to read it.
Of course, there were also parts of the story that just didn’t work for me. But that doesn’t mean they won’t work for you. Truth be told, I find books like this very hard to review, because its style and structure (and genre, arguably) don’t mesh too well with my own reading preferences. That’s not the book’s fault, obviously. For this reason, I’m going to leave my rating off for the blog.
Essentially, I enjoyed the overall premise of the story. It’s smart, it’s entertaining, and the subject matter is fascinating. However, there are several things I felt could have been changed in order to make it a better and more exciting read. First of all, I wish there had been a lot more focus on the diseases themselves. The story didn’t cover too many outbreaks to begin with, and every time we saw one, only a few pages were devoted to the entire cycle of infection, immediate deaths (inevitably the scenarios all involved children), and eventual fallout. And then without skipping a beat, we are right back to the politicians and the special interest groups shamelessly spinning the situation.
Hence, my second observation: from politicians to leading scientists, animal rights activists to celebrities – everyone seems to get their chance to weigh in on the worldwide health crisis. Everyone except the ones who are the most affected. Where are the victims’ voices? The family and friends of the dead? Seems like a gross oversight to exclude their perspectives and influence on the global discourse.
Thirdly, I thought the narrative greatly oversimplified certain elements of the story. For example, birds are lovely and cute. So the idea of killing them en masse to prevent them from transmitting deadly diseases to humans would be met with outrage and resistance, to the joyful glee of the activists behind Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment. Bats, on the other hand, are icky. So if it turns out they’re the culprits, no one cares. There’s also the disturbing implication that most people will blindly follow the random claims of pop stars and Hollywood actors over the word of scientific experts who actually know what they’re talking about. Maybe a some people, but I think most folks tend to trust the epidemiologist with the PHD over some aging metalhead, no matter how famous they are — especially when it comes to matters of health. Speaking of which, where’s the internet and social media? Something like this should have had millions talking about it, but once again we’re only getting the perspectives of the elite, the world leaders and the CEOs and the celebrities who treat the population like lemmings — point in the direction you want them to go and they will follow – but reality just isn’t like that.
In the end, I think what I wanted was a more intense and more personal story. Still, I thought the book was interesting and devoured it quickly because I really wanted to find out what happens. Something tells me Bat Out of Hell might be somewhat of an esoteric novel, and certainly if you have an interest in stories about outbreaks and infectious diseases, it’d definitley be worth giving this book a shot.
Tough Traveling: Well-Traveled Road
Posted on October 1, 2015 13 Comments
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in (and inspired by) The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information.
This week’s tour topic is: Well-Traveled Road
Rare is the fantasy adventure that stays close to come. Most require a long adventure down some well traveled roads…
Wendy: I drew a blank and couldn’t get further than the Kingsroad and the Yellow Brick road, and Mogsy tapped out. Fortunately, Tiara was on the ball and gave us “Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley, the nine million roads in the LOTR series, Elm Street, Bourbon Street (since every New Orleans based novel ever has to include something happening on Bourbon), The Road to Ehvenor, etc…”
Waiting on Wednesday 09/30/15
Posted on September 30, 2015 16 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:
Imprudence by Gail Carriger: July 5, 2016 (Orbit)
Prudence is nothing like her mother Alexia Tarabotti, and I love her (and her book) for it. So far The Custard Protocol is reading quite differently from The Parasol Protectorate. Earlier this year, Prudence charmed and delighted me so much, I just can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.
“London is in chaos.
Rue and the crew of The Spotted Custard returned from India with revelations that shook the foundations of the scientific community. There is mass political upheaval, the vampires are tetchy, and something is seriously wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most inappropriate military types.
Rue has got personal problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they all really are… is frightened.
When the Custard is ordered to Egypt, transporting some highly unusual passengers, Rue’s problems go from personal to impossible. Can she get Percy to stop sulking? Will she find the true cause of Primrose’s lovesickness? And what is Quesnel hiding in the boiler room?”
Audiobook Review: Reign of Iron by Angus Watson
Posted on September 29, 2015 14 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Iron Age
Publisher: Hachette Audio (9/29/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Narrator: Sean Barrett | Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
Reign of Iron was a great end to a great trilogy. But it still felt like it was missing something.
If you’ve read the last book, you probably know what I’m talking about. After the shocking events that took place at the end of Clash of Iron, I was curious to see how the characters will pick up the pieces and carry on. Hopefully towards a triumphant ending, but with Angus Watson you just never know. As he has already shown us with the previous two books, anything can happen in this series. All we can do is brace ourselves and hold on tight.
This third book wastes no time at all, picking up right where we left off. Quite some time passes in the intro, however, as the tribes of Britain finally wake up to the reality of the invading Roman forces of General Caesar on their doorstep, ready to claim the land for themselves. They rally around Lowa, the warrior queen of Maidun.
But Lowa herself has quite a lot of her mind. Her campaign and her own morale was dealt a serious blow at the end of book two. Over the next year, a lot of significant events take place. Lowa gives birth to her son, the child awakening feelings in her she never knew existed. Sadly, she also loses touch with Spring, the young druid distancing herself to deal with her private grief. All the while, Caesar’s troops are amassing, and the Roman general now has druids and magic of his own. Things look pretty bad for Lowa, but she will do whatever it takes to save her people. For the future and freedom of Britain, every warrior is determined to fight to their last breath.
Thematically, Reign of Iron probably feels closer to Clash of Iron than it does to the first book, Age of Iron. The Romans aren’t just a threat now; they are real. They’ve even unleashed the war elephants, for Jupiter’s sake! We’re in the midst of war, the fighting is in full swing, and the book is as brutal and bloody as ever. The caveat I brought up in my reviews of the first two books also applies here: if you’re squeamish about violence, cruelty, torture, death and all that unpleasantness and pain, it’s best to avoid this series or approach it with discretion. Watson’s Iron Age is a cruel and dark world.
Also, once again the emphasis has shifted on the characters. For me, Age of Iron was Dug’s story. Clash of Iron was more like Lowa’s. Reign of Iron is a novel that focuses on everyone, but I also can’t help but feel that Spring finally got her own book. She really got to shine in this one, and I loved her escapades across enemy lines.
That said, we see a lot of growth in all the characters. The feelings left behind from the last book are still there, which can’t be helped, but the characters’ spirit and resolve at least helped lift me out of that gaping chasm of sorrow. Both Spring and Lowa have their own ways to bolster Britain’s armies, which kept things interesting and sometimes humorous. Motherhood has also changed Lowa, and the mixed feelings she has for her baby becomes a new factor in her war planning.
Not everyone is such a joy to read about, though. Over on the Roman side, you have Ragnall the former druid and *cough* traitor *cough* who can’t seem to peel his lips off Julius Caesar’s backside long enough to see what really is going on in the world around him. We also have the druid Felix, whose flashback chapters don’t change my opinions on him that he is an insane and evil child-murdering sadist. The fact that he’s after Spring makes him even more hated. And Caesar is…well, Caesar is just Caesar. The man had many eccentricities, and let’s just say Angus Watson made sure to capture them all here.
So yep, it’s definitely the women who win big in this book.
Now that the series is over, I just have to say how impressed I am with the way the author tied everything together. Very little is known about life in Iron Age Britain and Mr. Watson made it clear from the start he was going to have a bit of fun with filling in the history, but he would be doing so by drawing from the huge amount of research he did for these books. But even though the premise is rooted in history, he never failed to place characters and story first. And the result is a huge success.
Finally, this is also the first time I reviewed the audio version of a book in this series, and I’m happy to report that listening was just as enjoyable as reading. English actor and narrator Sean Barrett is perfect! I love his accent and his inflections. Also, funny sometimes how we as audiobook listeners immediately associate a narrator’s voice to a character’s. Barrett’s voice is exactly how I would have imagine Dug to sound like, making me wish now to experience Iron Age again from the beginning, but in audio this time around. They really couldn’t have chosen a better actor to read this series.
All in all, I can’t recommend this trilogy enough. I had my doubts this book could deliver, after the second book and what was one of the most shocking endings I’ve ever read. That’s not something a series can easily bounce back from, and in truth I doubt it’s even possible to fully recover. And yet, Reign of Iron pressed on and finished off marvelously. I wait on pins and needles, arrows and swords to see what Angus Watson might do next. Here’s hoping he’ll keep writing great stories.
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More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Age of Iron (Book 1) | Review of Clash of Iron (Book 2)
Tiara’s September Wrap-Up
Posted on September 29, 2015 16 Comments
September was supposed to be my time to shine with books, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. This new school year has found me spending most of my afternoons helping my son with his homework. And since my job always has some project or another underway, I’m always pretty mentally exhausted when I get home and only want to watch television or play a game to unwind rather than read or listen to my audiobooks. I’m slowly creeping out of my turtle shell and getting back on track with reading.
Book Count
Many of the books I read this month consist of books that my son is reading for school. He had many “oldies but goodies” this month that I’d read as a child. He had a few I hadn’t read, so I read them to be able to better help him with his reading assignments. I didn’t include all his books since I’d already most of them, but I totally counted the ones that I hadn’t read before.
Audiobook Count
Popsugar 2015 Challenge Count
I ticked off just one book this month (A Book Set in High School) for this challenge, but that’s better than no books.
Goodreads Challenge Update
#ArgZombies
I bet you thought I wasn’t going to do anything with the suggestions given to me when I asked for zombie book recommendations a while back. Fooled you! I am totally reading zombie books for the month of October. Okay, I started and finished on early. Added to the short list I included on the original post:
- Zone One by Colson Whitehead
- The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
- Donners of the Dead by Karina Halle
- Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
- Fiend by Peter Stenson
- Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
- Your Brother’s Blood by David Towsey
Miscellany
TV/Movies
Husband just started watching Haven, and he’s managed to get me hooked on it as well. And Mr. DT and I finally started watching Orphan Black as well… finally.
Gaming
Just finished up the latest (and last) DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition. Other than that, I’ve been on a real indie game kick. I am currently playing Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa), which is a puzzle platformer based on Alaskan indigenous stories and features a young girl named Nuna and her fox companion as they try to restore balance in the eternal blizzard. I’m finding that I’m really enjoying these indie games based on folklore such as this one and Year Walk (mentioned in my last monthly post, based on Swedish lore).
And that is it for the month. Now, it’s time for me to start catching up on my reviewing, too.
Book Review: Last First Snow by Max Gladstone
Posted on September 28, 2015 12 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Last First Snow by Max Gladstone
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 4 of The Craft Sequence
Publisher: Tor (7/14/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
The Craft Sequence is unlike many conventional fantasy series in that each book can be read as a stand-alone, their stories ping-ponging unapologetically all over time and place, focusing on different characters. It makes it an unusual, albeit very special series. That said, many of these characters and events connect to each other, and there is a clear advantage to reading these books in the order in which they are published.
Last First Snow, for instance, is technically a prequel, taking place before the other three books, but it still felt like I was reaching a “crossroads” of sorts, on account of some of the familiar faces. The two main protagonists, Elayne and Temoc, are characters we’ve met before, though both appeared in their respective books in a supporting capacity only. It is also only forty years after the God Wars, and the city of Dresediel Lex still feels its effects, not least of all the poor population in the district of Skittersill, constrained by the old gods’ wards. Elayne Kevarian, a craftswoman, necromancer, and lawyer (not necessarily in that order) is retained by the King in Red to repair the wards, but the people of Skittersill rise up against her efforts, led by the warrior-priest Temoc.
Something had to be done, so Elayne organizes a meeting between all the parties in the hopes of negotiating a deal. After long days of bargaining back and forth and against all odds, an agreement is finally reached. However, no sooner had the ink dried on the contract than an assassination attempt throws all possibility of peace out the window. An all-out battle ensues. Gods and mortals, law and tradition, magic and reason, duty and family – it all comes to a head as both Elayne and Temoc must decide what they fight for.
In spite of all the cool ideas and fiery clashes, so far in the series Last First Snow was probably the toughest book for me to get into. Each installment has focused on a different theme, and something about this one just didn’t quite capture me right off the bat. We got started on a lethargic note, establishing the situation and mood in the Dresediel Lex. I didn’t feel what we were supposed to feel: a growing pressure, a sense of a city on the brink of losing control, the citizenry holding its collective breath. I don’t think I felt much of a connection to the people of Skittersill, not if I spent half the book actually rooting for the King in Red – whom, I might add, is not the villain in my eyes. In truth, there are no villains in this story. It also means no good guys either, but more on that later.
In essence, it felt like Max Gladstone tried to save all the good stuff for the second half of the novel. It wasn’t until the negotiations went sideways that I found myself full engaged; those scenes following the assassination attempt featured some of the best writing I’ve seen from Gladstone in this series so far. Once those floodgates were open, the story became more interesting, but still only because the main characters’ potentials were unlocked and not because I felt much for the nameless, faceless crowds of Skitterskill. Bottom line, Last First Snow is all about Elayne and Temoc, both of whom valiantly propped up the narrative.
Let’s start with Elayne Kevarian. You don’t mess with her. For readers who’ve been following this series since the beginning, that’s a lesson we learned early. There’s a certain satisfaction seeing her take center stage in this book, because though we’ve already taken her measure, there are still clearly so many ways in which she can surprise you. While Elayne remains one of my favorite Craft Sequence personalities, Temoc on the other hand stirred up plenty of mixed emotions. Seeing him with his young son Caleb, who will grow up to be the main character in Two Serpents Rise, was both a treat and a dreadful reminder of how things will turn out. Temoc’s personal journey in Last First Snow puts him in the difficult situation of choosing between two things that mean everything to him. Is he right for choosing one over the other? Just as difficult as it is to call the King in Red a villain, I too find it hard to get a bead on Temoc; for all the reasons there are to support him, I can probably find just as many to condemn him.
I enjoy books that throw me curve balls. Last First Snow by Max Gladstone is such a book. Is it my favorite of the series? Probably not. Still, as I say, there’s no such thing as a bad Craft Sequence book, just that some are better than others. Taking place before all the other books, Last First Snow was perhaps disadvantaged from the start, because the future is known for a lot of the characters. We already know who will make it out alive, how events will come to pass, how certain relationships will play out. For a book that’s mostly for filling the gaps in history though, it paints a rather fulfilling picture of two important characters who have thus far been on the periphery of our attention. I still love this series, and I can’t recommend it enough.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Wendy’s Review of Three Parts Dead (Book 1) | Wendy’s Review of Two Serpents Rise (Book 2) | The BiblioSanctum Readalong of Full Fathom Five (Book 3)
YA Weekend Audiobook Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Posted on September 27, 2015 20 Comments
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 4 of Throne of Glass
Publisher: Audible Studios (9/1/15)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Narrator: Elizabeth Evans | Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins
This series and I have definitely had our ups and downs. Throne of Glass first swept me off my feet with an introduction to the feisty Celaena Sardothien and the whole wide world of rebel princesses, deadly assassins and glass castles – definitely an “up”. However, the sequel Crown of Midnight frustrated me with a dry formulaic plot which spun its wheels and went nowhere for most of the book – definitely a “down”. But then along came Heir of Fire. Not only did it get the bad taste the previous novel left in my mouth, this third installment made up for everything by being my favorite book of the series. I could hardly wait to get my hands on Queen of Shadows after that, so to say I had high hopes for this fourth book would be putting it lightly, since I was very curious to see if the upwards trend will continue.
One thing I was sure of though, was that I was going to review the audiobook once more. It would feel wrong not to, at this point. I’ve experienced this whole series thus far in this format, and narrator Elizabeth Evans has always been fantastic. The association between her name and this series for me is so strong by now, that even if I read the book I think I would hear the characters in her voice. She’s just so good at bringing them to life.
And so when I first saw the length of this audiobook, I felt an instant surge of optimism. Generally speaking, a long book should equate to a lot of interesting things happening, a ton of action and suspense and all that goodness.
Well, I suppose I was half-right – “half” being the operative word here. Lots of things do indeed happen in Queen of Shadows, but I found the entire first half to be a struggle. Even now, I feel torn. Overall, this book was actually pretty great, and it had one hell of an ending that’s definitely not to be missed. But we did have to take the longest and most meandering road to get there.
Before I go further though, I must warn that this review assumes you have at least read as far as the end of Heir of Fire, so there will be details from the first three books. Queen of Shadows builds upon everything that came before, so it’ll be quite impossible to talk about it without addressing some major events, such as the fact that Celaena Sardothien is actually the long lost princess Aelin Galathynius (the publisher’s own book description itself states this though, so I don’t think it’ll be too big a deal to reveal). She has finally embraced this as her identity, thus Celaena will be henceforth referred to as Aelin.
Still, while the name has changed, the woman is still the same. Aelin definitely isn’t a character everyone can take to overnight; she’s full of arrogance and bluster, and it wasn’t until the end of Crown of Midnight that I started to like her. It’s no coincidence that I also saw this as a turning point for the series. As the story went down a darker path, Aelin also started to act like a real assassin; no longer just talk, it was great to see her finally walk the walk.
That said though, too many alpha personalities can also spoil a good plot. Aelin is surrounded by men just like her in this book – Chaol, Aedion, Rowan – all very competitive, impatient, conceited and combustible people. There you have a problem, because watching them all in the same scene together is like having to sit through a boardroom meeting with a bunch of Donald Trumps – a whole lot of posturing and snapping at each other, with waves of hormones flying off the walls but no actual progress made, and at the end of it all you just feel like jettisoning the lot of them out an airlock.
I also admit that while a good ship I can get behind is definitely a plus, I read primarily for story, not for who’s getting together with whom (and quite frankly, the latter usually gets in the way of the former, which is frustrating). I do feel like I have to comment on this one thing though, since Rowan and Aelin’s mentor-protégé relationship was one thing that stood out for me in Heir of Fire. I should have known it wouldn’t last. As a formidable teacher, ally and friend, Rowan was actually interesting. As just another hot piece of man meat for Aelin, not so much. Must she throw herself at every available good looking guy that’s not related to her? And parading around in front of Rowan in a skimpy nightie and acting like a schoolgirl with a first crush, was that really necessary?
I feel like such a curmudgeon whenever I say this, but sometimes no romance is better than a forced romance. Aelin and Rowan were just so AWKWARD. Making up for their platonic relationship in the first book meant a whole lot of overcompensating in this one, resulting in some truly banal and cringe-worthy dialogue.
Thankfully, the second half of the book goes a long way in redeeming the tedium and overindulgences of the first half. When Manon Blackbeak was introduced in the previous book, she was one of the highlights. The wyvern-riding witches are one of the best additions to this series, and I loved that we saw more of Manon and Abraxos in this one! Queen of Shadows is also a must-read simply because of all the things the characters go through at the end. There’s a crazy climax, some major changes, and one explosive conclusion, and that’s really all I can say about the second half of the book without spoiling more plot details. Suffice to say, if you’ve been following the series thus far, you’d be insane to miss this.
The ending also begs the question: What is left for book five? I’ve heard that there are at least two more sequels after this, and it’s hard to imagine what could possibly be epic enough to match the events at the end of this book. Despite some of the problems I had with Queen of Shadows, I still enjoyed it and I look forward to finding out what’s next.
Story: | | Performance: | Overall:
More on the BiblioSanctum:
Mogsy’s review of Throne of Glass (Book 1) | Wendy’s review of Throne of Glass (Book 1) | Mogsy’s review of Crown of Midnight (Book 2) | Wendy’s review of Crown of Midnight (Book 2) | Mogsy’s review of Heir of Fire (Book 3) | Wendy’s review of Heir of Fire (Book 3)
2015 3rd Quarter Audiobook Challenge Update
Posted on September 27, 2015 2 Comments
Another quarter is behind us, and it’s time again for another update on our progress for the 2015 Audiobook Challenge. We hope everyone had a great summer and got some good listens in, because we’re in the final stretch now. Less time to curl up with a book now that we’re heading into the busy fall season? No problem, whether you’re at home or on-the-go, it’s audiobooks to the rescue! This challenge is brought to you by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens.
Don’t forget to check out our progress from our 1st quarter and 2nd quarter!
Levels:
- Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
- Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
- Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
- Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
- Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
- My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
- Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+
Tiara’s Progress
I think I can, I think I can. Haven’t listened to as many books as I’d wanted due to busy schedules with work and life, but I’m still puttering along. I’m still aiming for Marathoner ( only 4+ more books to go!) at this point, but I’m still patting myself on the back because I way surpassed my initial goals for this challenge, which was a short goal of Stenographer and a long goal of Socially Awkward. So, I’m pleased with my progress on this challenge. I didn’t hit any of my upcoming listens from the last list yet, but hopefully, I’ll rectify that in the upcoming months.
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Mogsy’s Progress
I made up for my embarrassingly sluggish performance last quarter by kicking some serious ass this quarter on the audiobook challenge. Back in June, it was looking bad for me. I was lucky if I was going to end up in the mid-range of My Precious. But now that I’m 42 audiobooks down for the year and with three more months to go, things are looking quite different. I like my chances so I’m going to go for broke and aim for Marathoner. I’m still behind Tiara, but 8+ more audiobooks to go seems entirely doable.
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Wendy’s Progress
Slow and steady wins the race — not that I’m actually racing anything. I’ve been officially working full time for several months now and getting into the full swing of the school year. I keep assuring myself that I will find the right groove to make sure I’m slotting in all the things I need and want to do. Reading is high on that list, but sadly, after a long day, sometimes I’m just too exhausted and/or unfocused to do that. Thank goodness for audiobooks!
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves and Recent Reads
Posted on September 26, 2015 24 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend similar to Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as what I plan to read soon. I also round up what I’ve finished reading and/or reviewed since the last update, and sometimes throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
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RECEIVED FOR REVIEW
Activity in my mailbox usually slows down around this time of the year, now that we’re officially into fall — but apparently not quite just yet. I need to catch up on some reading so I’ve not been making many requests, but each week still brings plenty of unexpected surprises and maybe a new discovery or two. My thanks to all the wonderful publishers and authors!
Bound ARCs and Finished Copies:
City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett – Print ARC, with thanks to Broadway Books. One afternoon a couple weeks ago, I got a email in my inbox letting me know a copy of this book was on its way to me and I was like HELL TO THE YES. I loved City of Stairs and I am so totally jazzed for this sequel!
Thorn Jack and Briar Queen by Katherine Harbour – Paperbacks, with thanks to the author! I was very excited when Katherine got in contact about sending me copies of her books to review, and she even kindly included autographs, a beautiful card, and bookmarks. I’ve been meaning to check out Thorn Jack for a long time, and I didn’t even know there was a sequel out! Stay tuned for my review later this month, as well as a guest post by the author on a very cool topic (hint: it involves dragons!)
Dreamseeker by C. S. Friedman – Print ARC, with thanks to DAW. This is the sequel to last year’s Dreamwalker, a Young Adult sci-fi and urban portal fantasy crossover which I really enjoyed.
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer – Hardcover, with thanks to Tor who sent along a couple of finished copies my way last week, the first of which is this gorgeous looking book that wasn’t originally on my radar. The more I’m learning about it though, the more curious I am to check it out.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson – Hardcover, with thanks to Tor. Been hearing some interesting things about this book lately, which makes me even more anxious to dive in, which I’m hoping to do next week.
A veritable bounty also arrived from the wonderful folks at Skyhorse Publishing these last two weeks, including some fantastic looking titles from their imprints Yucca and Night Shade Books.
The Ultimate Guide to Zombie Warfare and Survival and The Zen of Zombie by Scott Kenemore – Just in time for October and the Halloween season are these two quirky looking titles, which look like a lot of fun! The undead apocalypse and zombies always make for great topics of humor around this time of the year.
The End of the Story by Clark Ashton Smith – I had to look this one up, but I am officially intrigued! A horror-themed collection, this series will bring together Smith’s entire body of work and publish them in chronological order, starting with this first volume that collects a whopping 25 of his short stories written between 1925 and 1930. I’m looking forward to discovering this author who was also a contemporary and friend of H. P. Lovecraft.
Bat Out of Hell by Alan Gold – A sweet finished copy of this book arrived last week. I really wanted to fit this one in before the end of the month and so yep, I’m reading it now!
The Promise of the Child by Tom Toner – This hardcover is sooo pretty. I didn’t know a lot about the book beforehand, but that cover was enough to make me look up more information. I hear it’s not an easy read, but it some of the ideas in it sound wonderful and evocative. Definitely going to have to keep an eye on this one.
Kill by Numbers by Loren Rhoads – This is the sequel to The Dangerous Type and oh man I can’t believe the second book is out already. I need to catch up, or maybe I should just wait until the third book comes out in November and binge read the whole trilogy!
Digital and Audio:
Owl and the City of Angels by Kristi Charish – Digital galley with thanks to the author and Pocket Star for sending along an invite to read this book. I’m thrilled to be welcoming Kristi back to The BiblioSanctum later next month to feature her rollicking series about a good thief named Owl.
Reign of Iron by Angus Watson – Audiobook with thanks to Hachette Audio. This is my current listen, so by the time this post goes live I should be finished. I really dig this trilogy, and after that craaaaaazy ending in the second book, I just had to find out how it all ends.
Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson – Digital galley with thanks to Greenwillow Books. After hearing some great things about this book from a friend, I actually went and requested it from Edelweiss. Except I forgot I did that and so when the approval finally came through this week it was a very nice surprise! I am so excited about this one. It’s in my reader tempting me right now: READ ME…READ ME…READ ME…
PURCHASED
Star Wars: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray – Rabid Star Wars fan that I am, I’ve resolved to read every single book in the new canon except maybe the Middle-Grade/Children’s and Young Adult titles. So I was originally going to skip this one (a YA Star Wars romance), until the rave reviews started pouring in. I’ve already heard from two friends who say this was THE BEST STAR WARS BOOK THEY’VE EVER READ and these are guys who have read dozens upon dozens of them from the old EU, so that’s saying something. How could I not pick it up after that? Plus the mention of Romeo and Juliet in the blurb makes this one sound like a forbidden love story — perfect!
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson – I don’t read as many comics as I used to, but every quarter I will still go on a buying binge and pick up trades of comics that got a lot of good buzz or reviews in the past few months. I usually don’t feature these comic hauls in my Bookshelf Roundups, but I had to make an exception for Nimona. This is one gorgeous hardcover, very well presented.
WHAT I’VE READ SINCE THE LAST UPDATE
It’s been an interesting fortnight. A couple of media tie-ins here, a couple of YA titles there. And of course, I’m also gearing up for the launch of The Speculative Herald by reading the books I’ve been scheduled to review. Here’s the list of books I’ve finished recently, so keep an eye out for their reviews in the coming weeks, if they’re not up already.
Reviews:
Here are the reviews I’ve written and posted since the last update, gathered together and listed here for your convenience and viewing pleasure.
The Bloodforged by Erin Lindsey (4.5 of 5 stars)
Dragon Coast by Greg Van Eekhout (4 of 5 stars)
Never Never by Brianna R. Shrum (4 of 5 stars)
Doctor Who: Royal Blood by Una McCormack (4 of 5 stars)
The Good, The Bad, and The Smug by Tom Holt (4 of 5 stars)
King of the Bastards by Brian Keene & Steven Shrewsbury (4 of 5 stars)
Battlemage by Steven Aryan (4 of 5 stars)
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtogich (4 of 5 stars)
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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? Let me know if you plan to read any of these! Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love for books and I hope you found something interesting for a future read. Until next time, see you next Roundup! 🙂
~Mogsy/Steff~
The BiblioSanctum 