Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books You Recently Added To Your To-Be-Read List
Posted on March 31, 2015 24 Comments
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. They created the meme because they love lists. Who doesn’t love lists? They wanted to share these list with fellow booklovers and ask that we share in return to connect with our fellow book lovers. To learn more about participating in the challenge, stop by their page dedicated to it and dive in!
This week’s topic: Ten Books You Recently Added To Your To-Be-Read List
Tiara’s Picks
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This book is Miller’s debut book, which reimagines Homer’s The Iliad. As a big fan of history and mythology, there was no way I couldn’t add this book to my TBR pile. Add the fact that I love imaginative retellings of old stories. I never get tired of them. I’ve even added this book to my upcoming reads pile as well since I am very excited about this one.
The Gemini Effect by Chuck Grossart
From what I can gather from the description of this one, it’s probably a military sci-fi story with zombies. I hate zombies, but I’m willing to give anything with zombies a chance because I like to think I’m a fair person that can actually overlook that part if I think that a story is done well enough for me to actually enjoy that aspect. As with many zombie, it’s biological in nature and treated as biowarefare by the United Stated, and the U.S. prepares to unleash everything it has on its own people survivors or not.
Yeah, this is the book the movie that Harry Potter… I mean, Daniel Radcliffe starred in recently. I think I’ll use its short synopsis to give you the gist of the story: “Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.” I’ve watched the movie with my husband, so I’m aware of where its going. However, I still want to see how the book compares to the movie.
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress
In the year 2035, an ecological disaster has destroyed the Earth, but 26 survivors are housed by an alien race in a sterile environment called the Shell. As the survivors begin to die out, they find a way to change this disaster using brief time portals, which lead them to a brilliant mathematician, Julie Kahn, in the year 2013.
The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weekes
This is the sequel to The Palace Job, which I enjoyed very much. It was a humorous caper that was just plain fun. I immediately downloaded it to my Kindle after finishing the first because I knew this was something I was going to read in coming weeks. This book’s summary asks the question: “Who would have thought a book of naughty poems by elves could mean the difference between war and peace?” I can already tell this is going to be another mad adventure that’s going probably going to have me chuckling as much as the first one. I love a good time! (Side Note: If you utilize Kindle Unlimited, these books are available to read without charge, and they both utilize Whispersync. The audiobook is included with the first book, and the audiobook price is reduced to $2 for this book once you download it through Kindle Unlimited.)
The book touts itself as Lord of the Rings meets Sin City. It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Tolkien, but I am a huge fan of Sin City. This book promises dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals with a reluctant hero (of course), so I’ll forgive its Lord of the Rings comparison if it delivers on everything else.
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
A man of faith travels to a new galaxy to spread his faith about the Bible (the book of strange new things) to the inhabitants of this galaxy. While he spreads the Gospel, he leaves behind a wife who sends letters that become increasing fearful as apocalyptic events begin to unfold on earth. The premise of this already interested me, but I don’t know for some reason, a part of me is hoping that this book is beautifully tragic in much the same way as Mandel’s Station Eleven, which transcended so much of the dystopian/apocalyptic genre.
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Until The Color of Magic, which I read a couple of weeks back, I hadn’t read anything by Terry Pratchett. I’d been meaning to get around to doing that, and I am friends with a few people who absolutely adore his Discworld books who’d been encouraging this for some time. With Pratchett’s recent passing, a friend decided to do a complete read through of the series, and I decided to join him in this endeavor. We’re not going in chronological order but story order. We’re working out way through the Rincewind novels. I met Rincewind in the The Color of Magic, in which he’s quite possibly the world’s worst wizard (but not exactly his own fault), and now in this book the fate of the world rests on him. This is sure to be fun.
Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes
As I mentioned above in The Song of Achilles, I love imaginative retellings. I’ve read quite a few Peter Pan retellings, including Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Child Thief by Brom, and Tiger Heart by Peter David–all of which were magnificent books. This will be the first retelling I’ve read that will be Wendy-centric. Certainly, she played her roles in the other books, but this will be the first I’ve read that focuses on her. Unfortunately, it won’t be out until October. Boo!
Madame Lilly, Voodoo Priestess by Dormaine G.
In 1800s, Odara, a creole woman, isn’t interested in partaking in the plaçage (a historical event where wealthy white men of the time took common law wives among women of color and provided for them; these marriages weren’t official, but had some contractual duties attached to them) way of life until she meets Henry Nicolas. After entering an arrangement with him, she learns about his sadistic side. After enduring this man for years, Odara turns to voodoo to help settle her score, even if means a great cost. New Orleans is always an interesting setting for the supernatural, especially voodoo. Plaçage is a part of historical events I have a keen interest in, so I can’t wait to see what the author has done with that, as well.
Book Review: The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Posted on March 31, 2015 21 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 3 of Tao
Publisher: Angry Robot (April 7, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a way to end things. Hands down, The Rebirths of Tao is my favorite book of the trilogy. It’s everything that made the first two books such a joy to read, but on steroids. The stakes are higher, and the action is more intense. The humor is laugh-out-loud funny, the character relationships much more emotional. It’s got love and betrayal, smiles and tears, politics and espionage, sword fights, kung-fu, unlikely heroes, dastardly villains, aliens, starry-eyed teenagers, Brits who love bacon, and much, much more. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
Just like how there were several years between the first and second books, we once again we jump ahead in time for book three, catching up with the Tans many years since the events at the end of The Deaths of Tao. In spite of this, Rebirths is not a book you can read on its own; you will miss too much information from the previous two novels. So if you’re thinking of starting the series, you may wish to skip to the bottom of this review to see my general thoughts and avoid spoilers for books one and two.
The stage is now set for all out open conflict between the two Quasing factions, the Prophus and the Genjix, and thanks to Jill Tan’s involvement in the Great Betrayal, the whole world is now aware that aliens have walked among them, manipulating history since time eternal. Humanity is understandably not too happy about that. Jill, Roen and their son Cameron have been on the run for years, hiding from anti-Quasing governments and Genjix agents alike.
But now the Genjix are stepping up their plans to terraform the earth, a process that would destroy the planet and make it uninhabitable for all life except the Quasing. The Prophus in turn are trying to prevent this from happening, securing the extraction of a rogue Genjix scientist with knowledge of these terraforming facilities. However, the Genjix have no intention of failing. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, you have all the makings of a perfect storm.
One thing I noticed from reading this series is that Wesley Chu has grown as an author with every book, and The Rebirths of Tao is his best work yet. The writing is noticeably more polished than in the previous novels, and the story flowed very well with absolutely no lulls at all. It’s also fascinating to see the series evolve, as we’ve experienced some drastic changes from book one to book three. We started The Lives of Tao with a quirky personal tale about a nerdy, out-of-shape IT guy and his transformation into super-secret agent, but things took a more urgent, direr turn in the sequel The Deaths of Tao, which also saw the Quasing conflict expanded onto a global scale.
The Rebirths of Tao is once again a new kind of story all together, but it retains a lot of the elements which made the first book so fun and addictive. The Quasing war situation is as bleak as ever for Roen and his family, and yet the humor is alive and well. Cameron Tan is now fifteen years old so for the first time in this series we have a teenager’s point-of-view, and Wesley Chu pulls it off nicely (ever think of writing YA, Mr. Chu?) I didn’t think it was possible, but I liked reading Tao and Cameron’s interactions even more than I enjoyed Tao and Roen’s. Tao is the “third parent” in this scenario and some of his reactions to the thoughts and behaviors of an impulsive, hormonal teenaged boy are downright hilarious! The dialogue in this book is probably my favorite aspect, especially the banter between Cam and Tao, between Jill and Roen, between Roen and his “imaginary Tao”, and between Roen and Marco (these two guys damn nearly killed me with laughter).
I also love sci-fi novels about unconventional aliens, and the Quasings fit the bill with their unique physiology and complex symbiosis with human beings. We know from the first two books why the Quasing split into two factions, and the assumption is that the Prophus are the benevolent, peace-loving ones. The truth is more complicated than that, however, and it may surprise you. This book delves further into the nature of Quasings, as well as the role human history played in shaping the Prophus-Genjix war. Speaking of which, if you’re a history buff, you’ll really get a kick out of these books; Chu still regularly makes references to historical events that Quasings have secretly taken part in, as well as famous figures who have served as hosts.
I’ve enjoyed every moment of this trilogy, and as a reader it’s also awesome to see a series that ends even more strongly than it began. The author has done a great job building upon the story since the first book. We’ve also seen fantastic character development particularly when it comes to Roen, who has grown immensely as a person from when we first met him. Sure, he’ll never reach Adonis Vessel levels of excellence, but he’s taken his new responsibilities in stride and has never failed to do the best he can as a Prophus agent, husband and father.
I highly recommend these books if you like sci-fi thrillers and comedy. This third book was everything I’d hoped for, a wonderful end to a trilogy that has been a wildly entertaining ride from the get go. It’s funny, action-filled, and manages to tie up all the loose ends that count, while still leaving things open-ended enough for future stories set in this universe. I look forward to the announced follow-up sequel series The Rise of Io.
Other reviews in this series:
The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Mogsy), The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Tiara), The Lives of Tao (Book 1) (Wendy), The Deaths of Tao (Book 2)
Book Review: Touch by Claire North
Posted on March 30, 2015 19 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Orbit (February 24, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Does the idea of a unique, sc-fi thriller excite you? Read this book. Love wild, mind-trip movies like Inception? Read this book. If you’re looking for a smart, entertaining, and psychologically hard-hitting novel, this is what it looks like. READ THIS BOOK.
Touch was, in a word, fascinating. “Have you been losing time?” I don’t think I can ever hear or read this phrase again without getting a shiver down my spine. Imagine, if you will, a group or species of near-immortal people (they call themselves “Ghosts”) that can jump from body to body, taking their hosts over and seeing through their eyes, feeling what they feel. They can choose to be anyone they want, live any life they want…and all it takes is a single touch – and JUMP. Whether the possession is for two seconds, two days, or twenty years, the hosts won’t remember after the Ghost jumps away to another body again. Have you ever looked at your cellphone and see a call you don’t remember making? Or found yourself somewhere, without knowing how you got there? Have. You. Ever. Lost. Time?
Our protagonist is one of these Ghosts, given the name “Kepler”. The story begins with Kepler dying in her/his latest body Josephine Cebula, gunned down in a Turkish Metro station by a man who is clearly aware of Kepler’s nature and unique abilities. Kepler jumps bodies in pursuit of the mysterious killer hoping to get answers, and ends up wearing the killer’s body itself. Someone or some organization has been hunting down and destroying the Ghosts, and Kepler is determined to find the truth and avenge her/his beloved Josephine.
This book is getting lots of love from me based on the inventiveness and ingenuity of the premise alone. It’s especially a great read if you enjoy what-if stories and thought experiments, though imagining possible scenarios based on the theories in this novel might take you places you don’t want to go. Imagine being an unwilling victim of a Ghost, waking up having no idea where you are, with these people you don’t know who claim to be your children, finding out it’s suddenly twenty years later, and the last thing you remember is shaking hands with a stranger – a lifetime ago. Imagine the violation and trauma of knowing someone else had been in your body, using it doing God knows what. Imagine the memories and experiences you’ll never get the chance to have, because precious time was stolen from you.
Some Ghosts give very little thought to their hosts but Kepler is different, having cherished her/his hosts through all the centuries he/she has been jumping bodies. But everyone, even Ghosts, have their limits when pushed, and will do anything it takes to stay alive. At times, Kepler might come across as selfish and callous, but these situations only arise when he/she feels threatened and cornered. Small consolation for the victims who lose their lives because of Kepler’s actions, perhaps, but it does make me think slightly better of her/him.
This book reads like a mystery for the most part, relying on the unknown and strategically dropped hints to keep the plot moving evenly along, though it also has a handful of the most memorable action sequences I’ve ever read. Claire North makes good use of a Ghost’s body-jumping talents, almost taking them to gimmicky heights, to write some insanely good gunfight scenes. Just think about it. Yes, they are as awesome as you can imagine.
Of course, it also wouldn’t be such a unique book if it didn’t present its own set of potential problems. There will be moments of confusion, and it can’t be helped. The narrative jumps around a lot because of the constant body switching. There are flashback chapters that help us understand the main character, but they can also break up the pacing and slow things down. The story builds and builds and gets so complicated at times that it stumbles over itself. But for me, all that is a small price to pay for such an incredible and original story. As always, YMMV!
All told, Touch was a delightful surprise. Above all, I adored the concept and I think this would make an excellent movie, if only someone could pull it off (quick, someone send a copy to Christopher Nolan!) Thrilling, imaginative and entertaining, this book kept me reading well into the night.
Book Review: The Exile by C.T. Adams
Posted on March 29, 2015 8 Comments
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Fae
Publisher: Tor (March 10, 2015)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
C.T. Adams has written books as Cat Adams, a dual-partnership writing team with Cathy Clamp. I’ve never read anything by either author before, so I was looking forward to starting out with Ms. Adams’ first solo full-length novel The Exile, especially since I love stories about the fae.
The protagonist Brianna Hai lives a double life as necessitated by her own very nature. By day the half-human, half-fae young woman runs an occult shop selling innocent knickknacks to tourists, while hanging in her home is a magical painting which acts as a portal between our real world and the world of the faerie. As the daughter of High King Leu of Fae, Brianna enjoyed a childhood living amongst the wonders and delights of her father’s realm until her mother, a powerful human witch, changed the Veil that separated the worlds. All crossings between them are now governed by a new set of strict rules.
One day an unexpected attack by doxies on her apartment lands Brianna and her colleague David and his brother Nick back in Leu’s court, where she also discovers that her father may be in trouble. Having spent most of her life living as a human, Brianna is unused to the dangers of Fae politics, but she’ll have to deal with them in order to bring herself and her friends safely home.
This was a great book; I loved the story. However, from a technical standpoint, I stumbled a little with the writing.
The Exile will wow readers with a luscious, excitement filled plot. There’s very little downtime as we’re ushered from scene to scene, and something important happens in every one. The book is also filled with rich, beautiful descriptions of the Fae world, everything from the surroundings of King Leu’s palace and the huge variety of different fae that live in his magical domain, right down to the finest details about what the court lords and ladies wear and to the decadent food they eat. I seriously loved this.
I also enjoyed the characters and was impressed with Brianna most of all. The author paints a very unique picture of the fae, but at its heart they are still the conniving tricksters that make their stories such a delight. Being able to survive their world of ruthless politics and backstabbing is no mean feat, but Brianna manages to navigate this quagmire with aplomb. Despite being rusty in her knowledge of the ways and traditions of the fae, she’s frequently able to use her quick thinking and resourcefulness to get out of trouble.
The writing itself was what I struggled with most of all, along with the pacing of the story. Simply put, too much happens much too quickly, and not exactly in a way that’s desirable. The plot elements and the events in the timeline feel disjointed, particularly because there are so many character perspectives and so many point-of-view changes, all within a relatively short period of time. This gives the book an aura of confused, disorganized energy. Stylistically, there’s also something about Adams’ prose that I find distracting. I get jarred out of my immersion when I come across passages like:
“Nick didn’t consider himself overly modest, but he had never particularly liked being naked in front of strangers…”
Apparently, Nick has had plenty of experience to be naked in front of strangers…or it sounded that way in context, at least. Also, I imagine not too many people do, so I find his musing sort of unnecessary. Another example:
“Ulrich’s voice sounded strained and strange.”
Strained and strange? I imagine the former would already suggest the latter. Little redundancies like this along with other instances of awkward phrasing gave me pause and stalled my reading somewhat.
That said, overall The Exile was a pretty good read. It’s entertaining and grabbed my attention right away, which is by far the most important criterion, especially considering that it’s the first installment of a series. It’s an urban fantasy, but to me it also feels very different from the usual standard UF fare. The way things are going, I believe these books will go above and beyond simply chronicling the main character’s life and her immediate interactions and surroundings. Instead, the world-building feels very important too, and the narrative seems just as focused on the bigger picture. To me that means future plot developments will probably surprise us with large scale repercussions for both the human and fae worlds.
I’m definitely planning on sticking around to see what happens next.
Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Book Haul, Backlist, What I’ve Read
Posted on March 28, 2015 19 Comments
Another busy fortnight for new books, and I’ve been naughty on NetGalley by requesting three new titles — that’s a lot for me, considering I still have a couple from last month to read:
Received for Review
Sword of the North by Luke Scull – Physical ARC, with thanks to Penguin. This is the sequel to The Grim Company, and also one of my most anticipated books this year. I’m very excited about this one.
Day Four by Sarah Lotz – Physical ARC, with thanks to Little, Brown and Company. Another highly anticipated book of 2015! This is the follow up to The Three, which if you recall was a favorite of mine last year.
Oathkeeper by J.F. Lewis – Physical ARC, with thanks to Pyr. This title was completely new to me, though when it came I looked it up and saw that it is a sequel to another ARC that I have (Grudgekeeper) so it is most definitely going on the considering list.
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu – Review copy, with thanks to Saga Press. Simon and Schuster’s new SFF imprint seems to be off to a running start with some great titles, and not least of all is this first full-length novel by Ken Liu that I can’t wait to dive into.
Hounacier by Seth Skorkowsky – Review copy, with thanks to Ragnarok Publications. The sequel to Damoren, I’m curious to see what’s next in this series about blessed sentient weapons.
Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove – Review copy, with thanks to Penguin. This was an unexpected arrival, and though I like alternate history, I’m not sure if Harry Turtledove is my style. Still, it’s going onto the seriously-considering pile.
Emissary by Betsy Dornbusch – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. Another unexpected arrival, and I’m not sure if I’ll get to this one since it’s a sequel to a book I’ve not read yet. As it so happens though, Exile is on my to-read list so this might be good motivation to start it.
Stories of the Raksura Vol. 2 by Martha Wells – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. I still haven’t started the Raksura books in the actual series yet, but I’m pleased to continue with the short story collections, especially after the good time I had with the first volume.
The Dangerous Type by Loren Rhoads – Review copy, with thanks to Night Shade Books. Very interesting looking novel that seems to be a mix of space opera and military sci-fi.
The Rebirths of Tao by Wesley Chu – From NetGalley, with thanks to Angry Robot. The exciting conclusion to the Tao series, and I’d just like to say I actually finished the book earlier this week, and it’s AWESOME. No question about it, my favorite of the trilogy.
The Waterborne Blade by Susan Murray – From NetGalley. with thanks to Angry Robot. This was featured as my Waiting on Wednesday last week, so you know I’m looking forward to it!
Hunt for Valamon by D.K. Mok – From NetGalley, with thanks to Spence City Books. This was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter, and I’m glad he did. A superb mix of epic fantasy and light humor.
Back to the Backlist
Here’s what’s on tap from the backlist bar this week:
My Real Children by Jo Walton – I think it’s high time I read something by the renowned Ms. Walton. My Real Children has been on my to-read list January 11, 2014 according to Goodreads. Enough waiting.
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
In the last two weeks, I managed to complete several review books as well as many books in my personal TBR — including a bunch of YA titles thanks to the wonderful audiobook collection at my library. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these books in the coming weeks. You can already read my review for The Dragon Conspiracy and Murder of Crows.
2015 Audiobook Challenge Update
Posted on March 27, 2015 9 Comments
Spring is finally sort of here for some of us, and it’s time for an update on our Audiobook Challenge status. This challenge is brought to you by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens, and, as avid audiobook listeners here at Bibliosanctum, we’ve been very keen to participate.
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
Since I took on this initial challenge, I have hit the books required for Stenographer. I’m starting to set my sights on Socially Awkward. At the rate, I’m going I’m probably going to end up somewhere between Binge Listener and My Precious, but I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself. I retroactively counted one book which I’d finished right before I decided to do the challenge (The Haunting of Hill House). Some of these books have upcoming reviews, and some of these books I haven’t reviewed for this site, specifically the non-speculative related books. I’ve been listening to quite a few short stories/novellas, so I’m counting every 3 shorts listened to as one novel read to be fair.
Completed Listens:
Full-Length Novels
Short Stories
Upcoming Listens:
Wendy’s Progress
I hadn’t officially planned to participate in the challenge, but since I regularly listen to audiobooks — most often at work and on long drives — I’m kind of already participating by default. And since I’m a sucker for challenges… My Preciousssss….
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Mogsy’s Progress
I’m going to go for broke and try for Marathoner…or at least try to hit the upper limits of My Precious. So far I think I’m on track.
Completed Listens:
Upcoming Listens:
Backlist Burndown: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Posted on March 27, 2015 18 Comments
As a book blogger, sometimes I get so busy reading review titles and new releases that I end up missing out on a lot previously published books, so one of my goals for this year is to take more time to catch up with the backlist, especially in my personal reading pile. And it seems I’m not the only one! Backlist Burndown is a new meme started by Lisa of Tenacious Reader. Every last Friday of the month, she’ll be posting a review of a backlist book and is inviting anyone interested to do the same. Of course, you can also review backlist books any day you want, as often you want, but be sure to watch for her post at the end of the month to link up!
The book I’m reviewing for this month’s Backlist Burndown has been on my TBR for almost a year now, but on top of that, it’s also part of my series catch-up challenge…
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of The Others
Publisher: Roc (March 4, 2014)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
This series is seriously great. There’s nothing out there quite like it; Anne Bishop is a talented storyteller and her characters are wonderful, but it’s the world of The Others that truly sets it apart. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Bishop brings a fresh and unique take on urban fantasy to the table.
Remember, in this world, the supernaturals are the dominant race and we puny humans are their food. Murder of Crows picks up from the first book Written in Red, following the story of the cassandra sangue or blood prophet Meg Corbyn in her new life at the Lakeside Courtyard. A few months have passed since she escaped her keepers to seek sanctuary among the terra indigene, and she’s viewed as somewhat of an oddity due to the nature of her powers. Meg isn’t exactly one of the Others, but she’s not quite human either and that makes her not prey. Slowly she gains the trust of her hosts, and her relationship with Simon Wolfgard, the shapeshifting leader of Lakeside Courtyard, also continues to grow.
There are a couple other major plotlines in this book. Someone is out there killing terra indigene, specifically targeting crows and creating drugs that would dangerously alter the behaviors of the Others. The fragile peace is further shaken as humans are becoming more and more disgruntled with their place in the pecking order (pardon the pun), giving rise to groups like Humans First and Last. Tensions are at an all-time high between the two groups, and while the situation is much worse in other parts of Thaisia, Lakeside Courtyard has not been able to avoid the effects of the conflict.
With this second book, Anne Bishop seems to have hit her stride. In my review of Written in Red, I noted that it seemed rather lengthy for an urban fantasy novel, especially for a series starter. The story felt bulky, padded with what I felt were quite a few unnecessary scenes. In contrast, Murder of Crows has a much more reasonable page count and therefore a lot less filler, which in turn improved the flow and made the story feel more streamlined.
I also like how the series has made a turn for the darker. Not that Written in Red wasn’t dark enough to begin with, but there’s still a noticeable shift here with the themes gradually inching towards grimmer and more disturbing territory. Violence between humans and the Others is nothing new, but the people who used to hold Meg captive are up to their usual shenanigans as well, and you can see how she’s one of the lucky ones for managing to escape. Bishop does not attempt to sugarcoat or soften the details of what happens to the other cassandra sangue girls who suffer all kinds of abuse at the hands of the sinister and depraved man known as “The Controller”.
However, the darkness is also countered with moments of levity. An interesting but intentionally awkward dynamic starts to develop between Meg and Simon Wolfgard, due to the fact that their reactions to each other are so vastly different when the latter is in his human form versus his furry form. I doubt this shtick can continue for that much longer though, so let’s hope their relationship will progress a little further in the next book.
Also in the next book, I’d like to see more depth to the characters. The strength of the world-building seems to be overshadowing everything because it’s the most unique aspect at the moment. While Meg’s blood prophet powers are pretty cool, I’m not getting much of a feel for her personality. She’s meek and comes across slightly aloof, perhaps due to the style of narration which keeps her somewhat at arm’s length. A better balance between setting and characters would be nice, because I’d like to feel a stronger connection to the protagonist.
All in all though, this is definitely an interesting and enjoyable read. I’ll be jumping into Vision in Silver very soon and I’m really looking forward to it.
Other reviews in this series:
Written in Red (Book 1)
Audiobook Review: The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
Posted on March 26, 2015 24 Comments
The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
Genre: Fantasy, Caper
Series: Book 1 of Rogues of the Republic
Publisher: 47North (October 8, 2013)
Author Information: Twitter
Tiara’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Narrator: Justine Eyre | Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins | Audiobook Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Whispersync Ready: Yes
Something has been taken from Loch and secured in one of the most heavily guarded fortresses she’s ever known. She wants it back, and she intends to get it back. First, however, she needs to escape from prison and assemble a team of “experts” to help her achieve her goal. Escaping from prison is the easy part, the harder part is going to be getting to her objective.
Loch picks up an colorful group of partners to help her with her mission. Desidora, a death priestess who carries a talking warhammer. Tern, a tinkerer who cracks safes. Icy, Tern’s acrobatic, pacifist partner who aids her. Kail, Loch’s second who escaped prison with her and often uses “yo momma” jokes to force the hands of others. Ululenia, a shapeshifting unicorn who has a penchant for talking in purple prose and male virgins regardless of race. Hessler, an illusionist they picked up when their first choice wizard didn’t work out. With Hessler, we have Dairy, a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to have any skills of particular use.
A few months back, I read Dragon Age: The Masked Empire which was written by Patrick Weekes, as well. That book marked the first time I’d read anything by Weekes. While I thought the writing was good in that book, the novel annoyed me for various reasons that don’t necessarily reflect on his writing more than how it worked with the game Dragon Age: Inquisition. The Masked Empire is certainly the better written book, but The Palace Job is much more fun. Also, I hesitate to compare the two books too much since The Masked Empire is a serious endeavor where The Palace Job is a madcap caper meant to tickle the reader.
This book was so much fun to read! There’s a side of me that loves stories like these with action, adventure, and a dash of romance with characters that seem too lucky for their own good. It was almost like reading a book about a Syfy fantasy movie in the vein of Sharknado–garish fun that never takes itself too seriously and really pokes fun as some frequently used fantasy tropes.
I appreciated that Weekes took a typical heist story and combined it with a typical fantasy story, mixed in a good dose of humor, and created this book. The fantasy element of the story placed some limitations on the heist part of the story, and it was interesting to see what Weekes did to compensate for that while weaving the fantasy into it. Parts of the story are predictable, but it’s not so much about not knowing what’s going to happen than enjoying the ride to get there. You can see much of this plot coming a mile away, but getting there is the fun part.
The characters weren’t fleshed out much, but they were such a colorful cast, a real misfit bunch that made me chuckle through most of the book, especially Kail and his one-trick pony–the “yo momma” jokes, which I wouldn’t normally care for in a book. Also, I’m one of those people who loves characters. Give me complex characters that I can spend hours analyzing with friends (just ask Wendy), but while Weekes doesn’t delve much into their pasts and spends more time giving certain characters depth over the others, these were characters I still loved. I enjoyed what they brought to the story in the present situation and how they interacted with one another. I loved their talents, their flaws, and even the parts of the story that made them seem overpowered.
One criticism I have for the book is that Weekes seems to forget that the readers are not inside his head. This may be the result of him working in the gaming industry which is very visual. We get some scenes where we know something is going on, but the writing isn’t descriptive enough to actually tell us what is going on. I’m sure these were grand scenes in his head, but as a reader, they left me scratching my head. Another criticism is that the story felt like it didn’t segue well into the story’s major plot points, and this may relate to my prior observation about the reader not being in Weekes’ head. Things just seem to happen without much transition and build up, but I’m sure they made perfect sense to him.
As far as the narration goes, Justine Eyre reads this book in a voice that I’d called sultry and somewhat breathy, except when she’s doing the characters’ voices. I enjoyed her narration, but I did find myself wondering if she narrated all books in that particular tone. It doesn’t seem like the type of reading voice that would translate well to some other books, but I guess I’ll find out since I have a few more books read by her that I’ll be listening to soon. Despite that, I think she has great range, and she did a wonderful job with accents and the languages in the book.
I know I can be curmudgeonly when it comes to books and my reviews, and this book hits on many aspects that I might complain about in other books. Here’s what it boils down to, though. I don’t mind any book using things that I may not care for.Two things come into play with things like this. First, execution. I can forgive just about anything if it’s executed well. Second, the book itself. An element may work for one because it’s obviously what the author is going for while it may seem out of place in another where the author seems to be going one way, but the writing is going another. Weekes managed to capture things in a way that kept me engaged and listening/reading.
This was a fun, lighthearted read, and I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading/listening to the story. Do not go into this book thinking you’re going to find anything more profound than, “That’s not what your mother said last night, sir. At least, that’s what it sounded like. Her knees were pressed against my ears the whole time.” However, that is part of what makes this book a fun romp. It felt good to read a book that truly pleased the part of me that just loves a good time.
Tough Traveling: Beloved Mounts
Posted on March 26, 2015 33 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: Beloved Mounts
A combination of suggestions from several people, as it seems many want to talk about the various animals that people in fantasyland ride. So be they horse, bear, or other let’s talk about favorite rides.
Mogsy’s Picks:
This week’s topic is a fun theme. The only rule I imposed on myself is no horses, because I’m feeling a bit whimsical…
Temeraire series by Naomi Novik
It’s the Napoleonic wars…with dragons. These books focus on the relationship between Aerial Corps Captain Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire, and the two fight in numerous battles and go on many adventures throughout the series. The first book His Majesty’s Dragon features the story of how they first met and how they bonded; their relationship dynamics have always been my favorite aspect of the series.
The Lotus War series by Jay Kristoff
This series is about the friendship that develops between protagonist Yukiko and the arashitora (storm tiger, or griffin) named Buruu, an unlikely pair who learns to trust and love each other after facing many challenges together. Due to a unique ability that Yukiko possesses, the two of them have a mental link and can communicate with each other telepathically.
Star Wars by various authors
Towards the end of the Galactic Republic, the force sensitive Witches of Dathomir were able to domesticate rancors and develop a form of symbiosis with the creatures. By the time of the New Republic, most of Dathomir’s rancors were being used as mounts and played a major role in shaping Dathomiri society and culture.
This book is my favorite of the series so far, and the highlight for me is the subplot focusing on Manon and her wyvern Abraxos. One of the best scenes in the book showed how the two of them ended up together. Manon has her sights on becoming Wing Leader and trains and bonds with Abraxos in order to fight for the role. Like I said in my review, it’s kind of like How to Train Your Dragon, except less heartwarming and with 500% more brutality.
In the bleak, violent world of Gleam, snails of the Discard can grow to ridiculously enormous sizes. To the vagrants of the wasteland, these giant gastropods are considered an enjoyable delicacy and can feed a group for days. However, they are also used as mounts for traders and travelers; slap a saddle on one of these suckers and you can ride vertically up the side of a cliff if you wished.
Wendy’s Pick
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
I’m just going to put this right here and then go cry myself to sleep.
Mogsy’s Edit:
Oh oh oh, if we’re going to have a cryfest, can I add one more?
Arthas: Rise of the Lich King by Christie Golden
As one of the greatest story arcs in Warcraft history, nay, of video game history, came to a close, Blizzard Entertainment released a special song called Invincible.
Invincible, of course, is the name of Arthas beloved steed — both in life and in death. Arthas was present when the horse was born, and then was forced to kill the mount ten years later after a riding accident, in order to relieve the animal’s pain. When Arthas became the Lich King, he resurrected Invincible’s bones to become his undead steed.
And to answer your question, yes, yes they actually wrote an entire song about a damn horse. It’s a sad, sad song though.
Waiting on Wednesday 03/25/15
Posted on March 25, 2015 15 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:
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir: April 28, 2015 (Razorbill)
I enjoy reading YA, but admittedly the genre does not make up a large part of my reading diet. This book caught my eye, however, and I guess as time went on the more I learned about it the more intrigued I became. It seems to be getting quite a lot of attention lately, but what truly and finally cinched it for me is the author’s letter to readers on the first page right when you open up the cover (I was fortunate enough to get an ARC). Tahir writes that Ember was inspired by news stories about Kashmiri women whose brothers, husbands and sons were kidnapped by local military forces and were never seen again, but that she also put a lot of her own life into the story, from her experiences of being an immigrant coming to America, feeling like an outcast in a small town, and finding solace in reading. The message about love, courage and hope just really touched me, and I’m looking forward to starting this book now more than ever.
“Set in a terrifyingly brutal Rome-like world, An Ember in the Ashes is an epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.
LAIA is a Scholar living under the iron-fisted rule of the Martial Empire. When her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes undercover as a slave at the empire’s greatest military academy in exchange for assistance from rebel Scholars who claim that they will help to save her brother from execution.
ELIAS is the academy’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias is considering deserting the military, but before he can, he’s ordered to participate in a ruthless contest to choose the next Martial emperor.
When Laia and Elias’s paths cross at the academy, they find that their destinies are more intertwined than either could have imagined and that their choices will change the future of the empire itself.”
The BiblioSanctum 