Book Review: Faces by E.C. Blake
Posted on July 23, 2015 5 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Faces by E.C. Blake
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Masks of Aygrima
Publisher: DAW (7/7/2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Faces is book three of the Masks of Aygrima, a series about a magically gifted young woman living in a land ruled by the all-powerful Autarch who controls his empire by requiring all its citizens to wear special, magic-infused masks. I talked about this in my review of the last book, but I think it bears mentioning again that this series reads like Young Adult, even though the covers, description or imprint may not strongly indicate that. I just hope this is helpful information for others to know what to expect.
This third and I think final book picks up right from the end of book two, Shadows. Mara Holdfast and the survivors of the now broken unMasked army have been saved the Lady of Pain and Fire, the legendary sorceress who is said to be the only person ever to have challenged the Autarch. And now she has been found.
The Lady takes Mara under her wing, and Mara immediately feels a kindred toward her, since both of them possess the rare gift of being able to see all colors of magic. The Lady offers to train her so that the two of them can work together to bring down the Autarch, but Mara spending all her time with the Lady also means being cut off from her friends Keltan, the boy she has started to grow close to, and Chell, the prince from across the seas. As time goes on, Mara starts to suspect that not all is right. The Lady is driven by revenge, and some her methods start to seem as bad as the Autarch’s. Mara herself also grows increasingly troubled by her own feelings of anger, which seem to get stronger and more uncontrollable each day.
In fact, Faces features Mara at her most angsty. Regrettably, even though her emotions are not entirely her fault, this makes her very exasperating for the first half of the novel. That said though, Mara is also a fascinating character because of all the changes she has gone through over the course of this series: first naïve and idealistic in Masks, then imprudent and foolish in Shadows, and now finally frustrated and angry in Faces. The evolution of her personality has been shaped by the events in her life since the day her mask shattered and she went on the run, and many are experiences that were harsh, brutal and traumatic. In this book, she is also facing hostility from all sides, and while it may be obvious to the reader who is friend and who is foe, to Mara it feels like everyone is out to use her or harm her.
In many ways though, Faces feels like a book with two story arcs. After all, there are two obstacles Mara has to overcome, first the Lady of Pain and Fire and then the Autarch. With so much that needs to happen in this concluding volume, the pacing feels a bit rushed in certain sections. Still, I was impressed with how the plot was able to link both conflicts, and make them play off each other so that I was never sure of how all the problems will resolve. The final results were unpredictable and more than once I was surprised at how things concluded.
That brings me to the ending – which I did not expect at all. It’s a bittersweet one, which are the toughest for me to handle; sometimes they’re great and sometimes I’m left wanting. I’m still unsure how to feel about the one in Faces, because at once I am satisfied but also feeling a little indignant for the fate of our protagonist. Even though I know in my heart that it makes sense, some part of me still wishes for something else.
However, I will say that it is a good lead-in for a sequel series. This chapter of Mara Holdfast’s life has ended, but will there be more adventures for her in the future? The ending of Faces strongly hints that her story is not over, that there are those who still need her help which only her powers can provide. Who knows what new places Mara will visit next, or the new characters she will meet if a new series is on the horizon? I’m definitely open to finding out, if that happens.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Masks (Book 1) | Review of Shadows (Book 2)
Tough Traveling: Middle-Aged Heroes
Posted on July 23, 2015 14 Comments
The Thursday feature “Tough Traveling” is the brainchild of Nathan ofReview 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: Middle-Aged Heroes
This hero stuff is usually a young person’s game. And, occasionally, a grizzled old veteran can get involved. It is a true rarity for someone to join the good fight for Fantasyland living in that in between ground.
Tiara’s Picks:
“YOU LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!”
I tried to make most of my picks with two exceptions all women because it’s so rare to see women older than their 30s in many books these days, but fortunately, I have met some excellent female characters who may not be as young as they used to be, but they’re still capable, compelling, and–even sometimes–ladies who will kick your ass with their bare knuckles as demonstrated by the matriarch of the Allan family.
The Executioness (The Executioness by Tobias S. Buckell)
The Executioness is a short story set in the same world as as short story by Paolo Bacigalupi where magic is outlawed because of the consequences of using it being detrimental to everyone. They show sort of opposite sides of the same narrative. In The Executioness, a mother has taken up the mantle of her father as an executioner (often of magic practitioners) for the crown in order to provide for herself and her children. When her children are taken, mom takes a journey to save her family. The Executioness was created for the purpose of answering the question: “What about middle-aged women in SFF?”
Bernadette Mataki (Gears of War by Epic Games)
Benadette Mataki wasn’t very young when she first met and trained some of the Gears (soldiers) she would come to know as her family, and 14 years after Emergence Day, she’s pushing into her 60s. Age doesn’t slow Bernie down, though. She walked 14 years across a dangerous land to find her family again–the Gears, and she can still snipe and fight like a boss.
Credit: Gearspedia
Shan Frankland (City of Pearl by Karen Traviss)
Shan Frankland is an officer leading an expedition to another planet in hopes of the planet being somewhere humans can live. She knows that undertaking this expedition could take 150 years. What she didn’t expect when she gets to the new planet is there would be a godlike entity whose purpose is to decimate those who might endanger the native population, and that they might inadvertently cause a war on the planet. The ideas in this book makes me think of Varley’s Titan in a way, and I loved that book. (Side note: Traviss also wrote the Gears of War novel series, and the first book was excellent.)
Dave Hooper (Dave vs the Monsters: Emergence by John Birmingham)
I can’t explain Dave better than his description, so let’s go with that:
When an oil rig drills too deep, it unleashes a torrent of nightmares—the creatures of legend, always thought to be figments of our imagination, are now a very real threat to the survival of humankind. But when he kills a seven-foot-tall demon with an axe to the skull, Dave Hooper—a booze-soaked, middle-aged oil-rig safety manager—is transformed into an honest-to-god monster slayer.
Maya Greenwood (The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk)
Maya has moved beyond middle-aged to old age as she’s ninety-eight years old. Chew on that, and she’s the main protagonist (one of the main protagonists) of the series. However, the second book of her series, Walking to Mercury, takes readers back to when she was middle-aged and struggling to find herself. Maya reshapes her lands through her wisdom and power gained from the earth into something more beautiful, but finds it all about to come crumbling down as a threat looms. The second book focuses on what led to shaping her into the power she becomes in the first book.
The Cellist and death (Death with Interruptions by José Saramago)
Death with Interruptions held many interesting concepts including the idea that death might be (or might’ve been) an actual person people can track down. While the concept of death being a maiden is not new, through some magic science in the book, they were able to conclude what she she may look like. Later in the book, death (with a lowercase D; death with a capital D she calls unfathomable and truly final) falls in love and takes the form of a woman who’s either middle-aged or just a bit shy of middle-age as this magic science has concluded. The Cellist, who moves past mediocrity into brilliance when she appears, is middle-aged.
Deloris Allan (The October Faction by Steve Niles)
Even though she’s married to a retired monster hunter, Deloris was a badass before she met Frederick and now, having a husband and kids, she feels she has to keep safe makes her even more of a mama bear even if she’s not young anymore. You never come between a mom and her cubs. Never. She’s not afraid to brawl for what’s hers, and she will win.
Mogsy’s Picks:
I’m really digging Tiara’s idea of featuring middle-aged women heroes, so I’m going to continue in that vein.
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
Not only one but TWO strong, spirited middle-aged women are the stars of this superb novel, just a taste of the many great characters in this refreshingly diverse cast. Seriously, move over Sigrud, because it’s all about Shara Komayd and — my personal favorite — Turyin Mulaghesh.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Essun is the newest middle-aged heroine to join my favorites. Being a rogue Orogene (an individual who has powers to manipulate earth energies), she’s lived an interesting life, to say the least. Eventually she settled down in a quiet community, got married and had children, making her living masquerading as an ordinary school teacher. It all changes one day when she comes home to find her young son murdered and her daughter kidnapped by their father. Essun goes after them, with the feelings of love, fear and revenge like a stone in her heart. A mother’s wrath is a powerful thing.
Speaking of moms, you don’t want to mess with Victoria “Vic” McQueen. Vic was only 8 years old when she discovered that she has a special power. By riding her bike, she can conjure up a rickety old covered bridge that always seems to lead her to exactly what she’s looking for. Until one day that bridge leads her to Charles Manx, a predator who snatches children from his vintage Rolls-Royce and brings him to his creepy fun-park-of-the-damned called Christmasland. Vic escapes the encounter but she is left traumatized. As she grows into adulthood (middle-aged hood) the memories start to fade away, but Charles Manx does not forget. He’s on the hunt for children for his Christmasland again, but this time he’s got his eye on Vic’s own son.
A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca
I have a soft spot for lady detectives, and Satrine Rainey is one of the best. A former street urchin who spent her childhood fighting to survive, Satrine also worked as a spy before eventually settling down to a quieter, calmer life in her middle aged years. But after disaster strikes, Satrine is back in the game, using all her wits and her skills to con her way into a position with the Maradaine Constabulary so that she can support her disabled husband and two young daughters.
A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall
Confession: I’ve not actually finished this novel yet (been stalled on it for the longest time) but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Two decades have passed since the great general Cobalt Zosia led her mercenary army into battle, overthrowing a mighty empire. What does a legendary heroine do after that? Retire quietly to the countryside, of course. But after a massacre in her village, Zosia is back on the battlefield once more, seeking vengeance for the murdered. She may be twenty years older, but once a warrior, always a warrior.
This book takes place in a dystopian future where old people are seen as useless and nothing more than takers and freeloaders, so along with all the “undesireables” of society, those past their prime are cast out to live on a trash island where they will be detained and out of sight. This means that ALL the main characters in this series — Clancy, Lena, Jimmy and Delilah — are elderly, none of them under the age of 63, well beyond middle-aged.
Wendy’s Picks
Judging by our lists, it seems there are quite a few older ladies out there, but just because they are all here for you to add these books to you to-read lists, doesn’t mean this is common. As a woman approaching 40 myself, it’s nice to see stories featuring older women and to show that they are just as capable–if not more so, thanks to their earned wisdom and experience–as their younger counterparts.
Paladin of Souls by Louise McMaster Bujold
Ista is so done with the gods and their shit. She’s spent much of her adult years trapped in the shrouded mist of sainthood, with everyone around her believing she was insane. In truth, she was touched by the gods and the only person who could recognize this in The Curse of Chalion was Cazaril, another older protagonist. In Paladin of Souls, Ista has been freed from her cursed sainthood as well as her royal duties–if not the royal entourage.
Miserere: An Autumn Tale by T. Frohock
The main character of this story is an older man, crippled by guilt and the scars of battle. But Lucian is not alone in his journey to save a a young child pulled through the Veil to his world. He struggles against his twin sister, Catarina, who has succumbed to her demons. And he is hunted by his former lover, Rachel, he fights to maintain control over the demons that writhe within her.
Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells
Traitor, murderer, exile. Yet Maskelle still commands respect wherever she goes once people recognize her power. As I wrote in my original review: “She is a middle-aged woman of colour coming to terms with the creaks and groans that come with her age. She is a bit bitter, but not without reason. She is proud. She is powerful. And she knows how to laugh at herself and with those around her.” Maskelle even gets a fit young lover to take her pleasure in, something that our current society tends to frown upon thanks to the wonders of sexism.
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Adoulla is a much older protagonist who knows he is beyond his prime and is already considering retirement when a grave threat comes against his home. He is joined by his assistant and a young tribeswoman to fight it, but also enlists the help of his friends, Litaz and Dawoud, a healer and a sorcerer whose loving relationship Adoulla envies from time to time. Litaz, a healer and alchemist, is a pinnacle of strength and confidence for both her husband and the rest of the members of this motley posse.
Comic Stack 07/22/2015 – Graphic Novel Review: The October Faction Volume 1 by Steve Niles (Writer), Damien Worm (Illustrator)
Posted on July 22, 2015 5 Comments
Genre: Horror, Supernatural
Publisher: IDW Publishing (July 21, 2015)
Author Information: Website
Tiara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher. I would like to thank the author and the publishers for providing me this opportunity. All opinions expressed from here forward are my own.
If The Addam’s Family, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Locke & Key had a devil’s threesome, the result would be this book. If you don’t know what a devil’s threesome is, it might be best to Google that when you’re not around other people. You’ve been warned. I will not be responsible for traumatized children, surprised significant others, or alarmed strangers. The October Faction is a dark, horror-filled comic about the things that go bump in the night, and the family acquainted with them. We meet the Allan family who even come with their own Lurch/Alfred in the form of their female butler, Saunders. The family is headed by Frederick Allan, a former monster hunter turned college professor who teachers a course on–what else?–monsters, where their origins rest and whether they exist.
Next, we have Deloris Allan, matriarch of the household, who seems to be estranged from her husband and possibly having an affair. She only sees her husband during mealtimes at the beginning of this book, but we find out her true motives quickly. Right now, it doesn’t look like Deloris started her life as a monster hunter, but after meeting her husband, she became one. She may have had some limited contact with monsters before him, but she became something of a team with him and his true partner, a man named Lucas. Even though, she’s middle-aged now, mom is no slouch in the combat department as we learn later in the book.
Last, we have the Allan children–Geoff and Vivian. Geoff has been out of high school for about a year or a bit longer it seems, and Vivian is just graduating. All the clues point to both children being outcasts in high school, and despite their dad being a professor, neither child has a desire to go to college. Instead, they’ve been trying to convince their dad they want to become hunters, and they have the abilities to do so. Not only do they want to become hunters, as he once was, they want to be hunters with him, which naturally their father has been trying to dissuade them from that for years.
Dad explaining there is no point in waiting to kill someone who pretty much just threatened to kill you.
The art is amazing in this book. It fits the gruesome story, even punctuating the dark humor of the book. I took so many screenshots, And I wasn’t sure which pages to use and which not to use because Damien Worm’s art for this book is darkly beautiful, a seeming mix of the two other comics I mentioned earlier.
I love the dark and macabre, and this book doesn’t fail on either account. If you’re a fan of books like Locke & Key, you likely enjoy The October Faction. It still needs to get its timing right in some scenes, but The book was largely satisfying for me as a horror fan. Despite how dark this book is, it had funny and even touching moments interspersed throughout at just the right moments, though. I look forward to continuing this series.
“Because sometimes crazy is the glue that binds a family together…”
Waiting on Wednesday 07/22/15
Posted on July 22, 2015 11 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:
Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay: May 16, 2015 (NAL)
I have a feeling we will see this book featured on many epic fantasy readers’ WoWs today as well as in future weeks. Guy Gavriel Kay is one of the most preeminent voices in Canadian speculative literature, and I was so excited when the cover and description was revealed last week for his upcoming new book, his thirteenth novel Children of Earth and Sky. I am really looking forward to this. I’m a big fan of GGK’s work, which usually uses fantasy elements to explore themes in history, as well as his gorgeous, sweeping prose. If you haven’t read him yet, you absolutely must!
“The bestselling author of the groundbreaking novels Under Heaven and River of Stars, Guy Gavriel Kay is back with a new novel, Children of Earth and Sky, set in a world inspired by the conflicts and dramas of Renaissance Europe. Against this tumultuous backdrop the lives of men and women unfold on the borderlands—where empires and faiths collide.
From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request—and possibly to do more—and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman, posing as a doctor’s wife, but sent by Seressa as a spy.
The trading ship that carries them is commanded by the accomplished younger son of a merchant family, ambivalent about the life he’s been born to live. And farther east a boy trains to become a soldier in the elite infantry of the khalif—to win glory in the war everyone knows is coming.
As these lives entwine, their fates—and those of many others—will hang in the balance, when the khalif sends out his massive army to take the great fortress that is the gateway to the western world…”
Audiobook Review: When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord
Posted on July 21, 2015 14 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Horror
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Hachette Audio (4-21-2015)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Narrator: Suehyla El Attar | Length: 9 hrs 50 min
After hearing about this book from so many people, I just knew I had to experience it for myself. And now that I’ve read it, When We Were Animals may well be the most interesting book to hit my shelves this year. I’m still finding it difficult to categorize this unconventional coming-of-age tale, which combines elements from a variety of genres including mystery, paranormal and horror.
Most of the story is told in retrospect, as protagonist Lumen Fowler looks back on her childhood growing up in a small, quiet Midwestern town with a big, dark secret. For a few nights every month during the full moon, the town’s teenagers run naked and free through the streets like animals, seized by a mysterious and uncontrollable urge known as “breaching”. Every resident of this town has gone through it and know to also expect it in their children, which typically coincides with puberty and lasts about a year. Breaching is just something everybody goes through, an unavoidable and natural fact of life about growing up in this town.
But is it really inevitable? Lumen hardly remembers her mother, who died when she was very little, but she is intrigued by the stories her father tells, about how Lumen’s mother never went breach. Always the good girl, the high achiever who never gets in trouble or gives cause for worry, Lumen makes a promise to her father that she will never breach either, determined not to succumb to the call of her baser instincts and join her peers in the unrestrained orgies of sex, violence and wild abandon during the full moons.
It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to figure out When We Were Animals is an allegory for growing up, specifically for the tumultuous period when a young person transitions from adolescence to adulthood. What fascinated me is the story’s ability to illustrate a range of perceptions towards the concept of breaching. Residents seem both proud and ashamed that such a phenomenon is unique to their town, and parents of breaching teenagers treat it with a mixture reverence and trepidation while children both dread and look forward to the day when they too will be called. It is beautiful and magical, but also messy and frightening. What everyone in Lumen’s hometown can agree on though, is that breaching is an important rite of passage – once you enter and emerge from the other side, childhood ends and the journey to adulthood begins.
What singlehandedly made this book so great was the character of Lumen, whose personality gives this coming-of-age story an even more unique spin. Small and unassuming, our protagonist isn’t someone who would stand out in a crowd. At school, she would be the one hanging out on the edges of a group, the girl you don’t really notice is there. Ironically, the fact that she’s different from the other kids just makes her even more invisible, and being a late bloomer doesn’t help either, widening the divide between her and her peers.
Lumen’s introspective nature means that this is a very personal narrative, light on plot but heavy on character. She loves to read and learn, and her very unusual way of looking at things made it so that I hung on her every word. This story isn’t the kind where a lot of things happen, and instead emphasizes internal dialogue over action. But I was captivated by it nonetheless. In Lumen, I saw not only a teenager struggling to find her identity, but also a girl trying to reconcile her desires to fit in and yet still stand out from the rest. It’s a motivating factor in all that she does, whether it’s asking her dad for stories about her mom or looking up definitions of her peculiar name. It shines a new light on her determination not to go breach, which becomes more than just a way to connect to the mother she never knew. Not breaching ultimately becomes something she hopes can define her, an achievement she can call her own and make a part of herself.
I was completely charmed by Lumen, who is now an adult in a new town with a new name with her own family, telling us about her past. This is what made the audiobook such a pleasure to listen to. The only downside was sometimes not knowing whether we’re in the past or present, since the transitions weren’t always obvious in the audio, but the narration was simply fantastic. My praise goes to narrator Suehyla El Attar bringing Lumen to life. Her voice became the character’s voice, and after that it was just a matter of letting go and allowing the story to transport you to another time, another place.
At times eerie and unsettling, at others powerful and heartwarming, When We Were Animals has a lot to say about topics like independence and teenage rebellion and peer pressure. There are the moments that disturbed and horrified me, many of which are related to the descriptions of what goes on when the teenagers were breaching, but there were also scenes that touched me, especially those featuring the closeness between Lumen and her father. This an absolutely fantastic and well executed story about the stark realities of human nature and growing up. I’m still reeling from the rollercoaster of emotions.
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Full Fathom Five Read-A-Long Week No.1
Posted on July 20, 2015 5 Comments
Banner designed by Anya of On Starships and Dragon Wings
Here’s something new for us at The BiblioSanctum — a Read-A-Long! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be joining many other fellow bloggers in a read through of Max Gladstone’s Full Fathom Five.
Full Fathom Five is the the third book in the Craft Sequence, however, each book stands alone. Want to know a little bit about the other books? Check out our reviews here:
Three Parts Dead (Wendy)
Two Serpents Rise (Wendy)
We are coming to this party rather late, so we haven’t all had a chance to read the necessary chapters this week. Tiara and Mogsy hope to join Wendy next week! If you’re interested in joining the read-a-long, there’s still time! Visit the SF/F Read-A-Long group for more information or to join in the conversation.
Week 1: July 20 Ch 1-13 – hosted by Allie from Tethyan Books
Week 2: July 27 Ch 14-32 – hosted by Lynn from Little Lion Lynnet’s
Week 3: August 3 Ch 33-50 – hosted by Heather from The Bastard Title
Week 4: August 10 Ch 50-62 – hosted by Lisa from Over the Effing Rainbow
1) Kai kicks off the story by risking her life in an attempt to save the idol Alpha Seven. Why do you think she chose to try? Do you think idols truly non-sentient?
Wendy: You later learn that Kai goes above and beyond with her work. I love the way this series relates it all to work, making it clear that that is what religion is in this realm. Kai is someone who is constantly putting in overtime and going above and beyond. We’d call that person a workaholic, but here there is the added level of her faith. She initially seems like someone who is aloof and unconnected to the potential personal connections, but when she dives into the pool, it changes everything I thought about her. I believe that she felt sentience in Alpha Seven long before the idol’s strings were cut and could not allow her to drown. I definitely don’t believe the idols lack sentience of some kind. The level of fear Alpha Seven displayed was very real.
2) I think this is the first time we’ve seen idols, and they have their similarities and differences to gods and craftsmen. Do you think they serve a useful purpose? If you were in this world, would you prefer faith, Craft, or idols?
Wendy: Everything has a pretty hefty price in this world and soulstuff is not easy for everyone to come by. I like the idea of the idols being there for people who can’t quite afford the demands of the Dead Kings and the Gods. Idols are kind of an easier way to keep the faith with less of the hassle. It’s a bit of a cop out, but considering not everyone can afford everything else, I like that this option exists for some. Knowing what I do now about the different options, I think I would prefer faith in the Gods. Though they don’t communicate much, they seem the most genuine. Unfortunately, those in charge of them tend to corrupt things…
3) I found it interesting that priests/priestesses are able to change or reform their bodies in the pool, during their initiation. If it were possible, would you want to make use of this power or not?
Wendy: I like the idea of them being able to fix any issues they have and that Kai’s change is most significant because she was born into a male body and has now been able to transition through this process–something that is far more difficult to do in reality, unless you have Caitlin Jenner’s money and status. This process of fixing one’s physical issues doesn’t seem to be a common thing available to just anyone. The priests seem to be the only ones with access, which implies that a high level of devotion and/or dedication is involved. Other people exhibit small fixes, while Kai’s is much more significant. Is the level of her change based on her level of commitment? Or her level of desire for that change? I think it’s a combination of both.
Personally speaking, I lack both Kai’s level of dedication and my changes are pretty cosmetic anyway. I want 20/20 vision, long, tangle-free hair, and pre-baby boobs. I think I have just enough faith to make this happen if I were to accept a job as a priest and go diving into the silver pool.
4) A few familiar faces show up from Three Parts Dead, Cat and Ms. Kevarian! Is this how you would have expected them to be living, after the events of that novel? [Three Parts Dead spoiler warning for answers to this question]
Wendy: I recognized the names, but my memory on Three Parts Dead is a little fuzzy. I can’t recall where we left Cat … wasn’t she supposed to be having hot vampire pirate sex? At least, that’s totally what was happening in my mind. Ms. Kevarian, I wasn’t surprised to see. I liked the connection — and I like that the connection is not (thus far) fully reliant on you reading the other books in the sequence, which makes this series so great.
5) Izza is in a difficult situation; she wants to take care of the other street children, but she also wants to protect herself. What do you think of how she is attempting to meet both goals? Do you think she was right to stop leading the stories and rituals for the other children?
Wendy: Izza seems to be the kind of person who wants to help everyone but recognizes how easily that can drag her down, especially with the prospect of becoming a Penitent looming over her. Her need to survive should be her priority and leaving the younger kids actually isn’t as selfish as it might seem, again, because the Penitents would be looking for her. All of the kids seem fully capable of taking care of themselves, but Izza obviously isn’t about to leave them high and dry–though it’s interesting that her choice to provide them with a stash came after she spent time with Cat, who has promised to take her away. The prospect of leaving was only a pipedream until that point and Izza might have been persuaded to stay by Nick had it not been for Cat’s offer.
6) There is a lot that is hinted near the end of this section, with the line “Howl, Bound World” and the poet Edmond Margot. What do you think it is that ties together Seven Alpha, Kai, Izza, and Margot?
Wendy: I’d venture that it has something very much to do with Alpha Seven’s sentience and perhaps the souls that have been invested in her. And most certainly the contract that the idol signed before her death.
Book Review: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Posted on July 20, 2015 25 Comments
A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Broken Earth
Publisher: Orbit (August 4, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
This book had the distinction of being on both my most anticipated SFF lists for 2014 and 2015, due to the publisher’s decision to push its release date back a year in order to give N.K. Jemisin more time to work on the sequels. So it was with no small amount of excitement when an advance copy finally made it into my hands. Proof that it was really happening.
And oh boy, was it TOTALLY worth the wait.
Initially though, my feelings were mixed after the first few chapters. There was that cryptic prologue, with its smattering of information about the world (then right away saying that none of these places or people I just read about actually matter – wait, what?) as well as the curious narrative style, including one character whose chapters were written entirely in the second person. That choice eventually makes sense, by the way, but at first I really wasn’t sure what to make of the book.
But then gradually, everything started to come together. I watched as connections were made, questions were answered, and blank spaces were filled in. The final result was this unique and wholly imaginative novel that delighting me to no end. The world-building elements which so confounded me at the beginning of the book eventually became clear, and I came to recognize the sheer ingenuity behind it.
The Fifth Season takes place on a continent known as The Stillness, ironically named given the instability of its geology and tectonics. The world would have fallen to pieces many times over if not for the Orogenes, a group of people with the powers to manipulate earth energies and shape the land. In reality though, The Stillness has actually gone through multiple apocalyptic events called “Seasons”, each one characterized by its specific end-of-the-world effects. It’s the norm for this world, but Orogenes do what they can to make it better, preventing many earthquakes or volcanic eruptions by catching anomalies in time before they can cause widespread destruction.
Yet for all that they do for humanity, Orogenes are feared, shunned and subjected to hostility and violent treatment. Their powers can be as unstable and catastrophic as the disasters they try to prevent, especially if the individual cannot learn control. Orogeny is also unpredictable. There’s a genetic predisposition for it, though theoretically anyone can be born an Orogene, so children discovered with the trait are immediately taken away for harsh and rigid training. However, there are also the unfortunate ones that don’t even make it that far before they’re murdered by their scared or panicky neighbors – or even by their own parents.
Essun experienced this in the worst way possible, coming home one day to find the lifeless body of her young son, beaten to death by her husband. An Orogene in hiding, Essun realizes with grief and horror what must have caused the father to kill the boy. Now Essun fears for the life of her daughter whom her husband has kidnapped, and she is determined to go after them. This is her story, a heartbreaking and beautifully written narrative of a woman’s journey taken upon for love and revenge. Jemisin may have created a world here full of mind-blowingly fantastical elements, but she hasn’t left us wanting in the character department either, giving us an emotionally raw, very human tale.
I have to say the characters are truly wonderful. The Fifth Season follows three perspectives: Essun, a rogue Orogene whose only quest now is to get her daughter back; little Damaya, taken away by an Orogene handler called a Guardian to Yumenes where she will be trained to control her powers; and Syenite, a young woman paired with a more experienced mentor in order to learn from him and breed with him, ensuring that the next generation will have talented Orogenes to keep The Stillness safe. All three threads are so engaging and poignantly detailed, each one giving the reader a distinct reason to care about these strong yet conflicted characters. It was also wonderful to see the bigger picture they formed in the end.
Finally, I have a confession to make. While this is my first Jemisin novel, years ago I actually started to read A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms around the time it came out, but for whatever reason I put it down and didn’t get a chance to pick it up again. I have every intention of going back to the book one of these days, but for obvious reasons I didn’t count it as being “read”. I did, however, feel like I got enough to get a feel for her writing, and now reading The Fifth Season in 2015, I can see how far her skill has come since her debut. With such rich world-building, relatable characters and compelling storytelling, I just knew I had to see all that through to the end, and the conclusion was a real surprise, both marvelous and disquieting.
I’m so glad I read this. The Fifth Season is the first novel of The Broken Earth trilogy, and it’s a strong introduction to a brand new world featuring some very fascinating, very special characters. Highly recommended. It’s definitely not going to be an easy wait for the next book.
Audiobook Review: Death with Interruptions by José Saramago
Posted on July 19, 2015 6 Comments
Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy, Science-Fantasy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 6, 2008)
Author Information: Website
Tiara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Narrator: Paul Baymer | Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Audible Studios (December 20, 2011) | Whispersync Ready: Yes
By Laurie Lipton
“…or if, on the contrary, he should bite back his tears and continue on his way to where his work awaits him and fill up what days remain to him, then feel able to ask, Death where is thy victory, knowing, however, that he will receive no reply, because death never replies, not because she doesn’t want to, but because she doesn’t know what to say in the face of the greatest of human sorrows.” – pg. 138
This is the second book by Saramago that I’ve read. The first being Blindness, which was turned into a movie starring Julianne Moore, Danny Glover, and Mark Ruffalo, just to name a few, and surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad take on the story. It explored the crumble of a city and its increasing moral decay due to its residents being afflicted with something called “white blindness.” I loved that book, so to say I had high hopes for this one would be an understatement.
This book starts with a strong proclamation:
The following day, no one died. This fact, being absolutely contrary to life’s rules, provoked enormous and, in the circumstances, perfectly justifiable anxiety in people’s minds, for we have only to consider that in the entire forty volumes of universal history there is no mention, not even one exemplary case, of such a phenomenon ever having occurred, for a whole day to go by, with its generous allowance of twenty-four hours, diurnal and nocturnal, matutinal and vespertine, without one death from an illness, a fatal fall, or a successful suicide, not one, not a single one.
With such a bold statement, you expect the author to deliver something huge to explain the phenomena. This cessation of death affects only one unnamed country, and it only affects the humans. Life and death continue to ebb and flow around the world. At first, this is seen as some fortuitous thing, but many of the dying are in a state of not being quite dead and not being quite alive and continuing to age and decay. Joy eventually gives way to the stark realities of the dead not dying and its consequences on life as they know it, causing many political, religious, medical, and philosophical debate as they try to figure out why death has abandoned them, leading some of its citizens to consider extreme measures to help their ailing loved ones or just simply to get rid of a burden by secretly crossing into countries where the near-dead can still die, which sets a moral precedent that sets off more debates. Read More
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: New Books, Top Reads, What I’ve Been Reading…
Posted on July 18, 2015 30 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every two weeks where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, what I plan to read soon, and what I’ve finished reading since the last update. Sometimes I throw in stuff like reading challenge updates, book lists, and other random bookish things.
RECEIVED FOR REVIEW
Much love for this week’s review copies from authors and publishers:
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho: eARC, with thanks to Ace Books. I’ve been hearing so much about this one, really looking forward to it.
One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron: eARC, with thanks to the author. I was so happy to receive an email from Rachel last week asking if I would be interested in a review copy of her upcoming sequel to Nice Dragons Finished Last (which I loved). So of course I said yes!
The Hidden Masters of Marandur by Jack Campbell: eARC, with thanks to JABberwocky Lit for sending me a NetGalley invite to read this one. They’re publishing the ebook versions of this previously-exclusive audiobook series and were kind enough to send me the first book earlier this year, so I’m curious about this second book.
When We Were Animals by Joshua Gaylord: Audiobook, with thanks to Hachette Audio. So many blogs I follow have raved about this book, so I’m thrilled to be given the chance to review the audio!
Crashing Heaven by Al Robertson: Audiobook, with thanks to Audible Studios. I’ve been very interested in this title ever since I learned about it, especially after hearing good things. But as of now I haven’t heard any news about a US publisher for the print book. The audio version however is available, and I’m excited to check it out.
Dragon Coast by Greg Van Eekhout: Print ARC, with thanks to Tor Books. This one made me squee when it arrived! It’s book three of the Daniel Blackland series which I’ve been catching up on, so be ready to check out a review of this closer to release in September.
Gold Throne in Shadow by M.C. Planck and Rising Ride by Rajan Khanna: Print ARCs, with thanks to Pyr Books who surprised me last week with these two beauties in the mail, both of which are sequels to books I read last year (Sword of the Bright Lady and Falling Sky, respectively). The covers are just freakin’ gorgeous.
Bat out of Hell by Alan Gold: Print ARC, with thanks to Yucca Publishing. I had to research this one when it arrived, since it’s new to me. Billed as an “eco-thriller” about a plague spread by bats, it sounds absolutely frightening. In other words, right up my alley.
The Dangerous Type by Loren Rhoads, Shower of Stones by Zachary Jernigan and Solomon’s Arrow by J. Dalton Jennings: Finished copies, with thanks to Night Shade and Talos. A couple weeks ago I came home to see three packages in my mailbox (just haphazardly jammed in there, sometimes I hate our mail service) containing these books. The Dangerous Type is one I’ve wanted to check out for a while; I hear it’s pure pulp and fun. I was also excited to see Shower of Stones since book one No Return is on my to-read list (maybe for a future Backlist Burndown!) and finally Solomon’s Arrow sounds fascinating, despite being completely new to me. I’m always interested in stories about generation ships/interstellar arks. As always, Skyhorse Publishing spoils me silly! Thank you!
BOOKS WON
I don’t often get lucky with giveaways, but when fortune does smile upon me, she is kind. I won a print ARC of Nightwise by R.S. Belcher which is one of my most anticipated books in Tor’s summer line-up.
PURCHASED/BACK TO THE BACKLIST
More audiobooks added to my library this week. I picked up mostly backlist stuff, and took advantage of a couple Whispersync deals:
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine: Rachel Caine, what have you done to me? I loved Ink and Bone so much that I just had to check out her other books, and I’ve heard good things about her Morganville Vampires series, so…yeah. Get in my cart.
Pacific Fire by Greg Van Eekhout: I did say I was catching up with this series. The first two books are now in audio format. About time!
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord: If you recall, I didn’t fare too well with The Galaxy Game earlier this month, but I also didn’t know when I started that it’s a sequel. The first book’s gotten a lot of praise so I wanted to give Lord another try with this one.
TOP 10(ish) BOOKS READ IN 2015 SO FAR…
Half the year is over now, and everyone’s been putting together their top reads of 2015 thus far. I wanted to take the opportunity to jump in with a quick list featuring my Top 10 picks (plus a bonus of 2 more that were published pre-2015) 🙂
2015 Releases:
Touch by Claire North ( – REVIEW)
Day Four by Sarah Lotz (
– REVIEW)
Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey ( – REVIEW)
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine ( – REVIEW)
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu ( – REVIEW)
The Mechanical by Ian Tregellis ( – REVIEW)
The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence ( – REVIEW)
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (
– REVIEW)
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson ( – REVIEW)
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu ( – REVIEW)
Pre-2015 Releases:
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett ( – REVIEW)
Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron ( – REVIEW)
WHAT I’VE READ SINCE THE LAST UPDATE
I’ve been very productive these last two weeks! Output is still not quite matching input, but it’s close. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks, and of course there are also a bunch that are up already, which you can read now:
Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson (2.5 of 5 stars)
First Light by Linda Nagata (4 of 5 stars)
The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold by Peter V. Brett (4 of 5 stars)
Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman (4 of 5 stars)
Highlighted Reads:
Dark Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp: I listened to the audiobook, which I can’t recommend enough. If this book is on your to-read list, seriously consider picking it up in this format. It’s AWESOME.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin: Such a great book. My first N.K. Jemisin book and I am beyond impressed!
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Have you heard of or read any of the books featured in this week? Let me know! I like helping people discover new books, so I hope you found something interesting to read. See you next Roundup! 🙂
The BiblioSanctum 
