Cover Reveal: The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler
Posted on July 10, 2014 8 Comments
Today we’re revealing the cover to The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler, sequel to The Forbidden Library! Isn’t it gorgeous?
The dark and thrilling sequel to the book Kirkus called, “Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and Inkheart all rolled into one”
When Alice’s mysterious Uncle Geryon sends her to help capture a rogue apprentice–a boy who has the same ability Alice has to Read himself into stories–she knows to expect a wild and unpredictable trip. But even though Alice has visited the magical realms inside libraries before, this adventure is far more dangerous. Because Torment, the magic creature holding this library together, has gone mad.
But he might also have information about Alice’s missing father.
I loved the first book, and I’m always up for anything by Django Wexler. Artist Alexander Jansson returns to do cover and interior illustrations for book two, and once again I think he did a fantastic job. The dark, whimsical feel of this cover image is simply perfect and you can bet I’m looking forward to this! Argh, I hate waiting.
Tough Traveling: Northern Barbarians
Posted on July 10, 2014 24 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. Compulsive list-maker that I am, I’m very excited to take part!
This week’s tour topic is: Northern Barbarians
NORTHERN BARBARIANS dwell in the snowy part behind the northern MOUNTAIN range. They are very barbarous and tend to kill strangers on sight… It is not certain what their females do.
Ack, this one sounds easier than it is! Okay, let me think…
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
Conan the Cimmerian or Conan the Barbarian, the fictional sword and sorcery hero is perhaps the quintessential northern barbarian, hailing from the rugged, mountainous wilderness of Cimmeria. Tall and powerful, the Cimmerians are a people forged by the very harsh conditions of their land. These books contain some awesome stories.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
Wildlings (or “The Free Folk”, as they call themselves) are perhaps a less conventional form of the Northern Barbarian, but they definitely fit the description, inhabiting the icy reaches and many of them prone to barbarous tendencies. Their population consists of a wide variety of many fractious tribes and village-dwellers, all living in the lands beyond the Wall and the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
This trilogy introduces us to Logen Ninefingers and his people, a group of Northman fighters originating from beyond the mountains typically bordering what is considered The North and Angland. The North is a cold and harsh place, and the inhabitants are simply known as Northmen. Many of the details used to describe them bring to mind the Scandinavian vikings, and they are often seen as barbarians by outsiders.
The Grim Company by Luke Scull
Perhaps very similar to Abercrombie’s Northmen are the Northern Barbarian characters of Luke Scull’s The Grim Company. A point-of-view character, Brodar Kayne is the old grizzled veteran warrior formerly known as “The Sword of the North”, a legendary barbarian who travels with his loyal companion and friend Jerek the Wolf.
Book Review: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Posted on July 9, 2014 24 Comments
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of The Magicians
Publisher: Viking (August 11, 2009)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Self-absorbed, annoying, moody, smug, dissatisfied, spoiled, fake, maudlin, insecure, aimless, whiny, stupid, pampered, emo, vain, egotistical, small-minded, excessive, inconsiderate, thankless, pretentious, snobby, entitled, mercurial, immature, depressed, hypocritical, mean-spirited, cynical, clueless – just a small sample of the words I could use to describe the characters in this book.
No, The Magicians isn’t going to your big smiling ball of sunshine no matter how many Harry Potter comparisons you see slapped on it. Instead, you have a book featuring a much darker, grittier and almost satirical aura, a “New Adult” urban fantasy about letting the unhappiness of wanting something you can never have consume you. We follow disillusioned Quentin Coldwater, a high school student who never really grew out of his love for a series of novels he read as a kid about the adventures of five siblings in a magical land called Fillory. Compared to that, what can the real world offer him?
Imagine how he feels then, when he discovers that magic is real. And not only is it real, Quentin himself is a promising young magician, accepted into very secret and highly exclusive Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy in upstate New York. It should have changed everything. Quentin should have been ecstatic.
But he is not. But of course he’s not. Magic isn’t going to make Quentin happy. Neither is finding out that Fillory actually exists. It’s a sad moment when the realization hits. There’s really no cure for what ails Quentin, except one thing and one thing only: a few years of life experience and a whole lot of growing up. Well, that or maybe a swift and forceful kick in the seat of his pants.
Thing is though, you can write a miserably unlikeable character for the sake of writing a miserably unlikeable character. I don’t mind. Not even if your character is an insufferably whiny little ingrate. You just have to give me a reason – any reason – to make me care about what happens to him. That’s not too much to ask, is it? My issue with this novel wasn’t so much with the mopey protagonist than it was with the directionless storytelling. In fact, I was quite excited for the first part of this book. I couldn’t get enough of the magical school idea the author’s jabs and funny references to Harry Potter and other humorous injections. That there was no sign of a main conflict didn’t bother me at this point either, as I was relishing the setting and enjoying myself too much.
Around the midway point was when the book started to lose me, coinciding with Quentin’s graduation and life after Brakebills. Until then I never really bothered asking where the story was going, and hadn’t felt the need to – but eventually there was a creeping sense that giving Quentin and his magician friends “real life” problems like relationship hang ups and dismal prospects for the future just wasn’t going cut it. Like, dudes, I get that y’all are bored with life. But I’m bored with you too now. Sorry. Worse yet, there is absolutely no development in their characters or personalities (unless you count decline as growth) and that’s absolutely mind boggling when you consider how a person’s time at college should have been the most formative years. I don’t know anyone who left college the same person they were when they arrived.
Admittedly, the final handful of chapters about the discovery and exploration of Fillory had their charm. Possibly enough to salvage my feelings for this book for a solid rating. And I suppose the conclusion, while incomplete and flinging the doors wide open for a new adventure, also manages to offer a sense of closure and satisfaction in its own unique way.
This book isn’t bad, apart from the pacing issues. The ending gives me hope for Quentin, and the promise of more Fillory makes me feel very optimistic about the next book.
Waiting on Wednesday 07/09/14
Posted on July 9, 2014 7 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!
Blightborn by Chuck Wendig: July 29, 2014 (Skyscape)
“Cael McAvoy is on the run. He’s heading toward the Empyrean to rescue his sister, Merelda, and to find Gwennie before she’s lost to Cael forever. With his pals, Lane and Rigo, Cael journeys across the Heartland to catch a ride into the sky. But with Boyland and others after them, Cael and his friends won’t make it through unchanged.Gwennie’s living the life of a Lottery winner, but it’s not what she expected. Separated from her family, Gwennie makes a bold move—one that catches the attention of the Empyrean and changes the course of an Empyrean man’s life.
The crew from Boxelder aren’t the only folks willing to sacrifice everything to see the Empyrean fall. The question is: Can the others be trusted?
They’d all better hurry. Because the Empyrean has plans that could ensure that the Heartland never fights back again.
Chuck Wendig’s riveting sequel to Under the Empyrean Sky plunges readers into an unsettling world of inequality and destruction, and fleshes out a cast of ragtag characters all fighting for survival and, ultimately, change.”
Book Review: Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Posted on July 8, 2014 14 Comments
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1
Publisher: Daw (February 2012)
Wendy’s Rating 3.5 of 5 stars
What I enjoyed most about this tale wasn’t the action, or even the over all plot. I loved the characters—specifically the juxtaposition of the different personalities, beliefs and relationships as Ahmed brings the group together to resolve the situation.
It’s refreshing to read a fantasy story that isn’t set in good old medieval Europe, where everyone is blond and blue eyed and any exotic cast members have to be repeatedly singled out for their exoticness. Throne of the Crescent Moon takes place in a Middle Eastern setting, but Ahmed instantly makes it feel like home by walking us into a tea house with Dr. Adoulla Makhslood, who initially appears to be the main protagonist. Adoulla is, by no means, a typical hero. He is an older, larger man contemplating retirement from the brutal and deadly career of ghul hunting, but is dragged back into it with a ghastly mass death at the hands of a surprisingly large number of ghuls. Who is powerful enough to create and control so many of the hideous creatures, and how are they able to seemingly sever the souls of their victims?
The hunt leads Adoulla and his apprentice—a tight-laced young man of God with a sharp blade but little street smarts—into the desert. There they face down the ghul pack with the help of a fierce young tribeswoman who has lost her clan to the same killers.
What I enjoyed most about this tale wasn’t the action (though it was very good when it occurred), or even the over all plot (which dragged in the middle and then came together too abruptly at the end). I loved the characters—specifically the juxtaposition of the different personalities, beliefs and relationships as Ahmed brings the group together to resolve the situation. I was surprised when the point of view switched over first to Raseed, Adoulla’s young assistant, and then to Zamia, the tribeswoman. Then I was pleasantly surprised when it also included chapters from the perspective of Adoulla’s friends, an older couple comprised of a mage and an alchemist who are very much in love, and like Adoulla, want to get away from the dangers around them. Ahmed lets us see both the story and the other characters through their eyes. The devout Raseed, who’s actions are tempered by doubt and shame when he fails his beliefs. Litaz, the middle-aged healer who exudes confidence, but longs to return to the simplicity of her home. Dawoud, her husband, who adores her dearly, but fears what the cost of his magical abilities will ultimately do to their relationship. Adoulla, the jaded hunter who envies the relationship his friends have. And Zamia, the Angel-touched warrior “savage,” who cannot abide the heathens whom she has been forced to work with to avenge her lost tribe.
Each brings their unique insight into the story and it is interesting to see them each grow and change—Although, surprisingly, it is the older protagonists that do the most growing and changing. Raseed struggles with his rigid beliefs and his sudden fondness for Zamia, but there is little pay off for the reader in this, and Zamia herself becomes a very flat character after such a promising beginning.
Political intrigue rears its ugly head within the plot, as the city of Dhamsawaat deals with a greedy and out of touch Khalif, versus the Falcon Prince—a Robin Hood-type character with questionable motivations. Meanwhile, looming ominously over everything is a deadly mage and his minions.
Religion also plays somewhat of a role, though Ahmed is by no means preaching. Religious beliefs define the characters in many ways. For some, like Raseed, it is a limitation, as he struggles to consolidate his beliefs with his duties and with his natural feelings toward Zamia. Though Adoulla’s disrespectful admonishment of Raseed’s devotion sometimes became tedious, this was another element of the relationship between the characters that I enjoyed seeing play out.
Though I wasn’t impressed with how everything wrapped up in the end, or in the lack of depth that went into the magic used, I enjoyed Ahmed’s crisp and descriptive writing style and absolutely loved some of his very memorable and unique characters.
Guest Post by J. Kathleen Cheney + The Golden City Series Giveaway
Posted on July 7, 2014 16 Comments
***Our giveaway has now ended, thank you for all those who entered!***
Does the setting of an early 1900s alternate Portugal pique your interest? How about sirens and selkies? All this and more can be found in J. Kathleen Cheney’s The Golden City. Be sure to check out the BiblioSanctum review! With the sequel The Seat of Magic just released in the US, we’re so excited to have the author stop by to talk a little more about the inspiration for the people and places in her series. Sit back and enjoy the ride, and good luck to those entering our giveaway!
CHANGE CAN BE GOOD, OR HOW DID WE END UP IN PORTUGAL ANYWAY?
by J. Kathleen Cheney
Back in March of 2009, I opened up a file that I called “Story Idea”, the entire text of which was: Girl rescued from sinking house by seer. He tries to get her to save other victims, but won’t do so himself. She’s an illegal, and so can’t report him, or the killer.
Yep, that was my entire idea. I remember deciding that she was illegal in the city because she wasn’t human–that’s how I ended up with my heroine, Oriana, being a sereia (siren). It took a few months for the rest of that idea to flesh out in my mind, and then I sat down and wrote a novella of about 15,000 words in two days. I did put together an outline before I started, but in the very first scene, one of the characters got out of hand. A walk-on character who didn’t even have a name was supposed to talk to Oriana, drop some backstory about a work of art in the water, and then leave. I referred to him as the Ambergris Gentleman.
I had set the novella in Venice. After all, that seemed a likely location for underwater art.
But the Ambergris Gentleman snatched control of that scene, and I quickly realized that he must have an ulterior motive for talking to Oriana. So I gave him a first name–Duilio. His backstory started unfolding in my mind as I typed–that he, like Oriana, had something to hide–he was half selkie.
The sudden appearance of selkies in my story was what necessitated the setting switch. The Mediterranean has Monk Seals, but they’re small. I couldn’t imagine one of them changing into a human…not enough mass. So I began casting about, hunting a location that would work better.
Hmm…..Portugal has lots of coast line, and they do have some larger seals that come down from the north, and I wonder if the Caribbean Monk Seals ever hit Portuguese shores…
Not a very sophisticated thought process, I admit. I was typing pretty fast at that point. But the decision was made, and what followed was months and months of research. I had started off writing a piece of short fiction (which was published in 2010), but Oriana’s story evolved into three books, meaning that I would have to research my new setting endlessly.
Despite my cavalier approach to the setting, Portugal turned out to be an excellent choice. The country has a golden history and epic literature that backed up a lot of my story choices. They even had a war between two royal brothers that threatened to divide the country in two. Although I had some difficulty researching the setting (much of their great literature has never been translated into English), I loved what I found.
And right after I turned The Golden City in to my editor, my husband and I travelled to Portugal to see it firsthand. We spent two weeks there, one of those in Porto, the very setting I usurped for my novels.
It’s a beautiful country, with a long and glorious history. Our host in Coimbra took us down into his basement and showed us that his house contained not only part of the 10th century Moorish city wall, but the 6th century Roman wall as well. In Lisbon we stayed in the Barrio Alto, which survived Lisbon’s 1755 destruction by earthquake, tsunami, and fire.
And in Porto we stayed in a building that Duilio or Oriana might have walked past on a daily basis. I slogged up and down the steep Street of Flowers and took a boat ride out on the dark and deep Douro River. I stood under the steps of The Golden Church of São Francisco and determined that, yes, Oriana would have been able to overhear her father talking there. I sat at the café where she could have sketched the church’s Rose Window. (The photo is one of the Golden Church, taken from the river. The church is, if you’re confused by its plain granite exterior, literally golden on the inside. The walls and altars are completely coated with gold leaf.) My only regret is that I didn’t get to see the Titans (the giant cranes) up close, since the southern one was being refurbished and the northern one was on the far shore. (I have pictures of that, too, but it is barely visible in them.)
And yes, I discovered I needed to make small corrections to my book. Fortunately, the book was at a stage where I could still do that. But otherwise, I was walking the same steep streets my characters had and loving it!
So even though I can’t visit every setting I’ve written about, I was ecstatic to be able to go to this one. Want a place to visit on your next vacation? Portugal is lovely, the people are very welcoming, and if you don’t speak Portuguese, they’re more than willing to take a stab at English. And you might just end up with a lovely setting for your novel!
* * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. Kathleen Cheney is a former teacher and has taught mathematics ranging from 7th grade to Calculus, with a brief stint as a Gifted and Talented Specialist. Her short fiction has been published in Jim Baen’s Universe, Writers of the Future, and Fantasy Magazine, among others, and her novella “Iron Shoes” was a 2010 Nebula Award Finalist. Her novel, “The Golden City” is a Finalist for the 2014 Locus Awards (Best First Novel).
The sequel, “The Seat of Magic” will be out July 1, 2014.
* * *
THE GOLDEN CITY SERIES GIVEAWAY
Here’s what you’ve been waiting for! We have a print copy of The Golden City AND a print copy of The Seat of Magic up for grabs in this giveaway to one lucky winner. Open to residents of the US and Canada only. Entering is super easy, 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 GOLDEN CITY” by 11:59pm Eastern time on Monday, July 14th, 2014.
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 purpose of contacting the winner and sending them their books. Once the giveaway ends all entry emails will be deleted.
So what are you waiting for? Enter to win a set of these amazing books! Good luck!
Book Review: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
Posted on July 6, 2014 21 Comments
World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery
Series: Book 3 of The Last Policeman
Publisher: Quirk (July 15, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Last Policeman series is simply awesome and underrated. And now the trilogy has come to a close.
Technically, these books would probably fit more comfortably in the Crime & Mystery/Police Procedural category. But there’s a twist. Imagine that for the past year, everyone has known that a giant killer asteroid is hurtling towards earth, set to impact in just a matter of days. On Boomsday, tsunamis will wipe out the coasts, atmospheric dust will black out the sun, and life as we know it would cease to exist.
Over time, society has degraded by degrees. As the probability of a direct hit gradually inched towards 100%, people abandoned jobs by droves to go bucket list or to reconnect with old friends and loved ones. Others sought religion. Some chose suicide. Everyone seemed to have their own way of dealing with the end of the world. Protagonist Hank Palace has even developed a color-coded system for categorizing towns based on their populations’ reactions – “Blue-Towns” look abandoned, but are actually filled with scared, stricken people. “Green-Towns” are where residents have chosen to continue with a life of normalcy, or at least put up a good attempt. And “Red-Towns” are places where all hell has broken loose.
Hank used to be among the small minority who has decided to go on business as usual. But as a reader who has had the pleasure of following his character over the last couple of books, it’s interesting to see how his motivations have changed since the first installment. In The Last Policeman, I could see how his doggedness to solve a suicide-maybe-murder could be attributed to a dedication to his job as a small town detective, asteroid be damned. In Countdown City, the missing persons case he is hired to solve involved a close friend, so you could possibly chalk it up to loyalty. In World of Trouble, he sets off on a journey to track down his sister, whom we last saw was part of an underground initiative with plans to destroy the incoming asteroid with high-tech weaponry.
However, at this point Hank has become such an unreliable narrator, it’s hard to tell whether he’s driven purely out of love for his sister, or that he has thrown himself into an obsession due to his innate need for order, logic and rationality in this world of chaos. After all, some people can fall apart without any outward indications, and we’re back to the argument that everyone handles stress in a different way. Hank’s seems to be his tunnel vision about finding answers. Yet, even as I’m wondering at his mental state, his determination is contagious. Hank’s desperation becomes the reader’s desperation, and the result is a suspenseful page-turner. And don’t forget, all this time the minutes are also tick-tick-ticking away on the Boomsday timer.
I’ve never read a more unique series of mystery novels – or apocalyptic novels, for that matter. What makes this scenario different is that the story first begins when the asteroid’s landfall is still so far off, and so society doesn’t implode so much as it starts to slowly crumble away. In each book, Hank’s investigation takes center stage, but it’s all set against this backdrop of a nation slowly losing hope, and I like the author’s speculation of what might happen.
So yeah, for three books we’ve read about this asteroid. The Last Policeman: half a year until impact. Countdown City: still three months out. But with World of Trouble, it’s finally on earth’s doorstep. Everything finally comes to a head in this book, and I’m not going to spoil what happens. No way. You’ll just have to pick up this series and find out for yourself. Believe me, it’s worth the read.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Quirk Books!
YA Weekend: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Posted on July 5, 2014 19 Comments
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Series: Book 2 of Throne of Glass
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children (August 27, 2013)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Behold, the Young Adult sequel. This is where the real test is for me. First books of a series have the advantage of being new and shiny, and I can usually be won over by the prospect of exploring a brand new world full of fresh and interesting ideas. Second books admittedly have to work a little harder, not only because my expectations are higher now, but also because so many sequel plots invariably end up falling into a very predictable pattern.
So how does Crown of Midnight stack up? Well, in a nutshell, I can’t say it wowed me, and I probably liked it less than the first book. That being said though, I think it’s better than a lot of YA sequels, and despite the shameless rehashing of some of the same tired old tropes, there were still a couple of big surprises that kept the story entertaining.
The bottom line is, I am so done with YA romances. Girl meets boy, and if by book two they haven’t fallen in love already, this is where they will do so. Then invariably, boy will go and do something incredibly dumb – the result of a momentary lapse of judgment or just a gross failure of miscommunication – which causes girl to go ballistic on boy, throwing the entire future of their relationship in question, thereby also keeping the tension of a possible love triangle alive for just teensy bit longer. I can effortlessly name a handful of YA series that follow this pattern just off the top of my head, so I wasn’t surprised to see Crown of Midnight follow suit. Overused formulas suck. They have turned the romantic aspect into the weakest part the book. Nothing kills my enthusiasm and interest in the characters faster. And unfortunately, the book spends way too much time trying to shove the drama of Celaena and Chaol’s relationship down my throat. Maybe I’m just a bitter, jaded curmudgeon, but I just can’t find it in myself to care about such an artificial pairing.
But that’s my rant and the last of the negativity you’ll hear from me. Apart from my issues with the romance, Crown of Midnight was actually a pretty good book. Celaena has won the contest and become the king’s Champion and assassin, but instead of carrying out the king’s orders, she finds increasingly more ways to secretly fight back against his evil will, letting her intended victims go instead (ever notice how YA assassin characters actually do very little killing?) It was a relatively slow plod through the first half of the book, but once you get past this stage with its many clichés and run-of-the-mill romance, things will start to pick up.
I have to say, the plot elements in the later parts saved this book for me. The structure of the story remains somewhat predictable, but it always impresses me to see all the amazing things a writer can do while staying within a certain framework. The second half of the Crown of Midnight becomes a lot more bold and daring, which are certainly qualities I admire in a YA novel. There were a couple of unexpected developments, darker places I didn’t think the book would go. Once the pesky romance was out of the way, you started to get a lot less fluff and a lot more substance. Sarah J. Maas seriously ups her game, building up her world by weaving history and lore and magic into the story, dialing up the intrigue and mystery.
So all right then, sign me up for the third book. Despite a shaky start to this sequel, Maas has built something worthy of continuing with here, and has done some incredible things with her main character. I probably won’t hold my breath for the romantic aspect to improve, but thank goodness there’s so much more to like about this story. It’s definitely going places (literally!) and I look forward to visiting a new setting in the next installment as well as seeing the outcomes of several massive revelations.
PANELS: Sex Criminals vol.1: One Weird Trick
Posted on July 4, 2014 9 Comments
Suzanne’s first sexual experience leads to the discovery of “The Quiet” in Sex Criminals Volume 1: One Weird Trick
Audiobook Review: Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Posted on July 4, 2014 13 Comments
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Series: The Broken Empire #1
Publisher: Voyager (August 2011)
Narrator: James Clamp
Author Info: mark—lawrence.blogspot.ca
Wendy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars ~ Lawrence delivers knife-edge wit, crisp descriptions, swift action and reaction. There are no wasted words as he paints his dark pictures,with each and every moment evoking a raw intensity of action and emotion.
I am remiss. I have had Prince of Thorns sitting on my nightstand for too long with full intention to read it, though I have admired Mark Lawrence for a long time. His wit and his commitment to giving of himself to his fans, all things writery, and more, speaks of a man worthy of lots of attention. So forgive me, Mark, for taking so damn long to fall in love with your series. Please accept this five star review, which I have written after only about a hundred pages, as my humble apology.
I have a soft spot for broken people. For the assholes, jerks and bastards that others shun. I am not naïve enough to wholly trust them, and I am mostly not I arrogant enough to believe I am the one who can “fix” them. But I appreciate their honesty about who they are and how they see the world.
With this in mind, it was no surprise to me that Prince Jorg became an instant favourite. Jorg is driven by, among many other things, a seething rage and a lust for revenge against the enemy that brutally killed his mother and little brother while Jorg watched, trapped by fear and thorns. This is called Prince of Thorns for a reason, and Lawrence neither wastes nor overuses the literal and figurative barbs that have shaped Jorg’s life.
But I’m going to save the gushing soliloquy on why I love Jorg, for a future Character Appreciation Post. Stay tuned!
It’s not just Jorg that sold me. Lawrence’s skill as a writer is mind blowing. A sure sign that I’m smitten with a book is when I am listening to the audiobook (wonderfully narrated by James Clamp, who shall be added to my list of favourite narrators), and find myself running back to the book itself to dogear pages and underline all the delicious text, and then spam Goodreads with all my favourite quotes.
Writing through Jorg’s eyes, Lawrence delivers knife-edge wit, crisp descriptions, swift action and reaction. There are no wasted words as he paints his dark pictures, with each and every moment evoking a raw intensity of action and emotion.
At its heart, Jorg’s journey is a simple one that we’ve read before: the (self-)exiled prince returning to claim his birthright from a father who refuses to acknowledge him until he proves himself worthy. But Lawrence gives this a dark twist, starting with a dark and twisted character. Jorg is not a purely evil creature and perhaps there are other factors at play beyond his control, but Jorg never makes excuses for his decisions and their consequences. And while he recognizes the immorality and/or impropriety of his choices, they are always based in the ruthless practicality of achieving his goals, no matter the sacrifice required (I may have to have words with you, Mr. Lawrence, for one sacrifice in particular. *shakes an angry fist at you*)
There is unrest in the land and Jorg’s father tasks him with taking down one of his enemies. This is not as straight forward a process as one might think it should be. The story gets a little muddy when it delves deeper into the dark magic infesting the lands, but it all leads Jorg into some very intriguing plot twists and spoilery discoveries about the world Jorg lives in. I won’t divulge those elements here, but I will say that I am now very intrigued by the history behind the broken kingdoms and am on a definite need to know more basis.
Some might complain that this book is too dark and too hopeless. There are no good guys or heroes, only deeper shades of wrong with our lead being just as depraved as the rest. It’s a gritty and realistic world, even with the magical elements. Personally speaking, I love the way Lawrence teeters on the edge of true darkness and am curious to see how far he’s willing to go.
The BiblioSanctum 