Book Review: Honor’s Knight by Rachel Bach
Posted on February 20, 2014 Leave a Comment
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 2 of Paradox
Publisher: Orbit (February 25, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
You know how some books you just don’t realize how addicted you were to them until it occurs to you how badly, desperately, severely you’re craving the sequel? Yeah well, this is one of those cases! I even broke away from my February reading list to fit this one in as soon as I received it for review, because I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.
I’m happy to report Honor’s Knight is just as much fun as the first book. In that, it certainly did not disappoint. But speaking of which, before I go further it probably behooves me to warn readers that this review might contain spoilers for Fortune’s Pawn. I don’t think there’s any way around it when talking about this book, since it picks up right after the events of the last one. So if you’d like to skip this and read my review for the first book instead, I’ll totally understand. Better yet, you should just pick up Fortune’s Pawn! It was the most fun I’ve had with a sci-fi in a very long time.
As I’d expected, it was a joy and a treat to catch up with Deviana “Devi” Morris. I’ve always enjoyed courageous and determined women characters in science fiction, and Devi lends her own brand of cool to this spirited space drama, which in my opinion single-handedly makes this whole entire series. Even though she begins this book with her mind tampered with and her memories wiped, she is still the Devi I know and love. She can’t remember how her security team partner was killed or why a single glance at the ship’s cook now makes her feel physically ill, but none of that’s about to stop her from doing her job.
Nevertheless, the wrench thrown into the relationship between her and Rupert Charkov damn near killed me. These two belong together, and to see them apart pains me, especially when I understood the reason for Charkov’s tortured reactions but meanwhile Devi can’t even hold on to his name. Can you tell that I’m really into this romance? Because I am. I’m not usually so taken with this much drama in romantic subplots, but I think this an exception because of how candid Devi is with the situation. There’s no angst or sensationalism; she handles all her problems with the same direct, no-nonsense way — with her wits and with her guns. I love it.
If you enjoyed the story in Fortune’s Pawn, then you’ll definitely like Honor’s Knight as well. The first book alluded to a mystery involving the crew of the Glorious Fool, and rest assured everything is revealed here at last. The story also takes us to new places, including a handful of exotic planets as well as a brief sequence in which Devi returns to Paradoxian territory. In fact, I wish we had been able to see more of the world in those scenes; more details about the culture in which she grew up would have been very interesting. Regardless, it was pure satisfaction to watch all the puzzle pieces finally fit together, but there were still plenty of twists and turns. Alliances will shift and secrets abound as Devi becomes embroiled in something huge, something that puts the safety of the entire galaxy on the line.
When Rachel Bach/Rachel Aaron goes for action and thrills, she’s clearly not afraid to go all the way. So far this series has been wildly entertaining, but to me it has also become a lot more than just a sci-fi adventure story about Devi blowing away big bad aliens (though there is also plenty of that). Like I said in my review for Fortune’s Pawn, what started off as a popcorn read has gotten me more emotionally invested than I realized, and I find myself caring deeply for the story and characters. Will Devi and Rupert end up together? (I hope so.) Will she achieve her dreams of becoming a Devastator? (I’m guessing probably, but after all that she’s been through, a life as a Devastator now seems kind of tame!) I’m very curious and eager to see how all of this will play out.
In short, Honor’s Knight picks up the energetic pace set by the first book and runs with it, carrying on with the momentum and revving it up even more. If this trend continues, the third and final book should be outstanding. I can’t wait.
Audiobook Review: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Posted on February 19, 2014 3 Comments
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Wendy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
“How fortunate for Us that We thirst for glorious souls rather than faultless ones, or We should be parched indeed and most lonely in Our perfect righteousness.”
The Curse of Chalion taught me a number of things about this world and about Bujold. The first lesson is: do not make assumptions about where the story might be going. Bujold politely walks you down each path, letting you get comfortable with each captivating step until you are certain of what comes next, then gently tugs the carpet out from under you and keeps moving on before you have time to catch your breath.
Like Cazaril, this book begins with a broken, older protagonist. Royina Ista, dowager of Chalion, spent most of the previous book in a curse-ridden, god-touched fog that everyone but Cazaril wrote off as madness. Now free, though still heavy with the guilt of her dreadful crime, Ista sets off on a pilgrimage to visit the shrines of the Five Gods. In truth, after being trapped for so long within a life of royalty and sainthood, Ista simply wants to get away. There is irony in her deception, since Ista bares a grudge against gods for what they have done in her life. She spends much of her time cursing them, but the gods of Bujold’s world accept all of this in stride.
Curse initially had me believe that the Five were merely figureheads, where prayer might result in something miraculous occurring, but such events could just as easily be explained by coincidence or parlour tricks. By the end, the guiding hands of the gods becomes shockingly clear. Now, Ista is unable to escape them as they haunt her dreams, guiding her to some unknown purpose. When her pilgrimage is interrupted by an enemy attack from which she is rescued by an unexpected hero, she begins to unravel the mystery as she attempts to decipher the cryptic messages from the Bastard god.
I adore the Bastard. He is not a typical trickster god, though he certainly takes his amusement whenever and where ever he pleases. He does not choose his saints randomly, and Ista’s resistance seems to amuse him as much as her potential pleases him. Ista quickly became a favourite character for me as she does for him.
As I said of Ista and the other women in Curse, heroes come in many forms and one who is able to endure the kind of things Ista has must not be overlooked. She carries herself with such grace and dignity, but is not above humility – something else that struck me with Cazaril when we first meet him in Curse. Both he and Ista are easily recognizable as brilliant, brave and capable people, but neither of them abuse their intelligence or status and they respect everyone, both lowborn and high.
Finally, I have to praise Kate Reading’s narration. I have listened to her before, usually reading the female-centric chapters of Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan‘s epic fantasies, but here she is on her own – and completely *owning* Ista. Reading captures all of Ista’s subtext, every nuance, every emotion. She lets her be weak and flawed as easily as she is strong, commanding and determined. Reading truly embodies this incredible character and brings her perfectly to life.
Waiting on Wednesday 02/19/14
Posted on February 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
“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!
“Four simultaneous plane crashes. Three child survivors. A religious fanatic who insists the three are harbingers of the apocalypse. What if he’s right?
The world is stunned when four commuter planes crash within hours of each other on different continents. Facing global panic, officials are under pressure to find the causes. With terrorist attacks and environmental factors ruled out, there doesn’t appear to be a correlation between the crashes, except that in three of the four air disasters a child survivor is found in the wreckage.
Dubbed ‘The Three’ by the international press, the children all exhibit disturbing behavioural problems, presumably caused by the horror they lived through and the unrelenting press attention. This attention becomes more than just intrusive when a rapture cult led by a charismatic evangelical minister insists that the survivors are three of the four harbingers of the apocalypse. The Three are forced to go into hiding, but as the children’s behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing, even their guardians begin to question their miraculous survival…”
Book Review: Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell
Posted on February 18, 2014 5 Comments
Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castell
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Greatcoats
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (March 6, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh my, this one was SO MUCH FUN. Unexpectedly so. Even when the earliest descriptions came trickling in calling this book a bold, dashing adventure and pure, swashbuckling entertainment, I had no idea! I figured those were just buzzwords, right? Ah, no. In this case, Traitor’s Blade really does deliver the great time that all those descriptions promise.
In short, I loved loved loved Traitor’s Blade. I would recommend it to everyone, and I think fencing and sword fighting types will especially get a kick out of it. Seriously, this is one excellent and remarkably entertaining book! Read it.
PANELS: Batman: Heart of Hush
Posted on February 18, 2014 Leave a Comment
After a harrowing showdown against Hush,
Bruce Wayne has a confession to make.
Batman: Heart of Hush.
Book Review and INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY: The Barrow by Mark Smylie
Posted on February 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
Mogsy’s Book Haul – The NetGalley Pile
Posted on February 16, 2014 Leave a Comment
I normally gather up my new books to feature my hauls every other week, but I think I’m going to sneak a special post in with just the titles I received for review from NetGalley this time, simply because there are more of them than usual! It’s hard to believe my stats are still above 80% sometimes, but Review Copy Cleanup month has really helped with that. On the other hand, it’s done nothing to stop me from requesting books at the same rate as I’m completing them, but there has been a lot of great looking books in the last week and a half that I just couldn’t resist, and I’m super excited about them:
Honor’s Knight – I already devoured this one, which goes to show how much I’m digging this series. Like Fortune’s Pawn, it’s a hell lot of fun, and I hope to have the review up later this week.
The Lascar’s Dagger – last month we put together a post about science fiction and fantasy books by women authors that we’re really looking forward to in 2014, and this is definitely high on my list!
Unwrapped Sky – everything about this book grabbed my attention right away — the enchanting title, the gorgeous cover, the interesting sounding description. I’m really looking forward to this one.
Stolen Songbird – this was one of my Waiting on Wednesday picks, and one of my top anticipated YA novels for 2014. A lot of recent Strange Chemistry titles I’ve picked up lately have been excellent, and I hope this one will be too.
Morningside Fall – so I really enjoyed the first book Three but at this point I was also aware my Netgalley list was getting a little overloaded. I debated whether or not I should wait until I polish off a few more books before I start requesting again. But then I saw this one was a READ NOW. How could I say no? I love it when life makes the tough decisions for you!
Graphic Novel Review: Joker by Brian Azzarello
Posted on February 16, 2014 Leave a Comment
Publisher: DC Comics
Date of Publication: November 4, 2008
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Joker has been released from Arkham Asylum–released, not escape. No one is sure how the Joker managed such a thing, and he’s unwilling to divulge his secret. This story is told from the POV of a hood with lofty goals named Jonny Frost. He volunteers to pick Joker up the day that he’s released and follows him down a dizzying spiral of destruction as Joker begins a madcap scramble to reclaim what he considers his.
While the Joker is a dark figure in the DC universe, there’s always this aspect of him that seems to be morosely gleeful no matter the situation. You don’t often see him outside of that “clown” mode. In this book, there’s something deadly serious about the Joker. For sure he’s still the smiling murderer, but there are more moments where he’s just not amused in such a serious way, and it shows all over his demeanor. I know there are moments in the past where he isn’t amused with his current surroundings, but he’s always managed to hide that behind murderous glee as he meted out his punishment.
In this comic, readers can catch glimpses of him where he appears to be angry and bitter with no smile in sight. There’s even a scene where we catch the Joker in a very vulnerable moment with Harley. It’s almost like a slip of the mask, very human moments from a character that doesn’t show many other human emotions. Part of this different view on the Joker might be colored by the fact that story is told from Frost’s point-of-view. So, Joker may be acting in the ways the reader normally sees him, but Frost’s perception of Joker and the situation may temper this view.
Joker’s sanity or insanity is never really directed addressed. This books allows the reader to speculate on this throughout. It’s a topic that’s actively avoided by the Joker with him saying only a few words about his release. I think that Riddler has the most interesting things to say about the Joker and his sanity/insanity when I wasn’t being distracted by his belly tattoo and the fact that he looked like he was a rejected extra from The Fast and the Furious.
Another thing that was different was the Joker’s reaction to Batman. Joker is not Batman’s number one fan in this book. He’s very antagonistic toward him when they finally encounter one another late in the book. So many writers tend to write Joker as a sort of twisted admirer of Batman who seems to cause all this mayhem as some of orchestrated play that involves only the two of them. While I liked this alternate view of Batman and Joker’s “relationship,” their confrontation felt a bit overdramatic and pulpy when it happened.
Even with me being a little ambivalent about the ending, I thought this was a great read. It’s one of those comics that provide an alternative perspective of the Joker.
YA Weekend: The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
Posted on February 15, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Series: Book 1 of The Mortality Doctrine
Publisher: Delacorte (October 8, 2013)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ll start by saying that I’ve never read James Dashner before this, but I know his name is well known in the world of Young Adult science fiction with his books in the Maze Runner series. Why I chose to tackle this book instead of starting with The Maze Runner is simple: I was initially drawn to the gamer culture aspect in the description, and it sounded enough like Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One (which I loved) to make me even more curious.
There are definitely some similarities; the book follows Michael, a young man who spends most of his time in the VirtNet, a virtual reality network that offers total mind and body immersion so that anyone plugged in can experience any one of thousands of fantasy worlds like they are actually there. That’s pretty much where the resemblance ends though. In Michael’s VirtNet, a new cyber terrorist known as “Kaine” is purportedly hacking the code and trapping people inside games, so that in-game deaths lead to real life casualties and victims becoming brain-dead.
The best part about being in the VirtNet was never having to worry about risking your life, but now all that has changed. VirtNet Security forcibly recruits Michael, a talented gamer and hacker in his own right, to hunt down this dangerous enemy threatening the whole system. From here on out, the rest of the book is laid out in classic action-and-adventure format, where the hero and his two friends set out on a quest to find Kaine, picking up clues and investigating leads along the way.
The beginning had me pretty interested. The VirtNet system is very well described, especially with the setting of the game “Life Blood” serving as the opener. I loved the idea of how realistic and immersive these worlds are, and the infinite possibilities they present. The novel had a great intro, and a quick subsequent build-up to the main part of the story. I really thought this was going to be a winner.
But then something stalled along the way. The tight focus that was maintained throughout the first part of the book gradually unraveled, so that by the time we’re in the middle chapters I felt that the story had lost its steam. It almost feels like the author had a clear vision of how the book begins and how it ends, but didn’t really plan well for everything that needs to go in between. Michael and his friends’ journey felt far too prolonged and lost its direction, leading me to ask myself several times while reading this, “Wait, what are they supposed to be doing again?”
To the book’s credit, the ending did indeed hook me back in, but by then it was a little too late for me to feel the full impact. In any case, the big shocking twist at the end was certainly well worth it, though like I said, at that point it did not have the effect that it should have had. I also wonder if this novel would have been better served told in the first person; I think that would have given me a deeper connection to Michael’s feelings, especially during that final revelation.
All in all, not a bad book, but I’m still debating whether or not I will pick up the sequel which is slated for a summer 2014 release. I very well may end up checking out The Maze Runner before I get a chance to read book two of this series.
Book Review: Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard
Posted on February 14, 2014 Leave a Comment
Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Viking Adult (February 20, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Moth and Spark was one of my top anticipated novels of 2014. My gut instinct told me it was going to be a good one, and while my gut might not be the best guide for a lot of things, it has hardly ever steered me wrong when it comes to books. And I was pleased to see to that it was right once again. If anything, Moth and Spark gave me even more than I bargained for.
To understand why I liked it so much, you also have to understand that I’ve been looking for a book like this for a long time. While I was reading Moth and Spark, a Goodreads friend of mine commented on one of my status updates with: “Fantasy with a romance sub-plot is rare.” Indeed it is! Everyone who knows me knows I enjoy a good love story. And I would be reading a lot more romance, except I prefer it combined with other elements, especially from speculative fiction.
What I’ve always wanted to read was a meaningful and actively engaging romance in a high fantasy, but typically, most of the adult fantasy novels I enjoy merely scratch at the surface of romantic relationships. It’s pretty much made me resign myself to the fact that I can only have one without the other. That is until this book came along and filled that void.
Moth and Spark is also different from a lot of romances. Yes, the love between the two main characters features heavily in this book, but at the same time it never lets you forget that both Corin and Tam are organically part of a much bigger story unfolding around them. Their relationship, as suddenly and swiftly as it occurred, is not merely the central focus with just the fantasy setting tacked on; it is part and parcel of the overall plot which involves a rich tapestry of courtly intrigue, back alley conspiracies and impending war, all culminating into a nation hanging in the balance. Together, the crown prince of Caithen and the commoner daughter of a renowned doctor must work together to save their homeland, combining their powers to free the dragons from their bondage to a mad emperor.
That’s right, there are dragons. Just when you think things can’t get any better, eh?
I think most of all, I loved this book for the wonderful characters that Anne Leonard has created. Call me a softie, but I like it when I see strong and inherently good, decent people find each other and fall in love. I like it when I see lovers like Tam and Corin sacrifice for each other, care for each other, and respect one another. I like that their romance is a partnership, where the chemistry is natural and mutual.
The author is also very adept at world building. She has a way of inserting very detailed information about the environment without encumbering the prose. For instance, I only noticed afterwards that there is actually a good amount of description in the text, but I hardly felt overwhelmed by them at all as I was reading. Anne Leonard accomplishes this by not laying out the background of the world all at once; instead, we gradually get to learn about things like the Empire’s history or magical lore as the story progresses.
I could go on and on about a lot of the other aspects that I enjoyed, such as the magic, the dragons and their riders, the king’s wizard-assassins (I really liked Joce, who was probably my favorite character after Tam and Corin), the court politics, the formal dances and elegant fashions, the sword fighting scenes and so on, but I should leave some of the more enchanting parts for people to discover for themselves. I will reveal though, that the ending involves quite a gripping scene of a duel on dragonback. Oh yes, this book gets my heart pounding in more ways than one!
Suffice to say I was very impressed with Moth and Spark, which is a debut for Anne Leonard. The novel’s story of love and adventure struck the right chord with me, and it’s going straight onto my shelf of favorites. I’ll definitely be watching this author in the future for more.
The BiblioSanctum 