Book Review: The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler
Posted on April 14, 2015 6 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Forbidden Library
Publisher: Kathy Dawson (April 21, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Book lovers rejoice, here’s a series written just for us. Do you get a tingly, magical feeling when you walk into libraries and see all those glorious books? As a kid, did you ever wish that the fictional worlds within your books were real?
The Mad Apprentice and its predecessor The Forbidden Library gave me those same giddy feelings as I read them, proving that Middle Grade novels aren’t just for children. Whether you’re thirteen or thirty, I think bibliophiles will find plenty to love in these books, and Django Wexler’s writing style makes it very easy to just dive right in.
Guest Post: “The Voyages That Shape Us” by DK Mok
Posted on April 13, 2015 7 Comments
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my review of Hunt for Valamon, a novel that blends epic fantasy and jolly good fun! Today, I’m excited to welcome author D.K. Mok to The BiblioSanctum to talk about wild and wondrous journeys, both the ones from her book as well as those from our childhood dreams that inspire us.
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THE VOYAGES THAT SHAPE US: THE ALLURE OF FANTASY WORLDS
by D.K. Mok
I’ve always been drawn to fantastic worlds. As a child, I spent countless afternoons at my local library, and every book was a portal to some opulent masquerade ball or desolate, far flung star. Every time I opened a new book, I felt as though I were stepping gingerly, excitedly, into a different realm. What marvels would I see today? Would I be chased by giant amoebas or would I untangle a diplomatic standoff between warring galaxies?
I loved the brave and inquisitive characters and their wild, rollicking adventures, but one of the things that hooked me into fantasy was the sense of discovery, the sense of place.
I didn’t travel much as a child, although I dreamed of hiking through the raucous jungles of the Amazon, or treading softly through the pierced-stone palaces of Agra. In primary school, I was fascinated by Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, with its branches lost in a different enchanted land every story. For years, I longed for a tree that would take me away to extraordinary lands, before I eventually realised that, technically, that’s what a book was.
The places I visited in the stories I read became as much a part of my world as my dinky local milkbar. I found comfort and camaraderie in the arboreal Inn of the Last Home in the Dragonlance sagas; I walked in awe through the ethereal realms of Tolkien’s Lothlorien; and I jostled through the pungent bustle of Discworld’s Ankh-Morpork.
By seeing lands vastly different to my own, I could begin to understand what it might be like to live in eternal winter or beneath the shadows of dragons, to ride on the shoulders of benevolent giants or to walk beside the forest gods.
There is something both confronting and reassuring about seeing people – just like yourself – living their lives in such places, wrestling with the same problems of injustice, corruption, uncertainty and self-doubt. Yet there’s something about the fantastic that stretches the mind, shakes out the soul, and scrubs the smudges of day-to-day life from the eyes.
In Hunt for Valamon, the reclusive cleric Seris must leave behind the sanctuary of his ramshackle temple and embark on a politically compromised mission to rescue a missing prince. Navigating his way across unforgiving lands, grappling with the fears and ambitions of villagers and warlords, Seris is forced to grow and change, to confront questions about who he is and who he needs to be.
In my mind, the best journeys are those you return from slightly breathless, slightly changed. The ones that leave you standing in your living room with your luggage still jangling with tags, seeing the world with a slightly different song in your heart. For me, this is the power of stories, and the reason I still dream of fantastic worlds.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DK Mok is a fantasy and science fiction author whose novels include Hunt for Valamon and The Other Tree, published by Spence City. DK’s short story ‘Morning Star’ (One Small Step, FableCroft Publishing) was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award and a Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award.
DK grew up in libraries, immersed in lost cities and fantastic worlds populated by quirky bandits and giant squid. She graduated from UNSW with a degree in Psychology, pursuing her interest in both social justice and scientist humour.
She’s fond of cephalopods, androids, global politics, rugged horizons, science and technology podcasts, and she wishes someone would build a labyrinthine library garden so she could hang out there. DK lives in Sydney, Australia, and her favourite fossil deposit is the Burgess Shale.
Website: www.dkmok.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dkmokauthor
Twitter: @dk_mok
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/dkmok
Audiobook Review: Disenchanted by Robert Kroese
Posted on April 12, 2015 11 Comments
Genre: Fantasy, Humor
Publisher: 47North (July 15, 2013)
Author Information: Twitter | Website
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Narrator: Phil Gigante | Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Whispersync Ready: Yes
This is how Boric’s story begins:
By all accounts, Boric the Implacable was, while he was alive, an incomparable badass. By all accounts, he was an even bigger badass after he died.
For most people, death marks the end of one career, whether that career is baking bread, blowing glass, or–as in Boric’s case–hacking other people to pieces with a sword. But for Boric, death was just another bullet point on his already impressive ass-kicking resume.
Whether death improved Boric overall is a matter of some debate, but there’s little question that it enhanced him professionally. In addition to his already impressive catalog of badassery, death granted him invulnerability…
So, basically, this image represents everything about Boric the Implacable, and you’re not allowed to think otherwise. Ever. Because Boric is a badass with such a high degree of badassery in his blood that you’d lose this battle to his badassdom, and thus, be added to his list of badass achievements. Badass. Read More
Tiara’s Bookish Bingo: Ready for Spring!
Posted on April 11, 2015 15 Comments
I’ve gone against my own promise not to start many book challenges this year, but in my defense, all my challenges have been low maintenance and challenges that I can combine. They’ve done a very good job with keeping me on track after last year being a terrible reading year for me due to some personal issues. My latest casual challenge I’ve joined is Bookish Bingo hosted by the ladies at Great Imaginations. They seem to do a new board around every three months, so this one encompasses April, May, and June. The board looks likes this:
There’s no pressure to finish the whole card. It’s just to help expand your reading horizons or get to those books that may be sitting around. So, here’s a tentative round up of my list. I want to get at least 5 (for the BINGO!) done, and as I said I’m combining this with my other casual Popsugar challenge for the most part and my normal upcoming reads list. I’m trying to keep these mostly speculative in nature, but they may not all be. Read More
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Book Haul, Backlist, What I’ve Read
Posted on April 11, 2015 20 Comments
The last two weeks were again very busy for new books, including a bunch that were complete surprises. It’s possible there are as many unsolicited titles here as I have requested, if not more at this point — but quite a few of them were already on my watchlist, and I also love new discoveries.
Received for Review
Time Salvager by Wesley Chu – Physical ARC, with thanks to Tor. I actually had the good fortune to be a beta reader for an earlier draft of this novel, and the author was also kind enough to hook me up with a copy of this ARC from the publisher. This is a wonderful, exciting story and I can’t wait to see the differences in the final.
The Unremembered by Peter Orullian – Review copy, with thanks to Tor. The Author’s Definitive Edition hit shelves recently, so the recent resurgence of reviews for this book have made me curious. Then a copy of my own unexpectedly landed on my doorstep, so I’ll definitely be checking it out if I can.
The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney – Physical ARC, with thanks to Roc. This was an unsolicited but very welcome arrival, being the third book of the Golden City series that I started last year. I’m looking forward to catching up with these books.
Daughter of Dusk by Livia Blackburne – NetGalley invite. This was another novel I beta read for, sequel to last year’s Midnight Thief. Again, very excited to see some of the changes from the earlier draft I read. My thanks to the author who sent along the widget.
Dragons of Dorcastle by Jack Campbell – NetGalley invite. I believe this book began as an audiobook exclusive, written specially for Audible Studios. Now the Jabberwocky Literary Agency is bringing it to ebook, and they generously sent a copy to me for review consideration. Thank you!
The Gabble by Neal Asher – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. I’ve been spoiled silly with awesome books from Night Shade lately, but I haven’t been able to read the last one sent to me for review consideration on account it was a second installment of a series I haven’t read. Not a problem with this horror/sci-fi anthology from Neal Asher’s Polity universe, which I learned can be enjoyed on its own! I will be diving into this one soon. I’m very intrigued.
The Chart of Tomorrows by Chris Willrich – Physical ARC, with thanks to Pyr. I didn’t even get a chance to request this one when BAM it was already at my door, about a couple weeks back. I read the first two Gaunt and Bone novels and enjoyed them, so of course I’ll be making time for this one.
Window Wall by Melanie Rawn – Review copy, with thanks to Tor. This is the fourth book of Rawn’s Glass Thorns series, which I’ve been curious about. Its arrival was a nice surprise, but sadly it doesn’t sound like I can jump in mid-series. I shall be keeping it in my consideration pile though, for when I have more time to read the previous books.
Trailer Park Fae by Lilith Saintcrow – Physical ARC, with thanks to Orbit. This was unsolicited but I am no less psyched about the book. It looks like SO MUCH FUN. I’ve never read anything by Lilith Saintcrow either, so this is going to be awesome.
Clash of Iron by Angus Watson – From NetGalley. I actually did request this one personally because I LOVED the first book Age of Iron! I’m so happy there wasn’t such a long wait for the sequel.
Purchased/Back to the Backlist
April is Audible’s listeners’ rewards month, and the reason why I’ve been hoarding my credits since the beginning of the year. I went on a bit of an audiobook binge last week, buying books that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. So, on tap from the backlist bar this time is, um…uh…I can’t decide! All I know is I’ll be reading one or even two of these pretties very soon:
Afterparty by Daryl Gregory – I’m very curious to check this one out, after enjoying Daryl Gregory’s books Harrison Squared and We Are All Completely Fine!
House Immortal by Devon Monk – At the time this book came out, I had a lot on my plate so I wasn’t able to review it. I’ve heard some very good things, so I’m glad I kept it on my TBR.
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett – As far as backlist goes, this a major contender for this month because I’ve been intrigued by it for a long time! According to Goodreads, this book has been on my to-read list since April 1, 2014.
Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein – This book has been on my to-read list even longer, since September 25, 2013. My interest in this series was piqued again with the release of the third book recently, and I figured this would be perfect for my list of possible Backlist Burndown books.
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks! Reviews are already up for An Ember in the Ashes, Hounacier, and Vision in Silver.
Upcoming: Sword of the North by Luke Scull + The Grim Company Giveaway!
Posted on April 10, 2015 6 Comments
*** The giveaway is now over, thank you to everyone who entered! ***
To celebrate the upcoming release of the long-awaited sequel Sword of the North by Luke Scull, The BiblioSanctum has been given the opportunity to host a giveaway of the first book The Grim Company! Please see below for details about the giveaway and how to enter.
But first, check out this description for Sword of the North, book two of The Grim Company series! The book is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2015.
Some legends never die…
In The Grim Company, Luke Scull introduced a formidable and forbidding band of anti-heroes battling against ruthless Magelords and monstrous terrors. The adventure continues as the company—now broken—face new dangers on personal quests….
As Davarus Cole and his former companions were quick to discover, the White Lady’s victorious liberation of Dorminia has not resulted in the freedom they once imagined. Anyone perceived as a threat has been seized and imprisoned—or exiled to darker regions—leaving the White Lady’s rule unchallenged and absolute. But the White Lady would be wiser not to spurn her former supporters: Eremul the Halfmage has learned of a race of immortals known as the Fade, and if he cannot convince the White Lady of their existence, all of humanity will be in danger.
Far to the north, Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf continue their odyssey to the High Fangs only to find themselves caught in a war between a demon horde and their enemy of old, the Shaman. And in the wondrous city of Thelassa, Sasha must overcome demons of her own.
Sound good? Awesome. Now on to the giveaway! Trust me, this is not one to miss, folks. I really enjoyed the first book. (You can view my review of it here.)
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THE GRIM COMPANY GIVEAWAY
We’re very pleased to be working with the publisher to bring you this giveaway for one print copy of The Grim Company by Luke Scull! With apologies to international readers, this giveaway is 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 “THE GRIM COMPANY” by 11:59pm Eastern time on Friday, April 17, 2015.
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: Hunt for Valamon by DK Mok
Posted on April 10, 2015 13 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Spence City (April 7, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hunt for Valamon was recommended to me by a friend, and it is the first novel I’ve ever read from Australian fantasy author D.K. Mok. I didn’t know much about the book when I picked it up so I had no idea what to expect, but I have to say, I came out of it feeling quite impressed. Read More
#ThrowBackThursday – Graphic Novel Review: Wolverine: Old Man Logan by Mark Millar
Posted on April 9, 2015 2 Comments
If you’re not familiar with the #TBT, which is how Throwback Thursday is usually shortened, it’s a meme done on various social media sites and blogs that repost/post old pictures, old posts, and old tweets, from the past (throwbacks) and post them on Thursday . For a while I’ve been wanting to go back to old books I’ve read see if I hate/love them. However, I feel like I have so many books that I haven’t read that I feel guilty doing rereads at times when I have a stack taller than my house. Not really, but almost. So, I thought it’d be fun to do #TBT with old books and comics. That way I get to reread my books with less guilt and I am contributing to the site! Sometimes my overall perspective of the book/comic may change. Sometimes, it may not. Either way, I hope you enjoy these Throwbacks!
Wolverine: Old Man Logan by Mark Millar
Genre: Superheroes, Dystopia
Publisher: Marvel Comics (November 11, 2009)
Author’s Information: Website
Tiara’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Not sure what I was expecting when I went into this story, but I was certainly not expecting what I got from this story. This takes place in an alternate timeline fifty years in the future. The supervillains formed a coup putting aside their differences and masterfully executing a plan that leaves many of the world’s superheroes dead. The ones who do manage to survive go into hiding to survive. There’s one exception to this story—Logan.
Logan lives in California, a place known as The Hulklands, with his wife and two children, and he’s taken a vow never to take another life, never to unsheathe his claws again. Sounds quaint, but it’s far from it. Life is hard for Logan and his family. During the conflict that led up to the demise of the superheroes, Bruce Banner took the side of the villains and was rewarded with California. Now, the Hulk offspring run the land ruthlessly, demanding rent from those who dare to dwell there.
After unsuccessfully trying to come up with rent money, Logan has a violent confrontation with the Hulks. He doesn’t defend himself and his family is spared, but the Hulks tell him that he must pay double rent next month. Logan takes a job accompanying Hawkeye, who is still in rare form, across the country for money. It’s during this journey that we learn more about what happened in this big battle and what led Logan to just give up the fight and live his days in peace.
This is a fast-paced story through the wreckage of “Amerika.” Hawkeye and Logan encounter a few familiar faces, such as Emma Frost and Black Bolt, during the story while introducing a few new faces to this bleak world that’s run by some of the world’s biggest criminal minds. In some panels, there was little said, but the art in the panels said so much and really showed how BIG and pivotal this battle turned out to be. It was a visual treat to see how scarred the land was and it leaves readers with so many questions.
The only thing that got annoying was Logan constantly telling Hawkeye that he wouldn’t fight for him, that he wouldn’t kill for him. After a while it became a tired song and dance with Logan, but when Logan finally got a chance to reveal the reasons why he stopped fighting, why he walked away from the mansion and “killed” Wolverine, it’s so poignant and unsettling. Millar managed to capture so much emotion and pain with Logan’s story.
The panel of Logan in tears as he talks about his attempted suicide after the events at the mansion (where Hawkeye points out didn’t work because of his healing factor… duh…) was so sorrowful, especially when he said, “But it hurt, an’ sometimes that’s enough.” There was a simplicity to Millar’s storytelling that really fit Logan and this story.
I won’t spoil the rest of the story. I think this is something that needs to be read and consumed without prior knowledge of the complete storyline to really get into the reality of this new world and let Logan’s life sink in. I read there was talk of a sequel to this, which would be nice if handled with as much poignancy as this one, but even if it doesn’t happen—if it hasn’t already happened—the story ends on a bittersweet note that leaves readers hopeful about what will happen from that point. It doesn’t give you all the answers to the questions it presented in the story, leaving it wide open to speculation.
Verdict: I didn’t even touch this review. Every single word I wrote stands! I love this book, and I’m nervous for the second book that will be out soon after 7 years. There are parts that are corny in retrospect, but I still overall love this book.
Tough Traveling: Unique Flora
Posted on April 9, 2015 30 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 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: Unique Flora
Self-explanatory. If you know of a plant that is either not on earth, or doesn’t act the same way in fantasyland as it does on earth, then you can consider it unique. Have fun.
Wendy’s Picks
Miserere: An Autumn Tale by Teresa Frohock
Remember when Nathan threatened us with carnivorous plants for a Tough Traveling topic? I had everyone beat thanks to La Dolorosa. It is a beautiful and deadly rose vine that feeds on blood and evil, but might not be so picky when it comes to our protagonists.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Kvothe’s beloved Denna asks him to choose a flower that best represents her. He chooses the selas flower:
“It is a deep red flower that grows on a strong vine. Its leaves are dark and delicate. They grow best in shadowy places, but the flower itself finds stray sunbeams to bloom in. There is much of you that is both shadow and light. It grows in deep forests and is rare because only skilled folk can tend one without harming it. It has a wonderous smell and is much sought and seldom found.”
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
“There is a rose that is famous in High North. […] It is called the altarskirt rose. Not only do its petals unfold in a radiance of pearled white, but frequently it grows an incomplete secondary flower about the base of its stem. […] The secondary flower saps nutrients crucial for the plant’s fertility. Seeds are rare, and for every one which grows into a perfect altarskirt, ten others become plants that must be destroyed for their hideousness.”
Such is the way of the Arameri, those who rule the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms from the Sky, and wield the power of the gods.
Tiara’s Picks
The Rocket Ship from the comic Saga is a huge tree in what was once called Rocket Tree Forest. Marko and Alana, while searching for ways to escape a planet, took this gift, given they had no ship and were basically on foot. This opportunity presented itself. It minds me very much of Niven’s Stage Tree which acts as a rocket ship and spreads seeds to create more.
The Sylvari from the Guild Wars 2 games and books are a humanoid race of beings birthed from the pods of a “dreaming tree,” which imparts them some wisdon through dreams. They are fully grown at birth, and a fairly new race so they can be treated a little warily by other races at times. They don’t have to sexually reproduce, so much of their ideas about love aren’t tainted by the other races’ feelings about things like homosexuality and mating. While they certainly present a frail picture, they are formidable magicians, warriors, and rogues.
The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett
I know I used this book in enforcers with Luggage, but I had to use it again twice for this one. The Re-annual Plant is an unusual flora that exists in Discworld. When a farmer plants a reannural this year, it’s harvested last year. So, there’s a fairly complicated system involved, but the trees are very magical in natural. Because they’ve already lived through things, they have psychic properties.
Sapient Pearwood is my second pick also from the discworld series. It’s what Luggage, my enforcer pick, is made from.
Sapient Pearwood is a tree that is magical tree that almost instinct in Discworld, but grows where there is large amounts of untapped magic. Many magicians wands are made from it. Sapient Pearwood is protective of its owners, very protective of its owners. It’s also Tardis like in nature where you might see it’s teeth or tongue or you might see gold (usually to trap people) or find other things of use inside it.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The Whomping Willow has been mentioned or part of all the Harry books, but since my video clips comes from Prisoner of Azkaban, I’ll use its title. I’m sure many people are going to pick this, but I love The Whomping Willow. It’s a violent magical plant that whomps anything that comes its way as Harry and the gang find out.
The Fascape Universe by Various
The Delvian are another group of humanoid plants from the Farscape universe. Because they are plants they experience something called photogasm which is when certain lights, including, sunlight, cause a more enlightened, sexual verions of the the human orgasm. They are in unique in that if they go into a starvation mode, their bodies begin to produce buds that causes severe allergic reactions in animals so they can eat. They don’t have to have meat for a normal diet, even though they can eat it, but if faced with starving, their bodies compensate. They’re a very unique, beautiful people.
The Thorian from the Mass Effect books and series is a sentient plant that is thousands of years old. The Thorian is telepathic as well as able to control the minds of other sentient beings. It allows its thralls to live out relatively normal lives until it needs it for a task, and it’s even believe they absorb some of its thralls to gain its history, memory, and knowledge. The Thorian claims to have no interest in what it sees as “meat bags” only meant for food in the end. Despite it all, the Thorian is relatively good to its thrall, and their hive mind effect does comes to the rescue in later games.
Mogsy’s Picks:
Wow, looks like my co-bloggers have it covered this week. Seriously, I got nothing that they haven’t listed already. Except maybe…
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
The world building was pretty cool in this book, though watch your step closely because we’re talking a place rife with semi-sentient trees and another plants that will eat you at every turn. And Wendy thought she had the monopoly on carnivorous plants this week, bwahaha!
Super Mario Brothers
Hey, Nathan used Yoshi in his list for “Beloved Mounts” a couple weeks back, okay? Surely I can use the Fire Flower for this week!
The BiblioSanctum 